Jonathan Hilliman weighs in on Rutgers vs. Boston College
As the Rutgers football team prepares to face Boston College this Saturday, one alumn who played for both the Scarlet Knights and Eagles has weighed in on what he believes is the key to victory for Rutgers.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Targum back in August, the Knights' and Boston College alum Jonathan Hilliman, who is familiar with running backs on both teams, said that Rutgers' best chance at claiming victory lies in stopping Eagles running back AJ Dillon. Dillon currently leads Boston College with 205 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns.
“It depends on the run game. If (the Eagles) gets the run game going with my boy AJ then it will be a long day for the Scarlet Knights,” Hilliman said. “If they can stop the run game then I think Rutgers has a great chance to pull the upset … it’s at home, hopefully it’s a big crowd, but they got to get on them early.”
Hilliman also believes that junior running back Raheem Blackshear can make a huge impact for the Knights against Boston College and beyond. Blackshear has tallied 189 yards from scrimmage and one receiving touchdown so far this season.
“Blackshear’s gonna do his thing,” Hilliman said. “He’s a dynamic guy, you can get the ball in his hands a lot of different ways. He’s also a captain so he’s a great leader of the team and a great leader of the offense. Him and Pacheco can be a great one-two punch. They’re hard working guys and they can do very big things for the Scarlet Knights for years.”
Rutgers will host Dillon and the Eagles at SHI Stadium this Saturday at noon with a chance to get back over .500. It will be the 27th meeting between the two teams and the first meeting between the two since 2004. Boston College has won 19 of the 27 meetings and currently has a 10-game win streak over Rutgers dating back to 1995.
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