The View From Section X

Who's To Blame?

2009-12-17T13:12:00.005-05:00

The BC basketball team has shown flashes of brilliance this season in wins over previously undefeated Miami, and road wins against Providence and Michigan. But the team has also exhibited really puzzling lapses of concentration and effort against lower tier teams like St. Joseph's, Harvard, and Rhode Island.

The critics on the Heights are calling louder than ever for the scalp of long time head coach Al Skinner, and while there is absolutely zero indication of a coaching change, or even displeasure in the job that Skinner has done from the administration, it's worthwhile to take a look at why this team can't seem to put together a consistent performance from week to week. Over the next few days, I'll examine a list of candidates, what the public is saying about those candidates, and what the reality is from my perspective...

Al Skinner

Perception:
Since putting together a veritable dream team (by school standards) in 2005, led by Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, and Sean Marshall and reaching the Sweet 16, Skinner has rested on his laurels. He has been lazy in recruiting, disinterested during games, and has failed to develop players in practice. This season has been the tipping point. After not recruiting a single new player to help replace the departed Tyrese Rice, the team has played down to its level of competition, showed major flaws defensively, still can't break a full court press, and can't inbound the ball. All of this can be directly related to Al Skinner's laid back approach, which is just a code word for "he doesn't care".

Reality:
As a coach, mentor, and leader, Skinner has been the perfect man to lead this program since all the trouble that was caused by Jim O'Brien. Al did a tremendous job bringing the program back to respectability and has generally brought in players that have performed on the court and in the classroom, and have been good representatives of the school that students and alumni can be proud of. However, his coaching prowess, is certainly up for debate. Routinely, his teams have been unable to break a press, have constantly turned the ball over on out of bounds plays, and have played down or up to their level of competition. Al has also struggled to adapt his coaching style to fit his teams personality (in this case, a more athletic up-tempo group). His attempts to squeeze round pegs into square holes with this group has really hindered their growth and development and has led to some of their struggles. He may not be the right person to lead this particular group. Skinner has been here a long time, and perhaps has gotten too comfortable at the helm. Perhaps new blood is needed, though it's not likely to be coming.

Tomorrow: Rakim Sanders

BC Recruiting Update

2009-12-12T12:35:00.003-05:00

Both ESPN and Eagle Action are reporting that 6'5 260 pound Dominic Appiah has committed to Boston College over Maryland and UConn. The Cheshire Academy (CT) defensive end initially did not have the Eagles in his final group and seemed destined to play for the Huskies. BC made a late push to land a player at a key position that is in need of a depth and talent infusion.

Appiah is expected to enroll in January to be ready for spring practice.

BC Scheduling Update

2009-12-12T12:29:00.003-05:00

After the announcement of Hofstra's decision to cut it's football program, the school announced yesterday that Big Sky Conference member Weber State has tentatively agreed to take on the Eagles September 4th at Alumni Stadium. The game would represent the season opener for both teams.

According to the Boston Globe, Weber State contacted BC about the opening in the schedule and expressed an interest in a 1 time engagement. AD Gene DeFillipo has said that a tentative deal is in place, but the contracts have not been signed. There hasn't been any detail regarding the payout that the Wildcats will receive for playing the game.

The Wildcats finished last season 7-5 and made the FCS Playoffs, losing to William & Mary in the opening round.

BC loses to Harvard...again

2009-12-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

I was so furious at the end of this game last night I could barely move, thus the lack of a post-game recap of it. I've finally thawed and will be all over this tonight. Stay tuned.

News, Notes, Links

2009-12-07T10:20:00.005-05:00

Early Thoughts on BC vs. USC in the Emerald Bowl.

I, like a lot of folks, am really excited for this game. Rare is the time that BC gets the opportunity to play a program of this caliber in a bowl game. Often times they've been relegated to playing low level major conference programs (read: Vanderbilt, North Carolina, etc.) or high level mid-major teams (read: Boise State, Toledo, Colorado State, etc.), which are generally one in the same. But in this case, the Eagles will be taking on perhaps the premiere college football program of this decade.

Yes, they're down. No, they're not BCS caliber this season. And no, the intensity level probably won't be very high, but for the Eagles, this is a great opportunity. This game will be played on national TV (ESPN) in prime time (8pm) on a day that generally will have friends and family gathered thanks to the holidays (Dec. 26). So there's a good chance that all of that, combined with USC being in the game, this will provide a very large stage for Frank Spaziani and the Eagles.

That can be two-fold though. BC has the opportunity to beat one of the great all-time football programs in a bowl game on national TV, but there is also the potential that USC rises above it's mediocrity and plays to it's talent level and absolutely drubs them as well. Despite their identical 8-4 records, make no mistake, these 2 teams could not possibly be more different. USC, despite their struggles, will have better talent in nearly phase and at nearly every position. The saving grace for BC likely will be the aforementioned intensity factor. BC will be absolutely jacked to play this game. I hardly see USC, which has spent the better part of this decade throttling Big 10 teams in the Rose Bowl or winning national championships, being nearly as excited. If BC can play with controlled energy, they can compete in this game.

