2018 Boston College Eagles football team

2018 Boston College Eagles football
2018 Boston College Eagles football
First Responder Bowl, no contest vs. Boise State
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Atlantic Division
Record	7–5 (4–4 ACC)
Head coach	Steve Addazio (6th season);
Offensive coordinator	Scot Loeffler (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Jim Reid (4th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Anthony Campanile (1st season)
Captain	Jon Baker, Will Harris
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

The 2018 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Addazio. They finished the season 7–5 overall and 4–4 in ACC play to place the fourth in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the First Responder Bowl against Boise State. With 5:08 left in the first quarter and Boston College leading 7–0, the bowl game was stopped because of bad weather and ultimately canceled and ruled a no contest.

2018 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson x$#^	8	–	0	15	–	0
No. 15 Syracuse	6	–	2	10	–	3
NC State	5	–	3	9	–	4
Boston College	4	–	4	7	–	5
Wake Forest	3	–	5	7	–	6
Florida State	3	–	5	5	–	7
Louisville	0	–	8	2	–	10
Coastal Division
Pittsburgh x	6	–	2	7	–	7
Georgia Tech	5	–	3	7	–	6
Miami (FL)	4	–	4	7	–	6
Virginia	4	–	4	8	–	5
Virginia Tech	4	–	4	6	–	7
Duke	3	–	5	8	–	5
North Carolina	1	–	7	2	–	9
Championship: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Eagles signed a total of 20 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jehlani Galloway WR	Providence, Rhode Island	Classical High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Mar 19, 2017
Jehlani Galloway WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Joey Luchetti TE	Groton, Massachusetts	Lawrence Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Mar 20, 2017
Joey Luchetti TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
John Tessitore K	Wallingford, Connecticut	Choate Rosemary Hall	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Mar 25, 2017
John Tessitore K	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kyiev Bennermon DT	Poughkeepsie, New York	Spackenkill High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Mar 28, 2017
Kyiev Bennermon DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
John Langan QB	Wayne, New Jersey	Bergen Catholic High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Apr 29, 2017
John Langan QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Matt Valecce QB	The Bronx, New York	Fordham Preparatory School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	May 6, 2017
Matt Valecce QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Evan Stewart S	Sparta, New Jersey	Saint Joseph Regional High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	May 7, 2017
Evan Stewart S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN:
Finn Dirstine OG	Acton, Massachusetts	Lawrence Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	May 10, 2017
Finn Dirstine OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Ryan Betro DT	Groton, Massachusetts	Lawrence Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	May 11, 2017
Ryan Betro DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Hugh Davis LB	Indianapolis, Indiana	Cathedral High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 26, 2017
Hugh Davis LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Vinny DePalma LB	Wayne, New Jersey	DePaul Catholic High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 27, 2017
Vinny DePalma LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Joe Sparacio LB	Naples, Florida	First Baptist Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jun 6, 2017
Joe Sparacio LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
David Bailey RB	Ridgely, Maryland	North Caroline High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jun 6, 2017
David Bailey RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Aaron Gethers CB	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	Bishop McDevitt High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jun 9, 2017
Aaron Gethers CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tyler Days DB	Mattydale, New York	Cicero – North Syracuse High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jun 11, 2017
Tyler Days DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Elijah Jones DB	East Harlem, New York	Cardinal Hayes High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 16, 2017
Elijah Jones DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Thomas Shelmire OG	Dallas, Texas	Highland Park High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
Thomas Shelmire OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nick DeNucci LB	Sparta, New Jersey	Pope John XXIII Regional High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jun 18, 2017
Nick DeNucci LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jason Maitre WR	Everett, Massachusetts	Everett High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Jun 19, 2017
Jason Maitre WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tyler Vrabel OT	Bellaire, Texas	St. Pius X High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jun 26, 2017
Tyler Vrabel OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 7, 2018.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy^[1]	Zach Allen	DE	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[2]	Zach Allen	DE	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[2]	Lukas Denis	S	SR
Maxwell Award^[3]	A. J. Dillon	RB	SO
Doak Walker Award^[4]	A. J. Dillon	RB	SO
John Mackey Award^[5]	Tommy Sweeney	TE	JR
Jim Thorpe Award^[6]	Lukas Denis	DB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[7]	Zach Allen	DE	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[7]	Lukas Denis	DB	SR
Outland Trophy^[8]	Chris Lindstrom	OL	SR
Paul Hornung Award^[9]	Michael Walker	WR/KR	SR
Wuerffel Trophy^[10]	Zach Allen	DE	SR
Walter Camp Award^[11]	A. J. Dillon	RB	SO
Ted Hendricks Award^[12]	Zach Allen	DE	SR

