Syracuse Aims for Bowl Eligibility Against Andre Williams and Boston College

By Jonathan Gault
Photo from bceagles.com


Anyone familiar with Syracuse football knows the significance of the number 44 jersey. Jim Brown. Ernie Davis. Floyd Little. Though SU retired the number in 2005, there will be another outstanding running back wearing number 44 on Saturday in the Carrier Dome – Boston College’s Andre Williams.

Williams’ accomplishments in 2013 are on par with anything Brown, Davis or Little ever achieved during their college career. Through 11 games, the senior leads the nation with 2,073 rushing yards. He broke the ACC single-game record with 339 yards against NC State on Nov. 16, and he’s blown by Don McCauley’s (North Carolina) ACC season record of 1,863 yards set in 1970. He’s currently 12th on the FBS single-season rushing list, and with two games to go (including a bowl game), Williams will almost certainly rise on that chart.

“He’s definitely one of the best in the country, one of the best to play the college game,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said in the ACC’s weekly media teleconference on Wednesday. “He’s going to end up being statistically in that situation where people are going to say, ‘Holy cow, this kid was one of the best.’”

Most importantly for coach Steve Addazio’s Eagles (7-4, 4-3 ACC), Williams has been the key to BC’s recent four-game win streak. Williams has rushed for 897 yards and six touchdowns in his last three contests, but he’ll face a tough test in SU’s No. 27 run defense. The Orange (5-6, 3-4 ACC) is one of just three teams in the FBS not to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. That streak seems likely be broken on Saturday, but if SU can limit Williams’ effectiveness, it will have a chance to gain bowl eligibility with a crucial sixth win.

“He’s fun to watch on tape until you realize you’ve got to try to defend him,” Shafer said. “I’ve been around a lot of great tailbacks over the years. I think about Michael Turner who played for us over at [Northern Illinois.] Michael and Andre are similar: good, strong backs with good breakaway speed.”

How Syracuse handles Williams will depend on which Orange defense shows up on Saturday. SU’s defense has been dominant against weaker opposition and has surrendered just 30 points, total, in the team’s five wins. But against quality teams, the unit has faltered. Blowout losses to No. 6 Clemson and No. 2 Florida State were to be expected, but it’s Syracuse’s 56-0 defeat by Georgia Tech on Oct. 19 that really stings.

In that game, Syracuse allowed 394 rushing yards to a run-heavy Yellow Jacket attack. Syracuse will try to carry over the improvements it has made since then against a BC team that loves to run the ball.

Some quick hits before the game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (available locally on the YES Network):

• This will be the 46th meeting between Syracuse and BC, but the first since 2010. The Eagles won that matchup at the Carrier Dome, 16-7, but Syracuse leads the all-time series, 28-18. Both coaches seemed keen to renew the rivalry. The game carries particular meaning for Addazio, who coached the tight ends and offensive linemen at SU from 1995-1998. “Obviously I’ve been on the other side of this thing when I coached at Syracuse,” Addazio said. “I know how important and how big this game was. It was a red-letter game for us, one that was down on our schedule that we knew early on it was going to come down to playing BC in the end. It’s a huge game. It’s regionally big. Recruiting-wise, it’s big. It’s Northeast big.”

•  Senior tight end Beckett Wales will miss the rest of the season after SU announced he suffered an “upper body injury” that will require surgery in the Orange’s 17-16 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.

• Quarterback Terrel Hunt snapped a six-game streak without a touchdown when he connected with Alvin Cornelius III against Pitt. Prior to that, he hadn’t thrown for a touchdown since Sept. 21 against Tulane. His 159 passing yards against the Panthers were also his highest total since that 52-17 win over Tulane.   

•  With a win, the Orange will be eligible for a bowl for the second consecutive season. Last year, SU defeated West Virginia, 38-14, in a snowy Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. SU’s longest-ever bowl streak is six years, from 1987-1992.

• SU’s 19 graduating seniors will be honored before the game on Senior Day .