BC Football vs. USC Links

Both the Emerald Bowl and BC are thrilled with the match-up. Pete Carroll? Not so much.

The decision came down to who lost worse on Saturday and would drop further, USC or Cal?

Senior safety Taylor Mays says the Trojans aren't just going to San Francisco for the scenery. They want to win the game.

BC Basketball vs. Miami Links

The Eagles allowed another double digit lead to get away but still came away with the win.

Reggie's free throw shooting and rebounding down the stretch spoke louder than his ferocious dunk.

Reggie Jackson's Dunk

2009-12-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

Absolutely filthy...

Boston College 61 Miami 60

2009-12-06T21:08:00.003-05:00

The Scoreboard

                   1      2      F
Miami              25     35     60
Boston College     31     30     61

The Story...

For the 3rd consecutive game the Eagles played a tremendous first half, this time led by the electric Reggie Jackson, and ran out to a solid 6 point lead at halftime. Immediately after the half, BC came out with the intensity necessary to put the previously undefeated Hurricanes down for the count, leading by as much as 17. But, also for the 3rd consecutive game, the team fell asleep at the wheel down the stretch and allowed Miami back in the game. The 'Canes had 3 chances to either tie or win the game in the final minute, but Jackson grabbed 2 rebounds off those chances and sank 4 free throws to preserve the win. It was the first loss for Miami this season and BC's 3rd consecutive win after an ugly showing in the Paradise Jam.

By the Numbers...

34.5%...BC's shooting percentage for the game. The Eagles made just 20 of 58 shots in the game and were even worse from the 3 point line in the game (3-18). It stands to reason that under that scenario, they'd have lost the game most times. So, what did BC do so well as to offset the shooting woes? Well...

20-3...The astounding offensive rebounding edge that BC had against Miami. Of the 38 shots the Eagles missed during the game, they rebounded over half of them. That is an absolutely amazing number and is the sole reason BC held on to win the game. Miami managed just 19 total rebounds in the game to BC's 43. I made a huge deal about BC's rebounding question marks entering the season, but they've quickly made a fool of me. They're tops in the ACC presently in rebounding and have outrebounded every opponent so far this season.

7:3...Biko Paris' assist to turnover ratio. Paris has gone relatively unnoticed this season due to the emergence of Reggie Jackson and Corey Raji this season, but Biko has done a nice job of managing the team and not turning the ball over. One major area of concern was BC's ability to handle ball pressure. That is another situation in which BC has excelled this season and much of the credit goes to the junior from New Orleans.

Thumbs Up...

Reggie Jackson

I'm running out superlatives for this guy. He has absolutely done it all for the Eagles this season in an effort to prove that Rakim Sanders wasn't the sole offensive option for this team. His athleticism and high motor have provided the Eagles with an energy that hasn't been seen on the Heights since Troy Bell roamed the campus. His dunk in the 2nd half was thunderous and really provided an emotional lift for the team. Jackson led the team today with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists with only 2 turnovers. More importantly, he grabbed 2 huge rebounds in the final minute and made clutch free throws when the game was on the line. Reggie now leads the team in rebounding with 8.1. As a reminder, Jackson is only 6'3.

Corey Raji

Like Jackson, Corey Raji has made the most of his increased role in the offense while Rakim Sanders continues to recover from a badly sprained right ankle. Raji was the only player on the team to shoot over 50% from the field today (6-13, 17 points) and also grabbed 9 rebounds, 7 of them offensive. Raji also improved on his dismal free throw shooting by making 5-6 from the line. He also, as usual, guarded the most explosive offensive player from the other team, holding guard James Dews to half of his season average.

Thumbs Down...

Joe Trapani

This has got to stop. Trapani, after being one of the most efficient players on the team last season (44% shooting), has struggled mightily with his shot this season and his 1-13 today was simply awful. Joe has now dropped below 37% shooting for the season despite (or perhaps because of) his increased role in the offensive scheme. It's still early in the season, so a turnaround certainly isn't out of the question, but you get the feeling that the more the competition level goes up, the more he is going to struggle.

Overall...

After a great deal of public questioning of this teams character (myself included), the team has risen to the challenge winning games against quality opponents while being short handed due to the loss of Sanders. These last 3 games were supposed to be an early litmus test as to what type of season this would be and I have to admit that I did not think they would be able to muster enough together to win even 2 of these games. The adversity the Eagles faced in the US Virgin Islands has served to bring them together with an "us against the world" mentality. The key now though, will be for the Eagles to not relax as the schedule lightens a little bit with games against Harvard, URI, and Bryant on the horizon next. Anything less than a 3-0 stretch will be completely unacceptable for this team.

Emerald Bowl Update: Opponent Confirmed!

2009-12-06T18:29:00.001-05:00

Representatives from the Emerald Bowl issued a press release a short while ago confirming that Boston College will be participating for the 2nd time this decade. That wasn't a real surprise. The surprise came when the announcement confirmed the rumors that Pete Carroll's USC Trojans would be the Eagles opponent. More on this later tonight as well as a recap of todays big win over Miami for the basketball team.

So...What Now?

2009-12-04T09:47:00.004-05:00

In light of the news regarding Hofstra's decision to drop its football program amid high costs and low interest, BC is left without an opening day opponent for next season. As I mentioned yesterday this is the 2nd time in 3 years that an opponent has backed out of an agreement to play the Eagles. Last time, it happened during the season beforehand which gave the Eagles a little more time to find a replacement. As a result, they were able to pick up a mid-level 1-A team in Central Florida, rather than a 2nd 1-AA team (note: I refuse to use the FBS/FCS terminology).

This time though, considering that Hofstra is a 1-AA team, it would seem more realistic that AD Gene DeFillipo would go out and simply replace Hofstra with a team that was previously on the Pride's schedule. However, there is still a potential 1-A opponent on the horizon that is in a similar situation to the Eagles, which would draw a great deal of intrigue, considering the history and back story associated with it.

With the earlier news of Northeastern folding it's own football tent a few weeks back, the UConn Huskies are also looking for a new dance partner. Coincidentally, they also are looking to fill their opening weekend slot (September 4). DeFillipo is on record as saying that he would NEVER schedule UConn in any sport as long as he remained the athletic director at BC because of the very public and very ugly way that things ended between the Eagles and the Big East (UConn specifically). UConn head football coach Randy Edsall is on record saying that he would love to play BC in what would be a match-up of the only 2 1-A programs in New England.

The bad blood goes back to a lawsuit filed against BC and the ACC on behalf of the state of Connecticut (representing the University and several other Big East schools) for their "abandonment" of the Big East. The lawsuit cost nearly 2 million dollars in taxpayer money and was an incredibly petty temper tantrum based on the premise that the Eagles (along with VaTech and Miami) were "conspiring" to weaken the Big East. Eventually, the lawsuit was settled out of court, though BC was able to win judgments in the case to avoid paying an exit fee to the Big East.

Personally, I am in favor of this particular move. UConn at the time of the lawsuit was not yet associated with the Big East in football and therefore, nobody on that staff had a hand in the lawsuit, nor did they decree that they wouldn't ever play the Eagles in football because of the nature of their divorce from the Big East. In fact, Huskies coach Randy Edsall has been adamant that he would love the opportunity to pit his team against the perennial northeast football power. Having said that, I also would not under any circumstances play this game anywhere but Alumni Stadium. Playing against UConn in football is one thing, but stepping onto that campus following the turmoil is quite another. In no way does UConn have the cache to ask for a home game or a neutral site, nor should they have the nerve to ask for either scenario. I personally believe that if UConn were willing to play a no-return game against the Eagles at Alumni, Gene would listen to that offer.

What about you, the reader? What would it take for you to agree to schedule a game against UConn? Leave your comments!

Hofstra Drops Football!

2009-12-03T12:35:00.003-05:00

In the wake of Northeastern University discontinuing it's football program after 70+ years of competition, fellow CAA school Hofstra is the 2nd school in as many weeks to do the same. The school announced today that it is discontinuing it's program after 60+ years.

The reason I'm posting this is because of the obvious...Boston College was scheduled to play Hofstra next season. This leaves a hole in the schedule, that I'm sure we'd all prefer they fill with a reasonably competent opponent. This is a great opportunity for BC to see if anyone else is still looking for a game for that week and to schedule a reasonable 1-A opponent.

This is the 2nd time in 3 seasons that BC has been forced to re-schedule on the fly thanks to a program dropping out of a game. In 2008, Army canceled a scheduled game with the Eagles, citing a desire to play lighter competition. BC was able to take a step up in competition by agreeing to meet Central Florida as a replacement.

Boston College 62 Michigan 58

2009-12-02T21:33:00.002-05:00

The Scoreboard

                   1     2    F
Boston College     34   28   62
Michigan           24   34   58

The Story...

Taking part in the prestigious ACC-Big 10 Challenge, on national TV, and facing a pre-season top 15 team with one of the most explosive scorers in the country in Manny Harris, Boston College jumped out to as much as a 17 point lead behind the sizzling shooting of Corey Raji, and then held on down the stretch to win 62-58. BC led by 10 at the half while Harris struggled to score for the Wolverines. The Eagles though, shot the lights out, making 9 of their first 11 shots and punishing their Big 10 foe inside with sharp passing and strong off the ball cuts at the rim. Joe Trapani again struggled with his shot, but helped out by pulling down a team high 12 rebounds. In the 2nd half though, the defense struggled, and BC was unable to execute offensively the way they did in the 1st half. Down the stretch, a 17 point lead evaporated to as little as 6 behind a strong 2nd half from Harris. Finally though, Reggie Jackson sealed the game with some strong moves to the basket and 3 clutch free throws to put the game out of reach. A late layup by the Maize and Blue provided the final margin.

By the Numbers...

24...The number of points for Corey Raji in the game, representing a season high. Raji was absolutely amazing in this game on both ends of the floor. He drew the Manny Harris assignment in the game, and did a nice job of containing the penetration and forcing him to either give up the ball or take bad shots. Though he got hot late, some of the shots he made were of the circus variety. On the other end, Raji obliterated Harris with tremendous off the ball cuts that frequently left him open underneath the rim for easy layups. When he wasn't shooting inside of 3 feet, Raji was also consistent with his jumper and scored his 24 points on a stellar 11-16 from the field.

34...The absolutely ridiculous number of 3 pointers taken by Michigan in the game. People who know me know that I detest this style of basketball. It's a terrible style of basketball taught by coaches who either don't have the basketball knowledge to draw up a real offense, or who don't have the talent to execute a real offense. It's boring, ugly, and in general, bad basketball. More than half of the Wolverines shots were from the 3 point line in the game and they made just 6. Hideous performance by the Wolverines courtesy of their incredibly mediocre coach. I hope 1 day that this style goes the way of the 3 yards and a cloud of dust in football.

41...The aforementioned unwatchable style of basketball is also a good way to ensure that you will not be able to rebound the basketball. As a result, BC grabbed 41 rebounds to the Wolverines 26. This went a long way toward ensuring the win tonight. The Wolverines were limited in their second chance opportunities, and as a result BC was able to control the tempo of the game.

Thumbs Up...

Corey Raji

Hard to say more about the guy than I have already in the past 2 weeks. He's playing, quite simply, out of his mind. He's shooting a very high percentage, grabbing rebounds, playing strong perimeter defense, and intimidating shots from the weak side. He and Reggie Jackson have done a tremendous job compensating for the loss of Rakim Sanders (who should be back next week) and kept this team afloat.

Al Skinner

A lot of people are not big fans of Skinners coaching style (and for the most part count me among them), but the job Skinner has done the past 2 games of getting this teams attention and re-focusing them after the tough trip down to the Caribbean is remarkable. This team looked like it threw in the towel after the Northern Iowa game, and even admitted in the papers that it was suffering from a lack of confidence. But in the last 2 games, the team has played with more energy and intensity than at any other point this season. And this, without the presence of their best offensive player (Sanders), and with their 2nd best offensive player (Trapani) struggling with his shot from the very first game. A win over Miami this weekend will restore my faith that this is a team with a chance to do some major damage in the ACC.

Thumbs Down...

Free Throw Shooting

Yawn...same story different day. At some point this is going to come back and haunt them as it did last year on occasion. They made just 13-20 on the night and missed 3 of their last 4 while attempting to stave off the late rally by the Wolverines after BC went into a modified 4 corners offense with roughly 6 minutes remaining. Michigan struggled from deep the entire game and as a result the missed free throws ultimately didn't hurt them, but had the Wolverines started making shots, things could have gone a lot differently.

Tyler Roche

As predicted, Roche has come back to earth after returning to the bench in the 3rd game of the season. The hopes of him continuing to make shots after moving out of the lineup was apparently far fetched as he has made just 8 of 21 shots in that time and has failed to crack double figures in all of them. As the season moves along, Roche will need to start hitting shots and give this team a presence off the bench as playing their top 5/6 guys for 36 minutes a game will not win them too many games in conference. Courtney Dunn though played a tremendous game, especially on the defensive end with 2 blocks and 4 rebounds in just 12 minutes.

Overall...

A good solid effort from BC in a game that was played on national television against what is supposed to be an up and coming team. The only thing that worried me was that Michigan did the Eagles a HUGE favor by bombing away from deep an awful lot(even by their standards). The Wolverines rarely attacked the paint so it was difficult to get a gauge on where they stand from a defensive aspect. Reggie Jackson (15 points) again continued to display his athletic ability as he continually drove to the lane and was able to blow by whatever hapless defender attempted to stop him. Jackson also continued to play a solid all around game (8 rebounds, 6 assists) and appears to be making life difficult for Coach Skinner. I can't imagine how Skinner will be able to keep him out of the starting lineup once Rakim Sanders returns.

The Eagles will look to continue their recent stretch of good play on Saturday when they welcome in the Miami Hurricanes for the ACC opener for both schools. Miami has been absolutely on fire this season, and is currently undefeated at 9-0. I imagine there are still plenty of tickets available for the game, so get over to Conte Forum and cheer on the Eagles.

More ACC Awards

2009-12-01T20:50:00.002-05:00

As expected today, the ACC announced that Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was named the Rookie of the Year in the conference, narrowly edging out BC's Luke Kuechly (34-29).

I have a much bigger problem with this decision than I do with Frank Spaziani only getting 2 votes as the ACC coach of the year. Spaz did pretty well in terms of keeping the team together following all the adversity that the team faced. But as far as coaching the team? There was a lot left to be desired.

Kuechly on the other hand did an amazing job, considering the situation he was put in. As good as Williams was, he didn't have near the impact on his team that Luke did on the Eagles. Kuechly is currently second in the nation in total tackles and has over 50 tackles in the last 3 games, which is a staggering number.

Ryan Williams is a worthy ACC Rookie of the Year winner, but I think when you are considering 2 equal players, impact on the team should be a major factor. Without Kuechly, the Eagles are a 5-7 team. Without Williams, VaTech plugs in someone else and still wins 9 games.

GT's Paul Johnson Named ACC Coach of the Year + Links

2009-12-01T13:34:00.003-05:00

Just coming down the pipe as we speak, Paul Johnson will be named the ACC's coach of the year by a landslide. The Georgia Tech head coach has now won the award 2 straight years.

BC's Frank Spaziani, after being predicted to finish 11th in the conference, took the Eagles to an 8-4 record (5-3 in the ACC), but only received 2 votes in the poll. He finished behind Johnson, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, and Duke coach David Cutcliffe.

Boston College also announced today that it has reached a 6 year agreement with Under Armour to outfit the football team along with 29 other varsity sports beginning next season. BC will be in elite company, as UA also has exclusive deals with traditional football powers Alabama and Auburn. The deal represents the first of it's kind for the athletic outfitter in the northeast.

BREAKING NEWS FSU's Bowden to Retire Tomorrow

2009-11-30T19:57:00.004-05:00

After 34 seasons on the sidelines of Florida State University, head coach Bobby Bowden is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow according to an ESPN.com report, citing unnamed sources.

Bowden is the 2nd all time winningest coach in NCAA history with 388 victories, but since winning the ACC title back in 2005 (the first year of expansion), the 'Noles have struggled both within the conference and on a national scale. The team finished just 6-6 on the year including a season ending 37-10 loss to rival Florida.

In it's heyday, the Seminoles put together one of the greatest runs in the history of the sport. From 1987-2000 the team finished in the top 5 every single season including national championships in 1993 and 1999.

Boston College was 3-2 against Florida State since joining the ACC in 2005, including a 28-21 win this season which marked the first home victory by either team since the expansion.

All-ACC Teams Announced + Links!

2009-11-30T18:26:00.003-05:00

BC has 4 representatives on the All-ACC teams this year...

1st Team All-ACC

LT Anthony Costanzo
LB Luke Kuechly

2nd Team All-ACC

C Matt Tennant
RB Montel Harris

Congratulations to all 4 players for being named as the best of the best in the ACC. Kuechly and Harris in particular deserve special recognition for their contributions to the team this season for shouldering a heavy burden of responsibility due to a key contributor being injured, graduating, or transferring. Also something to consider is that Tennant is the only member of this All-ACC class who will not be back next season.

One player that I was surprised did not receive an All-ACC mention was Ryan Quigley. Quigley has done a tremendous job pinning opposing teams in their own end of the field. He was 2nd in the conference in punts inside the 20 and only shanked 1 punt this season (that I can recall).

Lost in the shuffle of the all-conference teams being released was Luke Kuechly being recognized as the ACC Defensive player of the week. It's his 2nd consecutive player of the week award (he was named rookie of the week last week). Kuechly had 16 tackles Saturday against Maryland including his leaping stop of Terps QB JaMarr Robinson on 4th down that led to the Eagles' game winning field goal.

Frank Spaziani feels like 8 wins is a tremendous accomplishment for a team that faced as much adversity as this Boston College team.

The Eagles are home now focusing on their classes while awaiting their fate in the bowl selection process. Where are they headed? We'll find out Sunday.

Boston College 82 Providence 77

2009-11-29T19:07:00.002-05:00

The Scoreboard

                  1     2     F
Boston College    42    40    82
Providence        31    46    77

The Story...

With a lot of people (myself included) wondering whether or not this team would show a backbone and try to salvage the early part of its season or if it would roll over and quit, the Eagles played perhaps their best first half of the season. Led by a tremendous performance from Reggie Jackson and a terrific effort defensively, the Eagles led by 11 points at halftime and by as many as 18 overall. But after coming out very complacent after the half, the Friars were able to shred BC for 46 second half points and even took a lead with less than 2 minutes remaining. But thanks to some timely baskets from Josh Southern and clutch free throw shooting across the board, the Eagles scored the last 7 points of the game to escape the Dunkin Donuts Center with a desperately needed 82-77 win.

By the Numbers...

43...The number of rebounds collected by the Eagles. Faced with an undersized 3 point shooting opponent, BC took advantage by pounding both the offensive and defensive glass, particularly in the 1st half. They didn't allow many second chance points were able to collect 15 offensive rebounds of their own to help out the perimeter players who shot a gruesome 0-10 from 3 point territory. Speaking of which...

0...The number of 3 pointers made for Boston College. I'd need to research this, but I can't remember the last time the team didn't make a single three pointer. It didn't hurt them in this game because of the job they did on the offensive glass, but it's something that needs to be improved against better teams. The Eagles will take on highly ranked Michigan, a team similar to the Friars later this week, so that game would be a good place to start improving their perimeter shooting.

59.3...BC's percentage at the free throw line. Winning washes away a lot of sins, but only for so long. Free throws were another reason that this game became much more interesting than it needed to be. By making just 16-27 attempts in the game, they left points on the floor that the Friars gladly converted into their own in their bid to erase a huge deficit. BC did the right thing by attacking the rim against them, but did not make them pay at the line. Had they made even 75% of their shots from the stripe, the game would have been over long before it was. Providence aided the BC escape by shooting just 53% from the line, though on far fewer attempts.

Thumbs Up...

Reggie Jackson

Far and away the MVP of this game, and so far this season, the team. The explosive sophomore posted an unbelievable 20 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. He was the teams go to player throughout the game and continues to evolve his game into the player we saw flashes of last season. What is most impressive about his game is the ability he has to put the ball on the floor and weave his way to the rim and finish. He's ferocious at the rim and a tremendous athletic specimen. The more he plays the more I like him. Does Biko Paris really keep his starting spot when Rakim Sanders is ready to return next week?

Corey Raji

Like Jackson, Corey Raji has improved greatly since arriving on campus. Now a junior, Raji has become a reliable shooter from the mid-range and continues to be a tremendous weak side defender and shot blocker. He has also been the Eagles best perimeter player this year and is routinely assigned the other teams best offensive player. In this game, he defended Providence's Marshon Brooks throughout the night and held the junior play maker below his scoring average and below 50% shooting from the field while committing just 3 fouls.

Thumbs Down...

Free Throw Shooting

See above. The Eagles allowed the Friars to climb back into this game behind a number of factors. Not the least of which, was the number of points that BC left at the free throw line. Had they been able to convert at the line while attacking the rim, they could have broken Providence's will much earlier in this game. To their credit, the Eagles did make their final 4 of the game to ice it.

2nd Half Focus

Clearly BC came out with a mission. They wanted to prove that they were capable defensively of winning basketball games against good teams. They accomplished this in the 1st half...perhaps too well. When they came out for the 2nd half there was a lack of intensity that was so much a part of them grabbing that early 18 point lead. I'm worried that this first half was more of an anomaly than the norm because of all the pressure the team was under because of its performance in the Paradise Jam. We'll find out more this week.

Overall

It's hard to argue with the win under the circumstances. They were up against a team with a strong record, that was playing with a great deal of confidence and provided match-up nightmares all over the court, and still managed to come away with the game. It was also impressive given their own shortcomings as a team and the lack of confidence that Corey Raji alluded that the team was playing with. It was a very important win for the team psyche, because it showed that when focused they can absolutely compete at a high level on both ends of the court.

As I mentioned earlier, whether this was an anomaly or a look at things to come will be revealed later this week when the Eagles take on 15th ranked Michigan on Wednesday as part of the Big 10-ACC Challenge. The Wolverines have lost their last 2 against Alabama and Marquette after winning their first 3. Alabama was also the only other team to beat Providence before BC, so take that for what it's worth.

Boston College 19 Maryland 17

2009-11-29T15:16:00.004-05:00

The Scoreboard

                   1     2     3     4    F
Boston College     10    6     0     3    19
Maryland           3     7     0     7    17

The Story...

In what will ultimately amount to a frustrating but satisfying game for the Eagles, Montel Harris led the offense with another 100+ yard effort, Dave Shinskie played his best game in a month and the defense was solid if unspectacular to help BC pick up their second road win of the season 19-17 at Byrd Stadium in College Park, MD. The Terrapins were feisty though as they battled, perhaps more valiantly than many of us (myself included) believed they would. They put together a tough gritty game, and gave themselves a chance to win, but in the end, talent won out and the better team came away with the victory. It certainly wasn't easy though, as BC struggled again to put the ball in the end zone and having settle for 4 field goals. The defensive line though, kept Maryland from capitalizing on the offenses mistakes, posting it's best game of the season by harassing both Maryland QB's throughout the game, and coming up with 2 huge stops on 4th down in the 4th quarter. After a late Maryland TD, Colin Larmond recovered an onside kick to preserve the win. For the Eagles, they finish the regular season with a record of 8-4. It's the 9th time this decade the team finished with at least 8 wins (They won just 7 in 2000).

By the Numbers...

16...The number of tackles by freshman phenom Luke Kuechly. Luke was all over the field again yesterday and now has 35 tackles in his last 2 games. The play that everyone will remember in this game though was the staggering feat of athleticism on 4th and short with about 9 minutes remaining in the game. Luke was able to hurdle the offensive line and hit QB JaMarr Robinson before he was able to make any forward progress and get the ball back for the Eagles. This was easily the play of the game as BC held a tenuous 1 score lead and momentum seemed to be building for the Terps.

41...The number of carries for running back Montel Harris. Harris ran for 142 yards on those carries to tie a 39 year old record for total carries in a game. I mentioned this in the preview that the coaching staff needed to allow Harris to tote the rock as many times as was necessary to win the game and they accomplished that in this game. Despite facing repeated 8 and 9 man fronts in the game, Montel kept finding holes and kept moving the sticks and shortening the game for BC. Montel finishes the regular season with 1,355 yards on the ground.

4...The number of sacks by the BC defensive line. This line has been criticized and beaten on all year by both opponents and the media, but on this day they were tremendous. As DT Damik Scafe has gotten healthier, after struggling with neck and shoulder issues most of the year, he has given the Eagles a space eating presence in the middle of the line that has sorely been missed. He ate up blocks throughout the game and allowed the rest of the line and the linebackers to work against 1 on 1 blocking and effectively pressure the Maryland QB platoon and limit the running game of the Terps.

4/5...The number of field goals made/missed by kicker Steve Aponavicius. The 1 that people will focus on is the miss he had early in the 3rd quarter that would have stretched the game to a 2 score lead and was his first miss of any kid this season, but what people should focus on is the kick he made late in the game with all the pressure on him. The wind, while not howling, certainly was a factor in the game, not to mention the natural grass surface and the length of the kick (42 yards, longest of the season). It was a clutch play for the senior, who said a few weeks ago that he would love to close out his career with another game-winner ala the bowl win over Navy in 2006. He was never the greatest kicker but he often made the ones that counted the most. Steve finished the season 37/37 on extra points and 13/14 on field goals.

Thumbs Up...

Dave Shinskie

He took bad sacks, made a few poor decisions, refused to run with the ball, and held it for too long. Under most circumstances that would garner a thumbs down from me, but he deserves credit for making the right passes at the right time, not turning the ball over, and not forcing balls into coverage. He managed the game and didn't put the defense in bad position the way he had the last few weeks. Shinskie completed 14/23 passes for 227 yards, 1 touchdown, and most importantly, no interceptions. He's taken a great deal of heat, especially for his play on the road, but he's proven that he's a tough guy mentally as he blocked it out and played his best game away from Alumni.

Damik Scafe

When all the pre-season predictions came out and BC was roundly picked to finish last in the conference, 1 of the reasons I felt like they would be in good shape this year was Damik. Scafe played a good amount last year and had 2 years to learn under BJ Raji and Ron Brace, so I figured he would be an adequate replacement. Damik has been hurt a good portion of the season, but the last 2 weeks since he's returned, we've seen him flash some of that potential and then yesterday we saw him explode. He dominated the Terrapin O-Line picking up his first sack of the year and was able to eat up blocks and be a major force in the running game. If he's healthy next year, Scafe will be a headache for opposing teams.

Montel Harris

A lot has been made about the season that Harris has had this year (over 1,300 yards rushing with over 250 attempts). But, I don't enough has been made about his improvement from last year to this year. Harris has shown dramatic improvement in his ability to find holes, make tacklers miss, and pick up yards after contact. He was able to do this in small doses last year, but has had to learn to do it this season at an exponentially higher level because many teams(especially late in the year) were gearing their entire defenses to stop him. Yet, despite that he had at least 130 yards in each of the last 4 games. At this pace, Harris may go down as one of the greatest running backs in school history.

Thumbs Down...

Donnie Fletcher

People who know me, know that I am not a fan of this young man. By all accounts, he's a nice kid who works hard and wants to get better. But the fact of the matter is that he simply can not cover anyone at this level and is a major liability. When he comes in the game, teams immediately find him and go at him play after play. The last few weeks he's been less noticeable, but yesterday was a tough day for him. 3 times, Fletcher was thrown against, 3 times the Terrapins picked up the 1st down. 1 of those plays, Fletcher tripped over his own 2 feet and allowed a 3rd and long completion that led to the Terps first TD, and on another, he blew a tackle in front of the first down marker. and allowed a drive to continue. It frightens me that he might be starting next year in place of the graduating Roderick Rollins.

Gary Tranquill & Frank Spaziani

As the season has gone along, we've seen more and more conservative play calling from Gary Tranquill. The lack of play-action yesterday was startling considering the game-long 8 and 9 man fronts the Eagles faced and was a direct result of their being forced to kick field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. With the safety's playing as close to the line as they were, and the corners playing Larmond and Gunnell 1 on 1, it seemed like at some point the best course of action would be to eventually run play action and try something deep, or at least over the middle. Only once did this happen, and it resulted in a big 1st down in the 4th quarter which resulted in sarcastic applause from me. On the goal line and in 3rd and 4th and short, it was more of the same. Everyone in the stadium knew the draw to Harris was coming but rather than run mis-direction (play action, bootleg, etc), the Eagles chose to bang their heads against the wall resulting in 3's instead of 6's.

Overall...

This was a pretty good performance against a team that played way above itself due to the emotion of it being senior day, the last game of the season, and the potential final game in the career of head coach Ralph Friedgen. The Terps played with a great deal of passion and forced the Eagles to up there game. They made big plays when they needed them (the 4th down stops) and they were clutch when it counted the most (Steve's game winning field goal, Larmond shaking off the drops to come down with the onside kick, etc). The team will hopefully take this win and be proud of the way they had to earn this one and that they did not turn the ball over at all. The Eagles will now await their bowl fate when the bids get handed out next weekend at the conclusion of the conference championship games. The Eagles will either be bowling in Charlotte or San Francisco.

