Northwestern looks to improve to 3-0 against a rising Boston College squad. (Ap/Getty)
Who’s been the biggest factor in BC’s complete turnaround in the passing game?
New offensive coordinator Doug Martin’s really come in and revolutionized the passing game for Boston College. QB Chase Rettig’s always been competent. But now, with a much more open-style offense, he’s dumped conservatism at the door and let Rettig be more productive. He did the same thing at New Mexico State last year. And while it didn’t result in wins over there, they did have a very fun offense to watch.
Andre Williams showed some improvement in week two averaging 4.4 yards a carry, but still has been subpar. How crucial is his performance to BC this weekend?
Rolandon Finch is a bit more experienced, and in my opinion, a bigger key to the offensive game plan — so really not concerned about Williams’s overall performance. He’s productive in a split backfield role, and combined with Finch, they equal one pretty good runner. I don’t know how much more you can expect from the guy. That said, the running game will be a big key against Northwestern, as BC will want to avoid being one-dimensional. In their contest against Syracuse, NU was able to control the first half because the Orange had no running game and were relying pretty heavily on the pass. If the Wildcats force the Eagles into a similar gameplan on Saturday, it plays to their favor.
The game could likely come down to one thing – Chase Rettig’s turnovers vs. Wildcats inexperienced secondary. Who you taking?
I’ll take Rettig in a matchup with NU’s secondary, just because he’s actually cut down on turnovers so far this year (not perfect, however, by any means). In the new system, he’s shown patience and an ability to deliver a good ball — not unlike the man who victimized the Wildcats a few weeks ago, Ryan Nassib. Nassib completed a ton of passes (obviously), but by picking on the defenders’ lack of experience to force the same penalty multiple times, it showed that Northwestern’s passing D is still pretty rough around the edges. Martin’s gameplan will be similar to SU’s, for sure.
How can BC stop Venric Mark?
Kick away from him on special teams. And in the running game, just work on containment. BC will already have a linebacker staying at home when Colter’s at quarterback. Keeping him there may cut down on inside run plays, and then could kick Marck (or any runner) out to the edge. That’s a mixed bag of results — could go really well and force him to the sideline, or really poorly. No telling, really.
Chances for BC to go to ACC title?
Zero. Florida State and Clemson are in the same division and are definite top-25 squads. Boston College may perform better than the standard four or five wins predicted for them, but a division title is really asking a lot of them,.
Final score?
Northwestern gets to 3-0, taking this one by a score of 30-21. Their two-QB set gives BC defenders fits all day, and Northwestern’s defense makes the plays it needs to down the stretch to preserve the win.
John Cassillo authors Atlantic Coast Convos, which chronicles ACC (Plus Syracuse & Pittsburgh) football. Check out the blog, and follow him on Twitter: @JohnCassillo
About Keegan Goudie
Jay Cutler needs to work on controlling tone both on the field and in his press conferences. He is a leader and needs to talk like a leader.