The no. 18 Florida State Seminoles (6-3) and the unranked Boston College Eagles (4-5) meet Friday night under the lights to go head-to-head in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Most recently, Boston College broke a 12-game ACC losing streak, beating NC State 21-14, followed by a disappointing 52-7 loss to the no. 6 Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. After last week’s unraveling, Boston College will surely be pushing to regain momentum during Friday night’s game against Florida State who has won the last 6 matchups.
Florida State, who also beat NC State just last week, continues to fight for a better position among the ranks. Their defense comes prepared to defend Boston College’s 19.4 average points per game with powerhouses like sophomore defensive back Tarvarus McFadden, who leads the nation in interceptions, and senior defensive end Demarius Walker who leads the nation in sacks.
Florida State’s offensive game soars in comparison to Boston College with an average of 279.1 passing yards per game and 190.9 average running yards per game.
Redshirt freshman quarterback, Deondre François, who ranks 5th in the ACC, has thrown for 2,492 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games. He will present a significant challenge to Boston College’s defense when paired with running back Dalvin Cook.
Cook, who is ranked 8th best in the nation for all-purpose yards, is only 127 yards away from breaking Florida State’s all-time rushing record currently held by Warrick Dunn (3,959 yards). Despite his impressive record, Cook has not been able to gain the type of yardage against Boston College in his three years as a Seminole as he has against other teams in the conference.
Boston College comes equipped with junior defensive end, Harold Landry, who is ranks 3rd in the nation in sacks – not far behind Walker. Statistically speaking though, Boston College’s defense gives up nearly 100 less yards per game than Florida State’s.
These numbers may give Boston College a bit of a defensive advantage; however, their offense has a lot more to prove, coming in at 126th in the nation for total offense.
As far as special teams, both teams present with strong kickers. Boston College’s Mike Knoll continues to impress having missed only one field goal this season, while Florida State puts their trust in freshman Ricky Aguayo whose consistency has not disappointed yet.
Overall, both teams have both opportunity and struggles ahead of them for Friday night’s game. Boston College’s focus remains on protecting their quarterback and improving upon their offensive outcomes and, from a defensive perspective, holding Deondre Francois at bay.
Florida State, on the other hand, will continue to rely on their offense to power through Boston College’s defensive game and push to get more points on the board.
After a rough start to the season and pulling off last week’s nail biter against NC State, Florida state is looking to keep the velocity going and finish their season strong.
Be sure to tune in Friday night at 7:30 to ESPN2 to check out the matchup.
