After dropping five games in a row, N.C. State (3-6, 0-6 ACC) will hit the road to take on Boston College (5-4, 2-3 ACC) in Chestnut Hill, Mass. at Alumni Stadium on Saturday. The Wolfpack needs to win to keep its postseason hopes alive.
“We’re looking forward to playing our last road game of the year,” head coach Dave Doeren said at the ACC weekly teleconference. “Playing against a very good football team in Boston College, a very physical team, is going to be a great challenge for us.”
On Saturday, State suffered a road loss to in-state rival Duke after several fourth-quarter miscues sent the Pack home with the 38-20 defeat.
“We were up 20-17 in the fourth quarter, and then 21 points go up on the board without our defense on the field,” Doeren said. “A lot of our position groups did improve in the game, but turnovers and special teams cost us.”
On the other side of the ball, Boston College is coming off of a 48-34 victory at New Mexico State, its second straight win after knocking out Virginia Tech.
Since their first encounter in 1936, State and BC have only faced each other nine times. When the Pack and Eagles met last year in Raleigh, State struck down the Eagles, 27-10. However, the Wolfpack has a 1-5 record in Chestnut Hill, Mass. with its only victory coming in 1936.
With the exception of State’s Oct. 26 defeat against No. 2 Florida State, all of the Pack’s ACC games have been close contests until the fourth quarter. Its average deficit heading into the final quarter is only six points, and the only other time State trailed by more than a touchdown was against Clemson, when the Tigers held a 13-point lead.
“We just haven’t finished games,” Doeren said. “A lot of that has been our quarterback problems we’ve had from a health standpoint.”
“Our guys know, and nobody’s pointing fingers at them. We’re supporting them. We know they’re trying to do everything they can to help us finish the game.”
The Pack will rely on both of its two starting quarterbacks against BC. Graduate student Brandon Mitchell, whom Doeren said at Monday’s press conference would start against the Eagles, is listed as questionable on State’s weekly injury report, released on Thursday.
Both Mitchell and redshirt junior Pete Thomas both saw time behind center against the Blue Devils, and both threw for more than 100 yards in the contest. But both threw interceptions late in the fourth quarter to the same player, Duke’s freshman safety DeVon Edwards. Edwards returned both interceptions for touchdowns.
Mitchell, who was out for almost two months with a foot injury, has yet to throw for more than 200 yards in a game this season, while Thomas has surpassed that mark five times this season.
Boston College’s senior running back Andre Williams is the Eagles biggest offensive threat. The Schnecksville, Penn. native has amassed 1,471 yards on 246 carries with 12 touchdowns and is the team’s leading scorer with 72 points. Williams has been named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in the FBS.
“He’s the best running back that we’ve seen on the season, and he statistically leads the league in about every offensive category a rusher can,” Doeren said.
State’s defense has proven to be a powerful force against the ground game. The Pack is ranked 17th in the nation in tackles for a loss with 66 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
“This is a good squad with really a lot of ability on defense,” Boston College head coach Steve Addazio said. “They have a very, very stout front seven and big, strong physical guys that run to the ball really, really well.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is slated for 12:30 p.m. and can be seen through the Raycom Sports Network. WRAL-FM will provide the radio broadcast on 101.5.
