Atlantic Coast
Boston College's Dillon looks to end No. 4 Clemson's run
Atlantic Coast

Boston College's Dillon looks to end No. 4 Clemson's run

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:04 a.m. ET

Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC) at No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ACC Network).

Line: Clemson by 34.

Series record: Clemson leads 17-9-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

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Clemson's run to a fifth straight College Football Playoff berth. The Tigers were preseason No. 1 and held that spot most of September, but have slipped three positions, sliding a spot after each of their past three wins. Boston College is seeking the signature win that seventh-year coach Steve Addazio can build on going forward.

KEY MATCHUP

Boston College RB AJ Dillon vs. Clemson's defensive front. Dillon, a senior, leads the ACC with 968 yards and nine touchdowns. Clemson has held opponents to five TDs on the ground all season, giving up just 111 yards rushing a game so far.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Boston College: LB Max Richardson leads the ACC and is 10th nationally with 73 tackles this season. Richardson is also tops in the ACC with 11 tackles for loss.

Clemson: RB Travis Etienne is right behind Dillon in the ACC yardage race with 781 yards and six touchdowns. Etienne, the ACC's player of the year in 2018, had 192 yards and a 49-yard TD run in a 45-10 win at Louisville.

FACTS & FIGURES

Clemson is seeking its 23rd straight victory overall and its 19th straight (counting two ACC title game victories) against league opponents since 2017. ... Boston College has had its moments at Death Valley, winning its first-ever league game after joining the ACC before the 2005 season. The Eagles, led by quarterback Matt Ryan, also clinched the ACC Atlantic Division with a win at Clemson in 2007. ... Clemson has held its first seven opponents to less than 300 yards a game. ... Boston College has lost 11 straight games to top-five opponents since beating No. 4 Notre Dame 14-7 in 2002. Five of those 11 defeats have come to Clemson. ... The teams compete for the O'Rourke-McFadden trophy, a replica leather helmet from when Boston College and Clemson played in the 1940 Cotton Bowl, won by Clemson 6-3.

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