The Last Look: Boston College

Is it really already Saturday again?

Man, this week has flown by. The energy around Clemson has still been beaming after the demolition that took place in Louisville last weekend, the site launched Tuesday morning and we’ve hit the ground running.

Here are a few final things to look for this afternoon as the Tigers look to remain unbeaten before a big trip up to Blacksburg next weekend.

Huegel Injury a kick to the gut:

After the emotional high from the Louisville victory, Clemson fans got the wind knocked out of their sails once news began to circulate that kicker Greg Huegel was done for the year. Huegel tore his ACL at the very end of practice on Wednesday afternoon during a two-minute drill.

This “freak accident,” as coach Dabo Swinney said, puts Clemson in a peculiar situation on field goals and kickoffs. The “next man up” mentality continues and it’s Alex Spence’s turn to fill that role.

Kickoffs are going to be the biggest adventure. Anything can happen.

Does Spence have the leg to put it deep in the end zone? If not, how will the kickoff team perform in coverage? Special teams and field position have been two areas where Clemson fans have held their breath in recent memory. 

After a great deal of improvement in the past year or so, it’s back to waiting and wondering what to expect on every kick. Spence was touted as the 9th best kicker in the country in 2014 and performed well in August camp. Spence went 4-for-4 on field goals in one scrimmage including a 51-yarder.

No doubt, Spence has shown he is capable, but kicking in a scrimmage is different than kicking on Saturdays. It’ll be interesting to see how the redshirt junior does in all phases if he is, in fact, the next man up.

Expect walk-on Christian Groomes to also get some reps if given the opportunity. This seems like a perfect time, if there ever was one, to experiment with kickers. There should be plenty of kickoffs and extra point opportunities for Clemson in this game.

Another potential huge day running the football:

Boston College comes into this game trending in the wrong direction and could be in for a long afternoon.

The Eagles just gave up 515 rushing yards to Notre Dame and give up 279 per game. Their interior defensive line was gashed by the Irish as two players rushed for over 200 yards, one being quarterback Brandon Wimbush who also scored four touchdowns on the ground.

Future first-round draft pick Harold Landry can only do so much to assist this defense. They are meeting a hungry running back corps that still competes to be “the guy” in this offense. Look for Feaster to bust a long run up the middle today as he came so close to doing a few times in Louisville. This feels like a game where Feaster should shine.

Don’t be surprised if Kelly Bryant is the leading rusher, though. Bryant should be able to get to the edge on the zone reads, especially if Boston College gets sucked inside after a few nice runs up the middle. If Clemson’s front blocks on the inside the way it did last weekend on the ground, it’ll be a long day for the Eagles.

70+ players should play again:

Don’t want to get too ahead of the game here, but this game could be over relatively quickly.  Boston College’s lone win came in overtime on the road at Northern Illinois and Clemson is coming off two consecutive victories over top-15 opponents.

The Eagles like to go up-tempo as of late, which may be a disadvantage against this Clemson defense. True freshman quarterback Anthony Brown has been at the controls for the offense and he’s thrown for five touchdowns and six interceptions in his first three games.

Again, this defense is salivating at the opportunity to get after a young quarterback in Death Valley. Look for the defense to swallow up the run game, force the Eagles into a few mistakes and force maybe one or two turnovers. This performance, with the combination of the run game, will leave room for the youthful reserves to get more game experience.

Look for 70-plus players to touch the field on Saturday. After one big injury this week already, Clemson will look to conserve its starters’ energy as much as possible to be safe. This type of experience can certainly help positions that are running thin before a trip up to Blacksburg to face a good Virginia Tech team in prime time.

Listen to last night's episode of Clemson Sports Talk for a full breakdown from Dan Rubin who covers Boston College.

Listen to "The Finale of Finally?" on Spreaker.