Battle lines have been drawn

Castonzo-Brown clash is pivotal

(From left) tackle Rich Lapham, guard Thomas Claiborne, quarterback Chris Crane, center Matt Tennant, guard Clif Ramsey, and tackle Anthony Castonzo head to the line during practice. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

In political terms, a contest that must be won is called a battleground state.

In football, sometimes it's more simplistic. Left offensive tackle vs. right defensive end. Or, as will be the case tomorrow night at Tallahassee, Fla., Boston College's Anthony Castonzo vs. Florida State's Everette Brown.

One of Castonzo's main tasks is to protect quarterback Chris Crane. One of Brown's main goals is to put Crane on his back - early and often.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Castonzo, a sophomore who has progressed at left tackle. "As a football player, you've got to love the challenge of the real hard ones, with the best ones coming up on top."

How much simpler can it be in a game that could determine the Atlantic Division champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference?

For Florida State, there is wiggle room.

The Seminoles are tied with Wake Forest for first place in the division at 4-2. BC is 2-3, but the Eagles' next three games - against Florida State, Wake Forest, and Maryland - will determine their destiny.

And BC knows the team that controls the line of scrimmage tomorrow will undoubtedly control the game.

Castonzo sees the big picture, as well. He knows it's essential to establish a running game, such as the Eagles had in last Saturday's 17-0 victory over Notre Dame in which freshman Montel Harris picked up 120 yards on 23 carries.

"It would be nice to establish the run early, so they can't be teeing off on you," said Castonzo.

It also makes life easier for Crane, who has 1,506 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. "We're going to have to score and score consistently to win the game," said Crane.

To do that, Crane is going to need time to throw the ball and room to move around in the pocket, which is where Castonzo's job will get tougher.

"They play a lot of man [defense], and when they blitz, they pretty much bring everyone," said Crane. "They are probably going to blitz early and force us to pass. They like to use the defensive ends [Brown and Neefy Moffett] to pressure, and put guys who lurk in the middle. We have to be ready. They're going to bring more than we can block."

No. 20 Florida State has 28 sacks this season, including three by Brown in last week's win over Clemson.

"We're improving on it," said Brown, who has 18 1/2 career sacks. "We have the potential to be a lot better. The main thing is that we're working great on the defensive line as one unit."

The unit was effective in rolling over Clemson, 41-27, and is talented and hungry.

"They are athletic and very fast," said BC's Matt Tennant, the center of an offensive unit that is struggling to find cohesiveness. "We have to play a little more balanced attack. We need to play better as a unit."

But the pressure will come back to Castonzo - BC's first true freshman to start on the offensive line in 10 seasons - and his teammates to make things happen offensively, as well as prevent FSU from making things happen defensively.

The deciding factor could be the "battleground" meeting between Brown and Castonzo.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.