Boston College at Duke 9/19/20 - College Football Picks & Predictions

By: Lance |

Last Updated: 09/18/2020 at 12:37 PM ET

Duke opened there season in a game as tough as anyone in the country with a road trip to South Bend to take on Notre Dame, they hung around but were outmatched by the top 10 ranked Fighting Irish, eventually falling 27-13. Duke won just five games last season but with the addition of Clemson transfer, Chase Brice at quarterback will be looking to move to 1-1 at home when Boston College comes to town. Boston College finished last season up at 6-6 before being dominated by Cincinnati in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.

Boston College comes in with a new head coach and a new quarterback but will be blessed with returning three offensive line starters, including All-ACC tackle Ben Patrula. Starting the game for the Eagles will be Phil Jurkovec, a Notre Dame transfer who was 12/18 for 222 yards and two touchdowns last season. They return leading receiver, tight end Hunter Long who had 509 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s run-heavy offense. 

Duke’s offense with Chase Brice looked much improved from last years’ squad, he completed just 54% of his passes in the season opener passing for 259 yards and adding in 20 rush yards and a rushing touchdown. Starting running back Deon Jackson led the team with 15 carries for 52 yards in the opener. 

Boston College’s defense last season ranked last in the ACC in total defense, forfeiting over 6,000 yards last season. The defense allowed 32 points per game and held the leagues worst pass defense. Bringing in a defensive-minded head coach in Jeff Hafley, they hope to see improvement on the defensive end. On the bright side, they do return 16 of their top 19 tacklers from last season.

Duke held a solid Notre Dame offense to just 27 points but allowed 178 rush yards and 263 through the air. Duke couldn’t get off the field on either two Irish fourth down attempts and appeared to tire as Notre Dame continued to establish the run. Duke finished 56th in total defense in 2019.

Duke is the more proven commodity this season as no one knows what Boston College is going to look like after a strange offseason with a new coach, quarterback and personnel everywhere. Opening the season at Notre Dame is no small task but will prepare the Blue Devils for this game and if they look anything like they did in the first half in South Bend they should have no problem managing Boston College. Duke rolls through the Eagles and notches the first conference win for Chase Brice. Final score prediction, Duke Blue Devils wins and covers ATS 31-17.

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