ACC media poll

The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (Atlantic)
1	Clemson	1,031 (145)
2	Florida State	789 (1)
3	NC State	712 (2)
4	Boston College	545
5	Louisville	422
6	Wake Forest	413
7	Syracuse	232

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	1:00 p.m.	UMass*		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	ESPN app	W 55–21	30,112
September 8	1:00 p.m.	Holy Cross*		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	ESPN app	W 62–14	40,311
September 13	5:30 p.m.^[a]	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ESPN	W 41–34	25,309
September 22	12:00 p.m.	at Purdue*	No. 23	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN2	L 13–30	47,119
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Temple*		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ESPNU	W 45–35	40,111
October 6	12:30 p.m.	at No. 23 NC State		Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	NESN	L 23–28	57,241
October 13	12:30 p.m.	Louisville		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	NESN	W 38–20	31,478
October 26	7:00 p.m.	Miami (FL)		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ESPN	W 27–14	41,892
November 3	3:45 p.m.	at Virginia Tech	No. 22	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	ACCN	W 31–21	65,632
November 10	8:00 p.m.	No. 2 Clemson	No. 17	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy) (College GameDay)	ABC	L 7–27	44,500
November 17	3:30 p.m.	at Florida State	No. 20	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	L 21–22	57,274
November 24	12:00 p.m.	No. 20 Syracuse		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	ESPN	L 21–42	34,959
~~December 26~~	~~1:30 p.m.~~	vs. ~~No. 25 Boise State~~*		~~Cotton Bowl Stadium~~ ~~Dallas, TX (First Responder Bowl)~~	~~ESPN~~	NC 7–0^[b]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[15]

Game summaries

UMass

	1	2	3	4	Total
Minutemen	7	0	0	14	21
Eagles	14	34	0	7	55

In the Battle of the Bay State, BC used their RB A. J. Dillon early and often and cruised to an opening day victory

Holy Cross

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crusaders	0	0	7	7	14
Eagles	21	13	14	14	62

QB Anthony Brown continued his stellar start to the season and led BC to an easy win over FCS Holy Cross

At Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7	14	7	13	41
Demon Deacons	7	14	3	10	34

In a redemption game from last season, Anthony Brown threw for a career high 5 touchdowns in BC’s ACC opening win over Wake Forest. BC would get into the AP Poll at #23 the next day

At Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Eagles	7	0	0	6	13
Boilermakers	7	16	7	0	30

In their first game as a ranked team since 2009, the Eagles excitement got the better of them as they lost for the first time this season to winless Purdue. It knocked BC out of the rankings

Temple

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	14	7	7	7	35
Eagles	13	18	7	7	45

A. J. Dillon led his team to a bounce back win over Temple with two touchdowns as the Eagles stayed undefeated at Alumni Stadium in 2018

At NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	0	7	13	23
No. 23 Wolfpack	7	14	7	0	28

Despite causing turnovers in Raleigh, the Eagles offense could not answer without Dillon and lost their first ACC game of 2018 to the Wolfpack

Louisville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	13	7	0	0	20
Eagles	14	10	0	14	38

In a must win ACC game, BC would jump out to an early 14-0 lead. Sloppy play and miscues allowed Louisville to take a 20-14 lead in the half. But BC used a blocked punt TD to retake the lead and would score the final 24 points of the game to defeat the Cardinals and get to the off week with a 5-2 record

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	7	7	0	0	14
Eagles	14	3	10	0	27

