Boston College’s Dillon looks to end No. 4 Clemson’s run

Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC) at No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ACC Network).

Line: Clemson by 34.

Series record: Clemson leads 17-9-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Clemson’s run to a fifth straight College Football Playoff berth. The Tigers were preseason No. 1 and held that spot most of September, but have slipped three positions, sliding a spot after each of their past three wins. Boston College is seeking the signature win that seventh-year coach Steve Addazio can build on going forward.

KEY MATCHUP

Boston College RB AJ Dillon vs. Clemson’s defensive front. Dillon, a senior, leads the ACC with 968 yards and nine touchdowns. Clemson has held opponents to five TDs on the ground all season, giving up just 111 yards rushing a game so far.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Boston College: LB Max Richardson leads the ACC and is 10th nationally with 73 tackles this season. Richardson is also tops in the ACC with 11 tackles for loss.

Clemson: RB Travis Etienne is right behind Dillon in the ACC yardage race with 781 yards and six touchdowns. Etienne, the ACC’s player of the year in 2018, had 192 yards and a 49-yard TD run in a 45-10 win at Louisville.

FACTS & FIGURES

Clemson is seeking its 23rd straight victory overall and its 19th straight (counting two ACC title game victories) against league opponents since 2017. … Boston College has had its moments at Death Valley, winning its first-ever league game after joining the ACC before the 2005 season. The Eagles, led by quarterback Matt Ryan, also clinched the ACC Atlantic Division with a win at Clemson in 2007. … Clemson has held its first seven opponents to less than 300 yards a game. … Boston College has lost 11 straight games to top-five opponents since beating No. 4 Notre Dame 14-7 in 2002. Five of those 11 defeats have come to Clemson. … The teams compete for the O’Rourke-McFadden trophy, a replica leather helmet from when Boston College and Clemson played in the 1940 Cotton Bowl, won by Clemson 6-3.