Florida State vs. Boston College: Eagles on Defense

Sep 14, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Boston College Eagles linebacker Steele Divitto (49) tackles USC Trojans running back Justin Davis (22) during second quarter action at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

If you ask Pitt, Nevada and Bethune-Cookman–Florida State’s first three opponents of 2013–to describe what it’s like trying to tame the FSU offense, I’m sure that you’ll get a lot of confused, bewildered and terrified looks. That’s because that’s exactly what Jameis Winston and the rest of the ‘Noles offense have been doing to teams.

This week, the Boston College Eagles are next in line to see of they can figure out this developing juggernaut, a juggernaut that has scored 41, 62 and 54 points respectively in their first three games. Let’s see how exactly the Eagles stack up against the Florida State offense as they prepare to take on this responsibility:

Against the Pass

The Eagles are giving up a not-so-stellar 374 yards per game through the air, which currently ranks near the bottom of the defenses in the ACC at 10th. After being the target of heavy scrutiny when the season began, in their last game, Boston College made the non-existent USC passing offense look as if they were channeling the mid-2000s glory years. SC QB Cody Kessler was 15/17 for 237 yards with two TDs and no interceptions.

In my opinion, the Florida State passing attack with Winston, Kelvin Benjamin, Rashad Greene, Kenny Shaw and company are miles above where the USC is. If anything in this game, Jameis could wind up with similar numbers that he had against Pitt in Week 1.

But, if there is one area that the Eagles are somewhat excelling in so far against the pass, it’s sacks. Last year, BC had just SIX total sacks on the year. So far in 2013, they’re averaging 2.67 per game, although they haven’t seen someone as elusive as Winston yet.

Against the Run

Life for the Eagles against the run hasn’t been a highlight neither. They’re currently yielding just over 169 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the ACC rankings. Again pointing to the USC game, they let Tre Maddon carry the ball for over 102 yards. With the depth FSU is currently sporting in the backfield, especially with the emergence of Karlos Williams, the BC front could be quickly worn down with the plethora of fresh legs coming in and out.

Key Players to Watch

• LB Kevin Pierre-Louis: The senior is one of the top linebacker prospects in the country. Through three games, Pierre-Louis has already recorded 28 total tackles, and a sack against Villanova in the opener.
• DB Bryce Jones: Sophomore Bryce Jones is an up-and-comer on the defensive side of the ball in the ACC. He’s tallied one interception already on the season and will now face the toughest task of his young career when he has to match up against one of those aforementioned Florida State wideouts this Saturday.
• LB Steele Divitto: Aside from having one of the more enjoyable names in college football, Divitto is also a force in that linebacker group along with Pierre-Louis. The senior already has 25 total tackles on the season, ten of which were recorded in the Wake Forest game alone a few weeks ago.