Opponent Breakdown: Boston College Eagles Defense

Boston College has been known to have a strong defense in recent years but the results under Jeff Hafley have been a little underwhelming so far. The Eagles don’t stand out in any way on defense and they have struggled to stop some very pedestrian offenses this season.

The issues for BC start up front with a Defensive Line that hasn’t been able to get much pressure on the Quarterback and has failed to make many disruptive plays against the run. BC is ranked in the 120s when it comes to sacks and tackles for loss. They are nearly dead last in the latter. They’re getting next to nothing from this front group and it’s impacting the play of the guys behind them. This is a group that Louisville should be able to exploit.

The Linebackers for BC have fallen off a bit after losing some really good talent over the last few years. Isaiah Graham-Mobely leads the team in tackles but he hasn’t made many havoc plays this year. He is a guy who can run well and chase things down. Kam Arnold and Vinny DePalma have combined for three forced fumbles on the year. BC isn’t bad on defense by any stretch but the lack of havoc plays by the front seven has been an issue for them.

The Eagles' secondary is really impressive to me as it’s full of veteran guys with a lot of experience and a handful of young guys with great potential. Brandon Sebastian has been starting at Cornerback for BC for about half a decade and he is still very good at just about everything. He has great size and plays the ball well in the air. Opposite Sebastian is Elijah Jones who is 6-2/176 and sticky in coverage. Louisville hasn’t tested outside corners all that often this year and I don’t know that they have an advantage to start doing so.

The Safeties are an interesting group for BC. Josh DeBerry starts at the nickel and he makes a lot of plays on the edge. He will be key against Louisville’s stretch runs as well as their quick passing game. Jason Matrie is a former corner who should be an asset in coverage while Jaiden Woodbey is a former top-35 recruit who transferred in from FSU. This group has talent but they are getting no help from the pass rush and it’s hurting their performance.