By John Sarianides

Scouting Report: The Eagles open the 2017 season the road tonight as they travel to DeKalb, Illinois to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies.

Northern Illinois got off to a slow start in 2016 last season. The Huskies started the season 1-6 but managed to bounce back and finish 5-7. 

The Huskies are breaking in a new quarterback but they return several key starters from a defense that spearheaded the turnaround last season. 

Here are three keys for the Eagles tonight.

1. Quarterback Play: Whether its Darius Wade or Anthony Brown, whomever gets the start tonight, needs to be effiecient and execute the game plan. I have a feeling we will see both quarterbacks.

2. Ground and Pound: Northern Illinois is undersized along the defensive line so look for the Eagles to line in 12 personnel (2 TE’s, 2 WR’s and 1 RB) and run the football. 12 personnel allows the Eagles to play fast and physical. 

3. Set the Tone Defensively: This game is a good opportunity for the Boston College defense to set the tone right out of the gate. Conor Strachan, Harold Landry match up well against a Northern Illinois offense that is breaking in several new starters. 

Final Thoughts: Northern Illinois is no push over and as we saw last night in the Ohio State, Indiana game, opening the season on the road can be tricky. The Eagles will come ready to play but getting off to a good start in all three phases of the game is important. I think the Eagles will do that.