In each of the past two seasons, Boston College entered its game against Clemson with the right game plan and mindset. The Eagles knew they couldn't try to outpace the top-ranked Tigers, so they boiled their game plan down to their program's core values. They analyzed their plan through clock possession, stingy defense and special teams with the intention of dragging a field position battle into the game's latter stages.
In both years, it nearly worked. The Eagles held the No. 2 Tigers to under 100 yards passing through three quarters in their 2017 meeting and dragged a tie game into the fourth quarter.