Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) heads on the road again to travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to face Boston College (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The Orange is coming off a big 31-17 upset win over then-No.17 Virginia Tech that earned the team national recognition. The Eagles had a bye last week but were most recently blown out by No. 4 Clemson.

A win would put either team in prime position to get to six wins and go bowling. But Boston College is looking for its first ACC win in its last 12 tries, spanning this and last season. The last ACC team BC beat was Syracuse on Nov. 29, 2014

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

All-Time Series: Syracuse leads, 30-19.

Last time they played: These two teams met in the final game of the 2015 season and the last game for Scott Shafer as head coach of the Orange. It took a 35-yard field goal from Cole Murphy as time expired, but SU pulled out a 20-17 win, snapping an eight-game losing streak. Shafer was lifted into the air and carried around the field by his players.

The Boston College report: The Eagles are powered by their strong defense. BC gives up just 253 yards of offense per game, which is good for fourth in the nation, and just 149.7 passing yards, also fourth. Harold Landry, who averages just a little more than one sack per game, leads its defensive line. He’s forced four fumbles through six games this year — one of the best marks in the country.

Quarterback Patrick Towles, a graduate transfer from Kentucky where he started for two years and threw for more than 5,000 yards, leads Boston College’s offense. The Eagles haven’t thrown the ball particularly well this year with just 160 yards through the air each game. Jon Hilliman, who is 6-feet tall and 220 pounds, will shoulder the brunt of the load on the ground.

How Syracuse beats BC: Repeat last week. The Orange has a little big of a bigger margin for error, but it needs the offense to put up points against a highly ranked defense again and it needs the defense to not suffer a let down after its best game of the year. With Boston College’s lackluster offense, SU’s defense should fair well. It’ll come down to the ACC’s top-ranked passing offense and its top-ranked passing defense.

Stat to Know:

11 — Boston College has lost 11 ACC games in a row. Its last ACC win came against Syracuse in 2014.

Player to Watch: Harold Landry, No. 7

The defensive end will be tasked with disrupting Eric Dungey and Syracuse’s offense. He has the ability to get around the edge with 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss on the year. His ability to strip the ball from players could be game-changing if he’s able to force a key turnover.

Published on October 21, 2016 at 6:40 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus