GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
SITE: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV: ESPN2
SERIES: Florida State leads 11-5. Boston College own the last meeting 35-3 in 2017.
RANKINGS: Boston College No. 20
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Eagles
–QB Anthony Brown was injured on the first drive of Saturday night’s game, winding up in the hospital with what Addazio called “an abdominal injury.” That leaves Brown as day to day for this week’s game at Florida State. For the year, he is hitting 58 percent of his passes, for 16 touchdowns and five interceptions — four of the picks coming in one game.
–RB AJ Dillon, a preseason All-American, has been hampered by an ankle problem but continues to play. He has run for 936 yards and eight touchdowns on the season but netted just 39 yards on 16 carries last week against Clemson. “AJ is really honestly about the same as it’s been each week,” coach Steve Addazio said. “I think he comes off the game, doesn’t feel great on Sundays and Mondays, and as the week goes on, we see improvement.”
–DE Zach Allen continues to add to his resume. Clearly a focus of the Clemson offense, he was in on four tackles, one for loss, and had a pass breakup and two quarterback hits in the loss to the Tigers. For the season, he has 50 tackles, 22 of them solo, 13.5 for loss, including 5.5 sacks — and he has an interception, six pass breakups, 10 quarterback hits, a blocked kick and a forced fumble.
Seminoles
–QB Deondre Francois might just being starting his final game for the Seminoles. After getting the nod to start against Notre Dame the redshirt junior didn’t do much to inspire confidence he was the team’s solution going forward. Against the Irish, Francoise was 23 of 47 passing for 216 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
–QB James Blackman, who started against North Carolina State when Francois was unable to go because of injury, could be called on if Francois continues to struggle. The sophomore has completed 64.7 percent of his passes (33-of-51) in four games for 510 yards and five touchdowns. He is negative rushing, but so, too, is Francois.
–DE Brian Burns is really just playing for his future at this point. Burns, who is Florida State’s highest-ranked draft-eligible player from this year’s team, has a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss on the season to go along with nine sacks. As a freshman, he had 9.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss, then last year he recorded 48 tackles with 13.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks.
KEYS
TO THE GAME
No. 20 Boston College gave Florida State a little bit of payback for previous losses with last year’s 35-3 walloping of the Seminoles in Chestnut Hill and will be looking to continue that Saturday when the two meet in Tallahassee.
Kickoff for the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium is 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Eagles’ win last year marked the second-worst loss of then-coach Jimbo Fisher’s eight years with the Seminoles. Fisher has since moved on to Texas A&M, but the Eagles (7-3, 4-2 ACC) look to get back on track following last week’s 27-7 loss to No. 2 Clemson.
The Seminoles (4-6, 2-5 ACC) limp into the game needing this one and a win over Florida in the regular-season finale to reach bowl eligibility for a 36th consecutive season.
But BC coach Steve Addazio isn’t drinking his own team’s Kool-Aid heading into this game. He still very much respects Florida State, even in a down year.
“Playing a really talented football team, at home, highly motivated to be able to get to bowl eligibility,” Addazio said. “An offense that has a quarterback that has a great arm, great skilled player, and a defense that watching tape this week or Sunday and today, very few people have been able to get much going early in the game.”
The Florida State defense, which has given up a school-record 148 points in its last three games (all losses), will have a much easier task if two of BC’s primary offensive weapons — quarterback Anthony Brown (abdominal injury) and running back A.J. Dillon (ankle) — can’t go.
Addazio said this week that Brown is “day-to-day” and that Dillon’s injury is “really honestly about the same as it’s been each week. I think he comes off the game, doesn’t feel great on Sundays and Mondays, and as the week goes on, we see improvement.”
Florida State was in a similar position a year ago with four wins at this point of the season, but a victory over Florida followed by one over Louisiana-Monroe in a hastily rescheduled makeup game got the Seminoles into the Independence Bowl, where they beat Southern Mississippi 42-13.
That was under Fisher. Now first-year coach Willie Taggart faces the some task. Despite the losing, Taggart doesn’t think the players have given up on the season.
“You got to be real with yourself and see what’s going on inside,” Taggart said. “And I think that’s why our guys are coming each week ready to practice and play. Guys are still working their tails off and trying to get it done and they see it and they know we can be so much better. So I don’t see anybody feeling that negativity, it’s easy to do that, but I don’t see anybody doing that here.
“We got a young football team and it’s important that we as coaches teach them how to win again. I know it’s going to turn and I know it’s frustrating for everyone, and trust me you’re guys are frustrated too and but we’re going to get there.”
Taggart hopes quarterback Deondre Francois is the one who gets them over the hump too. Taggart reiterated his support for the junior signal caller this week over backup James Blackman, even though Francois struggled all night in a 42-13 blowout loss to No. 3 Notre Dame last week, while Blackman threw for 421 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago against N.C. State.
The Wolfpack also beat the Seminoles easily 47-28, but Blackman’s game was the best any Florida State quarterback has had all year. Still, Taggart supports Francois.
“Yeah, unless something dramatic happens, again, I don’t see no reason for him not to be our starter right now,” Taggart said. “Deondre is not the issue of what our football team. There’s a lot of other issues.
“He can’t block for himself. He can’t catch the ball. He can’t play special teams. He can’t tackle. He’s not the issue with our football team.”
