How and what to watch for Boston College vs. Clemson

The undefeated No. 1 Clemson Tigers welcome the 4-2 Boston College Eagles to Death Valley on Saturday afternoon in an ACC matchup. But they’ll be without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who tested positive for COVID-19.

Last time out the Tigers struggled more than they ever have this season in a 47-21 win over the Syracuse Orange. They still pulled away and ended up winning comfortably, but it was nerve racking in the second half at times. Clemson is averaging close to 50 points per game and the least they’ve scored in any game was 37 in Week 1. Their opponents this week have only eclipsed the 37 point mark once, in a win over Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

With Lawrence out, true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei will get the start. He’s an unknown, but was the highest-rated QB prospect in the nation last season. With a question mark at QB, the offense will have to be run through RB Travis Etienne, who has 522 rushing yards and eight scores through six games.

Boston College’s defense has been fine against both the pass and the rush, only allowing a total of 382 yards per game on average. Still, its never faced a juggernaut like it’s about to. They’ll need career games from quarterback Phil Jukovec, who has 1,671 yards and 12 scores on the season. They’ll also need the ground game to step up, with David Bailey averaging under four yards per carry and just three touchdowns on the year.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Boston College vs. No. 1 Clemson on Saturday, October 31st at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Boston College vs Clemson (-24.5)
Point Total: 58.5
Money line: BC (+1150), Clemson (-3335)

• BC is 4-2 ATS in its last six
• The total has gone under in seven of BC’s last nine
• Clemson is 2-5 ATS in its last seven
• Clemson is undefeated in its last six games straight up.

The Best Bet

Without Lawrence in the lineup, the Tigers will have to rely on true freshman Uiagalelei, who has thrown just 19 passes in his career. Clemson has too much talent to lose this one, but it will be closer than four scores.

Pick: BC +24.5

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