In the 5th edition of the Red Bandanna Game, A. J. Dillon returned to give the Eagles and their wild crowd their best victory over the season over the #25 Hurricanes. Anthony Brown also had two TDs (1 Pass 1 Rush) and BC’s defense caused two interceptions in the second half that led to 10 points

At Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Eagles	7	0	14	10	31
Hokies	7	7	0	7	21

The Eagles visited Virginia Tech and pulled out a 31–21 victory. Sophomore Travis Levy gave BC a boost with two rushing TDs in the second half after falling behind 14–7. A. J. Dillon left the game with an injury

Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Tigers	10	3	7	7	27
No. 17 Eagles	7	0	0	0	7

In what was deemed the biggest game of the year for the Boston College Eagles, the defense played a role in holding Clemson to a 13-7 lead at halftime. But without Anthony Brown, who was injured on BC’s first possession of the game, the Eagles could not muster enough offense and dropped a tough matchup to the second ranked Tigers

At Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Eagles	0	7	7	7	21
Seminoles	0	6	7	9	22

The Eagles were big favorites even after a tough loss last week. But with both Brown and Dillon not one hundred percent, the Eagles offense struggled and the Seminoles picked up a late TD pass in the final two minutes of regulation to get an upset

Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Orange	14	14	7	7	42
Eagles	7	7	7	0	21

Eric Dungey was in full form even after getting injured against Notre Dame the week before and the Eagles could not stop him or the Orange offense in another lackluster game for the Eagles. Brown accounted for all of BC’s touchdowns but Dillon was still banged up and BC finished the regular season 7–5 for the third straight year

Vs. Boise State (first responder bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7				7
No. 23 Broncos	0				0

With Boston College leading 7–0 with 5:08 remaining in the 1st quarter, the game was delayed due to inclement weather. After an hour and a half delay, the game was canceled and ruled a no contest^[16]

A. J. Dillon scored on the Eagles' first possession; a 19-yard touchdown run. He had 33 yards on six carries. Anthony Brown was 4-for-6 passing for 54 yards, while Kobay White made two catches for 35 yards.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	23	—	RV	—	—	RV	24	17	22	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	—	RV	—	25	14	22	RV	—	—
CFP	Not released									22	17	20	—	—	—	Not released

