After another ACC loss, the Syracuse Football team looks to bounce back against Boston College in the Dome. Both teams have lost three of their last five games and need to win this game to keep their bowl-game hopes alive. The Eagles are 4-4 on the season and the Orange 3-5.
The player to watch for the SU offense is Trishton Jackson. Jackson has recorded over ten yards per catch in the games against Pitt and Florida State. Both of these games ended in losses but Jackson proved to be a reliable receiver. Even though Jackson has made some big plays these last two games, he has been shut out of the end zone. As one of Tommy Devito’s favorite deep threat targets, Jackson will probably see a lot of red-zone targets in this must-win game. The sack leader for the Eagles only has 2.5 sacks. This may, finally, give the subpar offense a break and give Devito enough time to make accurate throws down the field.
AJ Dillion is the key for the BC offense. Dillion already has over 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Half of these touchdowns came through the air. He is most dangerous as a factor in the ground game but does not count him out
when he comes out of the backfield as a receiver. In Boston College’s last five games, Dillion has rushed for over 100 yards in every game except last week against Clemson. Just the week before, he rushed for over 200 yards against the NC State defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Orange is going to have to find a way to contain Dillion. Josh Black has been a bright spot on the Syracuse defensive line this season. He leads the team with four sacks and leads the line with 29 total tackles. SU can expect the Eagles to rely heavily on their feature back, Dillion, so strong line play will be crucial. SU allowed Seminole Cam Akers to gash for a season-high four touchdowns last week in Tallahassee. Because the run game opened up for FSU, the rest of the
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offense was able to abuse the Orange defense.
Max Richardson leads tackling for BC with 79 total tackles. The linebacker will lead the charge in shutting down secondary receivers and screens, which Head Coach Dino Babers has used frequently to spark the offense. This defense puts minimal pressure on the quarterback so they turn their focus on open-field tackling.
Syracuse opens as the home favorite in this conference battle. This game can easily get away from them if they do not shore up their defensive line and stop the run. The Eagles like to run and have a high-caliber back, who will cause damage. Boston College is not a big threat when it comes to putting
pressure on the quarterback but the Orange offensive line is terrible. If the line can play at a mediocre level, then the offense may be able to open up in the passing and run game.