3 KEYS TO THE GAME: #23 NC State vs. Boston College

Boston College is 4-1 with wins over UMass, Holy Cross, Wake Forest, and Temple. Their only loss came at the hands of Purdue. Before that loss, BC was ranked 23rd in the nation, but have since dropped out of the Top 25.

The Wolfpack enter the game as one of the few remaining undefeated teams in college football. They are currently sitting at 4-0 with wins over JMU, Georgia State, Marshall and Virginia. They come into this game ranked 23rd in the AP poll and 25th in the coaches poll.

Here are the keys to today’s game:

Stop BC’s ground game!

If you know anything about Boston College, you know they are going to try to ram it down your throat. They have no hesitation giving their star running back, AJ Dillon, 30+ touches in this game. That is if he plays. Dillon is nursing an ankle injury he suffered in their game vs Temple last week. He is being listed as a game-time decision, although if I were a betting man, I’d bet he suits up.

Dillon has 106 carries for 652 yards and 6 TDs in just 5 games this season. NC State is well aware of what he can do since they were a victim of his last season when he went for 196 yards (on 36 carries) and 1 touchdown

Look, the guy is arguably the best running back in the nation. He’s the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, and currently ranks 3rd in the NCAA in rushing yards with 652. If he plays and NC State doesn’t bottle him up, it’s going to be tough to win this one.

Light up the scoreboard

The NC State offense has been good this season thanks to their elite WRs and Ryan Finley’s great start to the season, but if they want to be true contenders in this league, they need to be better in the run game. The good news is, they may have an in-house fix for that. Last week freshman RB Ricky Person emerged, going for 108 yards on 14 carries. You have to wonder if we’ll see a major increase in  Person-usage vs. BC.

Meanwhile, Boston College is having some problems on defense. They’ve GIVEN UP 106 points over their past 3 games. That’s an awful 35.3 points per game. At the same time, NC State has SCORED 113 points over their past 3 games, good for an average of 37.6 points per game. This combination of factors could lead to the Wolfpack offense having a big day vs the Eagles.

Get the lead early…make QB Anthony Brown beat you

One way to neutralize BC’s ground attack is to pile on the points early. While they will never abandon their run game, they will be forced to put the ball in QB Anthony Brown’s hands and ask him to make plays. That is exactly where the Wolfpack want to be.

Brown isn’t awful, but he’s not an elite level signal caller. The 6’2 redshirt sophomore has only attempted 108 passes this season, good for 861 yards, and while he does have 12 TDs, 9 of those came in two games (4 came in a blowout vs. UMass). In the lone game where BC was playing from behind, Brown was horrible. He was 13 of 27 for 96 yards, no TDs, and 4 interceptions.

Speaking of interceptions. Brown will throw them. He’s only thrown those 4 THIS season, but last year it was his calling card. In just 258 attempts he threw 9 picks.

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If NC State can do these 3 things, we think the Pack rolls and moves to 5-0 on the season entering their matchup with #4 Clemson on October 20th.