The similarities between Clemson and Boston College are almost endless heading into their ‘09 match-up. Both teams have coaches starting their first full season, both have an established run game but came in with a questionable situation at quarterback, and both were expected to finish in the lower tier of the Atlantic. A combo of that and a history of close games, the last 3 have been decided by a total of 9 points, make this an intriguing one. Oh, and they play for a really cool trophy.

It’s no surprise Boston College was expected to start the season 2-0, playing lower tier opponents, but putting up the numbers they have were a bit unexpected. Who saw 44 points a game from an offense that didn’t have ANY security at QB, and 3.5 allowed a game from a defense that lost a key defensive lineman to the NFL and their fearless leader to cancer? Color me surprised. But here we are, watching an Eagle offense that’s averaging almost 400 yards a game and leads the league in scoring.
They take that offensive show on the road to face one of the best defenses in the league, in one of the toughest venues to play in – Death Valley. Despite a gut wrenching loss to Georgia Tech, hopes are high in Tiger Town behind Coach Dabo and freshman sensation Kyle Parker.

Did we mention a guy named CJ? Yeah, Mr.Spiller is a big deal too. This weekends game against Boston College could see him become the first player in ACC history to have 2,500 yards rushing, 1,000 yards receiving and 1,500 return yards. The speedster needs 66 yards rushing, 14 yards receiving, and 29 return yards.

The Offense:
Boston College comes in putting up almost 400 yards a game and leading the league in scoring at 44 a game, a far cry from what was expected considering the problems faced at quarterback in the preseason. Justin Tuggle and Dave Shinskie have split time behind center, with both being somewhat effective throwing for 389 yards and 5 TD’s combined and only 1 INT. The real star of the offense has been running back Montel Harris. He has averaged a little over 90 yards a game, and carrying an impressive 5.3 yards a carry, along with 3 TD’s. The trip to Death Valley Saturday will be the first real test this offense has faced this season.

The Tigers started the season with plans of a two-quarterback system, but quickly shifted to Freshman Kyle Parker, who has shown flashes of brilliance and great leadership. He was the catalyst for the Tigers comeback and near victory at #15 Georgia Tech last week, tossing for 261 yards, and 3 TD’s. The Tigers were down 24-0 midway through the second quarter, but behind Parker and a stout defense they actually took the lead 27-24 on a Richard Jackson 53-yard field goal. Clemson’s rushing attack has been a bit of a question mark so far this season. On paper, the 163.5 yards a game look good, but that’s thanks in part to a 202 yard performance against MTSU. While they did manage 125 against a good Georgia Tech defense, superstar CJ Spiller hasn’t really gotten his wheels going, averaging only 49 yards a game, but in his defense he has been a jack of all trades this season – he leads the Tigers and is 3rd in the ACC in all purpose yards at 202.5 a game.

The Defense:
Boston College: A peak at the stats sheet shows an Eagles defense that is giving up a mere 3.0 points a game and only 155 yards of offense. Granted, they have only played two sub par opponents. Even so, the defense is looking good, despite missing All-ACC linebacker Mark Herlich. The secondary is looking even better than last season, only allowing 84 yards a game. A litte eye-popping stat – the longest pass given up this season: 18 yards against Kent State. I’d love to go a little more in-depth on the Eagles defense, but they haven’t had a single real test thus far this season, so it’s a little tough.

Clemson: What a difference a half time adjustment makes. After getting thumped to the tune of 24-7 in the first half, the Tigers only allowed Tech 167 yards and 6 points in the 2nd half of a their 30-27 loss last week. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has done away with the ‘bend but don’t break’ system Tiger nation has long seen, and installed a smash mouth, ultra aggresive style that has his defense looking like a top 10 finish statistically could be in the near future. Oh, and bad news for opponents: not only are they fast, they hit hard. Real hard. Just ask Tech QB Josh Nesbitt.

The Special Teams:
Boston College: The Eagles have their work cut out for them trying to rival the Tiger return game, but senior WR Rich Gunnell is no amateur. He has already logged one punt return for a TD, a 46-yarder against Northeastern, and is 3rd in the league in punt return average at 22.5. The Eagles do hold a bit of an advantage in field goal kicking. Senior Steve Aponavicius has been perfect on the year, going 3-3 on FG’s and 11-11 on PATs.

Clemson: Hands down, the Tigers have one of – if not THE best – return game in the country. A combo of CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford provide the possibility of instant scoring anytime there’s a kickoff or punt. In their first game of the season, MTSU saw Spiller take a kickoff back 96-yards for a TD and Ford do the same on a 61-yard punt return. Spiller is currently 2nd in the ACC and 6th nationally in kick return average, with a 43.5 yard average, and Ford is sitting 4th the league in punt returns. The kicking game is a bit of a question mark for the Tigers. Richard Jackson showed his leg against Georgia Tech, booming a 53-yarder that could have easily hit from 60-yards, but he has some work to do on accuracy, only hitting on 5 of 7 for the year.

The Final Take:
Clemson finally broke the 50-year losing streak to the Eagles last season, with a 27-21 win in Chestnutt Hill. The 2009 version should see a repeat, but not nearly as close.

The Tiger defense showed what it was made of last week in the second half, looking more and more like a “Steele Curtain” (pun intended). While Boston College looks good on paper offensively, they haven’t seen a defense even close to this one yet. The Tigers should be able to apply constant pressure on whichever QB is calling the plays, forcing mistakes down field. Where the Eagles might keep it close is on defense. Kyle Parker has shown promise, but has also shown those freshman mistakes that could wind up costing a ‘W’. If the Eagles can establish themselves up front, and completely stop the run, they’ll force him to beat them through the air. But that could be a bad thing considering Parker has proven his arm strength, vision and ability to hit the big pass.

I think we’ll see a close one through the first quarter, but the Clemson defense will come alive and shutdown the Eagles, giving the Tiger offense plenty of time to operate. Clemson RB CJ Spiller should come close to his first 100-yard game this season, with Parker tacking on a few TD passes, leading to a decisive Tiger victory.

ACC Blitz Prediction: Clemson 34, Boston College 17

By the Numbers:
0 – Rushing TD’s by Clemson

5 – Number of TD’s over 40-yards for Clemson this season

7 – Total points allowed by Boston College in 2 games this season

9 – Number of total points the games between Clemson-Boston College have been decided by

27 – How many unanswered points Clemson tallied last week

44 – Boston College points per game in 2009

53 – How far Clemson Kicker Richard Jackson nailed a field goal from against Georgia Tech

63 – How far that field goal *could* have been good from

85 – Average punt return allowed by Clemson. It is only 1 though. An 85-yarder by Georgia Tech on a botched punt

Tags: 2009 Boston College Football, 2009 Clemson Football, CJ Spiller record, Clemson versus Boston College