Chestnut Hill, Mass. — Syracuse linebacker Marlowe Wax said Boston College’s overpowering of the Orange on Saturday mostly came down to a matter of physics.

“They’re big (offensive) linemen who are good on their feet,” Wax said.

Syracuse coach Fran Brown said it came down to Bill O’Brien’s game plan and that the Boston College head coach had Plans D, E and F prepared every time the Orange tried to find an answer.

“Coach O’Brien outplayed me,” Brown said. “When we were able to stop them, he moved on. He had a fourth, fifth and sixth plan. I obviously wasn’t ready for this and it’s my fault. I should be able to solve this problem.

Boston College made a complicated task look easy against the Orange on Saturday.

The Eagles mauled Syracuse on the ground. Syracuse gave up a season-high 313 rushing yards and the Eagles ran the ball on 51 of their 64 offensive plays. On two critical touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, the Eagles ran the ball on 17 of their 20 plays.

“They came out doing something different,” Wax said. “A lot of traction. Lots of gap trading. Things like that. We must be prepared for this.

The signs that BC could find success against Syracuse in the running game were there for anyone willing to watch.

The Eagles entered the game with three of the 11 highest-rated offensive linemen in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. The Orange entered as one of the worst tackling teams in the country.

SU’s middle defensive front is currently anchored by a true freshman defensive tackle (Maraad Watson) and a sophomore (Rashard Perry). They faced a BC interior consisting of a fifth-year graduate student and two redshirt juniors.

All of BC’s starting offensive linemen played at least three seasons and the Eagles provided more leverage by using several tight ends.

Boston College also had an extra week off to prepare, while Syracuse earned a physical overtime victory against Virginia Tech.

“Give a lot of credit to the o-line and tight ends first,” O’Brien said. “These guys did a good job. We’ve had a rough few weeks. We have a really good offensive line and we preached to them getting off the ball, making sure we did our best to win the line of scrimmage.

Boston College regularly created movement up front, allowing BC’s running backs to sprint through holes or simply slip behind a defenders corner. Several Syracuse defenders, including linebackers Wax and Derek McDonald, as well as safety Devin Grant, were forced to temporarily leave the field after absorbing hits from BC’s offensive players.

“It’s not physical enough,” Brown said, of the Orange’s overall effort against the run.

The Eagles have made no secret of their approach.

Boston College started the game with two tight ends, calling for seven straight points straight through the middle of the SU defense. Boston College moved with relative ease to the SU 29-yard line and, although this drive ended in a missed field goal, the tone for the afternoon was set.

Syracuse’s defense never found a way to respond to the old-school approach.

Although the Eagles are uniquely equipped to run the ball, they also benefited from a season-long struggle for Syracuse.

The Orange opened the season with some bad tackling, with Pro Football Focus counting 19 missed tackles in its season opener against Ohio.

Since then, Syracuse has lost three of its most experienced defensive linemen, with injuries affecting Dion Wilson, Denis Jaquez Jr. and Kevin Jobity Jr.

Without those players, Syracuse set a new season record with 24 missed tackles last week. When this week’s numbers are released, they will likely be just as ugly.

Although the tackling trend appears to be going in the wrong direction, Wax said he believes the Orange will find a way to improve.

“It’s never what it is,” Wax said. “It’s a question of will. We will fix it.