Buffalo Bulls at Boston College Eagles football preview: Q&A with BC Interruption

Old-fashioned blog swap! We’re chatting with AJ Black of BC Interruption.

If you’d like a little more on Boston College, head over to last night’s Bulls and Beers where we heard from another BC alum.

1. BC's three FBS games have played out drastically differently. Of the three, which is most typical of the team Eagles fans expected this year?

AJ: There certainly were three different games played out through the start of our FBS schedule. I tend to think the Georgia Tech game will be the most similar to what BC will show for the remainder of the schedule. Virginia Tech seems like an outlier, I haven't seen a team/coach quit like that before under Steve Addazio, so hopefully that won't be the case moving forward. UMass was interesting, BC moved the ball really well through the air on their touchdown drives, but the GT seems to encompass everything I expect from Addazio. Run the ball a ton, good defense with few mistakes, and coaching decision that make me want to throw my television through a window. Those poor coaching decisions seem to be the norm for Addazio and I would expect more of that moving forward.

2. How has Patrick Towles' decision-making been? It's hard to see UB getting into the backfield much and disrupting his timing when he needs to pass.

AJ: I am still really on the fence about Patrick Towles. On one hand he has shown some amazing touch on some of his passes, but on the other he makes really poor reads or rushes too quickly. He has hit some home run balls in each of his first three games (excluding the VT debacle), but he also has thrown some horrific interceptions as well, the worst against UMass when he chucked it five yards down field into double coverage. He certainly has the skills, but against good defenses he seems to make big mistakes at bad spots.

3. Was anything Virginia Tech did right something Buffalo could replicate - scheme failures or weak spots in the lineup - or was it simply a better, faster group taking advantage of windows that might not be open to a Bulls group that doesn't boast ACC-caliber athletes?

AJ: Do you have Jerod Evans? He absolutely shredded BC with some simple options and was able to spread the defense thin with some good passes to boot. That being said, simple options don't always work, as Georgia Tech really couldn't get anything moving against the Eagles other than some long passes. I think the VT loss was due to BC pressing, completely falling apart and folding, and VT having superior athletes up and down the roster.

4. I mentioned on my end that I feel BC's defense hasn't been quite as strong as last year. Are there any noticeable changes from Don Brown's scheme already?

AJ: At the beginning of the year Addazio said that the defense was his, and that even without Don Brown they were going to run a very similar aggressive defense. They certainly have shown that. But the big difference I have noticed so far is the inconsistent play by the secondary. Last year Brown had them matched up against some of the best receivers in the ACC and these kids were able to hold their own. I'm seeing mistakes by them already, which is worrisome because we still have Louisville/Clemson/FSU on the schedule. Up front they are still similar, still pretty dominant.

5. We'd love a prediction from your end, as well

AJ: This is going to be a pivotal game for Steve Addazio. If he goes out there and lays another egg, this program is going to completely fall apart. That being said, I don't think that is going to happen. I expect BC to go out there and "pound the rock", and control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. I'd look to something around 30-13 or something like that.

Bonus: We've got a number of readers headed to Boston for the weekend. What's something they might not know about that they shouldn't miss?

AJ: If the fans are around after the game, head over to the Harpoon Brewery in the Seaport district of Boston for their annual Oktoberfest bash. Tons of music, good beer, and a real good time. Highly recommend that.

Thanks to AJ for taking the time! The guys at BCI are good people and worth a follow on Twitter at @bcinterruption, and AJ is @BChysteria. Our end of the Q&A should go up today over there.