BC a completely different team in loss to Purdue

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BC a completely different team in loss to Purdue

This wasn’t the BC anyone expected. Nine days after throwing for 304 yards and five touchdowns, Anthony Brown threw four picks and Heisman candidate AJ Dillon had his worst statistical game as a starter, rushing for only 59 yards on 19 carries.

This wasn’t the Purdue anyone expected. David Blough threw for 572 yards last week against Missouri, and the Boilermakers still found a way to lose. In a week’s time, Purdue learned how to play defense.

Purdue kept the door open for a BC comeback with two second-half fumbles and a missed chip shot field goal, but the Eagles responded with sloppy play of their own. Brown’s interceptions came during a five-drive span in the second half.

Purdue played an outstanding game, and BC shot itself in the foot way too many times. Dropped passes and unnecessary penalties contributed to BC’s woes.

Linebackers Cornel Jones and Markus Bailey locked in on Dillon all game and combined for 17 total tackles. Purdue also batted down a handful of Brown’s passes.

In a sense, Purdue’s gameplan mirrored that of Wake Forest: sell out for Dillon and make Brown win the game with his arm. The only difference was that the sophomore QB wasn’t up to the test this time around. Brown couldn’t escape the pocket when pressured and misfired on a few passes after adjusting his arm slot to compensate for the batted balls.

The defense played well enough but couldn’t get off the field on third down. The Eagles gave Purdue too many second chances with penalties that negated potentially game-changing plays. A BC interception was called back midway through the game, and Purdue kept a crucial drive alive after BC roughed Blough.

The shining moment for the defense came when Brandon Sebastian punched the ball loose after a big Boilermaker gain. Will Harris scooped it up and BC had life. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t get anything going.

While the loss is sure to disappoint Eagles fans who were riding the momentum of being ranked for the first time in a decade, maybe it isn’t the worst thing for BC.

A loss to Purdue tempers expectations that BC can challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoffs, but the Eagles were never going to be that team. Let’s face it: BC was never going to crack the top four no matter how good the team looked in the first three weeks.

This also has the potential to become a learning moment for Steve Addazio’s squad. The adversity faced in West Lafayette could pay dividends come November when Virginia Tech and Clemson bring the pressure.

The Eagles’ blend of a hard-nosed defense with a versatile offense makes them uniquely suited to handle any opponent put before them. BC has the perfect mix of stars who deliver and role players who play their hearts out. Obviously, none of this jelled Saturday in West Lafayette when everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. A home date with Temple should be just what the Eagles need to get back on track.

The announcers took every opportunity they could to point out that BC might not be worthy of the “second best team in the ACC” title. They’re right, at least for now. BC hasn’t proven anything yet; the Eagles took care of business against inferior teams and garnered national attention.

BC is a good team, but it has the potential to be special. The latter condition won’t be determined by some beatdown of UMass or humbling loss against Purdue. Rather, it’ll be judged during BC’s four-game stretch against the ACC beasts late in the season.

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