No. 24 Eagles visit Virginia Tech
Call it a role reversal.
Boston College hits the road for Blacksburg, Va. this weekend and, in a switch of positions, it’s the Eagles, and not the Hokies, who are ranked.
The Eagles climbed back into the poll for the second time this season with a 27-14 Friday Night Lights victory over Miami.
Virginia Tech is 4-3 after losses in two of its last three games. This is also a Hokie team that lost a game to FCS Old Dominion — at home — in September and gave up 465 yards rushing against Georgia Tech’s option attack last week.
Still, Lane Stadium is never an easy place to visit.
“We’ve got to handle the crowd noise,” BC coach Steve Addazio told his regular Monday media gathering. “We’ve got to be able to really establish a good run game. You go on the road, you’ve got to pack your run game, you’ve got to pack your defense, and you’ve got to be able to sustain and with stand the home team force.
“We need to have a really strong week of preparation. We need to get our team feeling good and healthy. We came out of a very physical football game last weekend, and then march on and get ready to get win No. 7.”
AJ Dillon returned for BC against Miami after missing 2 1/2 games with an ankle injury. He ran for 149 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. Quarterback Anthony Brown ran for one touchdown and passed for another while also catching a pass.
The win made Boston College bowl eligible for the third straight year and the fifth in six years under Addazio.
The Eagles were pounded 49-0 in Blacksburg two years ago.
“In our new indoor we have a sound system that’s probably second to none in America,” Addazio said. “It’s really incredible. We were in there last night, and we had that thing cranked up. It was giving me a headache it was so loud. It’s louder than any stadium could possibly be.
“You know, it’s tremendous for us to use that. I’ve got to pick my spots. We’re playing outside, so I don’t want to be inside all week, but we’ll probably have to go inside because the sound system that we have outside won’t do what this one will do. This thing is incredible. It’s deafening.”
The 6-2 start is Boston College’s best since the ’07 squad opened 8-0.
The Eagles are still alive in the chase for the ACC Atlantic Division title but the remaining schedule includes a Nov. 10 home game against No. 2 Clemson.
