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BC vs. Syracuse Preview
Story URL: http://bostoncollege.scout.com/2/190638.html
Jonathan Phelps
EagleInsider.com		Oct 17, 2003

With B.C’s recent acceptance to the Atlantic Coast Conference, there is no doubt that Syracuse’s football team will be motivated to come out hard this Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome. Yet, with all of the focus on the ACC, there is another storyline that has seemed to slip through the cracks: the battle of two of the nation’s top running backs.

For the Eagles, Tom O’Brien’s “go-to-guy” on the ground will be obvious. Coming off of a 114 yard performance against Temple last Saturday, senior running back Derrick Knight enters the weekend leading the nation in rushing yards at 886 as he approaches the 1,000 yard season plateau. Assuming he hits the mark, Knight would become third on B.C.’s all-time rushing list, as he looks to surpass William Green (2,974 yards).

Last year against Syracuse, Knight propelled the Eagles to a 40-21 victory with 171 total yards on the ground at Alumni Stadium.

For the Orangemen of Syracuse, look for sophomore standout Walter Reyes to have a huge performance. Reyes is ranked 11th in the nation with 721 rushing yards.

Reyes was averaging a national-best 170.5 yards per game on the ground before entering Blacksburg, Virginia last Saturday. Facing the fourth-ranked Hokies of Virginia Tech, Reyes ran for a dismal 40 yards, good for only 2.5 per carry. By the end of the day, the Orangemen had been blown out 51-7, falling to 3-2 on the season.

Despite Reyes’ performance on Saturday, the Eagle defensive line will still need to be on their guard; Reyes pounded UNC for 191 yards earlier this year and then 241 yards versus the University of Central Florida.

With wins against both of those teams, in addition a victory over Toledo, the two losses for Syracuse came at the hands of Louisville in September and then Virginia Tech last week.

For B.C., their 38-13 win over Temple was their second straight victory, improving O’Brien’s squad to 4-2 overall. Junior quarterback Quinton Porter’s performance was acceptional, as he threw for a season-high 301 yards for three touchdowns- earning him the Big East honor as Co-Offensive Player of the Week (along with West Virginia running back Quincy Wilson).

The last time Boston College made the trek to the Carrier Dome was in 2001, when they fell to the Orangemen 38-29.

With B.C.’s recent controversial decision to join the ACC, in addition to the fact that this weekend is Homecoming for Syracuse University, look for a louder Carrier Dome than usual. But at the same time, with two Big East teams that have had success running the ball, look for the game to be decided on the ground.

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