After a two-season absence from college football’s bowl scene, Boston College will make its return to post-season play at the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl against the Pac 12’s Arizona Wildcats. The all-time first meeting between the two schools is set to take place on New Year’s Eve at 12:30 p.m. in Shreveport, La. ESPN will televise the matchup.
The game will feature two of the nation’s best running backs, as Doak Walker Award finalists and Heisman Trophy candidates Andre Williams of the Eagles and Ka’Deem Carey of the Wildcats will face off in opposite backfields. Williams leads Carey on the ground in total rushing yards for the season with 2,102 compared to the Arizona rusher’s total of 1,716. BC’s power back also tops his rival in yards per rush, boasting a 6.39 average compared to Carey’s 5.33.
“We are very excited about Arizona and Boston College playing in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl,” said chairman John Hubbard in a statement. “These are two programs on the rise with excellent coaches and high-powered offenses. We look forward to the high-profile running back match-up that will be on display in Shreveport with Andre Williams from Boston College and Ka’Deem Carey from Arizona.”
Both running backs contributed 17 rushing touchdowns for their teams, but Carey is a threat in the air. He tallied 26 receptions for an average on 6.7 yards per catch, but he was found by Arizona quarterback B.J. Denker just once for six points. Chase Retting did not connect with Williams once during the season.
Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez is in his second year at the helm of the Pac 12 program, while BC head coach Steve Addazio earned a semifinalist nod for the Maxwell Football Club Coach of the Year after helping the Eagles recover from a 2-10 finish in 2012 to win five more games in 2013.
“We are thrilled to play in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, be able to compete for our eighth win, and to have a chance to compete against a great opponent like Arizona,” Addazio said. “We’re thrilled; we’re excited; the players are excited and they are all fired up. It’s an exciting time at Boston College. This is a game that highlights our season and it’s a reward for becoming bowl eligible and competing at a higher level.”
BC gained bowl eligibility through a Senior Day victory over NC State. Williams’ ground game toppled his own single-game rushing record with 339 yards. He surpassed Mike Cloud’s 1998 single-season record of 1,726 yards in the process.
