2009 Boston College Campus Correspondent

David Auffenberg: 2009 Boston College Campus Correspondent Welcome!

July 30, 2009 Hey everyone, My name is David Auffenberg and I will be blogging for the ACC about everything BC football this fall. I hope to provide an on-campus insight of the Eagles during the 2009 season. Please feel free to e-mail me or respond to my posts with your reactions and thoughts. You can also follow this blog on twitter at @EagleCampusBlog. I look forward to a great year for our squad.

Go Eagles!

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Boston College August 1, 2009 2008 Record : 9-5 (Loss to Vanderbilt in Music City Bowl) It’s no secret this year that the Eagles face an uphill challenge if they want to get back to their 3rd straight ACC Championship. They undoubtedly suffered the hardest offseason of any team in the conference, and it will take the genius of new head coach Frank Spaziani to keep this team together this season. Talented players have departed this team in almost every way imagineable, whether it be defensive stalwarts B.J. Raji and Ron Brace going to the NFL, QB Dominique Davis transferring because of academics, or star linebacker Mark Herzlich sitting out due to his unfortunate bout with cancer. But the Eagles can take comfort in knowing that the past two years ACC pundits have predicted them to finish in the bottom half of the Atlantic Division, and both times have made a trip to the championship game. A shaky quarterback situation and an improving division will make it difficult for BC to return to Tampa Bay for the title game this year, but never count the Eagles out. Relying on their stiff defense, the team can count on Frank Spaziani to draw up creative gameplans for each game this year. Let’s take a look at the position-by-position rundown of the ‘09 Eagles, and then I’ll jump into a prediction for the year.

Quarterback: With Chris Crane gone, Dominique Davis figured to be the favorite to win the QB race this season after filling in as the starter at the end of last season. Unfortunately, academic troubles forced Davis to transfer, and that leaves the Eagles with nearly no experience. The three-headed race involves JUCO transfer Codi Boek, redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle, and newcomer/ex-minor league baseball player David Shinskie. In my opinion, I think the coaching staff will try and groom Shinskie as quickly as possible for the starting job. I just can’t see them bringing on a 25 year old quarterback to sit on the bench this year. In the best case scenario, Shinskie can rely on the Eagles strong running game and just manage the passing game rather than trying to win it with his arm. With such a question mark at the most important position, Spaz needs to find his man quickly or the team could be in for a lot of offensive trouble.

Running Backs: For all of the uncertainty at quarterback, the running backs offer a bright spot on the offensive side of the ball. Returning sophomores Montel Harris and Josh Haden should be even better this year after both got starting experience last season. Although neither are power style running backs, both rely on their speed and elusiveness to gain yards. It is a safe bet that new offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill will utilize these two as often as he can behind

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the big offensive line. Look for Harris to start with Haden filling in frequently. At fullback, James McCluskey appears to be the starter if he can return to health this season.

Wide Receivers: The WR corps lost reliable senior Brandon Robinson, but still return plenty of solid players to the squad. Rich Gunnell, Ifeani Momah, and Justin Jarvis should provide the bulk of the catches, and hopefully they get on the same page with whoever the new quarterback is. Clarence Megwa will also be returning from the broken leg he suffered against Clemson last year. The Eagles have never been known for having star wide receivers, instead counting on their accurate quarterbacks to get them the ball. But this year they may need to pick up some of that slack with such inexperience at QB. Tight Ends: Ryan Purvis was a great asset the past two years for the offense, and his passcatching will be missed. But C Matt Tennant said at ACC Media Kickoff that sophomore Lars Anderson had a great offseason and is ready to step into the starting role. Anderson will probably do a lot more blocking than catching this season, but that will be just as important to the offense. If Anderson can help move the chains on running plays and catch a few passes here and there, he should fill in just fine.

O-Line: Always a strength at BC, the O-Line is again loaded this year. LT Anthony Castonzo and C Matt Tennant, preseason first team All-ACC members, headline this bunch. Tom Claiborne and Rich Lapham fill out the right side of the line, while a potential battle for a starting job may be taking place at left guard. Redshirt freshman Emmett Cleary appears to have beaten out Nate Richman for the starting role, but Richman should most likely see plenty of time when this gets sorted out. Either way, this offensive line should open some big holes for the running game and give plenty of protection to the quarterback.

D-Line: It will be up to new defensive tackles Damik Scafe and Kaleb Ramsey to fill the gaping holes left by the NFL-bound B.J. Raji and Ron Brace. There is no replacing those two, but hopefully Scafe and Ramsey can do enough to keep the Eagle defense a strength this year. Alex Albright returning from injury should also aid the front four, assuming he can handle the load.

And Jim Ramella played well when he got to start last year, so that experience should help him.

Look for the D-line to take a step back from last year’s crew, but still play well enough to keep BC in the game.

Linebackers: The linebackers, simply put, lost a lot of experience. Not only did Robert Francois and Brian Toal graduate, but Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and will have to sit out the year, and Mike McLaughlin is trying to come back from an Achilles injury. If McLaughlin can come back and stay healthy, it will be a huge boost to the linebacking corps. He would provide great play and leadership to the young guys. Sophomore Dominick LeGrande and redshirt freshman Nick Clancy will line up on either end of McLaughlin, and Will Thompson should see plenty of time this year as well. There is no replacing ACC Defensive Player of the Year Herzlich, but hopefully Defensive Coordinator Bill McGovern can get these guys ready.

Secondary: The verdict seems to still be out on the Eagles secondary. Safeties Marcellus Bowman and Wes Davis and cornerbacks Donnie Fletcher and Roderick Rollins all have the luxury of having started at some point last year. That time spent playing together should help them going into the ‘09 season. Safety Paul Anderson and his team-leading six interceptions will be missed, but they should be fine. This group seemed to shine last year at times, but then also get burned at times. They will need to play well as they appear to be the strongest facet of the defense, and the most experienced as well.

Special Teams: Nothing new here as Steve Aponavicius will do the kicking and Ryan Quigley will

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do the punting. Some combination of Montel Harris, Jeff Smith, and Rich Gunnell will probably handle kick returning duties. No real gamebreakers on special teams, but Smith usually breaks off a big run every now and then.

2009 Prediction: If nothing else, this team should be fun to watch. With a brand new coaching staff and a new quarterback, there will be plenty of intrigue entering the year. Luckily, the Eagles open up with cupcakes Northeastern and Kent State, but things get a lot tougher after that with four straight against Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. That four-game stretch should pretty much determine the course of the season, and if the Eagles could take at least two of those games that would be a boost. The trip to Notre Dame for the Catholic bowl should be a fun one, and will also be the last one as the two teams’ contract ends after next year’s final game in Chestnut Hill. Look for the Eagles to continue their winning streak against the Irish. All in all, I see BC going 7-5 this year and finishing third in the Atlantic behind Florida State and Clemson. Even though most people have BC in the bottom part of the division, I don’t think you can ever count a Frank Spaziani defense out of any game. One thing is for certain, and that is that the Eagles will be prepared for every game this year. Nonetheless, the quarterback situation and all of the losses on defense will make it hard to return to their 3rd straight championship game.

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Clemson August 3, 2009 The Tigers are coming off of a somewhat disappointing 7-6 season in which they saw their head coach, Tommy Bowden, depart. New coach Dabo Swinney looks to build off the success he had in his short time as interim head coach after Bowden was let go. There is plenty to like about Clemson heading into the season. First and foremost is Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller, who will be trying to validate those life-size posters Clemson has printed out of him for his Heisman campaign. New quarterback Willy Korn will also have a nice target in WR Jacoby Ford returning.

The defense will have some holes to fill as both starting safeties and defensive tackles are now gone. Players like Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers will need to shore up that D-line situation.

2009 Schedule vs. Middle Tennessee State Easy game to start the year for the Tigers. Should be a blowout. @ Georgia Tech Things get a lot tougher very quickly with a Thursday night game in Atlanta against the triple option offense of Paul Johnson. This one will feature arguably two of the best RBs in the nation as Spiller and Jonathan Dwyer will square off. I like GT in this one, as that Thursday night atmosphere will be hard to step into for the Tigers’ first road game of the year. vs. Boston College As much as I hate to say it, I think Clemson will take down BC for the 2nd straight year. Spiller shined in last year’s game, and going against a defense that no longer has BJ Raji, Ron Brace, and Mark Herzlich plugging the holes, he should bust open some big ones. I predict a tough win for Clemson. vs. TCU This game will be a battle for the Tigers as TCU has been playing some great football recently. In the end, I think the home field advantage will help them out and Clemson will take this one. @ Maryland This should be an interesting game as these two Atlantic Division members try to move to the upper half of the division this year. College Park won’t be easy to travel into, but

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Dabo Swinney will have the boys ready and make it 3 in a row with a win. vs. Wake Forest The Tiger offense should have an easier time this year as the Demon Deacons will be without NFL-bound LB Aaron Curry and CB Alphonso Smith. Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller should have big games, and I like the Tigers to make it 4 straight with a home win. @ Miami (FL) A little upset in the making here. I really like Miami’s talent this year and think Randy Shannon will do very well in his 3rd year as head coach. I think the ‘Canes stop the Tigers winning streak here. vs. Coastal Carolina Easy non-conference games are the perfect recipe after a loss, and this game will be exactly that. The Tigers should have no problem at home against their in-state “rivals”. Clemson wins big. vs. Florida State Huge game right here. This should probably have big implications on who wins the Atlantic Division. It will be a fun one to watch, but I think the Seminoles have too much talent and will take this game on their way to the division title. @ NC State This will be a tough road test as the Tigers travel to play Tom O’Brien’s up and coming Wolfpack. However, I think O’Brien’s squad is still a year or two away and Clemson will win a close one here. vs. Virginia Not much insight here. Virginia is not very good. Tigers win. @ South Carolina With their ACC schedule wrapped up, this last game would be an easy one to overlook, which isn’t what you want to do going into a game against a tough SEC opponent. I think the Gamecocks will surprise here and pull out a win.

Final Record: 8-4 (5-3 in ACC, 2nd place in Atlantic Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Florida State August 5, 2009 There can’t be a team that wants to start playing football more than Florida State. After barely missing a spot in the ACC title game last year, coupled with the offseason scandal that may cost Bobby Bowden some of his overall wins, the Seminoles must be happy that football is right around the corner. Their 9-4 record in 2008 along with a postseason bowl win over Wisconsin gives them something to build on. My pick to win the Atlantic Division, FSU returns some key players from last year’s team like QB Christian Ponder, RB Jermaine Thomas, LB Dekoda Watson, and DE Kevin McNeil. They did lose some great starters(Antone Smith, Everette Brown, Myron Rolle), but those talented Bobby Bowden recruiting classes should step up and fill the void. Can FSU finally get over the hump? The Seminoles will be looking to return to the top of the class in the ACC this year, and as long as they don’t let the off the field stuff get in the way, I think they have a good shot to do just that.

2009 Schedule vs. Miami Coming off what must seem like the offseason from hell, the Seminoles will be ready to go on opening night in Tallahassee. Ponder should have a good game against the young Hurricanes, and FSU will begin the year with a big W. vs. Jacksonville State For all of the hype leading up to the Miami opener, this game should be a nice follow-up as the ‘Noles can settle in and get their reps in against the Gamecocks. This battle should be very one-sided, as FSU will push it to 2-0 on the young season.

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@ BYU With BYU opening the year at home against Oklahoma and then on the road at Tulane, they will be more than ready for the Seminoles when they roll into town. I like the preseason No.24 Cougars and darkhorse Heisman contender Max Hall to knock off FSU here with a big home victory. vs. South Florida Although South Florida should improve from their 2-5 Big East record from last season, I don’t think they have the horses to match up with Florida State in Tallahassee. This should be a close game, but Bowden will rebound his team from the previous week at BYU with a victory here. @ Boston College The ‘Noles will surely not be welcome at Alumni Stadium this year, as the last time they came around they decimated both the Eagles undefeated season and Matt Ryan’s Heisman candidacy. While both teams are very different from those 2007 squads, unfortunately I think FSU is the more improved team and will take this one. vs. Georgia Tech This game should be circled on the schedule. Paul Johnson’s offensive genius goes up against Bowden’s defense that is fairly inexperienced. I think the Yellow Jackets will catch FSU off guard, and pull off the win with Myron Rolle, Nicholson, and Brown not their anymore to chase down those GT running backs. @ North Carolina Another tough matchup as this week will take Florida State into Chapel Hill to face Butch Davis’ revamped Tar Heels. Though the Heels lost three playmaking WRs to the NFL in Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, and Brooks Foster, quarterback TJ Yates should still have plenty of targets to pick apart the fairly young Seminole secondary. UNC wins here. vs. North Carolina State Returning home on a 2-game losing streak(or so my “expertise” thinks), I think the ‘Noles come out firing and end this one early. Jermaine Thomas should break off a few big plays and put them comfortably ahead for the victory. Side note: It’s really tough for me to cut a Tom O’Brien coached team any slack. @Clemson The offensive line will need to step up during this trip to Death Valley, as beasts Da’Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp will be doing everything they can to lay Ponder on his back throughout the game. No longer the Bowden Bowl, I like Bobby to outsmart Dabo Swinney for the win in this one. @ Wake Forest Much of this game will rely on how the Seminoles contain Wake QB Riley Skinner. Skinner has the potential to take over any game, but I don’t see that happening in this one. Dekoda Watson and the defensive crew will take charge and pull out a crucial road victory. vs. Maryland I think Chris Turner is a very underrated quarterback in the ACC because of all of the talent at that position, but he should have a fine senior season for the Terrapins.

Nonetheless, the talent on FSU outweighs that of Maryland and brings the ’Noles a win to make it 4 straight. @ Florida The two powers of the Sunshine State square off in their annual duel. Unfortunately for Florida State, Florida looks like they may be even stronger in 2009 than they were during their 2008 National Championship run. Combine that with the game taking place in the Swamp, and this fight is an unfair one from the beginning. Tebow and the boys knock off FSU. Final Record: 8-4 (6-2 in ACC, 1st Place in Atlantic Div.)

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12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Maryland August 6, 2009 Maryland had one of the more inconsistent years of any team in the ACC last season. They had great wins against top 25 teams Clemson, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. But for each of those wins came troubling losses against the likes of Middle Tennessee State and Virginia(31-0).

Senior QB Chris Turner will try and lead the Terps to more consistency this year, but they lost a lot of starters on defense as well as the offensive line. Star wide receiver Darrius HeywardBey is also gone to the NFL, but Torrey Smith headlines a very talented set of pass-catchers for the ‘09 season. And with all of the hype surrounding Clemson’s CJ Spiller and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer, Da’Rel Scott should be the most underrated running back in the ACC as he rushed for 1,133 yards and 8 touchdowns a year ago. So what does this year have in store for the Terrapins? Looks like the offense will have a lot of say in that matter, as the defense will have to replace seven starters on their side of the ball. Let’s have a look at the schedule.

2009 Schedule @ California Wow. Tough opening matchup for Ralph Friedgen’s Terps to begin the season. A night game on the West Coast is not where you want to open the year. And to make matters worse, the preseason No. 13 Bears boast one of the top running backs in the game in Jahvid Best. Cal takes this game easily as Best runs all over Maryland’s inexperienced defense. vs. James Madison That’s more like it. The Terps return home for four in a row, beginning with this matchup against the 2008 CAA champs. No upset here though, Maryland should win big. vs. Middle Tennessee State The Blue Raiders play their second ACC opponent with their trip to College Park after opening the year against Clemson. You can be sure that Chris Turner won’t let another embarrassing loss happen this season, especially at home. Terps win. vs. Rutgers After two easy home wins, this could be another one to overlook for Maryland. And that always proves dangerous. Returning their offensive line and a lot of their defense, I like the Scarlet Knights to pull off the upset here. vs. Clemson The Terrapins’ first conference game pits them against the Tigers. With so much inexperience on the Maryland defense, CJ Spiller will be licking his chops and have a huge day to boost his Heisman hopes. Clemson comes out of there with a victory. @ Wake Forest Although it will be tough to go out on the road after four straight at home, I like the Terps chances in this game. I think their experience on offense should carry the load against the Demon Deacons as they pick up their first conference win. vs. Virginia Al Groh and the Cavaliers scored a huge 31-0 win last year against the Terps, but I can’t see that happening again. Much like Middle Tennessee State, Chris Turner will want to get the bad taste out of his mouth and will score revenge on the Cavs this year. @ Duke The bottom feeders in the ACC will remain that way. The only competition in this one will be which school has more fans at the game. Terps win big. @ North Carolina State After two easy conference games against UVA and Duke, Friedgen takes his troops to Carter-Finley Stadium to square off against potential Heisman candidate Russell Wilson. Wilson should have a big game against the Terps’ young D, and Maryland will drop this one. vs. Virginia Tech The preseason No. 5 Hokies will be in midseason form by this point in the year, and will have their sights set on a 3rd straight ACC title. The loaded Hokie defense should put

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the clamp down on Chris Turner’s offense and win a lopsided game. @ Florida State It doesn’t get much easier as the Terps travel to play arguably the best team in the Atlantic Division. Playing a game in Tallahassee is never fun, and it surely won’t be this year.

‘Noles win big. vs. Boston College What started as a pretty good year ends on a sour note with a fourth straight ACC loss here. Senior day at Alumni Stadium for the Eagles will bring out their best, ending Maryland’s year with a 3-5 ACC record.

Final Record: 5-7 (3-5 in ACC, 5th in Atlantic Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: North Carolina State August 7, 2009 Tom O’Brien looks to be headed in the right direction as he enters his 3rd year as head coach of the NC State Wolfpack. Last season was a work in progress as the Wolfpack lost 6 of their first 8 games, but finished strong en route to a 6-7 overall record concluding with a loss to Rutgers in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Returning for his sophomore season is super-talented quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw for an astounding 17 touchdowns and only one interception a year ago. If Wilson can stay healthy all season, the Wolfpack should be solid. But plenty of questions remain on the defensive side of the ball, where a unit that ranked last in total defense in 2008 returns 7 starters. Misfortune also dealt a blow to that defense when All-ACC linebacker Nate Irving broke his leg in a car accident in late June, leaving his status for the year uncertain. If the Wolfpack hope to climb near the top of the Atlantic Division this year, they must keep Wilson healthy and hope that the defense can do just enough to keep them in each game. With an easy opening schedule that will allow them to knock off the rust, the Wolfpack will have plenty of time to fine tune before they head into their brutal final month of ACC play.

2009 Schedule vs. South Carolina I like the Wolfpack’s chances in this Thursday Night, nationally televised opener against the Old Ball Coach and his Gamecocks. O’Brien opens the season 1-0. vs. Murray State The Racers of Murray State will do absolutely no racing in this one, losing big. vs. Gardner-Webb This non-conference schedule sounds more like a 15 seed vs. 2 seed in March Madness than fall football. Wolfpack cakewalk their way to an early 3-0 record. vs. Pittsburgh Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt returns 14 starters this year for the preseason Big East favorite Panthers. I don’t like the matchup for the Wofpack here, and they should lose their first one here at home. @ Wake Forest NC State opens up conference play with a trip to Wake in a matchup of outstanding QBs Russell Wilson and Riley Skinner. The youngster Wilson spoils Skinner’s spotlight and the Wolfpack march out of their with a win. vs. Duke The Blue Devils will make a short trip down the road for an interstate matchup, and will then make a short trip back after a loss. @ Boston College Tom O’Brien makes his second return to Chestnut Hill after his sudden departure. This trip will go no better than the first one, as the Wolfpack will drop their first ACC game to the Eagles. @ Florida State I have a feeling a lot will depend on Nate Irving’s status for this game. Without

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Irving, I think FSU RB Jermaine Thomas has a huge day. Moreover, the home game for the ‘Noles always is an advantage. I’m going Seminoles here. vs. Maryland Maryland lost a lot of defense, and that inexperience should propel Russell Wilson to have a huge day here at home. Wolfpack bounce back from the 2-game losing streak with a big win here. vs. Clemson Don’t like the matchup here, as CJ Spiller has the potential to have a field day on the NC State defense. The Tigers come to town and steal this crucial division matchup away from the Wolfpack. @ Virginia Tech Lane Stadium is just about the hardest place to play in the ACC, perhaps in all of college football. Beamer ball proves too much for O’Brien in this one. vs. North Carolina This bitter rivalry took a surprising turn last season as the Wolfpack thrashed the Heels 41-10 last year in Chapel Hill. With UNC losing a lot on offense, I like the Staters to take this one again.

Final Record: 7-5 (4-4 in ACC, 4th in Atlantic Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Wake Forest August 8, 2009 Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe enters his 9th year as head coach after coaching perhaps the most talented defense he has ever had during the 2008 season. Linebacker Aaron Curry and cornerback Alphonso Smith are gone to the NFL, as are linebacker Stanley Arnoux and safety Chip Vaughn. That is a lot to replace, not to mention wide receivers D.J. Boldin and Chip Brinkman. The Demon Deacons will be happy to return quarterback Riley Skinner, who seems to be entering his 10th year as starter. His accuracy should make up for the losses at wide receiver, and the running back duo of Brandon Pendergrass and Josh Adams will aid his workload. Plus, all five starters from the offensive line are back and that experience should help immensely.

Though I don’t like the Demons Deacons chances this year, Grobe definitely has them pointed forward.

2009 Schedule vs. Baylor Groves Stadium will be rocking as the Deacs open up their season at home. Skinner lights it up in a victory. vs. Stanford Although Jim Harbaugh is doing a great job at Stanford, I think Grobe is up to the task and pushes it to 2-0 on the early season. vs. Elon Not much here. Pretty much a schedule-filler. Deacs win it big. @ Boston College Losing a tough game 24-21 at home to BC last season, Wake will be looking for revenge. They won’t get it though, as Montel Harris and Josh Haden will run free for the Eagles against the inexperienced Wake defense. vs. North Carolina State Russell Wilson outduels Skinner in this matchup of elite QBs. Wolfpack win. vs. Maryland I think Terrapins Da’Rel Scott, Chris Turner, and Torrey Smith will all have big games against this depleted Demon Deacon defense. Terps take it. @ Clemson No relief in sight. A trip to Death Valley results in Wake’s 4th straight ACC loss to

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begin the year. @ Navy This matchup with the Independent champion Midshipmen should be a close battle, but without Paul Johnson, Navy simply isn’t the same threat as it once was. Wake wins. vs. Miami Grobe picks up that much-needed first conference victory with a home win against the ‘Canes. @ Georgia Tech Speaking of Paul Johnson, he unleashes his running attack on the Wake Forest defense for a blowout in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets sting the Deacs here. vs. Florida State A brutal year takes another poor turn as Wake moves to 1-6 in the ACC in a close loss to the Seminoles. Bobby Bowden secures revenge after last year’s 12-7 loss in Tallahassee. @ Duke The perfect way to end the year. The Demon Deacons pile it on in frustration as they destroy Duke and finish their rebuilding season.

Final Record: 6-6 (2-6 in ACC, 6th in Atlantic Division)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Duke August 9, 2009 While Duke is no longer the laughingstock of the ACC, they are still years away from being serious contenders in the ACC Coastal Division. Talented quarterback Thaddeus Lewis returns as signal-caller this season, and his experience with now second year coach David Cutcliffe will only help. While Lewis is the highlight on the offensive side of the ball, defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase and linebacker Vincent Rey will be making the plays on defense as ACC leading tackler Michael Tauiliili has graduated. Oghobaase is a terrific run stuffer and pass rusher who will definitely give some ACC quarterbacks fits. The Blue Devils will need to sort out their offensive line early as they lost 3 of last year’s starters. What can Duke expect this year? It’s going to be a long road for the Blue Devils, and I see them remaining at about the same point they were last year, with one ACC win.

2009 Schedule vs. Richmond Duke should be able to handle the Spiders pretty easily, but this might be closer than you think. Still, Blue Devils win. @Army Army is entering the 2009 season after going 3-9 and not improving a whole lot. I like the Blue Devils to steal this one on the road. @ Kansas This would be a must-watch non conference basketball game. Football? Not so much. The Jayhawks hand Duke their first of many losses on the year. vs. North Carolina Central This makes it two FCS opponents for Duke on the year. Should be another easy win, and Duke goes 3-1 in non conference play. vs. Virginia Tech Not the way you want to open up ACC play. Their easy nonconference schedule does the Blue Devils no favors as the Hokies will be the best team they face all year.

VT wins huge. @ North Carolina State This game could be a close one, but I think NC State is further along the rebuilding path than Duke is at this point. Wolfpack win it. vs. Maryland The Terrapin trio of running backs, headlined by Da’Rel Scott, should be too much

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to handle for the Duke defense. Fear the Turtle, Terps win. @ Virginia While the Cavs will be looking for revenge after last season’s 31-3 loss, Duke will make it two years in a row and secure their first ACC win. @ North Carolina Williams vs. Krzyzewski? Davis vs. Cutcliffe? Those are about the same right?

The Battle for the Victory Bell won’t be much of a battle at all, and the Heels should run away with it. vs. Georgia Tech Tough matchup for the Blue Devils here. GT will be in the hunt for the division title at this point, and they won’t let a game against Duke be an obstacle. Jackets win. @ Miami I do think Duke has a chance of pulling off the upset here, as they lost a close one in Durham last year 49-31 (trust me, it was closer than the score). But the home-field advantage for the ‘Canes will help them to the win. vs. Wake Forest Demons Deacons should take care of business in the final game of the year.

Tough ending for Duke.

Final Record: 4-8 (1-7 in ACC, 5th in Coastal Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Georgia Tech August 10, 2009 Most people knew Paul Johnson would eventually improve the football program at Georgia Tech, but hardly anybody could have predicted a 9-win season in his first year on campus.

Johnson returns for his sophomore showing during 2009, and along with him come many returning starters. Front and center all year will be sophomore running back Jonathan Dwyer, already on the preseason lists for the Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards. But Roddy Jones should be almost as exciting as Dwyer running out of the spread option offense. Josh Nesbitt returns as QB, and as long as he improves his handling of the option offense after a year of experience, he should be just fine. Defensively, GT resembles Boston College in that they lost two monsters at defensive tackle in Darryl Richard and Vance Walker, not to mention star defensive end Michael Johnson. Replacing those three will be a huge task, but having six of seven starters return from the linebacker and secondary units will help the transition. The Yellow Jackets should absolutely contend for the ACC title this year, barring significant injury.

2009 Schedule vs. Jacksonville State Nice way to begin the year. Johnson gets the option offense revved up in a rout. vs. Clemson This is a tough game to open up ACC play the second week of the year, but I think the Yellow Jackets take this one at home. Should be a fun matchup between the GT running backs and the beasts on the Clemson D-line. @ Miami A trip to Coral Gables is never an easy one, but I think G Tech pulls out a close one here as they will rely heavily on their run game to get this win. vs. North Carolina This could prove to be a crucial division matchup early in the year, as these two teams will be fighting with Virginia Tech for the Coastal. I like the Heels chances to contain the option, and have UNC pulling off the upset here. @ Mississippi State Non-conference teams will have a brutal time picking up the unfamiliar option offense. GT wins.

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@ Florida State Huge game here as Atlantic and Coastal Division powers square off in Tallahassee. I really do like FSU’s defense, but I think the Dwyer-Jones combo will be too much to handle and GT comes out with a big victory. vs. Virginia Tech FSU and VT back-to-back won’t be fun at all, and I don’t think the Yellow Jackets can take both. I see them losing here because if any defense in the ACC can handle their attack, it’s the Hokies. @ Virginia No contest here. GT should win big. @ Vanderbilt The Ramblin’ Wreck travels west to Nashville to face the 2008 Music City Bowl Champs (against BC, ouch). The Commodores will be singing the blues, though, with a loss here. vs. Wake Forest Don’t want to overlook this game, as Wake has the potential to surprise. Wake QB Riley Skinner should have a good game with so much missing on GT’s D-line, but I still like Tech to win. @ Duke Blowout win for the Jackets. Duke just doesn’t have the athletes to match up. vs. Georgia Georgia Tech took this game last year in Athens, and without Stafford and Moreno this year, the Bulldogs will have an even harder time in Atlanta. Tech ends the year with a big win.

Final Record: 10-2 (6-2 in ACC, 2nd in Coastal Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Miami(FL) August 11, 2009 Even though Miami had a fairly successful season in 2008, concluding with a trip to the Emerald Bowl, it was still a rebuilding year for the ‘Canes. As Randy Shannon begins his 3rd year at the helm, he will be expected to take this team to the next level. Jacory Harris returns as quarterback and Graig Cooper will be back as the starting running back. Each showed signs of promise last year, but will need to be more consistent for Miami to have a good year. At wide receiver, the ‘Canes have four sophomores in Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benajmin, Laron Byrd, and Thearon Collier that should be more reliable in the passing game this season. The defense returns eight starters, headlined by linebackers Sean Spence and Darryl Sharpton. They will need to lead the way as last year’s leading tacklers Glenn Cook and Anthony Reddick are both gone now. If Randy Shannon can get consistent production out of his quarterback this year, the Hurricanes could be in for a solid season. However, a brutal first 4 games will test them right out of the gates.

2009 Schedule @ Florida State Normally the top of the ACC, these two teams square off as both attempt to return to contention. FSU wins this one at home. vs. Georgia Tech This game offers a good early season test for the Miami defense, but I’m not sure that they can match up just yet. I like the Yellow Jackets to catch them off guard. @ Virginia Tech And it doesn’t get any easier. A trip to Lane Stadium will expose Miami’s young and learning offense. Hokies take it. vs. Oklahoma Save the best for the last, as the Sooners represent the end of this treacherous 4-game set to begin the year. Unfortunately, Oklahoma is stacked this year and geared up for a

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title run. OU wins. vs. Florida A&M The Hurricanes finally catch a break with a very winnable game here. They take it for their first win of the year. @ UCF Two in-state non conference games in a row will allow the Hurricanes to regroup and get ready for Clemson. Canes win. vs. Clemson I like Randy Shannon to pull off the upset here, as I think the wins against Florida A&M and UCF will have their confidence up. Linebackers Sean Spence and Darryl Sharpton will spoil CJ Spiller’s day in Coral Gables. @ Wake Forest This should be a close game, but in the end I think Riley Skinner’s experience will lead the Demon Deacons to victory here. vs. Virginia Thankfully the Coastal Division includes UVA and Duke, who both offer great opportunities to increase that win total. Miami wins it. @ North Carolina How the tables have turned in the Coastal. A few years ago, this would be Miami in a rout. But things change, and I like the Heels to take this one. vs. Duke Another nice home game for the ‘Canes, and a very winnable one at that. They crush the Blue Devils on Senior Day. @ South Florida This will be tough, as South Florida has reloaded and is primed for a shot at the Big East title. On the final game of the year, I like USF to win it at home.

Final Record: 5-7 ( 3-5 in ACC, 4th in Coastal Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: North Carolina August 12, 2009 Could this be the year that the Tar Heels finally contend for the ACC Championship Game?

They’re getting awfully close. Butch Davis led his team and their high-powered offense to an 8-4 season in 2008, picking up big wins against Miami, BC, and Georgia Tech. Unfortunately, arguably the nation’s best wide receiving unit(Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, Brooks Foster) has all graduated to the NFL and will need to be replaced. With running back Greg Little the leading receiver returning this year, help is needed, and promising freshman Joshua Adams should provide some relief. Quarterback T.J. Yates also returns for his junior year after sitting out five games last season with an ankle injury. Early on, running back Shaun Draughn will probably shoulder a huge load as Yates gets acclimated to his new receivers. Hopefully an offensive line that lost seniors Calvin Darity and Garrett Reynolds can pave the way for him.

The defense returns nine starters, including a deadly front four led by D-ends E.J. Wilson and Robert Quinn. The Heels also posess two outstanding linebackers in Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter. Even without safety Trimane Goddard, the ACC’s leader in interceptions last year with 7, this Tar Heel defense has more than enough weapons. Butch Davis has some outstanding talent, and if he can find enough production at wide receiver, UNC could be on their way to Tampa Bay come December.

2009 Schedule vs. The Citadel UNC is far and away The Citadel’s toughest game on their schedule, and that’s not how you want to begin the season. Heels win.

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@ Connecticut The Tar Heels routed the then-ranked #24 Huskies last year in Chapel Hill 38-12.

Probably won’t be as one-sided this year, especially being at UConn, but UNC will still win it. vs. East Carolina The Pirates turned a lot of heads last year with early wins against Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Though they faded a little, they return a solid defense this year and are wellcoached by Skip Holtz. I think the Pirates upset the Heels here. @ Georgia Tech Even though going into Atlanta will be difficult, last year’s 28-7 dismantling of GT showed that UNC can more than handle the option. I think the Heels win a close one this year. vs. Virginia Though North Carolina inexplicably lost to the Cavaliers last year, being in Chapel Hill this time around will be the cure for a win. vs. Georgia Southern UNC wins this one and rides into their bye week on a 3-game winning streak. vs. Florida State Hard game to pick here. Should be close, but I like UNC to squeak one out as FSU’s secondary is young and Yates should take advantage. @ Virginia Tech Great matchup of two strong defenses. But Thursday night games are VT’s specialty, and they’ll win a close game. vs. Duke Like basketball last year, UNC has the upper hand in this in-state rivalry. Heels win huge. vs. Miami The Hurricanes have as much talent as anyone, but the question remains as to whether they can put it all together. That lingering uncertainty allows UNC to win this home game. @ Boston College Not sure why(perhaps a little bias), but this game has the feeling of an upset.

UNC destroyed the Eagles last year in Chapel Hill as Hakeem Nicks had a field day, but with all of those receivers missing this season, I think BC pulls off a shocker. @ North Carolina State The UNC-NC State rivalry should get better by the year. NC State currently has the advantage after a 41-10 rout last year, and I think the Wolfpack will win again, this time at home.

Final Record: 8-4 (5-3 in ACC, 3rd in Coastal Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Virginia August 13, 2009 A bowl game will be the goal for the Cavaliers in 2009, as last season they missed out by one win and finished 5-7. It was a year of inconsistency as Virginia began the year 1-3, then rattled off four straight wins including two against ranked opponents UNC and Georgia Tech, and ultimately ended the year with four losses in a row. Al Groh will be looking to minimize those big losing streaks this year, and luckily he welcomes back some reinforcements on offense.

Running back Mikell Simpson returns from injury, and quarterback Jameel Sewell will be back after sitting out for academic reasons last year. Though Sewell probably won’t beat out Vic Hall for the starting job, his added depth can only help. Last year’s offense was nothing special, and this year they’ll try to improve without most of their wide receivers and first round draft pick Eugene Monroe returning.

Things look much brighter for the defense and the 3-4 system that Groh runs. The front three have plenty of experience in Nick Jenkins, Nate Collins, John-Kevin Dolce, and the emerging Matt Conrath. The Cavs are stacked at cornerback too with Ras-I Dowling. The main issue

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on defense will be replacing three out of four starting linebackers, including the new pro Clint Sintim. This year will probably resemble last year closely, as Virginia will struggle to find consistency because of inexperience. I look for them to stay at the bottom of the Coastal Division this year.

2009 Schedule vs. William & Mary The Cavs kick off their season in style, routing the Tribe for a win at home. vs. TCU The preseason #18 Horned Frogs come to town with a vicious defense. Virginia’s uncertainty on offense does not match up well on the other end. TCU wins. @ Southern Miss UVA travels to play the Golden Eagles from Conference USA, who are certainly no pushover. Should be a close game, but I like the Cavs to pick up the road victory. @ North Carolina Virginia opens up conference play in Chapel Hill, and will look to repeat last year’s 16-13 OT win. Unfortunately, North Carolina is moving up and Virginia doesn’t appear much better this year. Heels win. vs. Indiana Indiana, 1-7 in the Big Ten last season, hope to turn it around this year.

Unfortunately, they’ll tally a loss here as Virginia takes it. @ Maryland The outstanding trio of running backs that Maryland boasts will give the inexperienced UVA linebackers major problems. I see Maryland winning handily at home. vs. Georgia Tech Much like the Maryland game, it will be a chore trying to corral the GT running backs, and I just don’t see it happening. Tech wins. vs. Duke The battle of the cellar-dwellers won’t affect the Coastal standings, but it will be a pride game for these two teams. This year, I think the Blue Devils take it. @ Miami The Hurricanes will give the Cavs their 4th straight ACC loss as people start the campaign for Groh’s firing. vs. Boston College I really hate to do this. But as any true BC fan knows, you can pretty much count on that one disappointing loss late in the season, no matter what sport it is. This game seems perfect for that situation, and I think my beloved Eagles drop a heartbreaker on the road in this one. @ Clemson Clemson will be battling, most likely, for the Atlantic title this late in the season.

With their goal in reach, they will be sure not to overlook UVA. Tigers win. vs. Virginia Tech The Cavs kept it close last year, losing 17-14. Should be another loss this time around.

Final Record: 4-8 (1-7 in ACC, 6th in Coastal Div.)

12 Days of ACC Football Preview: Virginia Tech August 14, 2009 And finally, Virginia Tech. The two-time defending ACC champs enter 2009 with high hopes, despite the recent loss of star running back Darren Evans. Losing Evans hurts an offense that was ranked around 100th last season, but nonetheless the Hokies are determined to three-peat.

Tyrod Taylor will line up behind center as the starter, no more sharing time with Sean Glennon.

His playmaking ability and improving accuracy should boost the Hokies’ static offense. A slew of replacement running backs, including Josh Oglesby and Ryan Williams, should see time

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this year. Those young Hokie receivers are now a year older, and Greg Boone will predictably dominate at tight end.

But Beamer Ball has always been about the defense and special teams. Starting from the back, the Hokies’ secondary is up there with the best of them. The loss of Macho Harris stings a bit, but a unit led by Stephan Virgil and Kam Chancellor should make plenty of game-changing plays. Linebacker is a little less certain, as two starters from last year’s squad are now gone. And the defensive line looks solid, led by D-end Jason Worilds. A top-10 defense is a realistic goal for the 2009 Hokies. The big question is, can they repeat? The loss of Evans hurts, and a tough non-conference schedule gives them no time for a break, but the V. Tech is my choice to win a 3rd straight ACC title.

2009 Schedule vs. Alabama (in Atlanta) The one everyone is waiting for, and it comes in Week 1. Two national title contenders square off to begin the year. The loss of Evans will be tough to overcome in this battle. Alabama wins a close one. vs. Marshall Look for the Hokies to rebound in a big way in their second game. vs. Nebraska The Cornhuskers have fought a long road back to respectability, and are the preseason favorites to win the Big 12 North. Tough game to pick, but I think Nebraska disappoints the Hokies and wins it. vs. Miami VT plays their third home game in a row against the Hurricanes. Though Miami can match the Hokies in talent, they can’t match them in game planning. Beamer’s play-calling is the difference in a Hokie win. @ Duke Not this year, Duke. vs. Boston College What is it about BC that Virginia Tech can’t seem to figure out in the regular season, but then always sorts it out in the ACC Championship game? There won’t be a mishap this time around, and unfortunately, this game will probably be the only one these teams play this year. @ Georgia Tech The battle for the Coastal is on the line as the top of the division play in Atlanta.

It’ll be a classic offense vs. defense showdown, and you know what they say, defense wins championships. VT wins. vs. North Carolina I think UNC has a shot here, but I’ll give the advantage to the Thursday night atmosphere at Lane Stadium. @ East Carolina The Hokies better not overlook this game again. The Pirates stole the season opener from them last year in convincing fashion. I think Beamer will be ready this time around, and VT will get the revenge they want. @ Maryland The Terps should give them a good fight playing at home, but the Hokie defense will clamp down on Chris Turner and give him headaches all day. vs. North Carolina State In their final home game, V. Tech goes out in style with a big win over the Wolfpack. @ Virginia The “rivalry” game comes in the final week this year, and Virginia will be seeking a win after they nearly pulled one out last season. No luck this time around, though, for the Cavs.

Final Record: 10-2 (8-0 in ACC, 1st in Coastal Div., ACC Champs)

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Scrimmage and Quarterback Situation August 19, 2009 Saturday night was the first scrimmage of the year for BC. Preseason scrimmages don’t do much for me, similar to spring training or exhibition games. But I think that a lot can be taken from these practice games this season, as there are certainly plenty of questions to be answered. The game had its highlights and its lowlights, including 3 interceptions and 5 sacks by the defense. Trying to earn playing time this year, redshirt freshman Max Holloway had two of those sacks and a pick-six. His name has been mentioned numerous times this preseason and he could be pushing defensive coordinator Bill McGovern to insert him in the lineup come September.

Clearly, the quarterback situation is the most pressing question, and the first scrimmage didn’t exactly clear it up. Here are each quarterback’s stats from the game: Dave Shinskie: 3-8, 22 yds, INT Codi Boek: 4-6, 15 yds Justin Tuggle: 2-6, 9 yds, INT Michael Marscovetra: 5-6, 45 yds, INT Nobody sticks out there, but the intriguing name that has surfaced lately is Marscovetra. There have been rumblings out of camp that he has in fact took an early lead for the No. 2 position on the quarterback depth chart, with Shinskie still the frontrunner. But it’s still early, and a lot could change. When it’s all said and done I don’t think Marscovetra will be the starter because Spaziani, being more of a Tom O’Brien type, will go with the older, although no more experienced, option in Shinskie.

The Eagles take to the field again tonight for their second scrimmage. Although it’s still a bit early, Saturday marks the two-week mark until Northeastern comes to Chestnut Hill for the season-opener. Spaziani has indicated that Boek will start to see less time, and that should mean more snaps for Shinskie and Marscovetra and a chance for each to get into a rhythym.

Hopefully, this second time around the quarterbacks show a better grasp on the offense and limit the amount of interceptions. If this scrimmage resembles the last one in terms of quarterback stats, it may be time to worry… a little. I’ll update later with a recap of the scrimmage.

Replacing Raji, Brace, and Herzlich: Who Will Fill the Void of the Big 3?

August 21, 2009 I thought that with almost two weeks until the season opener, it would be a good time to examine the defense. The past two seasons have been examples of how when clicking, our defense can more than carry this team. The 2007 squad featured future NFL players Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Jamie Silva, and after their graduation many wondered if Spaziani could fill the holes with capable players. 2008 answered that question, as Mark Herzlich celebrated his comingout party as ACC defensive player of the year, B.J. Raji returned from academic suspension to become a run-stuffing force, and Ron Brace blossomed playing opposite of Raji. The 2008 defense dominated in almost every way, save for a few spotty stretches in the secondary (@ UNC). Boston College has lately established their identity as a defensive-minded team, even during the year of Matty Ice’s run for the Heisman.

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Well, other then the glaring quarterback question on everyone’s mind, the biggest question BC must answer this year is this: How will the Eagles replace all of that defensive talent? With all due respect to Dunbar and Silva, the class of 2008 and Herzlich was arguably the best defensive unit in BC history. It’s not every day that your graduating defensive tackles get drafted in the 1st and 2nd rounds, and it’s even more impressive that neither of them were even the best defender on the team. The loss of Herzlich to Ewing’s Sarcoma hurts the team emotionally as much as it does on the depth chart. Here’s to hoping he can make a full comeback and we see him flying around the field again next year, but his health is priority #1. Adding to the depletion of the linebacking corps, solid players Robert Francois and Brian Toal are no longer on the Heights anymore.

So what are we dealing with here in 2009? I thought I’d take a closer look at just who will be replacing Raji, Brace, and Herzlich. The defense will look strongly unfamiliar when you watch the game and instead of #94, #90, and #60 down on the field it will instead be #50, #96, and #55. But I personally have plenty of faith in Spaziani’s experience and ability to keep his welloiled machine running. If these three players can have solid years in their terms as starters, then expect great things again from the 2009 Eagles defense.

DT Damik Scafe #55 : The junior out of Windsor, CT is easily the most experienced of the new starters. As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Scafe saw time in 13 games including the ACC Championship Game and Champs Sports Bowl. That exposure to the spotlight should only help him step into a starting role this season. Last year he developed even more, registering a career high 5 tackles in a game against Rhode Island.

Now a starter, he and returning defensive end Alex Albright wil be counted on to shore up the D-line. Listed at 6’3’’ and 293 lbs, Scafe isn’t the giant that Brace or Raji was, but if he continues to progress from his first two seasons he should play very well.

DT Kaleb Ramsey #96: Ramsey hails from Uniontown, PA where he was a football/basketball star at Laurel Highlands High School. Relegated to primarily fill-in duties last year, Ramsey registered six tackles throughout the year. His size is a little worrisome, as he is listed at a modest 6’3’’ and 256 lbs. But he has played well in practice and scrimmages against the stout BC offensive line, even registering a sack in the last one.

Ramsey will definitely need time to grow as he is only a sophomore, but if he can learn on the fly and lean on the experience of his other linemates, he will be capable of a good year.

LB Will Thompson #50: A sophomore from Jersey City, NJ, Thompson will see significantly more playing time this season with three linebackers from last season no longer on campus. It must be noted that, if healthy, senior Mike McLaughlin will assume the starting MLB position in Herzlich’s absence. However, whether Mclaughlin is healthy or not, Thompson should play a lot this fall. He gained some valuable experience last season, tallying tackles during his time on the field.

He looked good in the spring game, too, flying sideline to sideline all afternoon. He sure isn’t the prototypical middle linebacker, coming in at 6’1’’ and 235 lbs, but Thompson will rely on his quickness to make up for

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his lack of size. The spotlight will shine brightly on Will Thompson this season as he assumes all of the responsibility that comes along with playing middle linebacker. Hopefully, his two years of watching the likes of Dunbar, Toal, and Herzlich have taught him some valuable lessons, because if McLaughlin can’t make it back fully healthy, it will be his defense.

3rd Scrimmage / Shinskie Injury August 25, 2009 The Eagles’ third scrimmage has come and gone, as the offense and defense squared off Sunday in Chestnut Hill. Montel Harris led the way for the offense, rushing 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. On defense, a trio of redshirt and true freshman dominated. Redshirt freshman Alexander Disanzo tallied seven tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Emerging freshman linebacker Luke Kuelchy registered nine tackles as he continues to impress this late into camp. And defensive tackle Max Holloway kept up his campaign for the starting lineup with a couple sacks.

But the story of the day was a disappointing one. The frontrunner for the starting quarterback position, Dave Shinskie, suffered a broken rib after being tackled by Damik Scafe. Right when we thought that this offseason/preseason couldn’t bring any more bad news, our leading candidate in the up-and-down quarterback race goes down. All reports indicate that the injury isn’t terribly serious, with some speculating that Shinskie may even be able return for the home opener against Northeastern. But let’s assume the worst for the moment, and speak as if Shinskie will be inactive September 5th. That leaves us with Mike Marscovetra, Justin Tuggle, and Codi Boek. At this point, it seems that Marscovetra would be the first choice due to his solid performance in camp. The disadvantage of starting Marscovetra is that he is a true freshman and would lose his redshirt eligibility, but if Shinskie is out for a modest amount of time, I am all for giving the nod to him. Although Tuggle(8-16, 84 yds) and Boek(6-12, 74 yds) both had pretty good showings in the 3rd scrimmage, neither of them seem destined to be behind center come September 5th. Marscovetra could get his feet wet in the Northeastern game, plus the Kent St. game if need be, and then hopefully Shinskie will be ready to return.

Those first two games could be a great way to give him some experience while not forcing a huge burden on him like, say, the Clemson game would. Stay tuned for updates on Shinskie’s health in the next week.

Other tidbits: •

Frank Spaziani will be doing a weekly radio show, titled “The Frank Spaziani Show”, at local pizzeria Roggie’s on Monday nights during the season, starting August 31. I think this will be a great way to get updates on the team following Saturday game days, and I will attend as many of these as possible.

•

The team took yesterday off, but returned today for its final two-a-day. They will take to the field tomorrow for their 4th and final scrimmage, and then enter the final stretch until the opening game.

•

http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?&linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theroadtotampabay. com%2Fblogs%2Fbc%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2F3rd-scrimmage-shinskie injury%2F&linkname=3rd Scrimmage %2F Shinskie Injury

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And Finally, Some Offense: Final Scrimmage Recap August 28, 2009 Wednesday afternoon marked the fourth and final scrimmage for the Eagles, and there was some definite improvement. The offense, which had struggled in the previous scrimmages, held a coming out party and tallied three trips to the endzone. Quarterback Justin Tuggle led the way, throwing for 115 yards on 7-19 passing. On the first series, he hooked up with Rich Gunnell for a 41-yard TD strike. The other quarterbacks played well, too, as Codi Boek threw for 94 yards and a touchdown on 7-9 passing, and Mike Marscovetra went 4-6 for 60 yards. It’s nice to see that with Shinskie out, the other three filled in admirably. Montel Harris had a nice game, rushing 12 times for 53 yards and a TD. Harris looks like he is picking up right where he left off.

On defense, defensive end Jim Ramella tallied 4 tackles and 2 sacks. Damik Scafe had himself a day also, forcing a fumble and picking off a deflected Codi Boek pass. Cornerback Donnie Fletcher made some big plays with a fumble recovery and a blocked PAT. The defense appears to be in solid shape, and turnovers should be a strength again this season. Will Thompson, Kaleb Ramsey, and Nick Rossi are all battling back from minor injuries, but they should be back for the season opener.

In yet another wrinkle to the never ending quarterback saga, Spaziani indicated that Justin Tuggle may have a shot at starting September 5th if Shinskie remains injured. With only a week left until the season, we still haven’t heard word on who the definite starter is. But after the game Spaz said, “Tuggle has made a lot of strides. He wants to do it and he made some progress.” Initially, I figured Tuggle had nearly no shot at the starting job because he was recruited by Jags to run an option-style system, and with the return to a more pro-style offense this year, Tuggle seemed like a man without a position. But he has shown a ton of improvement, and if he is playing the best come next week, then he absolutely deserves the start. From here on out, Spaziani’s responsibility will be to play the guy who gives us the best chance to win, and Tuggle might be the frontrunner at this point.

Who is Justin Tuggle?

August 30, 2009 With the countdown ’til kickoff at six days, Justin Tuggle appears to be your Boston College starting quarterback. According to reports from the Boston Herald and boston.com, Coach Spaziani is expected to release his depth chart today, with Justin Tuggle claiming the number one post. If you were to ask me a week ago who I thought would be starting against Northeastern, Tuggle would have hands down been my third choice. Granted, Dave Shinskie’s cracked rib was unforeseen, but I still would have pegged Mike Marscovetra as the next best option due to his great training camp. But let’s be honest, it’s not as if Tim Tebow just got hurt and we are scrambling to find a fill-in to keep our national title dreams alive. Whichever way you look, there is inexperience at the quarterback postition. Not one of our QBs has taken a snap at the Division I level, so we can’t really get worked up about who our starter is before we’ve even seem them in game action. Let me make it clear that while I am definitely surprised that Tuggle will be our starter, I am not disappointed. So, now that it FINALLY looks like Spaz has picked a

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starter for this Saturday, let’s take a look at who Justin Tuggle really is.

For those unfamiliar with Tuggle, here are some highlight videos (Part 1, Part 2) from his high school days. What sticks out to me from those videos is his arm strength. I always viewed Tuggle as a run-first, throw-second quarterback that was more likely to beat you with his feet than his arm. And while that still may be the case, it looks as if he’s got a deceptively strong arm. Scout.com apparently agreed when they sized up Tuggle: “Tuggle’s top attribute is his athleticism. He is cat quick in the pocket and is very dangerous when things break down because he can make a play with his arm and legs. Tuggle can throw on the run and is so elusive in the open field. He shows a very strong arm and the ability to throw the deep out with a lot of velocity. Seems to see the field real well. “ So maybe we will have a real dual threat quarterback lining up for us. Hey, it can’t hurt to have another playmaker in the backfield alongside Josh Haden and Montel Harris. If Spaz and Gary Tranquil can utilize these guys and get creative with their playbook, opposing defenses could have a ton of trouble keeping all three in check. Not to get carried away, but perhaps Tranquil could even borrow a little from another ex-Navy coach, Paul Johnson, and throw in some option packages. One advantage, or disadvantage depending on your opinion, that Tuggle has over Shinskie and Marscovetra is that he isn’t a typical drop-back passer. His versatility could allow for some new schemes that we aren’t used to watching at BC. At the very least, Tuggle should be exciting to watch based on his pure athletic ability. Side note: He is the son of five-time Pro Bowler Jessie Tuggle.

There are a few things that worry me about Tuggle, though. First, I have to wonder what the offensive line thinks about it. We are used to seeing guys like Brian St. Pierre, Matt Ryan, and Chris Crane run our offense. Those guys were accurate, dropback, NFL-style quarterbacks. If the offensive line gave them ample protection, they could count on an accurate pass and a probable completion. Justin Tuggle is a whole new breed. He will take off running far more often than our previous quarterbacks have, keeping the O-line on their toes. What Tuggle lacks in accuracy, he makes up for in athleticism. I have faith in our offensive line to adjust to Tuggle’s playing style, but it may take some time.

And finally, I’m simply concerned that Tuggle may not be ready yet. A redshirt freshman, he still has all four years of eligibility. But this year is unique at BC, so youth is no reason to pass him up. The only firsthand experience I’ve had with Tuggle was the spring game last April. I remember watching him and thinking that he was the poor man’s version of Dominique Davis.

He had speed and elusiveness, but the accuracy and consistency just weren’t there. I remember a lot of errors and botched plays, but in all fairness, it was only a spring game. Tuggle now has had an entire offseason and preseason to get ready for this role. But keep in mind, it was only a few weeks ago that he appeared destined for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.

Starting at quarterback in the ACC is no small task, and he has been launched into that position very quickly.

So can he do it? I think he can. Tuggle has improved with each scrimmage, and his final performance was pretty impressive. He led the offense all the way down the field on its first drive and threw a 41-yard dart to Rich Gunnell for a touchdown. Hopefully those flashes of brilliance continue to appear once the regular season starts. Thankfully, he has two solid running backs that he can rely on if things go poorly. But he absolutely will have to show some passing ability, or else defenses will start stacking the box early and often to take our running backs out of the game. In the end, I don’t see Tuggle being our starter for the entire year. Shinskie

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sounds like he will be back fairly soon, and Marscovetra continues to impress. I think it would be a good strategy for Spaz to use the first two nonconference game as an audition for the three quarterbacks, and then settle on a starter for the Clemson game. A revolving door at quarterback isn’t beneficial for anyone, so let’s hope this thing gets solved sooner rather than later. Six days everyone…

Boston College vs. Northeastern: Preview September 5, 2009 Opening day has arrived. After all of the turmoil and controversy that has surrounded our team since the offseason started, we finally get to take the field and put all the doubters to shame.

Kickoff begins in just about 3 hours, and I apologize for the late post. Internet hasn’t been set up yet at my house so I’m firing out this post at the library. My pregame posts will be much earlier and comprehensive from here on out, I promise. So let’s get down to business. Our beloved Eagles take to the field today against the Northeastern Huskies. This should be a pretty easy win for the opening game, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Boston College has plenty of questions to answer, but a D-IAA opponent is the perfect recipe to figure out those problems.

Let’s take a look at today’s matchups and dive into the intriguing aspects of this game.

Matchups to Watch: BC QB vs. NU Defense: I apologize for the ambiguity here, but in all honesty, the quarterback situation still won’t sort itself out until the game begins. It has been stated that Justin Tuggle is #1 on the depth chart, but look for freshmen Mike Marscovetra and Dave Shinskie(if healthy) to see time also. If there is any game to hold a quarterback audition, it is this one. The Huskies don’t have a great defense, so hopefully one of our quarterbacks can separate himself from the pack and give some stability to the position. I have never been more interested in the Boston College quarterbacks than I am today.

Alex Albright vs. NU O-Line: After a year off due to injury, Alex Albright finally makes his long-awaited return to the field for the Eagles. Should he stay healthy, the defensive line should absolutely be a strength this year. Opposite of Jim Ramella, Albright shoudl have no problem getting to the quarterback and wreaking some havoc.

Donnie Fletcher vs. Tony Lott: Tony Lott is the Huskies’ best returning receiver after tacking up 449 receiving yards last season. BC boasts a solid secondary entering this year, so it should be interesting to see how we contain a good receiver. Fletcher had his moments last year, but he also has room for improvement. This game will be a nice opening assignment for him as he tries to mold into a lockdown corner.

Outlook: If everything goes according to plan, this should be an easy victory. For all of the mayhem that has occurred this offseason, I still think our pure talent outweighs that of Northeastern. The most interesting part of this game should be our quarterback situation. I believe Tuggle will see the first portion of the snaps, and hopefully he finds his groove early. But I am just as excited to see Marscovetra and possibly Shinskie take some snaps. Many are calling this a rebuilding year for the Eagles, but if a quarterback emerges, we could have a solid team.

In the end, I see our running back duo of Josh Haden and Montel Harris taking control of this game and leading us to an easy victory. Let’s get out there and support our Eagles.

WE ARE BC! Prediction: BC 31, NU 14

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Boston College vs. Northeastern: Recap September 6, 2009 Well, the first game of the season has come and gone, and everything went smoothly.

Everything was clicking for the Eagles yesterday, as the offense had a field day and the defense limited the Huskies to 131 yards and no points. The quarterback situation went well, as all four QBs saw time and got the job done. Dave Shinskie probably had the best day of the four, as he threw for 110 yards and a touchdown on 7-10 passing. This is comforting, considering that Shinskie suffered a broken rib just over a week ago. If he can stay healthy and continue to play well, it could be a huge boost for the Eagles offense. Josh Haden and Montel Harris picked up right where they left off, rushing for a combined 158 yards and 3 touchdowns. The gaudy stats for the offense are definitely nice, but let’s remember that this was an FCS opponent, so everything must be taken with a grain of salt. Don’t get me wrong, the day couldn’t have gone any better for BC, and the confidence going into next week’s game against Kent St. should be very high. But the competition will continue to get tougher as the year goes on, so let’s hope this was just a stepping stone to better days. Each week I’ll point out the three stars of the game, and let’s hope that most of the stars are usually on our side.

3 Stars of the Game: BC Quarterbacks: If there is one complaint about yesterday, it is that the quarterback controversy didn’t really solve itself. You can’t complain about four quarterbacks playing well, but at some point a solidified starter will need to emerge. In my opinion, I think Shinskie, pending his health, will become the starter. He looked good yesterday, especially after such along football layoff. But Justin Tuggle performed well too, so it is nice to know that we have some depth. Either way, great day for the QBs. Harris/Haden: I predicted that these two would lead us to victory, and they didn’t disappoint.

This duo will be the rock of the offense this season, in light of all of the uncertainty elsewhere.

Harris taking his first touch of the year for a 48 yard touchdown was just the start of a great day.

His receiving stats yesterday also impressed me. Let’s hope that this is just the beginnng of great years for our tailbacks.

Luke Kuelchy: Lots of true freshman saw time yesterday in the second half, but no one impressed more than Kuelchy. The true freshman linebacker carried his strong preseason into the season opener, tallying 7 tackles and looking very comfortable. He could be a huge key to success this season as the linebacking corps looks for some stability. Directing the defense as a true freshman is quite a task, but if Kuelchy continues playing like he did yesterday, good things could be on the horizon.

There really aren’t any complaints about yesterday’s game. Anytime you open up with a 54-0 victory, there can’t be much to complain about, even for the most negative pessimists. The competition gets a little tougher next week against Kent St., but I like our chances. Hopefully we will see a quarterback emerge and can start gearing up for the big road trip to Clemson in two weeks. Keep up with the blog as I will be updating all week with news and information.

How Did the ACC Fare?

September 9, 2009 Week 2 is just around the corner. So before I begin talks of Kent St., I wanted to post and reflect

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on the first weekend (and amazing Monday night game between Miami-FSU) of ACC play. All we have heard the past 5 years or so is how the SEC and Big 12 are the unanimous favorites for best football conference every year. Quite frankly, it’s hard to argue with that at this point, seeing as Florida and Oklahoma played for the national title last season and it looks as if Florida and Texas are the early favorites to go this year. The ACC, on the other hand, hasn’t produced that clear cut national contender recently. Many thought Virginia Tech or Florida State could be that team this year, but both got off to rocky starts and began their respective seasons 0-1.

The ACC has always preached depth, explaining that the the lack of a national contender is due to the overall strength of the conference. Many people look at this as a cop-out, but look no further than Monday night’s Miami-FSU game to see that the ACC really is a talented football conference. Florida State is the favorite to win the Atlantic Division this season, and Miami was supposed to be working its way back to respectability in the Coastal. Even more, the game occurred in front of a massive FSU crowd ready to explode. And yet, two talented offenses (and maybe not so talented defenses) battled for 60 minutes, with ACC player of the week Jacory Harris pulling out a late victory for the Hurricanes. The game was a fantastic showcase for our conference, but also perfectly illustrated our critics’ complaints. The talent is so equally distributed that it will again be difficult for us to put forth a legit contender this season.

Looking at the ACC scoreboard from week one, it is pretty simple to see that we didn’t have the opening week we hoped for. The ACC went 5-7, and that is no way to begin the nonconference schedule (save for Miami vs. FSU). We must limit these rough losses in order to vault our conference anywhere near the top. I want to quickly recap each game, and review how my preseason predictions held up.

South Carolina-7 vs. NC State-3: This was a pretty boring game to begin the year, as NC State failed to move the ball at all against the Gamecocks’ tough defense. All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson struggled out of the gates, and ended up with a paltry 74 yards on just over 50% passing. Not the start Tom O’Brien was looking for in his 3rd year.

Jacksonville St.-17 vs. Georgia Tech-37: The Yellow Jackets got off to the start they expected, as Heisman hopeful Jonathan Dwyer took his first touch of the year 74 yards to the house. In all, Georgia Tech running backs racked up 335 rushing yards as Paul Johnson’s triple option looked like a well-oiled machine.

Boston College-54 vs. Northeastern-0: Nice win for the Eagles, but nothing to get overly excited about. The running backs provided the excitement, and the quarterback situation got a tad clearer.

Baylor-24 vs. Wake Forest-21: This is one of those losses that the ACC can’t afford. Riley Skinner can’t be happy about the way his senior season began.

The Citadel-6 vs. North Carolina-40: TJ Yates and Shaun Draughn led the way for the Heels, opening up a 23-0 halftime lead. It was over at that point, but what was impressive was UNC’s tenacious defense throughout all 4 quarters.

Middle Tennessee State-14 vs. Clemson-37: Special teams were the key in this one, as CJ Spiller broke off a 96 yard kickoff return touchdown to begin the game. Jacoby Ford also took a punt return to the house. Unfortunately, Spiller came down with an injury and couldn’t play the second half.

William & Mary- 26 vs. Virginia-14: Wow. Not the start Al Groh was looking for as he tries to keep his job this season. This was about as bad as it could get for the Cavs, and they have some major rebounding to do.

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Richmond-24 vs. Duke-16: Although it’s not surprising Duke lost this game, it was a good opportunity for them to get a win because wins will be very few for them this year. Thaddeus Lewis played well, which is a nice consolation, but still a disappointing loss.

Alabama-34 vs. Virginia Tech-24: The Hokies played the Crimson Tide well in the first half, leading by a point at half time. But a big 4th quarter for ‘Bama sealed their fate. Can’t be too disappointed with this loss, though, as Alabama was a preseason Top 5.

California-52 vs. Maryland-13: Jahvid Best ran all over the Terps for 137 yards, and 2 TDs. I predicted that the young Maryland defense would struggle, and they certainly did just that.

Miami-38 vs. Florida State-34: This should go down as one of the best ACC games of the year.

A fantastic finish in the final seconds left Christian Ponder wishing he would have thrown the ball just six inches higher. But hey, it’s early.

All said and done, I picked 6 out of 11 possible games correctly from my preseason predictions.

That’s over 50%, but those losses by Duke and Virginia really hurt my record. Going forward, let’s hope the losers learn from their losses for next week, and let’s hope the winners (especially BC) keep winning. Stay tuned for a post coming soon highlighting today’s media day.

Boston College vs. Kent State: Preview September 11, 2009 The Golden Flashes of Kent St. travel to Chestnut Hill tomorrow, looking to start the young season 2-0. They are coming off an 18-0 victory over Coastal Carolina last weekend and hoping to carry that momentum against the Eagles. I’m not sure if I would go so far as to call this game BC’s “first test” because Kent St. should be only slightly better than Northeastern. Even so, it is a nice gradual bridge from Northeastern to next week’s game at Clemson. Let’s take a look: A Look at the Opponent:

Kent St. is coming off of a bowl-less 4-8 season under coach Doug Martin. They also lost a productive player in quarterback Julian Edelman, and much like BC, are scrambling to find a solid starter there with Georgio Morgan. Running back Eugene Jarvis is definitely their best offensive asset, as he rushed for 801 yards and tallied 10 touchdowns in 2008. Look for the Golden Flashes to rely heavily on Jarvis throughout the day, as an offensive line boasting four returning starters will try and pave the way for him. Defensively, a team that ranked 86th in the nation in total defense last year loses their best player in linebacker Derek Burrell. Kevin Hogan has some skill and should give some trouble to our offensive line, but he will be easy to double team if no one else presents pressure. We beat Kent St. 21-0 last year at their place, and with their losses at quarterback and on defense, I see a similar outcome awaiting the Eagles.

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3 Things to Watch: 1. Eugene Jarvis vs. Eagles Front 4: As mentioned before, Jarvis represents the only serious

offensive threat for the Golden Flashes. He has the potential for some big plays, so if Alex Albright and Co. can establish themselves and shut down the running game, Kent St. will

have an extremely hard time moving the ball in any way.

2. Dave Shinskie’s game management: It looks like Shinskie should see a lot more time

tomorrow, but Justin Tuggle will probably be in there as well. I look forward to seeing Shinskie adjust to more playing time against a slightly better opponent. The Kent St.

defense gives him one more easy assignment to knock off the rust before Clemson

next week.

3. Special Teams: Rich Gunnell surprised everyone with a punt return touchdown last week,

and hopefully he can carry that into this Saturday’s game. Kent State has some shaky

special teams, so perhaps we can put some points on the board with our return game.

Bottom Line: I’m excited for another football game, but if you’re looking for suspense, you’ll have to wait until next week. I think Kent State may be able to keep it close for awhile, but eventually our offense will grind out yards and points for an easy victory. Look for Spaziani to draw up a Spaz-esque defensive game plan and take Eugene Jarvis out of the game, effectively shutting down the Golden Flashes’ offense. I’m looking forward to watching our linebackers in this one, as true freshman Luke Kuelchy tries to stamp his place in the starting lineup once ACC play begins. The Eagles should have no problems tomorrow, except maybe staying warm as it will be a chilly weekend here in Chestnut Hill. Go Eagles.

Prediction: BC 38, Kent St. 7

Boston College vs. Kent St.: Recap September 14, 2009 The rain and cold may have kept the fans away yesterday, but it had no effect on the performance of the Eagles. Picking up right where they left off, the offense had another great day as they tallied 349 yards of total offense. Spaziani slimmed the quarterback competition as Tuggle and Shinskie alternated series, and both played very well. Tuggle went 6-12 for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Shinskie finished 9-16 for 73 yards including a touchdown and a pick. Both quarterbacks impressed me yesterday, as they each looked comfortable moving the ball and finding their receivers.

Going off of statistics, it seems that Tuggle probably has the slight edge over Shinskie in terms of the number one guy. Tuggle has shown an ability to make plays, while also possessing the ability to break free of trouble when protection breaks down. I don’t think our offensive line played as well as they could have on Saturday, as too many times our quarterbacks were rushed out of the pocket. In times like these, Tuggle becomes an asset because he is quite a bit quicker than Shinskie. Do I think there will be a clear cut starter come next weekend? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. Neither guy has played himself out of the job, so it remains a distinct possibility that Spaziani may continue to alternate them against Clemson. In my previous posts I have opposed the quarterback audition from lasting any more than two games, but after seeing it work against Kent St, I am coming around on it. As long as our skill players and offensive line have no problem adjusting to a different quarterback throughout the game, then perhaps this audition should go on. The sample size of 2 games seems too small, especially with no blatant

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frontrunner. Hopefully later in the week Spaz will indicate at his press conference what he plans to do against Clemson. I look forward to hearing it.

Another aspect of the game that pleased me was the play of true freshman running back Rolandan Finch. After last season, it seemed as if the running back position on the depth chart would be deadlocked for the next 3 years with Montel Harris 1 and Josh Haden 1A. But as of today, Finch has rushed for 15 more yards than Haden on 6 less carries. I don’t intend to take away from Haden here, but simply point out that having three capable running backs is that much better than two. Finch has shown a great ability to hit the hole and fight for every yard, something that will become increasingly important as the schedule toughens. All in all, it’s nice to have some serious depth at one of our most crucial positions.

And finally, hats off to the Eagles defensive line. They were flying all over the place Saturday, and one of my keys to the game was shutting down Kent St. running back Eugene Jarvis. If 10 carries for 17 yards isn’t being shut down, then I don’t know what is. We constantly stuffed the box, as you knew Spaziani would, and cut off their one source of consistent offense. The pressure on the running game forced the Kent St. quarterbacks to throw, and that resulted in two interceptions for BC. The play of our defensive line is essential to our defense’s success because of our youth at linebacker. To this point, they have impressed. But I think Clemson will be a real measuring stick for our defense, especially the linebackers. Going on the road is never an easy game, especially at Clemson. I hope the young guys respond to the adrenaline and play as well as they have.

And on a final note, great to see Mark Herzlich again on Saturday. Apparently he had a tough week of cancer treatment the past week, so it again shows his strength and determination to help out this football team in any way he can. We all wish that #94 was out on the field, hunting down running backs and ball-hawking passes. But the impact he can have on the defense and the team could be just as important. Here are your 3 stars of the game: Players of the Game: 1. Rich Gunnell: The team captain lived up to the hype, hauling in 6 passes for 114 yards and

two touchdowns. Gunnell is establishing himself as a legit number one receiver, and that

can only help our offense.

2. Justin Tuggle: Although he only threw for a 50% completion rate, Tuggle made it count as

he averaged 25 yards per completion. Throw in two touchdowns and it was a good day.

Again, I’m not sure when we’ll see the day that one quarterback takes every snap, but for

now I like what we’ve seen.

3. Damik Scafe: This one should really go to our whole defensive line, but Scafe played a

major role in shutting down Jarvis and the running game of the Golden Flashes. Scafe is

doing all he can to make sure we don’t miss BJ Raji and Ron Brace TOO much.

Two down, ten to go. Our schedule enters a tougher stretch now, although maybe not as tough as we thought. Clemson lost a close one to Georgia Tech last week, so we can draw from the Jackets’ gameplan to get prepared. After that, we welcome the 1-1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons to town. They have looked shaky all year, as they barely pulled out a win against Stanford this past week. I actually think this could be an easy game for us. And then comes Florida State, a huge game that will say a lot for our chances in the Atlantic this year. FSU lost to Miami in Week 1, and barely squeaked out a win over Jacksonville State this week. So, maybe we are hitting this stretch of the schedule at just the right time, as all of these teams are hurting

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in some way. Hey, being the only 2-0 in the Atlantic Division sounds good to me, no matter who it is that we played. Now we’ll get to see whether this good play is for real or just a result of the competition. Stay tuned all week for updates.

Highlights from the “Frank Spaziani Show” September 15, 2009 Last night, BC head coach Frank Spaziani appeared at local pizzeria Roggie’s for his weekly halfhour radio show. Located about a 5-minute walk away from my house, it is a convenient event for me to attend. I stopped by last night and listened in as Spaz answered questions about the Kent State game as well as the upcoming game at Clemson. The show has an interesting set up, as two radio hosts bounce questions off of Spaz in a very casual, personal manner. It’s almost as if the three are just having a normal conversation, except for the speakers projecting their words to the whole restaurant. After the half hour show is over, one member of the audience gets to ask the head coach a question and wins free tickets to the next home game. Here are some of his memorable quotes from last night’s show: •

“I think we have to get on better on the offensive line”

•

On his turnover-happy defense: “What you need from the defense is turnovers…We emphasize it. We’re going to find out a lot about our offense and defense in the next 4 or 5 weeks.”

•

On Clemson: “You saw what they did to us last year. There are certain things you try to do , but you have to be mentally prepared for their speed.”

•

On Mark Herzlich: “He’s doing really well. He’s off (treatment) this week and we expect to see him at practice.”

•

On Clemson QB Kyle Parker: “I see a budding star. He looks like he’s the real deal. He’s well-coached and looks to be very athletic.”

•

On preparing for Clemson after two relatively easy games: “You would think it’d be a big difference. The surroundings will be different. But the preparation (stays the same).”

Spaziani said all the right things, sounding confident about his team but not getting ahead of himself when it came to playing Clemson. He realizes that this week will be the first true test for the Eagles, and a good measuring stick.

Spaziani lands WR Shakim Phillips for 2010 September 16, 2009 Our 2010 recruiting class got a huge boost yesterday, as news broke of New Jersey wide receiver Shakim Phillips giving a verbal commit to BC. Phillips, according to Rivals, is the 5th best receiver and 37th best overall prospect in his class. This is huge news for the Eagles, as wide receiver is an area I have always felt we could improve on in terms of recruiting.

Apparently, Phillips chose BC over Rutgers, UNC, and Pitt. He said, “It didn’t seem like a very big change from high school to college. I plan to major in business. I’ll sign on Feb. 3.” He sounds pretty certain that he will remain committed, and let’s hope that is the case. Spaziani’s credibility just

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went up big time, and it can only help the rest of the way.

Wednesday Q&A: Media Luncheon Wrapup September 17, 2009 Wednesday here at BC means two things: 1) the weekend is just around the corner and 2) Media Luncheon Day. Each Wednesday a slew of players take time to come and speak to the media about many topics, mostly about football but sometimes about things quite different from the gridiron. A pretty lax Wednesday school schedule (two afternoon classes) for myself means that I will be able to attend these every week, save for a big midterm or something. Anyway, I will recap the interesting quotes from each player at the Media Luncheon, and some weeks will even post one-on-one interviews. Yesterday’s dynamic included Q&A’s with both quarterbacks Justin Tuggle and Dave Shinskie, and it sounds as if they are just as confused about the QB situation as we all are. Here are the highlights: Linebacker Luke Kuechly On Preparing for Clemson’s speed: “It’s tough to replicate it, but we’ve got some guys who do a good job at giving us a good look. But it’s always going to be faster no matter how you prepare.”

On Older Players Descriptions of Death Valley: “They said it’s just crazy down there. It’s tough to hear, everything’s just really loud. You’ve got to make sure you know what you’re doing; You’re not going to be able to look over and ask someone a question because you’re not going to be able to hear them.”

On Any Noticeable Difference in Speed between Kent St. and Northeastern: “Oh yeah, (Kent St’s) running back was pretty fast. The linemen got to the second level a lot quicker. They were able to chop block and things like that that Northeastern wasn’t quite able to do.”

Quarterback Dave Shinskie (fresh out of Theater Class) On adjusting to being a QB: “Not bad. It’s been a challenge taking the hits the last two weeks, but I said last week I need to start playing faster. And this is the week that it’s gonna happen, where you either do it or you’re gonna be out of the game. ” On whether he’s been told how the QB situation will play out Saturday: “No, I haven’t. I haven’t talked to Justin (Tuggle), I don’t know if he’s been told anything.

On any differences in practice: “Not really. He takes his snaps, and I’ll come in second.”

On Clemson: “You can just tell that they’re a different caliber team than the first two teams.

They have probably 7 defensive lineman that switch in and out… They’ve got guys two deep at every position that are just as good as the next guy. Their linebackers are really quick… their secondary changes the looks, and you never know what you’re going to get. It’s definitely gonna be a challenge going down there, but it’s also going to be fun.”

On biggest football stage he’s ever been on: “Probably the state championship game my senior year…About 17,000 people. That’s the most I’ve ever played in front of.”

Safety Marcellus Bowman On being ready for Saturday: “Always ready. Ready to go down there in the heat. It’s going to be humid, football weather.”

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On Clemson RB CJ Spiller: “Spiller you have to secure your tackle. You can’t go at him like he doesn’t see you. You have to always assume he’s going to make a cut because he probably will.

He’s a quick player, he’s not going to try and run you over, he’s going to try and run past you.

That’s his game, that’s what’s made him successful.”

On Spiller’s performance in last year’s 37-31 win over BC: “He had a great game. When they needed a big play, whether it was special teams, or the running game, or catching the ball out of the backfield, he was there for the play… That’s just a testament to his talent, but we have to try our best not to let that happen again.”

On Clemson QB Kyle Parker: “I’m personally impressed with him. I’m not going to come in like he’s a freshman quarterback. I’m expecting a good quarterback. I’m expecting him to put it on the spot, so I’m going to do everything I need to to be there.”

Defensive End Jim Ramella On Clemson speed: “We have Jeff Smith running as CJ Spiller on scout team, and he’s pretty close. But there’s no way you can simulate it in practice.”

Quarterback Justin Tuggle On any change in number of reps in practice: “Everything’s pretty much the same… Can’t really get too caught up in that. Just trying to get out there and get better every day.”

On Death Valley: “Truly I’m excited. I’ve never played in a game like this before. It’s my first away game, and it’s only an hour and a half away from my home.”

On any nervousness: “A little bit, but not too much. Nothing too overwhelming, pretty much the same as it is every week. I guess I’ve been told since I was little that if you’re not really nervous, you’re not really ready to play.”

On the noise of the Clemson crowd: “We’ve been doing little things here and there to try and prepare for the noise. You’ve always got to be aware of the noise, and everywhere we go is going to be loud. A lot of schools we go to, their stadium is going to be bigger than ours.

Clemson doubles ours I think.”

On his receivers: “They definitely give me confidence. Guys like Rich (Gunnell) who have had great success against Clemson, who has shown that he’s a leader. You’ve got guys like Colin (Larmond), all the other guys like Justin Jarvis…It’s just comforting to know that they’ve been there.”

On running the ball: “In high school, I didn’t have the greatest offensive line. I knew when to get out of the pocket, and when to stay in the pocket. I’m definitely trying to make the pass before I try to run.”

Stay tuned for a post previewing this Saturday’s game at Clemson…

Boston College vs. Clemson: Preview September 18, 2009 Break out the barbecues and the big screens, it’s time for the first away game of the year. Our beloved Eagles make the trek down to Clemson this Saturday for their first ACC matchup of the year. All the “You guys haven’t played anyone” talk goes out the door this weekend as the Tigers represent our first huge matchup. The crowd will be louder, the stadium will be bigger, and the team will be better. And frankly, I can’t wait. Will we take our success from the first two

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games and carry it into Death Valley? Or will our young quarterbacks struggle in their first duel away from the friendly backyard of Chestnut Hill? No matter what anyone on the team says about the first two games being just as important as this one, you and I know that this one has been circled on the calendar for quite some time. It’s time to showcase our suffocating defense against the lightning speed of CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford.

A Look at the Opponent

Clemson enters the game following a disappointing loss at Georgia Tech last weekend. After digging themselves into a 24-0 hole, they admirably fought back and tied the game late at 27-27. A late GT field goal ruined their dreams, but it still showed their resilience and ability to perform. Boston College will have a major task shutting down the Tiger offense tomorrow, as Heisman candidate CJ Spiller and super-fast wide receiver Jacoby Ford will be lining up. Last season, Clemson beat us 27-21 due in large part to Spiller’s contributions, especially on special teams. Our special teams units will have to pay extra attention to Spiller, as we won’t want to give Clemson any extra advantages as a result of punt or kick returns. Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s new head coach, will be hungry for his first ACC win against the Eagles. He is looking to achieve some credibility, and this would be a major first step.

By the Numbers: 8-8-2 The series record between Boston College and Clemson. Let’s hope we pull ahead this Saturday.

3 Total wins for Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani in his young career. Let’s hope he makes it a perfect 4-0 this weekend.

5th NCAA rank of Boston College’s defense. They will need to continue that success in order to contain Clemson’s lightning fast offense.

Did You Know? Dabo Swinney’s first win as a collegiate head coach came against Boston College last November 1st in Chestnut Hill.

3 Things to Watch For: Tempo: This week will represent Shinskie and Tuggle’s first real test. No longer can they rely on the cupcake opponents and silent crowds during offensive series. Death Valley will be rocking, and it’s up to them to step up to the challenge. If they can keep their cool and keep a grasp on the offense, it will benefit the whole team.

Special Teams: Last year’s game showed just how important special teams can be, as Spiller changed the outlook of the game with a late kickoff return. The Eagles will have their hands full Saturday, so big special teams plays can’t be allowed or we will be in for a long game. Limiting Spiller’s returns has to be a main priority.

Kyle Parker’s Poise: Kyle Parker has been impressive, but let’s keep in mind that he is a true

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freshman. All it will take is a few hits to get him rattled. If the Eagles can get to Parker early and often, they could limit the Tigers’ passing attack and force them to run the ball. CJ Spiller is no pushover, but at least we could make the game one dimensional if Parker is shut down early.

Outlook: I can’t tell you how excited I am for this game. Our games with Clemson are always hard fought and close until the end. The media will finally begin to take us seriously if we can pull out this win on the road, and a Top 25 berth should be in order if we do. When it comes down to it, I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I think Clemson’s speed will eventually wear us out, and we will fall victim to big plays late in the game. Look for another close game, but a slim Clemson victory in the end.

Prediction: Clemson 24, BC 17

Boston College vs. Clemson: Recap September 20, 2009 After two long lightning delays, 54 total yards of offense, 4 turnovers, and a 25-7 loss, the Eagles wake up this morning with a whole bunch of unanswered questions. Yesterday was about as painful of a game I’ve ever seen as a BC fan. After an interception on Clemson’s first drive of the game, little went right the rest of the day. The Tigers stuffed the box all day long and took Montel Harris and Josh Haden completely out of the game. So when it came time to pass, Justin Tuggle looked shaky and uncertain, finshing the day completing only 4 of 20 passes.

What was most unsettling was how lost our offensive line looked all day. Entering this season, I believed our offensive line was the best unit on our team, and I thought they would be able to keep us in any game. To be fair, Clemson overloaded the line of scrimmage all day, but our O-line still looked pretty lost.

The bright spot of the day was absolutely the play of our defense. The offense put them in bad position time and again, and yet they limited the Tigers to all field goals (Clemson’s solo touchdown was a CJ Spiller punt return). Luke Kuechly, Marcellus Bowman, and Dominic LeGrande all had great games and showed that we still pride ourselves on our solid defense.

They can’t be given much blame for what went wrong yesterday. Given no help on the offensive side of the ball, they kept us in a game that should have been over by halftime. The defense represents a silver lining in yesterday’s debacle, so hopefully they will continue their success and our offense will steadily progress. It’s disheartening to see our offense suffer so badly, and you can count on every one of our remaining opponents mimicking Clemson’s game plan until we show the ability to pass the ball effectively.

Yesterday, we proved all those ACC pundits, the ones who picked BC to finish last in the Atlantic, correct. We looked young and nervous in the atmosphere at Death Valley. I hope that it was just a reality check, and that the disappointing loss can serve as a learning experience.

But from the looks of yesterday, we have a lot of work to do in order to shape up this team.

What Went Wrong Special Teams: I wrote in my preview of this game that limiting CJ Spiller’s return game would be absolutely essential to us winning the game. Well, Spiller ended the day with 219 all-purpose yards, highlighted by a 77 yard return for a TD. Spiller and Jacoby Ford constantly put the Tigers in great field position, and it did us no favors.

Offensive Line Play: As I said before, the O-Line looked pretty lost out there. They improved in

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the second half, but they still allowed the Clemson front seven to dominate them all day. Missed blocks and botched assignments turned it into a long day for BC. Tuggle’s Confidence: As a byproduct of the poor offensive line play, Justin Tuggle never found a groove. He completed only 4 passes all day, and his throws were often way off target. This was his first away game of his career, so hopefully it was a good lesson he can learn from.

Players of the Game 1. Clemson K Richard Jackson: Jackson racked up 6 field goals and 19 total points for the Tigers. The BC defense stalled Clemson’s offense time and again, but Jackson was always

there to put another 3 on the board. Big day for him.

2. Ricky Sapp: Sapp dominated the line of scrimmage all day. He wreaked havoc in our

backfield and made the game a living hell for Montel Harris and Justin Tuggle.

3. CJ Spiller: He ended up departing after a foot injury, but not before he left his mark on the

game. He turned our return coverage into a wild goose chase, as he seemed to break off a

big return on each punt. Spiller’s TD was the lone score for the Tigers.

It was a bad game, no doubt, but hopefully Coach Spaziani can assess the problems on film and make some adjustments. Luckily, we return home next weekend against Wake Forest, and they haven’t played amazing football so far. So maybe Wake is the perfect recipe for us before Florida State rolls in. Perhaps Dave Shinskie will see more snaps next week after Tuggle’s struggle yesterday? Or perhaps not. Stay tuned all week for updates…

Wednesday Q&A: Media Luncheon Wrap-up September 24, 2009 Wednesday’s media session had a little different tone to it than last week’s did. Instead of speaking about a blowout rout of Kent St. and looking forward to an ACC opponent, the players were asked about what went wrong in Clemson and how they are going to rebound against Wake Forest. From what I heard, the offensive players don’t think what occurred Saturday is a true sampling of what they really are. All three quarterbacks, even Marscovetra, made it down to the conference room today to answer some questions. In light of the quarterback uncertainty, this could mean an increased number of snaps for him on Saturday. Another highlight of the day was LB Mike McLaughlin, who answered some questions as he looks forward to his return to the field. Read ahead…

Quarterback Dave Shinskie On if he is starting to understand how big the QB job is: “It’s tough just coming in here and dealing with everything, not just football. But the other quarterbacks are going through it too. Time management, we’ve been learning a lot about that. Even though I’m older, I’m still a freshman.”

On this week’s reps: “I took most the reps yesterday. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I just hope that if I get a chance to start, that I’ll make the best of it. I think they might give me a chance. And if they do, we’ll see what I do with it.”

On the offensive struggles at Clemson: “You need to run the ball to pass the ball. We didn’t run the ball very well. I think that a key in this game coming up is to pound it down their throats, run the ball, to open up the pass.”

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Center Matt Tennant On what problems occurred against Clemson: “There were guys not blocking their assignments. That’s somewhat my fault, not setting the offense the way it needs to be. And it’s also sort of on the guys not knowing their assignments in and out.”

On how anxious he is for Wake Forest: “I definitely think the offense is going to go out and prove themselves. We want to show people that we can score points still.”

On whether the new man-blocking scheme (instead of zone-blocking) caused problems against Clemson: “No, I don’t think so because it’s similar. We may not call it the same thing, but it’s similar. It was a big venue, the guys weren’t all focused in. Anthony (Castonzo) and Rich (Lapham), we all understand it and have been through it before. I think when guys are going through these first-time experiences, they seem to let their minds deviate from what the main goal is, and we can’t have that.”

On whether he still thinks Wake’s defense is tough without NFL-bound Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith: “Absolutely. They’re very similar to us, that’s the one team we always consider ourselves like. They’re a small school, they work hard, they do their jobs, and they’ve been successful. They may have lost some guys, but they’re going to rebuild, sort of like we did.”

Quarterback Mike Marscovetra On his reps in practice: “A little more reps than last week, nothing too major. They haven’t really told me too much yet… I’ll find out more pretty soon.”

On excitement for a possible starting role: “Definitely. It’s a big time ACC game, I’ve got some family coming. So it’s always exciting.”

On his maturation process: “When I first started, I just felt kind of lost because I was learning a new offense. Now I feel like if I get in the game I can manage the game. Coach Tranquil’s done a great job of coaching, he’s taught me a lot of stuff I never knew before.”

Safety Marcellus Bowman On the defensive effort against Clemson: “They didn’t do too much against us, which is always a good thing. They never scored, but still that wasn’t good enough. We need to do more, maybe create more turnovers.”

On BC’s success against Wake QB Riley Skinner: “We have a lot of respect for him. We know he’s a great player and can make some great plays. Everyday in practice we go out with the intent of stopping him. But we’ve been able to draw up some good packages against him.”

Linebacker Mike McLaughlin (returning from torn Achilles this Saturday) On regaining mental confidence: “In a sport like football, it’s not like ‘Oh, he’s ready.” There’s a process. Yesterday was not my first practice, I started two weeks ago running around in pads… For me, each practice I was out there was a step further in the process…I’m physically ready now.”

On if he still thinks about the leg: “It’s not gone, I’m not going to lie. With such a violent injury… I’m going to think about it, there’s no question about that.”

On if he ever questioned his ability to return to the field: “I was just more upset. I never had a doubt that I was going to come back. The day after my surgery I was out there doing pushups and sit-ups…There’s no way this was going to stop me from finishing my last season.”

On his replacement, freshman LB Luke Kuechly: “Luke’s done an unbelievable job. To play

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that position in our defense is unbelievable when you’re a freshman. You’re the quarterback of the defense at Mike linebacker, and everybody looks at you and is waiting to hear what you say…You don’t want to say it now, but you see flashes of Mark (Herzlich) when he’s out there.

That’s the same way Mark was when he was a freshman.”

Quarterback Justin Tuggle On last week’s game: “You definitely want to move on, but you don’t want to forget about it. You don’t want to feel that way again. We’re going to keep working hard this week, and we have a lot to prove on Saturday.”

On reps in practice: “Pretty much the same…pretty even.”

On his own performance against Clemson: “I feel like I could have done a lot better. I got off to a slow start, and it carried on to the rest of the game. Didn’t really get anything started until late in the 3rd quarter, early in the 4th quarter.”

Boston College vs. Wake Forest: Preview September 25, 2009 Parents weekend! One of my favorite weekends here at Boston College begins today, as flocks of parents arrive to see their kids, relive their college days, tailgate, and ultimately make it to the football game. The past few years, we’ve scheduled cupcakes like Rhode Island and UMass on Parents’ Weekend so that tickets are easy to come by and to assure that the parents see a victory for the home team. But this year is a different story as Wake Forest is the opponent. While the Demon Deacons are certainly not the class of the ACC, they represent another foe that we will square off with in an attempt to get that first conference win.

Lots of storylines to keep an eye on in tomorrow’s game. Not to sound cliche, but what would a 2009 BC game be without questions at quarterback? Rumblings this week have indicated that Justin Tuggle probably won’t start, which means that Dave Shinskie or possibly Mike Marscovetra could get their first official collegiate start. I’m honestly hoping Marscovetra sees sufficient time tomorrow, as I haven’t been particularly impressed with Shinskie’s play thus far. He continues to harp on the fact that he needs to play faster, and I agree as he has looked a little sluggish behind center. Perhaps all he needs is a few series in a row to get into a groove, but I also hope Marscovetra is given a solid opportunity.

The biggest news of the day, though, will be the return of linebacker Mike McLaughlin. Back in March, he tore his Achilles in spring practice while doing a routine drill. Add that to the loss of Mark Herzlich, and we have seen our two best defenders a total of zero times so far this year. Well, we finally are getting one back Saturday, as McLaughlin will slide into the starting middle linebacker role and Luke Kuechly will come off the bench. As exciting as it is to have McLaughlin back, we can’t forget the unbelievable job Kuechly did filling in. He assumed the most important defensive role as a true freshman, and took it in stride. You can expect to still see plenty of him because it will certainly take McLaughlin a few games to get his conditioning up. Even though it is our offense that could use a boost, you can’t complain about bolstering a good thing.

I’m interested to see how Coach Spaziani and the team responds to last week’s massacre. If there is a positive to take away from the Clemson game, it’s that it can’t get much worse than that. I expect a better effort against Wake, but when your QB situation is as murky as ours is,

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you can’t expect a lot. Our defense has had a ton of success against Riley Skinner over the years, so hopefully they limit Wake’s scoring and our fledgling offense doesn’t have to assume much responsibility.

A Look at the Opponent

Wake enters this game on a two-game winning streak after dropping their opener to Baylor.

Riley Skinner’s senior season hasn’t gone quite as planned yet, as he threw three interceptions in the loss, but he rebounded with a great game against Elon in a 35-7 win last week. He will be the focus of the Eagles defense come tomorrow. The Demon Deacons have a very experienced offensive line with a combined 103 collegiate starts. Defensively, nose guard Boo Robinson is a beast that had worked his way on to the Nagurski, Outland, and Lombardi award watch lists this season. The Eagles must contain him better than they contained Clemson’s defensive tackles, or it’s going to be a long day. BC center Matt Tennant said on Wednesday that the Eagles consider themselves to be most like Wake Forest out of all the ACC schools, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top tomorrow.

By the Numbers 2 The number of touchdowns BC’s defense has allowed this season 7 The number of interceptions Riley Skinner has thrown against BC in his career 8-6-2 Boston College’s all-time record against Wake Forest Did You Know? Wake Forest has an all-time losing record against every school in the ACC 3 Things to Look For O-Line Rebound This week will be a crucial game for our offensive line, as they sturggled mightily against Clemson. Was it just a fluke, or should we expect the same this week? All-ACC center Matt Tennant will carry the responsibility of getting everyone on the same page.

Riley’s INTs As I mentioned before, Skinner has thrown more interceptions against Boston College than against any other ACC school. Some of that can probably be attributed to our great defensive backs, and they will be looking to do more of it Saturday. You can count on our secondary to ball-hawk all day long.

Marscovetra This should be Mike Marscovetra’s first extended portion of playing time. I think Spaziani will give him a few series to see what he’s got in this kid. Marscovetra said that a lot of his family will be out for the game, so hopefully he makes the most of his opportunity.

Outlook Wake Forest lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, as Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith moved onto the NFL. This should help our young offense as they attempt to make a name for themselves. Being back at home will also be a calming factor for our boys after a tough trip to Death Valley exploited our weaknesses. I think this game will be close and low-

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scoring because we should be able to stop their offense, and our offense probably won’t light up the scoreboard. In the end, I think we pull out a close victory and give the parents of BC what they came to see: a win!

Prediction BC 13, Wake Forest 10

Boston College vs. Wake Forest: Recap September 28, 2009 Firstly, I apologize for the late recap post, I have been feeling a little bit under the weather. But after a few days to recover, let’s talk about that exciting win over Wake Forest. The game told us a lot about the Eagles, and maybe (just maybe!) determined our starting quarterback for the immediate future. Dave Shinskie took all of the snaps this weekend, and he didn’t disappoint.

His line of 18-29, 228 yards, and 3 touchdowns is far and away the most impressive performance we have seen from any of our quarterbacks thus far. Although some of his throws were off target, especially late in the game, Shinskie showed the capability to manage the game and move the chains. You could just tell that he looked much more at ease in the pocket than in any of the first 3 games. If nothing else, Shinskie earned the opportunity for another start next weekend against Florida State. Here are some other key things I noticed from Saturday’s game: • Our O-Line isn’t that bad And by that bad, I mean how bad they looked against Clemson.

Center Matt Tennant said earlier in the week that they were determined to show that they

were still a good unit, and that the Clemson game was no representation of their real skill.

Well, they proved us right. Shinskie was given plenty of time in the pocket, and he

responded by spreading the ball all over the field. Consequently, holes were opened up for Montel Harris and Josh Haden to run through. As Shinskie said last Wednesday, “You’ve

got to run the ball to throw the ball.” He was right, as our 398 total yards of offense was a

tad better than the 54 total yards we put up against Clemson. If our O-line can give Shinskie the protection he needs, our offense will only improve.

•

Colin Larmond is becoming a legit No. 2 option He may have only caught three balls for 31 yards, but I am getting the feeling that Shinskie is very comfortable throwing to Larmond.

Larmond’s 17-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter seemed as if it would be icing on the cake the way that our defense was playing, but it proved to be the crucial score that helped us into overtime after we blew a 14-point lead. Entering the season, I didn’t think we would see much of Larmond Jr., what with Gunnell and Jarvis and our regular use of two- tight end sets. But after Larmond showed his deep ball speed with a deep TD catch against Kent St, he seems to be finding his niche.

• We haven’t seen the last of Luke Kuechly The focus this weekend was the return of Mike McLaughlin to the linebacking corps. McLaughlin immediately made his presence known,

as he tallied the first tackle of the game. Even though our defense had played great up to

this point, you just felt more at ease seeing #34 calling the signals. But that’s not what this is

about. True freshman Luke Kuechly showed again that he deserves to be on the field, as he

led the team with 11 tackles. He has earned his stay, and he has shown that he can play in

the big games. If Spaziani and defensive coordinator Bill McGovern can find a way to keep

him on the field more than he stays on the sidelines, it will only help our defense.

•

Our pass rush needs some work Up until the 4th quarter, I wouldn’t have really noticed this. Wake went into the last period with only 10 points, and it seemed certain that our

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lockdown defense would thwart any comeback attempt by the Demon Deacons. But once we forced them to throw the ball, we looked lost out there. We turned Riley Skinner into John Elway (or Matt Ryan, who McLaughlin compared Skinner to after the game) on those last two drives. Skinner picked apart our secondary for two late touchdowns, the last one a heartbreaking tying score with 11 seconds left in the game. But, the lack of our pass rush presence was the real story behind the comeback. With all due respect to Skinner, any decent quarterback could have led that comeback with the time he was given. Our front four were nowhere to be found while Skinner aired it out time after time. Maybe they were just tired, or maybe McGovern thought playing some prevent was the best option, but it was uncharacteristic of our defense to blow a late 14 point lead.

Players of the Game 1.

Dave Shinskie A no-brainer here. Sure, his stats look good on paper. But this game means so much for our team, I can’t even explain it. The feeling around campus after the Clemson game was that we were a team without a quarterback, forced to rely on our defense as our last hope. Consider the Wake game Shinskie’s coming out party, as I expect him to hold the starting position for a long time, barring disaster.

2.

Riley Skinner A phenomenal game for Skinner was spoiled by his overtime fumble, but his line of 25-35, 354 yards passing, two touchdowns and an INT still garners him the second star of the game. He looked exactly like the poised, fifth-year senior that he is. And when the game was on the line, he delivered two long drives to tie the game. The Eagles heaped praise on Skinner after the game, likening him to Matt Ryan and saying it’s “scary” how good he can be.

3.

Isaac Johnson Give credit to safety Wes Davis for jumping on it, but Isaac Johnson turned a sure disaster into a triumphant win. With Wake at 1st and goal on the 4 yard line in OT, needing a touchdown for a victory, Johnson capitalized on a busted play to strip Skinner of the ball. The ball went flying across the field toward the sideline, but not before Davis sealed the ball and the victory. Whew.

The biggest thing to come out of this game, without a question, is the solving of our quarterback situation. Spaziani’s post game comments all but solidified the QB depth chart from here on out. I feel good about Shinskie as our starter, and am looking forward to his next start. Next week’s game, which ESPN College Gameday is coming to Chestnut Hill for, are when the lights will really be on him. Florida State has some NFL-bound players on the defensive side of the ball, so Shinskie’s passing will have to be sharp. My preseason choice to win the Atlantic, FSU has struggled out of the gate and sits at 2-2 right now. If we could pull off this huge home win, we are right where we want to be before our tough trip to Lane Stadium the next week.

Stay tuned this week for updates, and feel free to leave your comments and thoughts on Saturday’s game.

Wednesday Q&A: Media Luncheon Wrapup October 1, 2009 Yesterday was a hectic day at Media Luncheon, as everyone was eager to hear about the players’ thoughts on the arrival of ESPN College Gameday and everyone’s favorite trio of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit. New “No.1″ quarterback Dave Shinskie stopped by, linebacker Mike McLaughlin reflected on his first game back on the field, and Mark Herzlich made an

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appearance in what will be just the beginning of a busy media week for him. Here are some of the highlights from yesterday. Enjoy…

Defensive End Alex Albright On what they learned from South Florida, who sacked FSU QB Christian Ponder 5 times last week: “Our definite focus is to get him moving around in the pocket a lot, because when he’s able to sit back there and make throws he makes some unbelievable throws. He’s definitely stepped up as a quarterback..he’s a dangerous threat.”

On preparing for FSU’s speed like they did for Clemson: “Oh yeah, you just look at the type of caliber of recruits they get. They’re all 4 and 5 stars, and what we get are 2 and 3 stars. So we already start at a disadvantage…But we always assume that the other team’s going to be bigger, faster, stronger.”

On how he’s feeling physically: “The first couple games I felt like I was a step behind, knocking the rust off. But now I feel like I’m getting back in the swing of things, starting to make tackles.”

Quarterback Dave Shinskie On what he’s noticed from watching gametape: “I need to do a lot better with my ballhandling skills, just with my ball fakes and that. Besides that our offense looked pretty good.”

On if there is a sole FSU defender they’re keying on: “Not really, their whole defense is full of guys. They bring in a lot of linebackers, a lot of fast guys. Their D-backs are really good, have a lot of experience…It’s going to be a test this week.”

On College Gameday coming: “I don’t get myself (worked up)… A couple years ago I was at those things. Now I’m playing in it. That’s for the fans, so I don’t get caught up in it.”

Linebacker Mark Herzlich On his treatment: “I have three days of chemo left. So three Monday sessions, the once-a-week ones. So they’re not too bad at all… Everything’s good, we got MRIs done when I was home last week. Talked to our doctor, and he said he’s 99% sure the cancer’s gone. The only reason he’s not 100% sure is because they didn’t do a biopsy. But from his experience, it looks like it’s gone.”

On rehabbing into football shape: “This isn’t even going to be like rehabbing from an injury, it’s going to be like rehabbing from being fat and out of shape. It’s not like I have to wait for something to heal up on me, just get into game shape.”

On the media coverage he will receive this weekend:“It’s exciting because I can reach out to more people and tell my story. I think that it’s going to be not only good for myself, but it’ll be great for BC and all the stuff that the team has done for me and the school has done for me.”

On Mike McLaughlin’s return to the field: “It was great, I was home all last week so I didn’t get to see him practice or anything. But on the ride up with my dad I was like ‘I can’t wait to see Mac play.” And he did not disappoint.”

On his impression of LB Luke Kuechly: “I think he’s a great player. One thing Luke has that a lot of guys don’t is the mental prowess to play the positions. We have a very in-depth defense where you have to know the defensive line and d-back positions also to make plays… He also has an instinct to go downhill which is hard to teach some kids…He has a way of getting around blocks which I think I had when I was younger, and he’ll be able to develop more using his hands

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and get even better.”

Linebacker Mike McLaughlin On his recovery: “I think getting in the game last weekend was nice. It was a big step for the rest of the season and myself personally…Just to watch, criticize myself on tape.”

On the defense’s performance against Wake Forest: “We ended up giving up almost 500 yards of offense. That’s obviously not what you want to see as a defensive player, but at the same time we did what we had to do… At 5 o’clock on Saturday, we won.”

On getting more pressure on the quarterback: “Obviously, getting more pressure on the quarterback makes everybody’s day easier…We call a lot of stuff to get after the quarterback, but a lot of times in a long game like that guys are tired, or not getting off the ball well…

Hopefully, we can mix some things up and get after Ponder.”

Stay tuned for an interview with Florida State’s Campus Correspondent previewing Satruday’s game…

Let’s Talk: My Interview of FSU’s Campus Correspondent October 2, 2009 With all of the hype surrounding the arrival of ESPN on campus for tomorrow’s game, everyone here at BC is very excited. To add a little fuel to the fire, Florida State’s Campus Correspondent, Richie Barnes, and I decided to exchange words about our respective teams. I posed him six questions relating to BC, FSU, and the game tomorrow. Here’s what he had to say: 1) As it stands now, you guys are 2-2. Obviously, the South Florida loss was a disappointment, and the Miami loss was a heartbreaker, but the road win at BYU was huge.

Would you say that you are happy with where you guys are right now, or disappointed?

I am very disappointed with this team right now. Simple mistakes are the difference between us being 4-0 and 2-2 right now. If Jarmon Fortson catches that pass against Miami, and if three different players don’t fumble the ball inside the 20 against USF, we are probably a top 10 team in the nation right now. Luckily, there is still time to salvage the season if we can make a run at the ACC title for the first time since 2005.

2) What would you attribute the inconsistent play to? Christian Ponder? Jermaine Thomas not establishing himself as the feature back?

Definitely not Christian Ponder. He has improved light years from where he was last season.

It’s hard to put blame on Thomas too because he has been banged up this season and this weekend will likely be the first game he has with a lot of carries. think the biggest issue with this team are all mental. Simple things like not covering up the ball when heading into crowds and just a lack of effort at times have hurt this team. Looking at the USF game, the Bulls came out hitting hard and taking advantage of every FSU mistake which won them the game.

When the Seminoles come out mentally focused (BYU) and play hard for 60 minutes, the have proven to be unstoppable.

3) Many ACC people believed BC would be an easy win this year. If I remember correctly, you predicted us to finish last in the Atlantic. Has your impression of BC changed at all, especially now that we seem to have found a starting QB?

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I’m still not sold on BC. They beat two creampuffs and a pretty bad Wake Forest team. I think FSU’s defense is comparable to Clemson’s (although we are more likely to give up the deep ball), a team that handled BC easily. The Eagles have never been easy to figure out though, as the past few seasons, they have been picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic and won it. As of right now, I don’t think they will finish last in the division, but they won’t compete with FSU and Clemson for the right to play the winner of the Coastal.

4) With a third of the season in the books, where do you think FSU will finish the season?

What about BC? With how schizophrenic Florida State has been it’s hard to tell. The one good thing is that the Atlantic division as a whole is just awful. I see FSU finishing the season at 8-4 (6-2) and winning the Atlantic.

I see BC having a rough stretch coming up with not a whole lot of chances for wins. I’ll guess them to finish out around 6-6 (3-5). Just not BC’s year.

5) Finish these 2 scenarios: a) FSU wins this Saturday if…. b) BC wins this Saturday if…

A) The FSU from BYU shows up. If the ‘Noles come out and play focused and don’t make any mental mistakes, their athleticism will be too much for the Eagles and FSU wins with relative ease.

B) The FSU from Jacksonville State or USF shows up. BC is a physical team and if they come out and hit FSU in the mouth early, they will force FSU to man up or get owned like they did on Saturday.

6) And finally, do you find it as ridiculous as I do that College Gameday is coming to a game between two unranked opponents?

I think they are going there to help raise awareness for Mark Herzlich and his fight with cancer.

Other than that, there is absolutely no reason why Gameday should be there. Nobody outside of Tallahassee or Boston even knows this game is being played…

Boston College vs. Florida State: Preview October 2, 2009 The name of this blog’s site is “The Road to Tampa Bay”, highlighting each ACC school’s journey through the season as they attempt to win a spot in the ACC Championship Game in Tampa in December. Since it is only the first weekend in October, no team’s “road” is even halfway paved yet. But for Boston College, this weekend marks a significant step in our road to a possible 3rd straight title game. As it stands today, we sit atop the Atlantic Division at 1-1 and could make some serious noise with a win over FSU. A win tomorrow would mean a split against our two toughest Atlantic opponents (Clemson, FSU) before a brutal stretch at V Tech, home against NC State, and then a road trip to Notre Dame.

If you haven’t heard already, ESPN College Gameday has rolled their bus into Chestnut Hill for tomorrow’s game (check out my Twitter page for some photos). Why are they here? Well, we optimists would like to think that Chris, Lee, Kirk, and Desmond are here to preview a riveting football game between two powerhouses. But, in reality, issues with the other premiere games (Miami-Okla, USC-Cal) and the opportunity to advocate Mark Herzlich’s brave battle with cancer are the real reason. Tomorrow will be an amazing day for BC, especially Herzlich. He will have the chance to share his story with the entire country and inspire anyone who watches. I urge you to take a moment and watch Gameday tomorrow as ESPN tells the rest of the world what we at

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BC already know: Mark Herzlich is as outstanding of a person as he is an athlete.

The glamour and attention that ESPN will bring to the Heights is intriguing, but once 3:30 comes, the focus turns to the game. It will be interesting to see which teams show up tomorrow.

Will BC tank like they did against Clemson, or can they carry the momentum over from the Wake win? Will FSU dominate on the road like they did at BYU, or still look dry after last week’s loss to South Florida?

A Look at the Opponent

One of my worst memories as a BC fan was in the fall of 2007 when FSU came to town. I was a freshman and had the luxury of watching Matt Ryan lead us to an undefeated record and a No. 2 national ranking… and then came the Florida State game. Amidst a bitter cold and rain, Geno Hayes ripped the hearts out of every Boston College fan when he halted our final drive, and our flawless record, with an interception returned for a touchdown. What does this have to do with tomorrow’s game? Nothing, I just needed to vent, and express that the Seminoles are no longer welcome guests here at Alumni Stadium.

The 2009 Seminoles are a tricky bunch to figure out. They looked great in their opener against Miami, but the ‘Canes looked greater and stole a last second win. Then, a near-disaster against Jacksonville State started to worry the faithful down in Tallahassee. A blowout win on the road against BYU appeared to get the ‘Noles back on track, only to be followed by a heartbreaking home loss to South Florida (!).

Mental mistakes seem to be the biggest culprit to FSU’s inconsistency so far. Take last week, when they fumbled four times and turned the ball over on downs at the goal line. This goes to our advantage because our defense is known to induce turnovers. In the games that they have won, FSU limited the mistakes and moved the ball well. Florida State possesses one of the best offensive lines we will face all year, so our front four really needs to improve from last week and get in Christian Ponder’s face. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Seminoles’ leading rusher from last season, Jermaine Thomas, returns this weekend as the feature back and appears to be 100% healthy.

The biggest weakness for FSU has been their skeptical secondary play. Thankfully, Shinskie showed against Wake that we may actually have a passing game, so hopefully we can take advantage there. If we can break off a big one early, like Jordon McMichael’s TD catch last week, holes will open for the RBs and our offense can settle in. Florida State has their backs against the wall after the South Florida disaster, so you can count on their best effort tomorrow.

If we can pressure Ponder and contain his passing, I like our chances.

By the Numbers 4 As in Florida State has lost 4 of their previous 5 home games 100 Steve Aponovicius’ field goal and PAT percentage this year (5-5 FGS, 14-14 PATs)

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62.5 % Dave Shinskie’s completion percentage after last week’s win Did You Know?

Saturday marks the first time ever that ESPN College Gameday has traveled to a game between two unranked opponents.

3 Things to Look For 1. Sophomore Success/Slump We’ve finally solidified our quarterback situation for the time being, and now it’s time to see if Shinskie can keep his spot. He looked poised and accurate against a pretty soft Wake Forest defense, but Florida State is much bigger and faster, led by linebacker Dekoda Watson. Shinskie must show that last week was no fluke.

2. Jermaine’s Game As I said earlier, Jermaine Thomas returns as the ‘Noles No.1 running back tomorrow. Our run defense hasn’t been bad, but it sure hasn’t been Raji-Brace-esque, as they have shown vulnerability to the big play (ex. Brandon Pendergrass’ 76 yard TD run last week).

Thomas has that type of breakaway speed, so our young linebackers will need to keep an eye on him all day.

3. The Elements Thunderstorms are in the forecast for tomorrow’s 3:30 PM start, so both teams may be forced to bear down and play a conservative style. That plays to our favor because of our stingy defense and our normally conservative style to begin with.

Outlook This game is probably getting much more attention than it deserves, but I think the national spotlight will be a great measure of whether we have the maturity to contend for a 3rd Atlantic title. You know Bobby Bowden will pull out all the stops as he tries to avoid going 0-2 in conference play. I am most interested to see how Shinskie handles his second start. While I don’t see him pulling a Justin Tuggle vs. Clemson, I don’t think he’ll put up the same stats as he did against Wake Forest. Something tells me Montel Harris will play a large role in our success tomorrow, like last year when he led us to the upset in Tallahassee.

It should be a hard fought game, but unfortunately I think the Seminoles will go home with a win. They have loads of raw talent of offense, and if our front four can’t get to Ponder, he has the ability to pick us apart through the air. The emotion and excitement of the day will be on our side, but in the end, I think FSU is a step ahead of us right now. Prove me wrong Eagles…

Prediction: FSU 24, BC 14

Boston College vs. Florida State: Recap October 5, 2009 This is all beginning to look very familiar. Since my time as a student at BC began, every season was supposed to be an off year, picked to finish no better than 3rd in the Atlantic Division. In 2007, it was Matt Ryan who guided us through a 10-win season and an ACC title game berth.

Last year, our loaded defense sent us back to the championship. And now, in what seemed to be our most certain rebuilding season, we sit in first place in our division and at 4-1 overall.

It was worth wondering whether our success in the past two years was due to short-term head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. Jags brought BC to unprecedented success in his short stay, and the hiring of Frank Spaziani to replace him seemed like a return to the Tom O’Brien era. But facing one of the most treacherous offseasons imagineable, Spaz has shown he is more than ready to

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coach this team. Four wins is double what some “experts” thought we would get this season, so some might already consider it a success. But you know that we are far from done.

The game itself reminded me a whole lot of the Wake game. Dave Shinskie led our offense to a nice comfortable lead, and we managed to squander it again late in the game. But when it counted, the defense stood strong and we got that final touchdown drive. This game proved a lot about how far our offense has come since that Clemson game, and let’s hope it only improves. Here are some observations I had about the game…

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ESPN did a fantastic job of getting Mark Herzlich’s story out to the public If you haven’t seen the special piece that aired on Gameday, you need to. Herzlich was the center of attention on Saturday, and the emotion that permeated campus was unbelievable. He capped it off by revving up the student section after the win was in the books. The perfect day.

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Montel Harris brings a little something extra against FSU Just like last year, Harris was the clear-cut reason we got this win. Hailing from Jacksonville, Harris was passed over by Florida State while he was getting recruited. Think that his performaces against the ‘Noles are just coincidence? I don’t.

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Luke Kuechly is a budding star Last week I said that I hoped Spaz would find a way to keep Kuechly on the field, and after this weekend’s performance, I don’t think it should be too tough a task for Spaz. He led the team in tackles(again) with 12, none bigger than the two bone-crushing stops he made on the goal line stand during the first half. People have started comparing him to Herzlich, and while it’s much too early for that, Kuechly can’t be complaining.

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The pass rush didn’t improve, and Albright’s injury won’t help When Christian Ponder had time to throw the ball late in the game, he looked a lot like Riley Skinner did two weeks ago: flawless. It may look like our secondary is getting burned, but our defensive line really needs to improve their rush. Albright left in the first half with an ankle injury, and the extent isn’t known just yet. But we can’t afford to lose him for long, or else this situation will only get worse.

Players of the Game 1. Montel Harris The Harris-Haden duo has turned pretty one-sided lately, but that isn’t

necesarrily a bad thing. Harris’ 179 rushing yards and two touchdowns were the core of our

offense Saturday. Performaces like these make Shinskie’s life much easier in the pocket.

2. Luke Kuechly As I said before, Kuechly is quickly developing into a stud. And to think, he

wasn’t even a linebacker in high school (he played safety). He and McLaughlin should form

an intimidating LB corps the rest of the year.

3. FSU QB Christian Ponder Ponder almost broke the hearts of every Eagles fan when he

guided the Seminoles back from a 21-3 deficit. Once we fumbled the ensuing kickoff after

the tie, I was all but sure the game was over. Thankfully, our defense stalled them, but Ponder still had a very good day.

While this was a huge win, our focus must immediately go to Virginia Tech now. Frank Beamer has the Hokies playing great football right now, and a game at Lane Stadium is never fun. The past two seasons, we have beaten them in the regular season, only to lose out in the ACC title game in December. I’d gladly take a loss Saturday if it meant we got the ACC title, but I won’t get ahead of myself. This should be our only game against a top 10 opponent this year, and it’s

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on the road, so we should find out just how good we are.

Wednesday Q&A: Media Luncheon Wrap-up October 8, 2009 Another Wednesday, another win to talk about. Yesterday’s luncheon touched a bit on the Florida State victory, but the focus seemed to revolve around the premiere ACC game this weekend against Virginia Tech. How are we going to contain Tyrod Taylor? Will we falter at Lane Stadium much like we did against Clemson on the road? It’s clear that our team has a lot of respect for the Hokies, and any “road” to an ACC title goes through Blacksburg, VA. Here are what some of the guys had to say…

Center Matt Tennant On the bleak preseason predictions for BC this year: “I’d say that our goal every year is to go out and win the ACC championship…Some people may not understand that because they’re not on the inside… I thought we were going to be successful, I knew we were going to be successful. That’s the type of team BC has.”

On improvement of offensive line play: “It’s a growing thing. We’re trying to understand the new scheme…Clemson wasn’t a great time for any of us, but once the Wake Forest game came we got a little more confidence in ourselves…We know what Virginia Tech can do, but we’ve had success, and I think that’s the direction that we’re going.”

On what the BC mentality is: “Everyone’s going to count you out the entire season, but at the end of the season for some reason you’re always in the championship game…You keep going and you don’t give up until the end of the game.”

Linebacker Luke Kuechly On moving to the outside linebacker position: “I’m still progressing, I’ve still got a lot to learn.

It’s definitely a little bit different. The perspective, the angles… There’s definitely some ins and outs I’ve still got to pick up on.”

On whether he likes the middle LB or weakside position better: “I’m not really sure, I was in the middle for all of camp and the first two games. I’ve only been outside for like ten days now.

I still haven’t really made a judgment on it yet. Obviously, I feel more comfortable inside, but I’m sure as the weeks progress I’ll become more comfortable outside.”

On what he is expecting at Lane Stadium: “We got a pretty good feel for it when we went down to Clemson. It’s going to be a hostile environment, lots of distractions. We really just (have) to concentrate on what we need to do.”

On difference between Tyrod Taylor and the last two quarterbacks he faced (Skinner, Ponder): “Christian Ponder, I think he was very mobile too. I don’t think he looked to run as much as Taylor does, but he is definitely a mobile quarterback… I think most the quarterbacks we’ve played have been able to move, but Taylor is an exception.”

Linebacker Mike McLaughlin On Luke Kuechly’s performance: “To me it’s pretty simple. He’s an absolute raw talent. As a freshman, it doesn’t get any better than him. Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen someone step in, on any team, and be that effective right away… All he’s doing is read and react, that’s a scary thing to think that he can do what he’s done the past six weeks on raw ability.”

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On VT’s combination of Tyrod Taylor/Ryan Williams: “They’re big time. With one snap of the ball those guys can take it 80, 90 yards ans score a touchdown… Right when you turn on the tape you can see the speed and quickness. They can kill you one play.”

Quarterback Dave Shinskie On learning from the Clemson game for this game: “When I went into Clemson and fumbled the ball, I didn’t do my job. Then again, I was coming off the bench and just felt like we didn’t have a role with the quarterbacks. These last two weeks getting the nod and being the starter, it felt different.”

On his receivers: “They run great routes, and they get open. All I’ve got to do is get them the ball. Definitely getting the timing down that we need… Rich (Gunnell) gets a lot of passes thrown to him, but that’s Rich, he gets open…I’m going to throw the ball to the open guy.”

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech: Preview October 9, 2009 If you need any indication of how difficult it is to beat Virginia Tech on the road, consider this: We are the last team to beat them at Lane Stadium, and that occurred in October of 2007. And even then, we needed a miracle last minute touchdown from an NFL-bound quarterback to win that game. Now I am not trying to write us off by any means, but it is worth noting that wins at Lane Stadium are an extreme rarity.

Luke Kuechly mentioned at media day that he is expecting the environment to resemble Clemson, but it should be even louder. The Hokies have rebounded from their season opening loss against Alabama to rattle off four straight wins, including big ones against Nebraska and Miami. If there is one thing V. Tech wants to avoid this year, it’s another regular season loss to BC. We have taken the last three matchups with them, and with a potential national title berth on the line, they’d like to end that streak right now.

A Look at the Opponent

Virginia Tech will undoubtedly be the toughest opponent on our schedule. Sure, Clemson made us look bad, but the Hokies are stronger all around. They also have the luxury of being battletested after playing one of the hardest schedules in college football so far, with only a blemish against then-#5 Alabama. When Miami was the talk of the nation, V. Tech quickly silenced the hype with a 31-7 drubbing of the ‘Canes in Blacksburg.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has come a long way since our last trip to Blacksburg, maturing from a run-first QB to a dual threat weapon. Last week he threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-26 victory, albeit against Duke. But he isn’t alone in the backfield. Hokie nation panicked right before the season when leading rusher Darren Evans went down with a season-ending Achilles injury, but freshman Ryan Williams has filled the void with no problem. He has become an elite back already, rushing for 575 yards and eight touchdowns on the young season. Throw

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in sophomore RB Josh Oglesby, and the Hokies have a three-headed monster in the backfield.

Our defense has to keep their offense off the field, and it starts with limiting their running game.

Even though Taylor has developed as a passer, good defenses like Alabama have shown that he can be stopped through the air. But our linebackers will need to keep an eye on All-ACC TE Greg Boone, one of the best tight ends in the nation.

Defensively, V. Tech boasts some of the best athletes in the conference. Defensive end Jason Worilds wreaked havoc in our backfield in last year’s game, so Anthony Castonzo needs to be ready. Our offensive line has looked much better the past two weeks, so taking to the road will be their chance to showcase it. Linebacker is an area that we can look to exploit, as Cody Grimm leads the way on an otherwise pretty young crew. But when Dave Shinskie looks to the air on Saturday, he’ll want to make sure his receivers are very open. The Hokies’ have one of the most talented secondaries around, led by free safety Kam Chancellor. Beamer Ball revolves around forcing turnovers, and their defensive backs do just that. Perhaps we should keep it conservative on offense early, establish the running game, and let Shinskie take some shots down field once he gets comfortable.

By the Numbers 11-6 Virginia Tech’s all-time record against BC 284 Number of turnovers VT has forced this decade, second only to USC’s 291 62 Length of Colin Larmond Jr’s touchdown last week, the longest offensive play for BC this year Did You Know? Luke Kuechly has led the team in tackles in 4 of the first 5 games 3 Things to Look For D-Line vs. Taylor/Williams Alex Albright’s status is still unknown, but if he isn’t ready to go, the defensive line is in an even tougher situation. Thankfully, our run defense has been pretty solid all year. Our gameplan needs to focus on shutting down their run game and forcing Taylor to beat us through the air.

Special Teams The Hokies have already scored three special teams touchdowns this year, and CJ Spiller showed that we can be vulnerable against kick returns. We absolutely can’t have a special teams performance like we did against Clemson, or this one will be over quickly.

Rich Gunnell’s leadership While we may lean on our running backs, captain Gunnell will have to demonstrate his experience and help Shinskie open up the passing game at some point. We need to establish a balance on offense, and he has been in these types of situations before.

Outlook As I’ve mentioned, we have won the regular season matchup with V. Tech the past two seasons, only to lose out in the ACC championship. At this point, it looks like we could meet them for the 3rd straight season in Tampa Bay. I took some heat for picking against us last week against FSU, and that game really showed me how tough our squad is. But unfortunately, I am picking against us again. Going into Blacksburg is extremely difficult, especially for a quarterback who has never started a game on the road in his career. Our special teams play against Clemson displayed some of our weaknesses, and you know Frank Beamer has watched that tape. He will try and exploit us as best he can. I see a very low-scoring game, but I think the Lane Stadium environment might be too much to handle.

Prediction Virginia Tech 16, BC, 10

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Boston College vs. Virginia Tech: Recap October 12, 2009 After the loss at Clemson on Sep. 19, I figured we were as bad as everyone thought we were, a team without a quarterback headed into a tough conference schedule. Then, the anointing of Dave Shinskie and a return home for a 2-game stint changed my perspective completely.

Shinskie looked capable of operating the offense well enough, and he led our team to two hardfought victories. Virginia Tech was going to be the real test, the measuring stick upon which to gauge our season. They were a top-10 team with a great defense and a hostile home stadium.

We looked like a reborn team after that Clemson loss, so while I didn’t expect to beat V. Tech, I certainly didn’t think this would happen.

First of all, Virginia Tech isn’t that good, and we aren’t that bad. But I really can’t understand why we look so incapable of playing football once we play on the road. It lies in the numbers: our record sits at 4-2. with all four wins at home, and both losses on the road. But these aren’t just losses, these are dismantlings. Dave Shinskie completed one pass all day and looked completely lost. Lane Stadium is no environment to start your first road game, but his performance must be better. Mike Marscovetra came in and did well, but the game was completely over by then and the Hokies’ had begun to play reserves.

The silver lining in the Clemson game was the defense’s stubborn performance, but even they were manhandled by the Hokies on Saturday. Our gameplan was to make Tyrod Taylor beat us through the air, and we accomplished it. Taylor threw only ten passes all day, but he completed seven of them for 126 yards and two scores. Too many times we had him within our reach, but he’d scramble away and complete a big third down pass. The turning point in the game for me came on his 24-yard TD pass to Danny Coale near the end of the first quarter. It looked as if our defense was finally going to stop their march down the field, but on third down, Taylor scrambled around forever and found a wide-open Coale in the back of the endzone. Though it was only 10-0 after the score, I had a bad feeling it was over. Here are some other things I noticed from the game: Spaz pulled the starters much too early I understand that we looked like a high school team during the first half, but I thought Frank Spaziani pulled the plug on his starters way too early.

He sent a message to his first teamers by yanking them when we went down 17-0. Although the game looked like it would get out of hand, we still had some shot of mounting a comeback.

Instead, the reserves came in and pitted us deep in our own zone, forcing a punt and another score for V. Tech. I’m all for Spaz sending a message to our guys because we simply cannot play like this on the road. But that early in the game, it appeared that he was throwing in the towel before halftime even came.

Offensive coordinator Gary Tranquil needs to improve I understand that Bud Foster runs a solid defense over in Blacksburg, but there is no excuse for averaging 0.1 yards per play on offense during the first half. We made their defense look like the ‘85 Bears, which they aren’t.

Their blitzing and coverages are confusing, sure, but can’t we get a first down every once in awhile? The Clemson game was a rough one for our offensive line, but they played much better Saturday and should have been rewarded for it. Tranquil needs to play to our strengths and respond to these blitzing defenses, because he will definitely see a lot more of it in the weeks to come.

After a great game against FSU, our linebackers struggled Mike McLaughlin had a few harmful missed tackles that led to big plays, Dominick LeGrande looked overmatched, and Luke

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Kuechly had trouble getting to the ball all day. V. Tech running back Ryan Williams ran all over our defense, exposing gaping holes in our run-stopping efforts. Our pass rush didn’t perform either, and that allowed Tyrod Taylor time to throw. I can’t only blame the linebackers, but they clearly had their worst collective game of the season.

This one will leave a bad taste in our mouth. Now, we return home to face Tom O’Brien’s NC State Wolfpack and, in my opinion, the best quarterback in the ACC in Russell Wilson. Alumni Stadium seems to be our recipe for victory, but we can’t count on that every time. NC State isn’t the pushover that they have been in recent years, so this game is very loseable. We still have a shot of contending for the Atlantic title, and next week’s game represents a big step toward accomplishing that. I believe Dave Shinskie will keep his starting role, but he really needs to progress before hitting the road again for a trip to Notre Dame. We look like two different teams at home and on the road, and we need to put an end to that inconsistency.

Boston College vs. North Carolina State: Recap October 18, 2009 Following this season’s recurring theme of win-at-home, lose-on-the-road, BC followed up another devastating loss at V. Tech last week with a blowout win yesterday against NC State.

Although it has been three years since his departure, Tom O’Brien made his second return to Chestnut Hill as head coach of the Wolfpack, and departed with another loss. I feel like we always play with a little chip on our shoulder when O’Brien makes his return. Alex Albright said on Wednesday that especially for the older guys who were recrutied by TOB, this game means a little extra. Almost everyone on the NC State coaching staff has some recent history with the Eagles, so it was almost like a homecoming of sorts.

There was plenty to like about yesterday’s game, namely Montel Harris. His career day of 264 yards and five (yes, five) touchdowns was absurd even by video-game standards. Harris averaged a ridiculous 9.8 yards per rush as he time and again tore into the Wolfpack secondary.

Harris is quickly proving that he is an elite ACC running back, and has turned the two-man show of Harris/Haden into primarily Harris. With all due respect to Harris, the offensive line certainly deserves a lot of praise for the holes they paved all day. They have rebounded from that awful Week 3 showing at Clemson into a solid unit for Dave Shinskie to operate behind.

Speaking of Shinskie, it was nice to see him put the Virginia Tech loss in the past and get back on track yesterday. He didn’t shock the world, but he limited the mistakes and did throw two touchdowns. The slaughter at V. Tech last week concerned me because I wondered how Shinskie would respond to such a thorough defeat. But he looks capable of learning from his mistakes and moving on from tough games like that.

This game really was closer than the scoreboard indicates. A last second field goal pushed the Eagles lead to 24-13 at halftime, hardly a blowout. But Harris’ third quarter 3-TD explosion ended this one swiftly. Spaziani did a great job of sticking to what was working yesterday, and that was the run game. We had seen in the past few weeks that NC State’s defense was definitely vulnerable, and Spaz and Gary Tranquill attacked their soft defense with a heavy dose of runnin. This was a great win for team morale and for Atlantic Division implications, and Montel Harris will remember this one for a long time. Some other brief notes from yesterday’s game…

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• Our pass rush improved a lot this week It sure was nice seeing Alex Albright back on the

field yesterday, and as a result, our pass rush really seemed to improve. Austin Giles

applied good pressure all day, too, as the Eagles defense limited All-ACC quarterback

Russell Wilson to a modest day of 243 yards, one TD, and one INT. Bill McGovern called

a great game and mixed in some nice blitz packages, especially the delayed blitz by Marcellus Bowman in the first half that resulted in a huge sack. Our pass rush is so essential

to our defensive effort because of our knack for turnovers. Against Virginia Tech, we had

zero pass rush, and Tyrod Taylor picked apart our secondary. Then, yesterday proved that

with a little pass rush, our playmakers pounce on the opportunity, with Wes Davis and Isaac

Johnson both picking off passes. We’re sure gonna need a solid rush against Mr. Clausen

next weekend…

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I really, really like Colin Larmond Jr. Sure, he only caught one pass yesterday. But don’t forget it was a crucial 59 yard score. I feel like Larmond makes at least one huge play every week, and Dave Shinskie seems to be targeting him more and more. Larmond barely missed a few other big receptions that would have bumped his receiving yards well above 100. I can’t remember a legit deep threat this talented on our team since the days of Will Blackmon, and I can’t wait to see Larmond continue to develop.

• Back on top of the Atlantic I don’t know if you can call this year a roller coaster season

because we have a very respectable record of 5-2. But the manner in which we have lost

on the road does make it seem that way. Looking back, if you were to tell me that we would

emerge from the 5-game stretch of Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and NC State with 3 wins, I would have been thrilled. From where we stand now, winning the

rest of our ACC schedule (@UVA, vs. UNC, @Maryland) looks very possible. If we were to

do that, Clemson is the only team with a shot of taking the Atlantic title from us. But with a

trip next weekend to Miami, and games left against FSU and NC State, I think the Tigers will

slip up at least once. Could we really go to our 3rd ACC title game in three years? I don’t

want to get ahead of myself, but it’s starting to look like we definitely could…

We hit the road again next week, traveling to South Bend for the ol’ Catholic Bowl. A game at Notre Dame is truly an experience, and I recommend going to one at some point in your lifetime. The huge bowl stadium, Touchdown Jesus, the leprechaun, the thousands of students cheering in unison. It all makes for an unbelievable gameday, and I am lucky enough to be making the trek down there next weekend. I depart for the Golden Dome on Thursday morning, and I will provide a detailed account of my trip as we look to extend our winning streak against Notre Dame to 8. Their heartbreaking loss to USC yesterday should provide extra motivation for their battle with us, so hopefully we actually show up on the road this time. Our two road games have been disasterous thus far, so it will be interesting to see if South Bend brings out the best in us. Stay tuned all week…

Boston College vs. Notre Dame: Preview October 22, 2009 This is it. While almost every Notre Dame fan would tell you that this is just another game on the schedule (and it is, for them), for Boston College Eagles fans across the nation, this is the game everyone has been awaiting. This rivalry, whether you call it the “Catholic Bowl” or the “Holy War”, pits us against one of the best Notre Dame teams we have seen this decade. Not since 2002, when Tyrone Willingham and the #4 ranked undefeated Irish busted out the green

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jerseys in south Bend (only to lose 14-7), have we seen this talented of an nd squad. While any avid Bc fan will tell you that the eagles have taken the last six matchups, and seven of the last eight, almost everyone expects us to lose and end the streak this season. saturday’s game marks the last trip we make to south Bend for the foreseeable future, as our contract runs out after next season’s game here in chestnut Hill. While there have been talks about renewing the contract and continuing the rivalry, it will at least stop for a few years post2010. so you can bet that Frank spaziani, in maybe his only chance at notre dame stadium, will want to win this one badly. He’ll have plenty of support, as today and tomorrow flocks of Bc students will play hookie and hop on an RV caravan to the Golden dome. sure, we may take this way more seriously than they do, but so what?

While saturday’s game means nothing for our acc record or championship game implications, it means a lot for this team. In two road games this season, we have been manhandled and embarrassed. the games at clemson and Virginia tech seemed to be over before they even began. our boys will get yet another chance to redeem themselves and prove they can play on the road this weekend. I’d like to see some first downs, maybe even a touchdown or two (not much to ask, right?) What I don’t want to see is the mistake-prone, confused team that showed up to death Valley and Blacksburg earlier in the year. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

A Look at the Opponent

notre dame head coach charlie Weis entered the year on the hottest of the hot seats for head coaches in college football. He has the Irish sitting at 4-2, but that record could easily be different in either direction. three of notre dame’s games have been decided by 4 points or less, and their win against Washington was in overtime. While Weis could do without so much drama, he’ll take the four wins. the Irish play this weekend with the bad taste of a failed comeback attempt against usc still in their mouths. trailing 27-14 heading into the final quarter, Jimmy clausen led nd back, but the final touchdown was out of reach as they fell 34-27. the Fighting Irish will undoubtedly be looking to avenge that loss against Bc. For notre dame, as the offense goes, so goes the team. their offense is loaded with nFLcaliber players, beginning with Heisman candidate Jimmy clausen. clausen has already amassed 1804 passing yard and 14 touchdowns through six games. He has matured into a frighteningly talented quarterback with great decision-making and a powerful arm. While clausen is the backbone of the offense, he is certainly not alone. there are weapons all over the offensive side of the ball, beginning with receiver Golden tate. tate has already put up 719 receiving yards and scored six times, and that big play ability could cause issues for our inconsistent secondary. Luckily, wide receiver michael Floyd isn’t completely healthy yet and Robby parris is questionable, so our defensive backs can key in on tate. stud tight end Kyle Rudolph gives the Irish passing attack yet another weapon. While limiting clausen’s attack will be the focus, the eagles must also contain running back armando allen, whose 416 yards and three touchdowns aren’t incredible, but he is a consistent producer.

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Defense is another story. The Irish rank 104th in the NCAA in total defense, allowing 419.5 yards a game. This has to be a relief for the Eagles, as both of our losses have come against stifling defenses on the road. A serious area of concern is a defensive line that has struggled to stop the run or put substantial pressure on the quarterback all season. Games against Michigan State and Purdue have gone down to the wire because the Irish defense couldn’t hold a late lead (hmm… sounds familiar to me).

It will be a battle of strengths and weaknesses Saturday, as the high-flying Irish offense goes toe-to-toe with the Eagles’ improving defense. And when we have the ball, our still fledgling offensive attack will try to poke through that mediocre ND defense. If we can avoid the quick 3-and-outs that have killed us on the road and put together some substantial drives, at least we’ll keep their offense off the field.

By the Numbers 9-9 The overall record of the BC-ND series(BC has won the last six) 12 Notre Dame’s national rank for total offense 11/11/00 The date of the last time Notre Dame has beaten Boston College, a 28-16 win in South Bend Did You Know? The Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl trophy is awarded to the winner of this game each year, named after Frank Leahy, who head coached both schools.

3 Things to Look For Bazooka! The Bazooka offense, our version of the Wildcat, exposed North Carolina State last weekend and allowed running back Montel Harris to explode for a career day. As Harris describes it, “it’s read and react”. Hopefully, he’ll be doing a lot of reading and reacting Saturday. Notre Dame’s defensive line is weak, and quarterback Dave Shinskie hasn’t looked comfortable throwing the ball on the road. While we need to establish some semblance of a passing attack, I hope to see Montel touch the ball quite a lot.

Cloudy with a Chance of Football? The weather forecast calls for showers on Saturday and a temperature around 43. The soggy conditions should slow the game down, and I think that could play to our advantage. Storms will dampen Clausen’s ability to spread it around, and ND will have to incorporate a more conservative plan. If we continue to run as often as we have the past few weeks, a rainy game will play to our advantage.

First Half Yards In our losses at Clemson and Virginia Tech this season, our combined total yards at halftime in those games was -1. That’s no typo. Notre Dame Stadium is another hostile environment. Will we see a more composed offense, or the same nervous squad that keeps creeping back? I’d like to think that Notre Dame’s below average defense would help our confidence, but I have to wait and see.

Outlook So many factors play into this game, making it a difficult one to assess. We’ve played terribly on the road, but this is the Notre Dame game, and we always seem to show up for it. Clausen is an absolute stud, but two of his top targets are either out or questionable, so that plays to our advantage. I think the difference in this game will be defensive coordinator Bill McGovern’s gameplan. He finally broke through last weekend against NC State with some great blitz packages, and our pass rush paid dividends. If we can give Russell Wilson fits, we can give Jimmy Clausen fits, we just have to pick our opportunities. Allowing Clausen to camp out back

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in the pocket will be suicide for our defense. He is easily the most accurate quarterback we’ll face all year, and that’s saying a lot. If we rely on our running attack and can keep the Irish offense off the field, we should have a legitimate shot. While I originally pegged ND for the win on Saturday, something tells me that our last trip to South Bend will be a good one. I’ll be there on Saturday, and hey, the Eagles haven’t lost a game I’ve been to yet this year. Gotta count for something, right? Come on God, be on our side…

Prediction BC 31, ND 28

Boston College vs. Notre Dame: Recap October 27, 2009 First of all, let me apologize for the late recap post. The weekend revolved around an RV trip of about 18 hours each way, to and from South Bend. But for all of the travel, McDonald’s meals, lack of showering, bitter cold, cramped conditions, and everything else, it was worth every minute. The away game at Notre Dame is a once-in-a-BC-career moment that hopefully every student gets to experience. Even though it’s just another game for the Irish, it sure means a lot to us. The Boston College student body descended on South Bend looking to secure our 7th straight win in the series, but after braving the frigid weather for hours, the Eagles fell again on the road. On the bright side, at least we showed up this time. We put together 349 yards of offense, much better than our previous road games at Clemson and Virginia Tech. We had every opportunity to win this game, but for whatever reason (turnovers!), we didn’t.

Dave Shinskie did a lot of good things in this game, but he also did some things that made you remember he is still only a freshman. I was impressed with his performance in the first half, as he seemed much more relaxed while amassing 148 first half passing yards. He also showed an ability to scramble away from pressure when the pocket collapses. While he was anything but spectacular, he at least held us in the game as we were only down 13-9 at halftime.

Unfortunately, the second half was a completely different story. After stringing together a 6-play, 56 yard drive for a touchdown to open the 3rd quarter, everything unraveled quickly. Montel Harris’ fumble on the 2-yard line on the next drive was certainly not Shinskie’s fault, but that game-changing cough up was on omen for the rest of the day. Shinskie suddenly turned into the bad version of Brett Favre, the kind when he believes any throw is possible and begins launching balls into double and triple coverage. And not to take anything away from Rich Gunnell’s phenomenal day, but at times it looked like Shinskie thought Gunnell was his only receiver on the field. So many throws to Gunnell isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it indicates that Shinskie may not be going through his progressions completely. And eventually, defenses will notice this and clamp down on Shinskie’s go-to guy.

Defensively, it was a decent effort, definitely enough for us to win. I thought our linebackers played well, especially Mike Morrissey who has been turning heads lately. Mike McLaughlin played alright, but his personal foul in the second half was unnecessary. Kuechly looked good for the most part. The biggest concern entering this game, and exiting this game, is our lack of a pass rush. We looked better against NC State two weeks ago, but it disappeared again at Notre Dame. Any time you let a Heisman candidate like Jimmy Clausen sit around in the pocket, you’re asking for trouble. While his 246 yards weren’t spectacular, he really never dealt with any pressure and could locate his receivers all day. The secondary’s play is hard to assess because of how much time Clausen had. They can’t be blamed for all the time Clausen had to throw, but even so, I thought they played well enough. Marcellus Bowman in particular had a

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big game, highlighted by his huge goal line stuff in the second half.

There are positives and negatives to take from this game. The offense looked capable of moving the ball on offense, Rich Gunnell had a huge day, and our defense kept us in it. But we also made tons of mistakes, Shinskie was shaky, and our pass rush was again nowhere to be found. So goes the inconsistent year of Boston College. Here are some other things I noticed…

• Bye-bye Bazooka Our version of the wildcat offense fooled no one on Saturday, as Notre Dame made a conscious effort to take Montel Harris out of the game. They loaded up the

box with defenders and limited his first half rushing yards to eight. While Shinskie opened

up the passing game for awhile in the first half, his poor decision making killed us at the end

of the game. Which leads us to…

•

Shinskie’s Decision Making I understand he is just a freshman and hasn’t played football in seven years, but Shinskie seemed to regress rather than progress in this game. He’s still early in his football career, but some of the throws he made were just terrible Saturday.

He needs to start recognizing the value of throwing the ball away rather than into double coverage. And as I said before, his chemistry with Gunnell is almost getting to the point where it’s over the top. I am well aware of the development that Shinskie needs to undergo, but some of his decisions at South Bend were worrisome.

• Husky McCluskey James McCluskey, the fullback that fought his way back from an

offseason injury, surfaced in this game and broke off a huge 13 yard run that got us a crucial

first down in the second half. While his contributions weren’t huge, it was nice to see that O-Coordinator Gary Tranquill could work in some plays for McCluskey and throw off the

defense a little bit. Hope to see more of him.

•

Gunnell vs. Clausen I’m sure many of you have heard of the postgame sparring between Rich and Jimmy, but it seems like it was just a bunch of hot air. Gunnell thought Clausen was a phony, and wanted nothing to do with the congratulations Clausen attempted to offer him after the game. Gunnell also claimed that Clausen pushed fellow receiver Justin Jarvis prior to the game. This situation really didn’t escalate, just added a little fire to this onesided rivalry.

Well, even though this loss didn’t affect our trip to Tampa Bay in December, another game did.

Clemson pulled off a huge upset of Miami in Coral Gables on Saturday night, meaning that in all likelihood, we need to run the table on our remaining ACC schedule and hope that Clemson loses one more game. I think that they could lose to Florida State despite the inconsistent year the ‘Noles have had, and I also think NC State could give them some issues. But we can’t focus on Clemson right now. Spaziani needs to rebound from the Notre Dame loss in time for a tuneup this weekend against Central Michigan. With our bye week to follow the CMU game, we then close out the year with our final three ACC games. Much like last year, the rest of our season is pretty much in our hands. We’ll just see how it turns out…

Boston College vs. Central Michigan: Preview October 30, 2009 It’s Halloween weekend, so what does that mean? Other than the trick-or-treaters and costumes, it means that Central Michigan comes to town for our final non-conference game of the season.

While this game doesn’t mean anything for the standings, it’s important that we wipe away the memories of last Saturday in South Bend. After we got demolished at Virginia Tech three weeks

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ago, we rebounded with a convincing victory against NC State at home, so let’s hope more of that is in store this weekend.

Let me touch on the Haden-Tuggle transfer before I get to my preview. For those of you who haven’t already heard, running back Josh Haden and quarterback Justin Tuggle both have decided to transfer. While neither were starters, both were viable no. 2’s at their respective positions, and their depth will surely be missed. Tuggle’s departure is understandable because he was recruited to play under Jeff Jagodzinski’s system, and it seemed clear that Dave Shinskie is our starter for the near future. Tuggle might as well look for an opportunity to play while he still has time. Haden’s decision is a little more puzzling, and definitely more disappointing.

Hailed as our prize prospect of the ‘08 class, Haden enrolled in the winter so that he could be ready for his freshman season. Whether it was his injuries or just inconsistency, Haden never found his groove as Montel Harris quickly assumed the starting role. Nonetheless, Haden was a valuable backup who helped us throw off defenses with multi-RB packages. They will both be missed, and I hope they find success wherever they land next.

On that note, we enter the CMU game with a little less offensive depth. The most noticeable change should be the increased carries for freshman RB Rolandan Finch, but rumors that he has mono mean that he will sit out this week. Montel Harris needs to stay healthy this weekend or things could get bad. Central Michigan is no pushover, so we need to make sure our losing streak doesn’t move to two before we enter our bye week. Let’s get to the preview…

A Look at the Opponent Central Michigan boasts a 7-1 record overall, with a flawless 5-0 in the MAC. After dropping their season opener 19-6 at Arizona, they rattled off seven straight wins to take a commanding lead in their division. Their most impressive win came in week 2 at Michigan State, when they stole a close one 29-27.

Since their Week 1 loss, the Chippewas have averaged 37 points a game, albeit most of those games have been against mediocre competition. Nonetheless, they boast a very talented quarterback in Dan Lefevour. The senior from Illinois has started all four years and has thrown at least 20 touchdowns in each of them. This year has been no different, as Lefevour has already racked up 1696 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

Luckily, Lefevour should be the only main threat on Saturday. He is the Chippewas’ leading rusher, and their second leading rusher is wide receiver Antonio Brown. So long as our defensive gameplan focuses heavily on shutting down Lefevour, we should be just fine. The aforementioned Brown is a solid player at receiver (544 yds, 7 TDs), but for whatever reason our defense plays better at home, so I expect our secondary to lock him down.

The Chippewas have had a great season, as they usually do in the MAC. Before the year began, I worried about this game as one we could potentially overlook and lose. However, given the disappointing loss to Notre Dame last week, and our affinity for playing at home, I think this game is the perfect recipe for a win.

By the Numbers 3 Number of times Central Michigan has scored 48 or more points in a game this year 1 Number of touchdowns Josh Haden scored this season, his final as an Eagle.

5.5 Current gambling line of Saturday’s game; BC favored Did You Know? Montel Harris currently leads the ACC in total scoring

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3 Things to Look For 1.

And Then There was 1 It will definitely be different not seeing #1 (Haden) out there in the backfield with #2 (Harris) on Saturday. The 1-2 punch is no longer, and Montel Harris will assume an even greater role in the offense, especially this game with Finch out. It should be interesting to see it play out, though. My hope is that we don’t wear Harris out by giving him too big of a load.

2.

Mr. Do-it-All As I mentioned, Central Michigan’s quarterback Dan Lefevour is not only prolific through the air, but he also leads the Chippewas in rushing with 522 yards and 9 touchdowns. That pretty much defines dual threat. We have faced two other quarterbacks this season that are known for their rushing ability, Tyrod Taylor and Russell Wilson. Taylor dominated us, but we kept Wilson in check all day. We must do the same to Lefevour.

3.

Pass Rush I feel like I say this every week, but we really need to establish a consistent stream of pressure on the quarterback as our season comes to a close. Our final three games are against ACC opponents, and they are make-or-break in terms of our hopes for another ACC title game. With one last tune-up before those three conference games, we need to make some progress on our pass rush.

Outlook While this game isn’t necessarily “meaningful”, it is a must win in my mind. We enter our bye week next weekend, and building momentum for our last phase of the schedule is key. Dave Shinskie needs to show that his decision making isn’t as poor as it was at Notre Dame, and I expect he will. A convincing effort from the defense would also help our confidence before traveling to Maryland in a few weeks.

While Central Michigan is no pushover, I don’t see them pulling off the upset here. Lefevour is a definite talent, and he has carried the load this year, but they are going to need somebody else to step it up on Saturday. Our defense is more than capable of shutting down a one-man show.

This Halloween should be a happy one for the Eagles.

Prediction BC 31, CMU 10

Boston College vs. Central Michigan: Recap November 2, 2009 With three crucial games left on our road to Tampa Bay and the ACC Championship Game, BC picked up an important victory Saturday. Beating Central Michigan may not look particularly glamorous on the stat sheet, but it was a win, and a win we needed for some momentum. We proved that we could contain a prolific quarterback and turn the page on bad losses like the one at Notre Dame. Once again, the Eagles showed that Alumni Stadium is no place for visitors, continuing our flawless home record and moving it to 6-0.

On the warmest Halloween that I’ve ever experienced in Chestnut Hill, the story behind this win looked identical to our other wins this year. A lot of Montel Harris, a lot of Rich Gunnell, some steady play by Dave Shinskie, and a stubborn defense that forced turnovers. Harris and Gunnell once again did the heavy lifting for the offense, accounting for all three offensive scores. But I was again impressed with fullback James McCluskey’s ability to step in and spell Harris for a stretch of plays. And while Gunnell caught almost everything thrown his way, Justin Jarvis and

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Colin Larmond helped stretch the field and open it up for Shinskie.

This game started slowly and monotonously. Neither team could establish a consistent offensive effort, and the halftime tally was a pedestrian 7-3. Finally, the third quarter brought some consistency, and Shinskie began to connect with Gunnell and his other options. To open the second half, we cruised downfield and capitalized with a 41-yard TD strike to Gunnell, making it 14-3. From then on, our offense seemed to find traction and Harris took over. It was nice to see us put up so many points a few days after learning that backup RB Josh Haden was transferring, lessening our depth.

Our defense held the Chippewas in check pretty much all day. Their quarterback Dan Lefevour entered the game ranked 5th in completion percentage, and we held him to 152 yards passing and an interception. While we did give up 218 passing yards in total, attribute that more to a bend-don’t-break mentality on defense. The Chippewas never seriously threatened a comeback, and that is a testament to the defense’s solid play. Some other quick notes on the game…

•

No offense without the O-Line The offensive line showed again that they are the engine to our (mostly) well-oiled machine. While Harris and Gunnell have the flashy stats, the front five grind it out all day to make life easier for our skill players. Center Matt Tennant has taken it upon himself to anchor this line, and he looked great again on Saturday. I am starting to come around on Shinskie, and if he can have great O-lines like these in the coming years, he’ll only benefit more.

•

Congratulations Sid Vicius The consistent but often overlooked Steve Aponavicius made history on Saturday. With four PATs and a field goal, he passed Brian Lowe’s all-time BC scoring record of 262 points. Aponavicius represents one of the all-time feel-good stories at BC, walking on with no scholarship and turning into our leading scorer.

•

Kuechly, back again After firing out of the gates to begin the year, you hadn’t heard Luke Kuechly’s name quite as frequently these past few games. Well, he dominated again in this game. He was hitting his gaps perfectly and looked great in run defense. And to top it off, he hauled in an interception and took it 28 yards to the house. The “boy-wonder” had himself a day.

•

Anyone check that prediction? In a shameless moment of self-gloating, I invite you to read my Central Michigan preview. The last line of the preview holds my prediction for the game, in which I predicted a 31-10 BC victory. The final score? 31-10, BC. Please, hold the applause.

We enter our bye week on a good note after that victory, and in two weeks we head to UVA to face a struggling Virginia team. But our bye week will be filled with intrigue and lots of scoreboard watching, as Clemson faces Florida State in what appears to be their best chance to lose a remaining ACC game (other two are NC State and UVA). If the ‘Noles can upset Clemson, then we are back on track to win our division. But if Clemson wins, they are one step closer to halting our defense of two straight Atlantic titles. Enjoy the week off, Eagles fans, but let your allegiances lay with Florida State next weekend.

Boston College vs. Virginia: Preview November 13, 2009 After a week off, we hit the road this weekend and head for UVA. While the Cavaliers aren’t

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as scary as, say, Virginia Tech, this is a road game. And we all know that we have yet to win a game on the road thus far. Saturday will be a semi-homecoming for Coach Spaziani, as he coached at Virginia from 1982-1991. The bye week should give us a fresh start heading into our final three-game stretch. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Clemson’s recent wins over Miami and Florida State leave only North Carolina State and Virginia in their way as they journey to Tampa Bay. This Saturday, against NC State, is the last true test for the Tigers.

A Look at the Opponent

The Cavaliers’ have had an oddly peculiar trend to their 2009 season. After beginning the year a disappointing 0-3, they rattled off three straight wins against North Carolina, Indiana, and Maryland. Even more impressive is that the UNC and Maryland wins were on the road.

However, the past three weeks have brought three more losses to Georgia Tech, Duke, and Miami. Sitting at 3-6, the Cavaliers are right where I thought they would be. Head coach Al Groh continues to sit on a hot seat that seems to have been simmering for seasons now. If UVa doesn’t win out (and they won’t with us, Clemson, and V. Tech left), I find it hard to believe Groh will be back next year.

Offensively, the Cavaliers don’t have a ton to offer. This is a team that has scored more than 17 points only three times all season. Quarterback Jameel Sewell is a decent signal-caller, but his six touchdowns and six interceptions are nothing to brag about. Marc Verica has also seen some time behind center, but he hasn’t been too good either. Running backs Rashawn Jackson and Mikell Simpson have seen about equal duty this season, with Jackson performing slightly better.

And at receiver, Kris Burd’s 281 receiving yards is the highest output of any Cavalier. To make a long story short, UVa simply doesn’t have enough offensive weapons to have a consistent attack.

They definitely have some raw talent, but it hasn’t translated well.

On defense, it doesn’t get much prettier. The Cavs give up an average of 350 yards a game, and that number is 366 when playing at home. Moreover, they have surrendered 200+ rushing yards in four of their nine games, so look for Montel Harris to see the ball plenty of times this weekend. But quarterback Dave Shinskie will want to pay close attention when going to the air, as Virginia has plenty of talent in their secondary with Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook. If we give them a heavy dose of our running attack, we should be able to move the ball with relative ease.

We can’t make the same mistakes on the road that we have in the past, but the environment in Charlottesville should be pretty tame.

By the Numbers 10-11-12 The ACC ranks of our remaining opponents. UNC-10th, UVa-11th, Maryland-12th.

-4.2 Virginia’s scoring margin this season 10 As in young Luke Kuechly is the 10th best linebacker in the nation, according to ESPN’s Bruce Feldman Did You Know? The Eagles landed two recruits in the past week, including the 32-ranked tight end Jarrett Darmstatter.

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Three Things to Look For 1. Ground Game As mentioned before, Virginia gives up tons of yards on the ground. Harris,

Finch, and McCluskey should all have wide eyes on Saturday.

2. Win No. 1? We are still in search of our first road victory, but I think that we will finally get it

in Charlottesville. They struggle to fill the stadium, so noise shouldn’t be an issue.

Furthermore, they just aren’t that good. We can’t blow this one.

3.

NCSU vs. Clemson I know this doesn’t have anything to do with our game, but this game means just as much. We need to take care of business and not scoreboard watch, but I will be quietly rooting for Tom O’ Brien to pull off the upset. Our hopes of an ACC title rest on it.

Outlook I think that our team will be gearing up to go because of all the time off. If we can establish the run early, and contain the anemic UVa offense, we should have no problem running up the score.

However, if we let our typical road woes (turnovers, penalties) take over then it could be bad news. Virginia has shown the ability to stick around if teams let them (first half against Miami), so we need to put an end to this game quickly. Every one of our final three games is a must-win, and just because this one is UVa doesn’t mean it can be overlooked. I think Shinskie keeps his cool and finally tallies that first road win.

Prediction BC 31, UVA 13

Boston College vs. Virginia: Recap November 16, 2009 The old mantra saying “a win is a win” was quite accurate this weekend in our win over Virginia.

The game itself was pretty monotonous and slow, and neither team looked like they wanted to win. But the 14-10 victory, while an ugly one, kept slim hope alive for a berth in the ACC title game and secured us our first road win of the year. Quarterback Dave Shinskie again appeared shaky and indecisive on the road. In a performance reminiscent of his previous road performances, Shinskie rushed his progressions and the result was some pretty poor passes. He finished the day going 12 of 26 for 147 yards with a touchdown and two INTs. With ten games in the books, I have pretty much formed my opinion of Shinskie’s season. I think ”Uncle Dave” has been more than adequate in his first season here at the Heights. Anytime you’re out of football for over 7 years, and can return to guide a team to the brink of a conference title game, it is impressive. With that said, I’m not sure whether Shinskie will prove to be the long-term answer at the position. He displays potential, but at times this season it has looked like he’s regressed rather than moved forward. He continues to make poor decisions, specifically on the road, and it leads to costly interceptions and stalled drives. I don’t mean to knock Shinskie because I appreciate the job he’s done on such short notice, but as far as long term forecasting is concerned, I don’t see Shinskie as our starter the next three years.

Anyway, back to the game. Montel Harris turned in another likely performance, taking the ball 38 times for 151 yards. Coach Spaziani had clearly paid attention to the absurd rushing numbers that UVa had allowed this season, and he used Harris to exploit it. While Harris didn’t score, he left his mark on the game with a grind-it-out effort that must have frustrated the Cavs defense. It was a frustrating day for our receivers, though. Jarvis had a touchdown, and I really liked seeing

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TE Chris Pantale get involved more, but there were some key drops in this game. Larmond dropped a touchdown, and Gunnell slipped up on a few. Luckily these mistakes didn’t come back to haunt us, but our guys need to improve their play so that Shinskie remains confident throwing it to them.

Credit needs to be given to the offensive line for the job they did on Saturday. While Shinskie’s stats don’t tell the story, he was given good time and had the opportunity to hit his receivers.

And Harris had plenty of room to make some plays. It will be unfortunate to lose C Matt Tennant after this year, but returning the other 4 is comforting as we look ahead to next season.

As mentioned before, this game lacked any significant excitment until Virginia’s final drive was stalled. But boring or not, the defensive effort kept the Cavaliers’ from handing us a disappointing loss. While not spectacular, our patchwork defensive line put together a solid game. Injuries have been a major issue all season for the D-Line, but they played well enough.

Damik Scafe looked good, and Austin Giles and Nick Rossi were fine. While Virginia isn’t known for a scary offense, they do have talent at running back and it was nice to limit them in that department.

Defensively, there were a few standouts. Youngster Luke Kuechly again had himself a game, flying all over the field as he always does. Morrissey also impressed with a good game, and a huge stop at the end. In the secondary, Wes Davis and Roderick Rollins stuck out. Normally Marty Bowman dominates back there, so it was nice to see the other guys feed off of him.

While we lacked any serious pass rush, our Achilles’ Heel all year long, we did enough to contain the Cavs’ offense. Our defense has been very bend-but-don’t break this year, and while that may bother some fans, you can’t ignore the fact that they keep us in games (minus Virginia Tech).

Defensive Coordinator Bill McGovern deserves praise for the job he’s done with a group that has dealt with injuries all year, not to mention the absence of Herzlich. The grooming of Shinskie has been much easier because of the D’s ability to keep the opponent’s scoring down.

All in all, we got the win, and that’s all that matters. Sure, it wasn’t pretty, but it’s a testament to our coaches and staff that they stuck to the game plan and got a hard-fought victory.

Unfortunately, circumstances not under our control haven’t gone the way we hoped. Clemson continues to roll, as they slaughtered NC State this past weekend, and now only have to beat Virginia to lock up the Atlantic title. We can’t worry about that, though. Our focus now shifts to North Carolina and beating the Heels to go perfect at home for the year. Whatever happens with Clemson will sort itself out, but none of it matters unless we win out anyway. Stay tuned...

Boston College vs. North Carolina: Preview November 20, 2009 The final home game of the 2009 season brings the North Carolina Tar Heels to Chestnut Hill tomorrow. In an attempt to secure a perfect home record for just the second time in the past 25 years, the Eagles’ faithful will also bid farewell to key seniors like Rich Gunell, Matt Tennant, Mike McLaughlin, and Marcellus Bowman. An outside shot still remains for a berth in the ACC Championship, but unfortunately Clemson will have to lose to a fading UVa team for that to happen. Nonetheless, we must focus on the task ahead.

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A Look at the Opponent

UNC entered the year with extremely high expectations as head coach Butch Davis looked primed to lead the Heels to the brink of the Coastal Division. While a 3-2 start, with a loss against Virginia, wasn’t what they hoped for, they have been on a tear recently. They followed up a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to FSU with three straight wins against Virginia Tech, Duke, and Miami. Other than Georgia Tech, the Heels are arguably the hottest team in the ACC. The Tar Heels lost perhaps the best receiving corps in the nation to graduation this year. No longer flying around the field were Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, and Brooks Foster. While quarterback TJ Yates doesn’t have those weapons at receiver anymore, he has found capable targets in Greg Little, Eric Highsmith, and Zack Pianalto. Unfortunately, the receivers inherit even bigger responsibility now after the Heels’ starting running back Shaun Draughn went down with a season-ending injury two weeks ago. Yates can be very good, but pretty shaky as well.

His 10 touchdowns and 10 INTs are a testament to that, so hopefully our secondary can pick a few off tomorrow.

The Tar Heels have as much talent as anyone on the defensive side of the ball. They are led by linebacker Quan Sturdivant and his team-leading 64 tackles. Dave Shinskie is really going to want to keep an eye out for the secondary, though, as the Heels boast a unit that has hauled in 14 interceptions this season. Kendrick Burney leads that group with 4 picks of his own, one for a touchdown. But the Heels can be broken, as Florida State showed when putting up 30 against them.

By the Numbers 16.2 Average points per game given up by North Carolina 2-1 North Carolina’s record on the road this year 7 Number of home wins we will have if we win, a perfect home record Did You Know? The Tar Heels are perfect against ranked opponents this year.

Three Things to Look For 1. So Long, Seniors This will be the last hurrah for our seniors, and you can count on them

showing up to play. Expect big days from Gunnell and McLaughlin.

2. Front Lines North Carolina will no doubt be looking to rattle Shinskie during this game.

Luckily, Shinskie always seems to play better at home. A big game from our steady

offensive line is necessary to keep the athletic Heels defense on their heels (pun intended).

3. Can we do our part? As mentioned, any shot at an ACC title berth relies on Clemson. But

before we start scoreboard watching, we have to take care of our own business. This game

is not a sure thing by any means, so let’s get the job done and worry about Clemson later.

Outlook I expect this game to be a defensive battle. I think that both squads rely on the talent and

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athletic ability of their defenses, and that will surely be the case come tomorrow. It has been a long season, with lots of success and some frustration. But here we are, with a 25-year old rookie quarterback and a still learning head coach, and we have a shot at heading to a 3rd straight ACC title game. Whether we head to Tampa or not, this team has shown resilience and growth this year. Spaz will have the guys ready, and I expect the emotions of Senior Day to aid the effort. I do expect that this game will come down to defense and limiting mistakes, and I like the Eagles to take it home.

Prediction

BC 21, UNC 17

Boston College vs. North Carolina: Recap November 24, 2009 Our final home game of the season ended about as poorly as possible, with a 31-13 loss to North Carolina; but as bad as that score looks, it doesn’t shed light on the defensive effort we gave on Saturday. Anytime your defense limits a team to 278 yards but still yields 31 points, there must be some reading-between-the-lines to do. Unfortunately, one primary culprit emerged from this painful loss, and that is quarterback Dave Shinskie. For weeks and weeks, we Eagles fans have ridden the up-and-down ride that is Shinskie’s maturation. And while he has shown signs of promise, he seems to be regressing at just the wrong time. His bad habits of throwing into traffic and not going through his progressions showed up again against UNC. I understand that one season should by no means be a measuring stick for Shinskie, but his pattern of improvement is heading in the wrong direction. His four interceptions left us no chance of winning this game, and the points they scored off turnovers made for a lopsided box score. I’m not sure how Shinskie’s career at BC will play out, but with big prospect Chase Rettig coming in next year, I don’t see him calling the signals for an extended period of time after 2009.

The rest of our offense played well enough to give us a chance. Yet again, Montel Harris turned out a ho-hum, 132-yard performance. Harris’ 1,213 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season won’t garner him the player of the year award (probably will go to CJ Spiller), but they can’t be overlooked. Harris has been the one constant on an inconsistent offense this year. And coupled with the transfer of no. 2 running back Josh Haden, he has shouldered an even bigger load. With receivers Rich Gunnell and Justin Jarvis departing at the end of the season, Harris’ responsibility will increase even more in 2010, but let’s hope the reinforcements show promise.

The receivers weren’t given much to work with from Shinskie’s performance, but they played well enough. Gunnell made due with what he had, and hauled in six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. His production was about as reliable as Harris’ was this season, and his leadership will definitely be missed. I was also impressed with tight end Chris Pantale again, who continues to find the seams in opponent’s defense.

As I said, our defensive effort deserves definite praise. Shinskie dug them into a 21-0 hole in the first quarter, but they gave us every chance to get back in it. Every layer of the defense showed up to play, but unfortunately, they couldn’t control the outcome. On the defensive line, Austin Giles and Damik Scafe had solid games. Our D-line hasn’t shown much in terms of pass rush this year, evident again on Saturday, but they do enough to upset the timing of the opposing quarterback. TJ Yates’ three interceptions were a testimony to our defense confusing him.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly wrapped up his home-game freshman campaign with a ridiculous 19 tackles, earning himself ACC Freshman of the Week Honors. Mike McLaughlin also had his best

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game in awhile, especially in the run game. It was almost a passing of the torch, as McLaughlin bid farewell to his Eagles faithful while Kuechly continued to shine. We can feel good about Kuechly’s development this year, and he appears to be on a path to stardom. Whatever happens with Herzlich, we know that Kuechly is capable of filling his shoes should he not find the strength to return.

And finally, I thought our secondary played one of their best games of the season. Marcellus Bowman and Roderick Rollins both had huge interceptions, and Wes Davis looked outstanding also. They capitalized on the defensive line’s disruptions and made Yates’ day a tough one.

Although we’ll lose a lot in the secondary next year, Fletcher and Gause are a good starting point from which to build.

As painful as it is to admit, BC will not be returning to Tampa Bay for our 3rd straight ACC title appearance. Our loss to North Carolina was rendered useless anyway, as Clemson’s victory over Virginia wrapped up their trip to Tampa. For how we played this year, we probably didn’t deserve to have a shot at the title. But credit must be given to Spaz and the rest of the coaches for having us right there at the end. Talent-wise, we were nowhere near the 2007 or 2008 squads, but we battled hard and gave ourselves a shot. Congratulations to Clemson.

Sorry for the farewell tone of this post, but with the UNC game being our final home game, it seemed right. We must not forget about Maryland next week, though. Next week’s game will have bowl game implications, so we will want that 8th win to put us in good standing with the bowl selection committees. Stay tuned this week…

Boston College vs. Maryland: Preview November 27, 2009 First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everybody out there. If you’re a true Boston College fan, you know that this week/weekend marks the anniversary of Doug Flutie’s legendary Hail Mary to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami. 25 years later, BC football is on the map thanks to Mr. Flutie. But presently, we have the Maryland Terrapins and an eighth win to worry about. While nothing is at stake, and Maryland stands as the worst team in the ACC, there is still a football game to be played. Although it seems certain that we are headed to the Emerald Bowl come late December, why not end the season on a positive note?

A Look at the Opponent

Not much has gone right for the unfortunate Terrapins this season. While they weren’t predicted to be worldbeaters in the ACC, they certainly also weren’t expecting to lose games to teams like Middle Tennessee State. After opening up the year a disappointing 1-3, the Terps pulled off the sort of win that could get a season back on track, upsetting this year’s Atlantic champion Clemson, 24-21. But they found no momentum, having lost 6 in a row after that October 3rd victory. They enter this game with a staggering 2-9 record and a coach on the hot seat. There

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has been much discussion over whether Ralph Friedgen will still be head coach in 2010, but first Maryland has to finish this year’s schedule.

Offensively, injuries have hampered the Terps’ attack as of late. Quarterback Chris Turner hasn’t had the senior season he had hoped for, throwing for only 10 touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions. He has sat out the previous two games with injury, and is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game. Backup Jamarr Robinson is also iffy with an injury, so Maryland could be sending out their 3rd string QB tomorrow, and that’s never promising. Running back Da’Rel Scott, a player I considered a darkhorse for ACC player of the year, has disappointed as well.

Topping 100 yards just once through his first five games, he sat out the next five with an injury.

Scott finally returned last week against Florida State, and he will be looking to end the year on a high note. At receiver, Torrey Smith is a dangerous weapon there as well as in the return game.

Our secondary will need to key in on him to limit any big plays.

As far as defense, the Terrapins have struggled since their opening game, when they were blasted by California 52-13. Giving up 32.4 yards a game, they haven’t kept Maryland within striking distance too often this year. Establishing the run and allowing Dave Shinskie to find a comfort zone should be enough to chip away at their soft defense. With this being the final game of a long and painful season, the Terps are probably going to want this one to just end.

By the Numbers 7 Number of games that Maryland has allowed over 30 points to an opponent this season 55 Number of days since Maryland’s last victory 35-37 Maryland’s record in Ralph Friedgen’s last six seasons Did You Know? Maryland is currently in the “Bottom 10” on espn.com for being one of the worst ten teams in college football Three Things to Look For 1. Intensity Neither team has much to play for, with Maryland out of bowl contention and BC

most likely going to the Emerald Bowl. Sounds simple, but whichever team wants this game

more should probably win it.

2. Shaky Shinskie Dave Shinskie has been anything but good lately, but he will definitely want

to give the coaches a performance to look back upon fondly. A good game could do a lot

for his depth chart position in 2010.

3. Farewell, Ralph? This could be Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen’s final home game, and

it will be interesting to see how the Terrapin faithful receive him tomorrow. My hope is they

applaud him for his faithful service to Maryland.

Outlook If you’re looking for an exciting football game tomorrow, this probably won’t be the one you want to watch. Nevertheless, for us, 8-4 sounds a whole lot better than 7-5. We are a better team than Maryland, and with their current quarterback calamity, we should be able to take advantage of the injuries. The Terps’ porous defense will allow us plenty of opportunities to rack up points, and as long as Shinskie doesn’t hand them the ball every posession, I like our chances. I think Gary Tranquil will call a fairly conservative game and look to lock up this shouldwin game.

As mentioned earlier, it is looking like the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco is where we will

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spend our Christmas break. While it’s no ACC title game or Orange Bowl, on this Thanksgiving weekend, let us be thankful that we are at least returning to a bowl with the tumultuous offseason we experienced. I think we will take care of business tomorrow, and we can then rest and see who our bowl matchup will be.

Prediction BC 31, Maryland 17

Boston College vs. Maryland: Recap December 1, 2009 Although it may not have been an offensive spectacle, or a particularly enthralling game in any manner, BC did what we had to do and closed out the season with a victory over Maryland.

Efficiency was the key on Saturday, as neither team turned the ball over all afternoon. Dave Shinskie, who had struggled mightily as of late, cured a few more of his road woes with his best game in a few weeks, tossing for 227 yards and a TD on 14/23 passing. This wasn’t an edge-ofyour-seat performance by Shinskie by any means, but it is comforting to know that he showed improvement this week. As I mentioned in the preview, he is definitely not guaranteed the starting role next fall, and if he wants it he has to prove that he can improve. Well, this game was a small first step (albeit against Maryland), and hopefully in our bowl game he can take another step. Will a solid bowl game ensure Shinskie the 2010 starting job? Absolutely not, but it will help his chances.

Montel Harris continued to do what he does, totaling 172 all-purpose yards against a pretty porous Maryland defense. These numbers are a little gaudy, considering he did run the ball 41 (41!) times. But I liked the conservative gameplan that I had predicted Tranquil would call.

Maryland had given up ridiculous rushing numbers all year long, so we went with what they would give us. Now, this never translated into something huge, as Montel’s longest run was only 15 yards, but it wore the Terrapins out and allowed Steve Aponavicius to see a lot of action.

The receiving corps had a pretty solid game. The highlight was obviously our lone touchdown of the day, when Shinskie found Colin Larmond on a short crossing route over the middle, and he took it 66 yards to the house. Rich Gunnell also had a solid final regular season game, amassing 42 yards on five catches. While I am a little apprehensive about next year’s receiving unit with Gunnell and Jarvis departing, having Larmond will make things a bit easier. His deep-play ability is always a weapon.

Keeping in mind that this was Maryland, our defense played very well. The Terrapin quarterback duo of Chris Turner and Jamarr Robinson passed for only 216 yards and a touchdown, and that TD came late in the game with 1:34 left. Our defense stuck to what they’ve done all year, containing and controlling. Hobbled Maryland running back Da’Rel Scott only gained 45 yards as our defensive line had a good day controlling the trenches. And again, Luke Kuechly capped off his stellar year with another fine game, flying around and filling the gaps all day long.

Kuechly garnered another ACC defensive back of the week award for his efforts.

It was already known before the game, but Clemson will represent that Atlantic next weekend in the ACC Championship Game in Tampa Bay. While it is unfortunate that we won’t be returning, Clemson is the most deserving team from the Atlantic, and I wish them good luck. And although finishing second is a disappointment, it’s drastically better than what we were predicted to finish.

Yet another year gone by, and yet another year we proved the critics wrong. But this year may be the most impressive in my opinion because of the unbelievable uncertainty that we entered

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the season with. Spaz was a rookie coach, we had a QB who hadn’t played football in 7 years, our best player was out for the year, and lots of other things. But we hung tough and battled it out for second place in the division. I am extremely proud of what we accomplished this season, and I think that we should improve next season.

At the beginning of the year I predicted a 7-5 finish for BC, so while I even had the hometown bias, the Eagles still proved me wrong. 8-4 is nothing to be ashamed of, and save for a few too many interceptions at Notre Dame, that could have easily been 9-3. All reports and indications seem to have us heading out to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl later in December, but I will wait to report until I hear the final word. Until then, here’s to a successful regular season for our Eagles and hopefully a win in our upcoming bowl game.

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