Elliott not expecting BC’s defense to give up 50 this week

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Regardless of who coaches Boston College, some things never change. The Eagles want to win with power football and a physical running game, and for the physical play to carry over to defense.

Virginia will have to find a way to overcome BC’s style of play if the Cavaliers want to claim their first win of the season on Saturday in Chestnut Hill (2 p.m., The CW network), where the Cavaliers have never won (0-3). The Eagles, 1-3 overall and 0-2 in ACC play, are a 3.5-point favorite over UVA.

Last weekend, BC was blown out, 56-28, at Louisville when the hosts scored on their first seven possessions and piled up 374 yards of offense in just the first half. During that scoring spree, the Cardinals had seven “explosive plays” of 27 or more yards.

It was such a lopsided defeat that Boston College coach Jeff Hafley vowed there won’t be a repeat, saying he promised his team would not play like that again.

“I’ve never seen us play like that since I’ve been here,” said Hafley, who is definitely on the coaching hot seat.

One of the ways Hafley has attempted to turn things around at BC was by bringing in versatile quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a transfer from Central Florida, a dual-threat who can beat you with the throw or with his ability to run, much like NC State’s Brennan Armstrong, but more athletic.

While Louisville somewhat contained Castellanos (17 of 33 passing for 265 yards and three touchdowns), he was the main reason the Eagles took highly-favored Florida State down to the wire the week before. Against the Seminoles, Castellanos, a sophomore, put up 400 yards, including 95 yards rushing.

“It’s scary,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said of BC’s offensive concept, which includes the power-running game, but then features the versatility of Castellanos. “It’s scary because of the quarterback.

“You know that BC is going to run the football, they’re going to challenge you, they’re going to run at you. They’re going to run the gap scheme at you, the power scheme and see if you can stop it. And then, they can spread you out.”

The Eagles can go 12 personnel with heavy run sets, but then catch defenses off guard with an empty backfield with Castellanos, who Elliott described as “dynamic, elusive, he can make plays.”

When the BC quarterback pulls the ball down, he can shred defenses with his running style — fast, quick, aggressive.

“He is a confident runner, so he’s not looking to go down, he’s looking to get those extra yards,” Elliott said. “This quarterback is not looking for four [yards]. He’s trying to go 40 when he pulls the ball down.”

BC will challenge UVA’s somewhat-hobbled defense because the Eagles will force the Cavaliers to be gap-sound in the running game, plus defend multiple different run schemes, with the ability to spread the field and allow Castellanos to make plays on the move, either rushing or scrambling to find an open receiver.  Once they get the running game going, that helps Castellanos set up play-action passes, so there will be a lot of pressure on Virginia’s defense.

The Cavaliers will be without the services of “Bandit” Kam Butler, who suffered either a pec or shoulder injury last week. Butler isn’t the only defensive player who is banged up. Strong safety Lex Long is unavailable. Butler’s backup at “Bandit,” Paul Akere, is also out.

Even though BC was essentially obliterated on defense against Louisville last week, Elliott said that’s not what he is expecting, and knows from past experiences while he was Clemson’s offensive coordinator that the Eagles play tough at home.

“They have a ton of experience on defense, mostly seniors and graduates, so I don’t anticipate it’s going to be like [Louisville],” Elliott said. “I’m anticipating them to be fired up and ready to play. We have got to have a good plan.”

BC’s defense is built somewhat like NC State’s, geared toward stopping the run and making opponents win with the passing game.

“That gives you some opportunities in the pass game, but you’ve got to run the football effectively to be able to open up those throwing lanes,” Elliott said.

The Virginia coach is expecting Boston College to present an eight-man front defensively, which will challenge starting quarterback Tony Muskett to make accurate throws and sound decisions from the get-go, or else the Cavaliers may have to go with Anthony Colandrea, who has started the last three games in Muskett’s absence.

Colandrea has averaged 311 yards passing per game in his three starts and is No. 2 in the ACC in yards per completion (14.65) and No. 3 in the conference in yards per pass attempt (9.05).

“So possibly some opportunities in zone coverage, but also we’re going to have to beat man coverage,” Elliott said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared to play the bump-and-run that they play.”