Roster

2018 Boston College Eagles football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`1`	Elijah Robinson	Sr
RB	`2`	A. J. Dillon	So
WR	`3`	Michael Walker	Sr
QB	`4`	E. J. Perry	So
WR	`6`	Jeff Smith	Sr
QB	`7`	Matt Valecce	Fr
WR	`9`	Kobay White	So
QB	`10`	Matt McDonald	Fr
WR	`11`	C. J. Lewis	So
QB	`13`	Anthony Brown	So
RB	`15`	John Fadule	Sr
WR	`17`	Aidan Hegarty	So
WR, RB	`19`	Ben Glines	Jr
QB	`20`	Dennis Grosel	Fr
QB	`21`	Johnny Langan	Fr
RB	`23`	Travis Levy	So
RB	`38`	Peter Stehr	Fr
RB	`39`	Andrew Strader	Jr
TE	`41`	Joey Luchetti	Fr
RB	`42`	Javian Dayne	Fr
TE	`43`	Tito Pasqualoni	Fr
TE	`44`	Brenden Smith	Fr
FB	`47`	Colton Cardinal	Sr
OL	`52`	Cam Reddy	Fr
OL	`55`	Wyatt Knopfke	Jr
OL	`56`	Adam Korutz	So
OL	`64`	Ben Petrula	So
OL	`65`	Thomas Shelmire	Fr
OL	`66`	Anthony Palazzolo	Jr
OL	`67`	Aaron Monteiro	Sr
OL	`69`	Eddy Fish	So
OL	`70`	John Phillips	Jr
OL	`71`	Nate Emer	Fr
OL	`72`	Alec Lindstrom	Fr
OL	`73`	Sam Schmal	Sr
OL	`74`	Finn Dirstine	Fr
OL	`75`	Chris Lindstrom	Sr
OL	`76`	Elijah Johnson	So
OL	`77`	John Baker	Sr
OL	`78`	Tyler Vrabel	Fr
OL	`79`	Sean Ragan	So
TE	`80`	Hunter Long	Fr
TE	`81`	Chris Garrison	Jr
WR	`83`	Jehlani Galloway	Fr
TE	`84`	Jake Burt	Jr
TE	`85`	Korab Idrizi	Jr
TE	`86`	Ray Marten	Jr
WR	`87`	Noah Jordan-Williams	Fr
TE	`88`	Patrick Brown	Fr
TE	`89`	Tommy Sweeney	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DE	`2`	Zach Allen	Sr
DB	`4`	Hamp Cheevers	Jr
DB	`5`	Nolan Borgersen	Jr
DB	`7`	Tate Haynes	Fr
DB	`8`	Will Harris	Sr
DB	`10`	Brandon Sebastian	Fr
DE	`11`	Wyatt Ray	Sr
LB	`13`	Connor Strachan	Sr
LB	`14`	Max Richardson	So
LB	`16`	Davon Jones	Jr
DB	`18`	Mike Palmer	So
DB	`20`	Elijah Jones	Fr
DB	`21`	Lukas Denis	Sr
DB	`24`	Taj-Amir Torres	Sr
DB	`25`	Mehdi El Attrach	Jr
LB	`28`	John Lamot	So
DB	`29`	Tyler Days	Fr
DB	`30`	Jahmin Muse	Fr
LB	`32`	Nick DeNucci	Fr
LB	`33`	Curt Bletzer	So
LB	`34`	Joseph Sparacio	Fr
DB	`35`	Aaron Gethers	Fr
LB	`36`	Paul Theobald Jr.	Fr
DB	`37`	Ezechiel Tieide	Fr
DB	`38`	Jason Maitre	Fr
LB	`41`	Thomas Hovsepian	Fr
LB	`43`	Isaiah Miranda	So
DL	`44`	Brandon Barlow	So
DB	`45`	Ben Stewart	Fr
LB	`46`	Jimmy Martin	Jr
DL	`48`	Tanner Karafa	Jr
LB	`49`	Kevin Bletzer	Sr
LB	`50`	Doug Rodier	So
LB	`51`	Hugh Davis	Fr
LB	`54`	Evan Stewart	Fr
LB	`55`	Isaiah McDuffie	So
LB	`57`	Ryan Whittelsey	Fr
LB	`58`	Reggie Terry Jr.	Fr
DL	`90`	Bryce Morais	So
DT	`91`	Jaleel Berry	Fr
DE	`93`	Drew McQuarrie	Fr
DT	`94`	Ryan Betro	Fr
DL	`95`	Taylor Hill	So
DT	`96`	Ray Smith	Sr
DE	`97`	Marcus Valdez	Fr
DT	`98`	Kyiey Bennermon	Fr
DT	`99`	T. J. Rayam	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`34`	Garrett Reilly	Fr
K	`37`	Danny Longman	Fr
P	`95`	Grant Carlson	So
K, P	`98`	John Tessitore	Fr
K	`99`	Colton Lichtenberg	Sr

Head coach

Steve Addazio

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Scot Loeffler (offensive coordinator / quarterbacks)
Frank Leonard (assistant head coach / tight ends)
Brian White (running backs)
Rich Gunnell (wide receivers)
Phil Trautwein (offensive line)
Jim Reid (defensive ends)
Anthony Campanile (co-defensive coordinator / defensive backs)
Ricky Brown (SAM linebackers)
Antoine Smith (defensive tackles)
Bill Sheridan (linebackers)
Frank Piraino (head strength & conditioning coach)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 22, 2018

2019 NFL Draft

Player	Team	Round	Pick #	Position
Chris Lindstrom	Atlanta Falcons	1st	14	G
Zach Allen	Arizona Cardinals	3rd	65	DE
Will Harris	Detroit Lions	3rd	81st	S
Tommy Sweeney	Buffalo Bills	7th	228th	TE

References

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[a]

[b]

[15]

[16]

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