Five Things Learned: Boston College 23, Northern Illinois 20

When the clock struck midnight, Northern Illinois fell to 0-1 and Boston College won its road opener. A win and a loss are black-and-white, but the game was up for grabs during the entire 3.5-hour production. The Huskies lost to the Eagles on a potential game-tying field goal in the game's final minute. It was the opener for both programs involved, so here is what we know so far about the former MAC power and Steve Addazio's squad up north:

Both defenses are incredible

Boston College picked up from where it left off in 2016, a year when the Eagles fielded the eighth-best yards per game defense in the nation. The Eagles were relentless all game, only showing major faults on the Huskies'…