No. 21 Boston College (2-0, 0-0) vs. No. 15 Georgia Tech (2-0, 0-0)
BC:
Matt Ryan is the best quarterback in the ACC and arguably one of the best in the nation. He has already beaten defending ACC champion Wake Forest and North Carolina State, two divisional ACC teams. He did this despite mediocre performances from his receivers, who dropped several of his passes.Andrew Callender, the Eagles' leading rusher, is averaging over 100 yards per game and proves to be a tough test for Tech's defensive line.
The Eagles' defense is one of the more underrated units in the ACC, ranking fourth in the nation. BC allowed just two yards rushing to Wake Forest. The Eagles' weakness is their pass defense. They gave up over 350 yards passing to both Wake Forest and N. C. State, struggling to stop the long pass.
GT:
Tech's rushing offense continued to dominate the line of scrimmage for the second straight week. Tech ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense. Tashard Choice ranks ninth in the nation among running backs after carrying the ball 37 times in two games. Freshman running back Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns against Samford to take home ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
On the other side of the ball, Tech has totaled 11 sacks. Tech ranks just No. 24 in passing defense, but is top-10 in rushing, scoring and total defense. Eight players on Tech's defense have had a sack, including Darrell Robertson and Vance Walker. They each have 1.5 sacks.
Four Key Questions:
How will the passing game take advantage of BC's secondary?
Tech's passing game has been merely pedestrian in the first two games of the season, totaling just 230 yards and zero touchdowns. Taylor Bennett has taken a backseat to the running game, scoring his own rushing touchdown in the home game against Samford. His passing numbers were impressive against Samford and he has found success in the past against lesser pass defenses, with starts coming against West Virginia and Samford producing great numbers. Bennett is going to have to step up if Tech wants to succeed, with much of the offense set to be on his back. BC is allowing over 350 yards passing per game and allowing just under 30 yards per game rushing.
Will Matt Ryan take advantage of Tech's secondary?
BC's passing game has been stellar this year, totaling 550 yards and 6 touchdowns through two games. Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta's defense looks to be ready, using double coverage to force the Eagles to use their running game. While Tech's rushing defense has performed well, stopping Notre Dame in its tracks and leaving Samford helpless in the first half of the game, the passing game has not played at the same level. Matt Ryan, one of the ACC's premier quarterbacks, should give the Jackets its first challenge of the season. If Ryan can figure out where the blitzes are coming from, Tech's defense will have to adjust their game plan to keep up.
Will BC's run defense hold up against Tech's running game?
The Jackets have dominated with the ball on the ground, notching up nine rushing touchdowns in their one game against Samford. Tashard Choice is averaging 153 yards per game and nearly 10 yards per carry. Tech's running backs as a whole are averaging 6.67 yards per rush. They face BC's stacked running defense, a group that has given up less than 30 yards per game rushing to start off the season. Tech's offensive line will have a better time controlling the line of scrimmage with two of BC's starting lineman out this week. Nick Larkin is out with a left knee injury and BJ Raji will be redshirting for academic reasons.
Can Tech score in the red zone?
Tech kicked five field goals against Notre Dame, three of those coming from inside the red zone. Against Samford, it took Tech three fourth down conversions to score touchdowns and they had two other fourth down conversions on scoring drives. The Jackets high powered offense has come to a near stand still when it reaches the red zone. Tech will need to play better in the red zone to have a chance at a conference championship, to score against good teams and to be taken seriously nationally.
