Boston College football is finally about to kick off and to help prepare you for the opener Eagle Action enlisted help from Devils Illustrated publisher Brian McLawhorn.

He has a unique perspective on Duke, which lost to Notre Dame 27-13 in South Bend last weekend and will take on BC this Saturday.

Eagle Action: What did you learn about the Blue Devils that you didn't already know in their game against Notre Dame, which was more competitive than some expected?

Brian McLawhorn: Going in the biggest question for me is how Duke’s new offensive system under Cutcliffe’s guidance would change the look for the Blue Devils. Duke had some success offensively early, and then sporadically in the second quarter, so there was some promise there. It was concerning to see how it fizzled out, so to speak, in the second half and they were unable to move the ball. But the most encouraging thing was Chase Brice proved he could command the offense and make all the throws necessary to be a successful quarterback. And then the biggest positive overall was the complete change in philosophy from the past. Zac Roper was very conservative in how he called a game as the offensive coordinator and it resulted in bland and predictable offenses. Cutcliffe implemented more balance, a willingness to open things up, feature a lone running back and trust that his quarterback could make plays in tough situations. It will take some time for all of it to come together, but there’s a lot of promise there going forward.

EA: What are the main ways or positions where Duke is a lot different compared to last year?

McLawhorn: A lot of this goes back to my response in the first question. The biggest difference is having a quarterback that can make plays downfield and processes what is in front of him quicker. Brice is a very smart quarterback, and though he has just one start under his belt, he picked up a lot while backing up Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. The Duke team from a year ago had a quarterback in Quentin Harris that was in over his head. His limitations left Duke living in the flats and short crossing routes. They couldn’t do much more. Brice opens the playbook.

I think the other glaring difference, and we will see if this sticks, but Duke featured Deon Jackson at running back and only ran others in to give him a breather. Jackson carried the ball 15 times and the next closest to him, aside from the quarterback, was Mataeo Durant, who carried it five times. His 15 carry total likely would have been up from that had Duke not trailed late, and the offensive line had been more consistent. But this is the first time I have seen that during Cutcliffe’s tenure at a Duke. No matter the talent in the past at running back, and Duke’s had some legitimate players at the position, no back was ever featured and I believe Duke suffered from it. I often wonder how good some of those talented backs could have been if they were given the reins. If Cutcliffe stays with the one back approach, we will finally get to see what Jackson is fully capable of going forward.

EA: What are this team's primary strengths, at least on paper?

McLawhorn: Rush the passer. Chris Rumph II and Victor Dimukeje are among the best in the ACC at getting to the quarterback. Senior defensive end Drew Jordan is also very active and capable of disrupting the backfield. Contrary to Notre Dame’s official stats of two quarterback hurries - which I have no idea what game they were watching - Duke was able to flush Ian Book out frequently. I’m sure the Boston College coaches are watching the tape and not looking at PR moves for an offensive line’s professional aspirations - sorry for the dig, there, ND. But BC is very aware of their capabilities, I’m sure.

The other strength is depth in the secondary. They had some mishaps against Notre Dame, particularly late in the game, but this group has a lot of talent and experience and should be a strength.

On paper, overall, Duke’s defense should be the strength of this team. If they can consistently show what they did through three quarters against Notre Dame, there’s some promise there.

EA: What are Duke's most glaring questions?

McLawhorn: I think defending the run is still a question mark. Duke is very inexperienced in the interior, particularly on the second line. Duke starter Derrick Tangelo suffered an injury against Notre Dame and from there the Blue Devils were left with only freshmen to fill the role. He’s back in the lineup for this week, but it just shows the vulnerability there.

Quite frankly, overall experienced depth along the defensive line and linebacker unit is concerning. Once we have more of a sample size to look at, some of those concerns might be put to rest, but then again, they could become more glaring.

Also, questions are still present with the offensive line. It’s young and inexperienced in some spots, but there’s talent there. The Duke coaches expect much bigger things from this group. They showed signs of being a good offensive line, but there’s a lot of room for improvement here. Quarterback Chase Brice cannot live on the run as he did at times last week.