Bill O’Brien didn’t need long to identify the headache waiting for Boston College on Saturday.
Duke has plenty of pieces that stand out, but the one player that forces the biggest defensive adjustment is sophomore running back Nate Sheppard. BC’s first-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof has helped turn the Eagles into one of the ACC’s better units, and now that group is about to get a serious test on the road.
“Yeah, he’s a great player,” said O’Brien of Sheppard after Tuesday’s practice. “He and the guy that comes in to give him a rest, [CJ Campbell Jr.] is a hell of a player, too.
So they’re very good. Their offensive line is very well-coached.
They play together. The five up front, and then the tight end does a great job, too.”
Sheppard was already a problem as a true freshman last season, when he piled up 1,418 all-purpose yards, including 1,132 on the ground, and scored 12 touchdowns. That year brought him Second Team All-ACC honors and a Freshman All-America selection by The Athletic. He also finished fourth in voting for ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, while his PFF rushing grade of 90.0 ranked sixth among all Power Four running backs.
Now he’s moving even faster.
Through seven games of his sophomore season, Sheppard has already reached 875 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 153 carries. That works out to 125.0 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry, both tops in the ACC among running backs. He has also already surpassed last year’s receiving touchdown total with four.
By the raw national numbers, only Boise State’s Dylan Riley (963) and Texas State’s Torrance Burgess Jr. (889) have more rushing yards among players who have appeared in seven games this season. Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop and West Virginia’s Cam Cook have more than Sheppard, but both have done it in eight games.
The production is one thing. The way he does it is another.
Sheppard’s quickness in tight spaces makes him difficult to corral once he gets a crease. He can slice through a lane, absorb contact, and still keep moving before a defense can reset. If he gets a sliver of daylight, he rarely stays there for long.
“Sheppard is really, really good,” O’Brien said. “Good runner, good in the passing game.
Great in the passing game, whether he’s flaring out of the backfield or a check down. Whatever it is, he can do it all.
So he’s one of the best backs that we’ve faced, if not the best back we face this year.”
That challenge lands on a Boston College defense that has been solid against the pass, allowing just 182.1 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the ACC. The run defense has not been nearly as sturdy, giving up 151.1 rushing yards per game, a mark in the lower half of the conference.
Duke saw Virginia take a shot at slowing Sheppard down last week, and for the most part, it worked. In the Blue Devils’ 19-16 win, the Cavaliers held him to 55 rushing yards and a touchdown, while he added 11 receiving yards on two catches.
But Virginia also had to pay for overcommitting. Duke used a trick play that turned Sheppard into a passer, and he delivered a touchdown throw when the defense focused too heavily on him in the backfield. The game’s turning point came with the sort of deception that made the Cavaliers decide to load up near the line of scrimmage and play with fewer defenders in coverage.
That approach limited Sheppard’s damage and helped Virginia keep Duke to its second-fewest points of the season. It also offers BC a blueprint worth studying if the Eagles want to keep Sheppard from taking over on Saturday.
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