Boston College Q&A with the Boston Herald's Rich Thompson

Rich Thompson of the Boston Herald was gracious and generous enough with his time to answer some questions about Saturday's Hokies-Eagles matchup.

Boston College has been able to replace the net production of Andre 2000 (Williams) with a trio of ball carriers behind a veteran offensive line. The o-line features 5 graduate players with 122 combined starts among the unit. The Eagles are 11th nationally in rushing yards per game (277) with production mostly coming from quarterback Tyler Murphy (843 yards) and running backs Jon Hilliman (572) and Myles Willis (320). How has Steve Addazio changed his offensive scheme to incorporate Murphy as a running threat? Are most of his yards coming after the pocket breaks down, or is BC running designed quarterback runs or read plays? Which running back is leaned on the most?

Murphy provides an element to the position BC didn't have last year with Chase Rettig. Andre Williams was the only option and he enjoyed exceptional blocking. Addazio returned three interior linemen and he brought in Florida graduate transfer Ian Silberman to replace Matt Patchan. Murphy runs by design and has the option to run or pass on roll outs. Freshman Jon Hilliman is a speed power back in the Williams mode and he is fabulous in the red zone (nine touchdowns).

Against stiffer competition, Boston College has played some close games. What got the Eagles over the hump against Southern Cal (37-31), and why didn't they pull out wins over Colorado State (21-24) and Clemson (13-17)?

BC rushed for a season high 452 yards against the Trojans and Murphy clinched the game with a 66 yard touchdown run. By contrast, Andre Williams rushed for 38 yards on 17 caries in the LA Coliseum in 2013. Colorado State scored on a fourth and goal from the 12 with 1:02 remaining in the game. Addazio and defensive coordinator Don Brown only rushed three men on that play. Lesson learned. They have been blitzing five and six ever since. A missed extra point changed the dynamic in the Clemson game. BC needed a touchdown on late in the game when a field goal would have forced overtime. Sophomore tailback Tyler Rouse dropped an easy touchdown pass and the Eagles offense never recovered.

What's the simplest explanation for a pretty poor passing attack in 2013 being less efficient in 2014? If Tech corner Kendall Fuller was tasked with shutting down one of BC's receivers, who would he cover?

Chase Rettig has a solid arm but Williams was the option of choice. Murphy can throw the ball but BC doesn't have a receiver that can stretch the field. Screens and wheel routes to the backs are BC's most effective pass plays. Teams can load the box against BC because their receivers can be neutralized with man coverage.

In 2013 Boston College was 78th and 93rd in scoring and total defense, respectively. In 2014 they rank 13th and 8th in those same categories. What's different? Which players really make the defense go? Is there a weakness?

BC lost its best defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad to a knee injury but guys like Brian Mihalik, Connor Wujciak and Kevin Kavalec have stepped up. Hybrid linebacker Josh Keyes has developed into an excellent pass rusher while Steven Daniels has been a killer against the run. Daniels came from the same high school (Xavier) as Luke Kuechly. A young suspect secondary has been helped by the Eagles pass rush.

What's your prediction for Saturday?

I can't see a Frank Beamer team losing four games in Lane Stadium. BC must move the chains and control the clock to have a chance in the fourth quarter. BC has two road wins in the ACC using that formula. I like Va. Tech in a low scoring game.