In case you missed it, DT Bryan Bresee isn’t playing today for the 3rd time in the last four games. He was able to play 50 snaps against Wake Forest and recorded one tackle. Course, there is no way you can NOT know he isn’t playing. There must have been 100 tweets on twitter mentioning it. Note of interest: DE Xavier Thomas has yet to suit up this year due to a foot injury. According to Coach Dabo Swinney “He is right there. Right there.” He has been “right there” for several weeks. Tiger nation awaits his return with high anticipation.
NC State ran 69 plays against Clemson last Saturday night. There was no Bresee and once again, no Thomas. So who pulled the snaps in their place. DT Ruk Orhorhoro (50 snaps, 2 tackles) and DE KJ Henry (53 snaps, 2 tackles, 1 sack) pulled heavy duty time, as they have for the past two years. DTs Tre Williams (coming off an injury himself), Payton Page, and Etinosa Reuben provided depth behind Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis, and will do so again this week.
QB Phil Jurkovec will be under a lot of pressure tonight as he has already been sacked 18 times this year. Expect DC Wes Goodwin to continue to dial up pressure from all angles. Linebacker Barrett Carter has exploded out of the gate, and leading tackler Trenton Simpson has picked up where he left off last year.
WR Zay Flowers will get his looks, no doubt. It’s going to take over the top help from a safety to corral this talented wide out. The keyto any success the Eagles might have will be how well the offensive line can fend off this Tiger defensive pressure. The BC rushing attack had some success against the Louisville Cardinals last week, but still ranks last in the ACC in rushing. Clemson’s defense is ranked #2 in the country in rushing yards allowed. The trenches will tell the story.
Penalties have affected both teams recently. BC had 13 penalties last week against Louisville while the Tigers had nine against NCST. Watch how this unfolds throughout the game.
Clemson has beaten Boston College 11 straight games and owns a 20-9-2 series lead. The last two games played between these two teams were in Death Valley with the 2020 game canceled due to COVID. The inaugural Red Bandana game was in 2014, with BC outlasting USC ( the real USC) 37-31. Since then, BC’s record in this game is three wins, and four losses, including a loss to Clemson in 2016. The fans will be pumped, the team will be full of emotion, but emotion can sometimes be short lived, depending on what happens in the first drive of the game. Jurkovec missed last year’s game due to injuries, but is ready to go in this game. He completed 18 of 21 last week against Louisville for 304 yards, two touchdowns, one INT, and was sacked three times. The Tigers MUST get pressure on him and blanket WR Zay Flowers.
So, the big question is…..which BC team will show up. The team that showed up against Louisville or the team that traveled down to Tallahassee and lost to the Seminoles 44-14. Our guess is the latter.
