No. 22 Boston College Notes: The Florida State Game

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No. 22 Boston College looks to win its eighth game of the season for the first time since 2009 as the Eagles travel to Florida State Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast by ESPN2 with Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht and Rocky Boiman on the call.
Coverage on the Boston College IMG Sports Network begins at 3 p.m. with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM.
BC (7-3, 4-2 ACC) looks to rebound from its first home loss of the season last week to No. 2 Clemson, 27-7. The Eagles held the Tigers nearly 21 points below their single-game average in the loss.
Florida State (4-6, 2-5 ACC) is hoping to bounce back following last Saturday’s 42-13 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame.
With a win Saturday, Boston College would capture its second straight win over the Seminoles for just the second time in series history.

Boston College and Florida State meet for the 17th time in series history Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles lead the all-time series, 11-5.
In ACC play, FSU leads the series 10-4 as the Seminoles were the first ACC opponent for the Eagles in 2005. Florida State won the 2005 matchup 28-17 at Alumni Stadium.
The series between the two schools began in 1957 in Chestnut Hill as the Eagles came away with a 20-7 victory.
FSU had won seven straight in the series before last year’s 35-3 win for the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. It was the largest margin of victory for BC in the series and the most points they have ever scored in a game against the Seminoles.
BC’s longest win streak in the series is two games – a 27-17 victory in 2008 and the 28-21 win in 2009. The Eagles have only scored 30-plus points twice in series history against FSU – 34 in 2013 and last year’s 35 points.
BC looks for its first win in Tallahassee since 2008 with a victory Saturday.
Nine Florida natives on the BC roster return to the Sunshine State Saturday. Four starters are among the nine as cornerback Hamp Cheevers (Trenton), defensive end Wyatt Ray (Fort Lauderdale), wide receiver Jeff Smith (St. Petersburg) and wide receiver/return specialist Michael Walker (Naples) are from Florida.
With a win Saturday, Boston College would record a winning record in the ACC for the sixth time in school history. The last time BC won five ACC games in a season was 2009 (8-5, 5-3). The school record for single-season ACC victories is six, set in 2007.
With a win Saturday, the Eagles would clinch their first eight-win season since 2009 (8-5, 5-3). It would be just the 30th eight-win campaign in 120 seasons of Boston College football.

ACC Wins

Boston College joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005 and has finished with a winning record just five times. The Eagles have finished with five ACC wins in a season four times and have recorded six ACC victories in a year once.
The 6-2 ACC record in 2007 is the best in school history as the Eagles lost to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game.
BC finished 5-3 in the ACC in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Among the Nation’s Best

Boston College is ranked 22nd in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches poll.
It is just the 18th time in AP Poll history BC has been ranked in multiple weeks during the same season.
In 83 years of the AP Poll, BC has been ranked in just 23 of those seasons (28%).
BC has made four appearances in the AP Top 25 this season. That marks just the 14th time in 83 seasons the Eagles have made four or more appearances in the AP Top 25 in the same season.

Beating a Ranked Opponent

Boston College’s 27-14 win over then No. 25 Miami was the first victory over a ranked team since 2014. Prior to the Miami win, the last win over a ranked opponent was a 37-31 victory over Southern California in 2014.

Taking Down the Canes and Hokies

The 31-21 win at Virginia Tech on Nov. 3 marked just the second time in 16 seasons BC has victories over Miami and Virginia Tech in the same year. The only other time BC defeated both the Hurricanes and Hokies was 2007. The previous week, the Eagles defeated No. 25 Miami 27-13.

Closer Look at AJ Dillon in the Starting Lineup

In 17 games since AJ Dillon was named the starter at running back on Oct. 14, 2017, at Louisville, Boston College is 12-5 overall and has averaged:

34.0 points per game

232.6 rushing yards per game

188.9 passing yards per game

421.5 total offense yards per game

2,192 rushing yards by Dillon

146.1 rushing yards per game by Dillon

20 rushing touchdowns by Dillon

10 100-yard rushing games by Dillon

Dillon missed the games at No. 23 NC State and vs. Louisville with an ankle injury.
Since Oct. 14, 2017, Dillon leads all players nationally with 146.1 rushing yards per game.

BC opened the 2018 season with 40+ points in its first three games, the first time in 120 seasons of football at the Heights the Eagles scored 40+ in the first three games.
Boston College has scored at least 40 points in an ACC game five times. Four of those five are in BC’s past 11 conference games.
The Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, and the other game of 40+ points was 2009 against NC State.
Over the last 17 games, BC has eclipsed the 500-yard mark in total offense six times.
Boston College rolled up 598 yards of total offense in the 55-21 victory against UMass on Sept. 1. The Eagles topped that mark with 610 yards of total offense in the 62-14 victory over Holy Cross on Sept. 8.
BC went over 500 yards of total offense for the 10th time under head coach Steve Addazio in the victory at Wake Forest. The Eagles finished the 41-34 win over the Deacs with 524 yards of total offense.