2018 Boston College Eagles football team
American college football season
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The 2018 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Addazio. They finished the season 7–5 overall and 4–4 in ACC play to place the fourth in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the First Responder Bowl against Boise State. With 5:08 left in the first quarter and Boston College leading 7–0, the bowl game was stopped because of bad weather and ultimately canceled and ruled a no contest.
- Steve Addazio (6th season)
| 2018 Boston College Eagles football | |
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First Responder Bowl, no contest vs. Boise State | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Atlantic Division | |
| Record | 7–5 (4–4 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Scot Loeffler (3rd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Co-defensive coordinators |
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| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Alumni Stadium |
Uniform | |
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| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Clemson x$#^ | 8 | – | 0 | 15 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Syracuse | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh x | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Recruiting
Position key
| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB | |||
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E | |||
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K | |||
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB | |||
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB | |||
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |
Recruits
The Eagles signed a total of 20 recruits.
| College recruiting (2018) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Jehlani Galloway WR |
Providence, Rhode Island | Classical High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Mar 19, 2017 | |
Recruit ratings: Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports:  ESPN: | ||||||
| Joey Luchetti TE |
Groton, Massachusetts | Lawrence Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Mar 20, 2017 | |
Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports:  ESPN: | ||||||
| John Tessitore K |
Wallingford, Connecticut | Choate Rosemary Hall | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Mar 25, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Kyiev Bennermon DT |
Poughkeepsie, New York | Spackenkill High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Mar 28, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| John Langan QB |
Wayne, New Jersey | Bergen Catholic High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 29, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Matt Valecce QB |
The Bronx, New York | Fordham Preparatory School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 6, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Evan Stewart S |
Sparta, New Jersey | Saint Joseph Regional High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 7, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Finn Dirstine OG |
Acton, Massachusetts | Lawrence Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 320 lb (150 kg) | May 10, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Ryan Betro DT |
Groton, Massachusetts | Lawrence Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | May 11, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Hugh Davis LB |
Indianapolis, Indiana | Cathedral High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 26, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Vinny DePalma LB |
Wayne, New Jersey | DePaul Catholic High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 27, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Joe Sparacio LB |
Naples, Florida | First Baptist Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jun 6, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| David Bailey RB |
Ridgely, Maryland | North Caroline High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Jun 6, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Aaron Gethers CB |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | Bishop McDevitt High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 9, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Tyler Days DB |
Mattydale, New York | Cicero – North Syracuse High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 11, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Elijah Jones DB |
East Harlem, New York | Cardinal Hayes High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 16, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Thomas Shelmire OG |
Dallas, Texas | Highland Park High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | Jun 17, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Nick DeNucci LB |
Sparta, New Jersey | Pope John XXIII Regional High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Jun 18, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Jason Maitre WR |
Everett, Massachusetts | Everett High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Jun 19, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Tyler Vrabel OT |
Bellaire, Texas | St. Pius X High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Jun 26, 2017 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lott Trophy[1] | Zach Allen | DE | SR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[2] | Zach Allen | DE | SR |
| Lukas Denis | S | SR | |
| Maxwell Award[3] | A. J. Dillon | RB | SO |
| Doak Walker Award[4] | A. J. Dillon | RB | SO |
| John Mackey Award[5] | Tommy Sweeney | TE | JR |
| Jim Thorpe Award[6] | Lukas Denis | DB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy[7] | Zach Allen | DE | SR |
| Lukas Denis | DB | SR | |
| Outland Trophy[8] | Chris Lindstrom | OL | SR |
| Paul Hornung Award[9] | Michael Walker | WR/KR | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[10] | Zach Allen | DE | SR |
| Walter Camp Award[11] | A. J. Dillon | RB | SO |
| Ted Hendricks Award[12] | Zach Allen | DE | SR |
ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.
