BC-NC State preview

I guess under normal circumstances I like having a break after Clemson. It allows a team to reset and come off the high or low of facing the ACC's Power Team. I hope the time helped BC. They are saying all the right things, but even two weeks later, the Clemson game feels like a huge missed opportunity. And here we are, facing another legitimate team in NC State. They did what we couldn't -- beat Clemson -- and are feeling good about themselves. It is up to BC to bounce back and win an important game and establish who we are in the conference.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)

The Alison Foley lawsuit finally hit the news this week. It had been circulated for a while, but the Heights was the first organization to touch it. In my opinion, it is not a big deal. She had been at BC a long time and had a certain level of success but had also worn out her welcome. The suit doesn't make anyone look good (including Foley, Jarmond, Bates and BC). In general BC has a history of paying well at the time of separation to avoid problems like this. But ultimately Women's Soccer is not moving the needle for many nor will it gain much attention. Even the gender discrimination issue becomes a bit muddied when you factor in the player complaints against Foley. I don't know how this will play out, but like BC's history of paying well at separation, BC also has a history of not settling. They probably think they have a strong case against Foley and certainly have more time and resources to fight their case.

Three Simple Keys

1. Contain the big plays. It seems like we are going to be a classic bend but don't break team. We've all been there before. But to do it well, you can't allow the big plays and need to force a few turnovers.

2. Establish the run early. That is our biggest advantage. We need to dictate pace of play and help Grosel.

3. Get to Devin Leary. I know we don't have pass rushers, but this might be the least mobile QB we've faced in two years. You got to get to him a bit.

Gambling Notes

-- NC State is 3-2 against the spread this year

-- BC leads the series 10-7

-- BC is 4-1 against the spread this season

The current line is BC+3.5

Factoid

This is the first time BC has hosted NC State on consecutive years since the 1930s.

Scoreboard Watching

It is a very light ACC Football weekend. The game that might be most interesting to us is actually Friday's matchup between Clemson and Syracuse. I am already counting on the Cuse game as a win for BC, but to their credit they have been in many tight games. It will be interesting to see how they do against Clemson.

I hope to see...

a comfortable win. The pacing and blood pumping of the Mizzou and Clemson games are reminders why we follow this stuff. But I would gladly take a nice, easy, stress free ACC win this weekend.

BC is in trouble if...

Grosel turns the ball over more than twice. NC State is not some ball hawking team, so Grosel should be fine as long as he is on target and smart.

Bottom Line

I know I keep hammering home that each new game is a test for Hafley, but it is true. Last game was a missed opportunity. It was a missed chance to break through. Those misses then become reflections on the coach to see how he handles it, learns from it and readies his team again. I think we will have a solid, Grosel friendly game plan, play good D and overpower NC State on the OLine.

Final Score: BC 27, NC State 20