Howard @ Boston College preview

Boston College will try to avoid looking too far ahead when it hosts its second straight FCS opponent in Howard on Saturday at Chestnut Hill. The Eagles, coming off a 24-3 win over Maine in their opener, are staring at a nationally televised prime-time matchup with No. 8 Florida State at home on Sept. 18.

Head coach Steve Addazio believes that his squad - which was tied with the Black Bears until just before halftime - has too much work ahead of it to get too distracted by the approaching date with the Seminoles. “I think the good news with our guys is that they’re really locked in to understanding that we’ve got to get better," Addazio said in his weekly press conference Monday. "It felt great that we won a game, but I don’t think anybody walked out of the film session on Sunday and felt too great." While the offensive attack was lacking at times against Maine, Addazio should be able to rely on his vaunted defense that limited Maine to 91 total yards. The Bison may have a hard time even reaching that total after suffering a 49-0 loss at Appalachian State last week.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com. LINE: NL

ABOUT HOWARD (0-1): Redshirt freshman Kalen Johnson struggled in his first career start under center last week, going 12-for-21 for 119 yards and an interception. The Bison entered the contest thin on the defensive line and lost three more players to injury, which helped the Mountaineers produce 677 total yards. "We have a lot of people out but that's no excuse," said defensive back Jacob Bennett, who had a career-high 13 tackles. "We have a lot of work to do, especially in the tackling area."

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (1-0): The Eagles have a deep stable of running backs and it was Tyler Rouse who stepped up in the opener, despite all eyes being on starter Jon Hilliman. Rouse scored a pair of late touchdowns to help put away the contest and finished with a game-high 81 yards on the ground, the second-highest total of the junior's career. On the other side of the ball, Boston College got a big boost from senior defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad, who had 1 1/2 sacks and 2 1/2 tackles for a loss after missing most of the last two seasons due to knee injuries.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Eagles QB Darius Wade completed 14-of-25 passes for 155 yards and a TD against Maine in his first career start.

2. Boston College recorded five sacks versus the Black Bears, its best total since the upset win over USC last Sept. 13.

3. Howard is 0-11 against FBS schools while Boston College is 23-1 versus FCS opponents, winning 23 straight.

PREDICTION: Boston College 38, Howard 3