| Media poll (Atlantic) | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 1,031 (145) |
| 2 | Florida State | 789 (1) |
| 3 | NC State | 712 (2) |
| 4 | Boston College | 545 |
| 5 | Louisville | 422 |
| 6 | Wake Forest | 413 |
| 7 | Syracuse | 232 |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 1:00 p.m. | UMass* | ESPN app | W 55–21 | 30,112 | ||||
| September 8 | 1:00 p.m. | Holy Cross* |
| ESPN app | W 62–14 | 40,311 | |||
| September 13 | 5:30 p.m.[a] | at Wake Forest | ESPN | W 41–34 | 25,309 | ||||
| September 22 | 12:00 p.m. | at Purdue* | No. 23 | ESPN2 | L 13–30 | 47,119 | |||
| September 29 | 12:00 p.m. | Temple* |
| ESPNU | W 45–35 | 40,111 | |||
| October 6 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 23 NC State | NESN | L 23–28 | 57,241 | ||||
| October 13 | 12:30 p.m. | Louisville |
| NESN | W 38–20 | 31,478 | |||
| October 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Miami (FL) |
| ESPN | W 27–14 | 41,892 | |||
| November 3 | 3:45 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | No. 22 | ACCN | W 31–21 | 65,632 | |||
| November 10 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 2 Clemson | No. 17 |
| ABC | L 7–27 | 44,500 | ||
| November 17 | 3:30 p.m. | at Florida State | No. 20 | ESPN2 | L 21–22 | 57,274 | |||
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 20 Syracuse |
| ESPN | L 21–42 | 34,959 | |||
| December 26 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. No. 25 Boise State* | ESPN | NC 7–0[b] | |||||
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- The Wake Forest game was originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m., but the game was moved up to 5:30 p.m. in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.[13]
Game summaries
UMass
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minutemen | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Eagles | 14 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 55 |
In the Battle of the Bay State, BC used their RB A. J. Dillon early and often and cruised to an opening day victory
Holy Cross
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Eagles | 21 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 62 |
QB Anthony Brown continued his stellar start to the season and led BC to an easy win over FCS Holy Cross
At Wake Forest
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 41 |
| Demon Deacons | 7 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 34 |
In a redemption game from last season, Anthony Brown threw for a career high 5 touchdowns in BC's ACC opening win over Wake Forest. BC would get into the AP Poll at No. 23 the next day
At Purdue
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
In their first game as a ranked team since 2009, the Eagles excitement got the better of them as they lost for the first time this season to winless Purdue. It knocked BC out of the rankings
Temple
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Eagles | 13 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
A. J. Dillon led his team to a bounce back win over Temple with two touchdowns as the Eagles stayed undefeated at Alumni Stadium in 2018
At NC State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| No. 23 Wolfpack | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Despite causing turnovers in Raleigh, the Eagles offense could not answer without Dillon and lost their first ACC game of 2018 to the Wolfpack
Louisville
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Eagles | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
In a must win ACC game, BC would jump out to an early 14–0 lead. Sloppy play and miscues allowed Louisville to take a 20–14 lead in the half. But BC used a blocked punt TD to retake the lead and would score the final 24 points of the game to defeat the Cardinals and get to the off week with a 5–2 record
Miami (FL)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricanes | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Eagles | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
In the 5th edition of the Red Bandanna Game, A. J. Dillon returned to give the Eagles and their wild crowd their best victory over the season over the #25 Hurricanes. Anthony Brown also had two TDs (1 Pass 1 Rush) and BC's defense caused two interceptions in the second half that led to 10 points
At Virginia Tech
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 24 Eagles | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 31 |
| Hokies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
The Eagles visited Virginia Tech and pulled out a 31–21 victory. Sophomore Travis Levy gave BC a boost with two rushing TDs in the second half after falling behind 14–7. A. J. Dillon left the game with an injury
Clemson
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Tigers | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| No. 17 Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
In what was deemed the biggest game of the year for the Boston College Eagles, the defense played a role in holding Clemson to a 13–7 lead at halftime. But without Anthony Brown, who was injured on BC's first possession of the game, the Eagles could not muster enough offense and dropped a tough matchup to the second ranked Tigers
At Florida State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 20 Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Seminoles | 0 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 22 |
The Eagles were big favorites even after a tough loss last week. But with both Brown and Dillon not one hundred percent, the Eagles offense struggled and the Seminoles picked up a late TD pass in the final two minutes of regulation to get an upset
Syracuse
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Orange | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Eric Dungey was in full form even after getting injured against Notre Dame the week before and the Eagles could not stop him or the Orange offense in another lackluster game for the Eagles. Brown accounted for all of BC's touchdowns but Dillon was still banged up and BC finished the regular season 7–5 for the third straight year
Vs. Boise State (first responder bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | |||
| No. 23 Broncos | 0 | 0 |
With Boston College leading 7–0 with 5:08 remaining in the 1st quarter, the game was delayed due to inclement weather. After an hour and a half delay, the game was canceled and ruled a no contest[16]
A. J. Dillon scored on the Eagles' first possession; a 19-yard touchdown run. He had 33 yards on six carries. Anthony Brown was 4-for-6 passing for 54 yards, while Kobay White made two catches for 35 yards.
Rankings
Roster
| 2018 Boston College Eagles football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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2019 NFL draft
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Lindstrom | Atlanta Falcons | 1st | 14 | G |
| Zach Allen | Arizona Cardinals | 3rd | 65 | DE |
| Will Harris | Detroit Lions | 3rd | 81st | S |
| Tommy Sweeney | Buffalo Bills | 7th | 228th | TE |