The Scene: Photos from Byrd Stadium

2009-11-29T15:00:00.002-05:00

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-29T14:24:00.002-05:00

Afternoon everyone! After a long drive back from the D.C. area and a good nights sleep, we're back on track here at "The View". I'll be posting the recap of the BC-Maryland game shortly, followed by photos from the game and then the BC-Providence basketball game recap (I'm watching it as I type this). In the meantime, here's some post-game reaction to both.

BC-Maryland Links

Steve Aponavicius missed his first kick of the year yesterday, but made the game winner when it counted the most.

Mark Herzlich was off crutches yesterday, while his tag-team partner next year, Luke Kuechly, made perhaps the play of the year late in the game.

Montel Harris tied a nearly 40 year old team record yesterday by toting the rock 41 times for 142 yards.

Yesterday might have been the swan song for Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, but not everyone thinks he should go.

Friedgen though, feels confident that he will be back next season.

The Terps juggled QB's all afternoon, with varying degrees of success, thanks to some nagging injuries.

BC-Providence Links

The Eagles showed much more effort defensively against the 3 point shooting Friars yesterday.

Despite Tyler Roche (back) and Joe Trapani (flu) being limited, the Eagles found a way to get their most important win this season.

For the Friars, it was a game in which both their flaws and their potential were on full display.

BC basketball vs. Providence Preview

2009-11-27T18:47:00.003-05:00

Who: Boston College (3-2) vs. Providence Friars (4-1)
Where: Dunkin Donuts Center -- Providence, RI
When: 7:00pm EST on COX Cable (RI) or 850AM-WEEI

Last We Saw Them...

The Eagles were down in the US Virgin Islands wrapping up a disappointing appearance in the Paradise Jam. The defensive shortcomings of the team were exposed against some elevated competition, most notably against Northern Iowa. BC allowed the Panthers to shoot an astonishing 65% from the field, while also allowing Kwadzo Ahelegbe to pour in 32 points on 14-17 shooting. The loss gave BC a 1-2 record in the tournament and a 3-2 record overall as they returned back to the northeast. Also of note was that Rakim Sanders, fresh off a 2-game suspension for a violation of team rules was injured while going for a rebound in the first 3 minutes of the tournament opener against St. Joseph's.

Providence meanwhile is off to a solid start this season albeit against much lesser competition. They've jumped out to a 4-1 record including a win Tuesday against the Catamounts of Vermont. Junior swingman Marshon Brooks was the high man for the Friars as he poured in 24 points on just 8-10 shooting and had 5 steals. He was helped out by forward Jamine Patterson who chipped in with 20. No other Friar reached double figures except Kyle Wright who came off the bench to score 13 points including 3-4 from deep. Providence forced 23 Catamount turnovers in the game leading to a slew of fast break points to break the game open early and help them to a 106-64 win. The Friars as a team made 15-27 from beyond the arc.

Know Thy Enemy...

Marshon Brooks has been the man for the Friars thus far, pouring in almost 20 points per game, while shooting a scorching 49% from the 3 point line. He's also been the playmaker for the team as he is averaging better than 3 assists per game (second on the team behind Vincent Council). In the model of past Keno Davis coached teams though, the Friars are very undersized (just 1 player bigger than 6'5" in the lineup) and have been forced to try to rebound as a team. The 6'8" Jamine Peterson has done his best to keep the rebounding in order, as he's averaged a team high 10.4 a game and leads a group of 7 players averaging more than 3 per game. Bilal Dixon is 2nd on the team with 7 per game and also is the team leader in blocked shots (2 a game).

Offensively, Providence does shoot the deep ball very well and creates match-up problems because of their ball handling ability at all positions. They are heavily reliant on the 3 pointer and struggle in games in which they don't shoot it well. In the Friars lone loss this season in Tuscaloosa against the Crimson Tide of Alabama, they were out rebounded 42-40 and made just 5 of 21 from deep.

What to Watch For...

Perimeter Defense

I've been harping on this all season, but it's even more important in this game than at any other point this season. It will be critical to close out on the perimeter and try to limit penetration. If they allow open shots and dribble drives the way they did against Northern Iowa, they will get eaten alive against a strong Providence squad. BC has struggled all season with containing players off the bounce, dynamic guards with good handle in particular. It will be on Biko Paris and Reggie Jackson to prevent the drive and kick, which is so much a part of a Keno Davis led attack.

Ball Movement

To this point, the most exotic defense the Eagles have faced was the occasional 1-2-2 zone that St. Francis (NY) threw at them for about 3 minutes just to give them another look. In this game though, they'll face a totally different animal in the Keno Davis 3-2 match-up zone. BC is not stocked with 3 point shooters, and as a result, can not simply bomb away and hope to win. They must show good patience and make the perimeter players move by reversing the ball. The best area to attack this particular zone is by isolating and overloading 1 corner or the other and then reversing the ball. If BC doesn't play with patience they will struggle to score in this game, turn the ball over, and be run right out of the building.

Inside Play

BC has been surprisingly effective on the glass to this point in the season and will need to continue that in this game in order to give themselves a chance. They can not give second opportunities to a good 3 point shooting team and expect to find a way to get a badly needed win. The Friars are an undersized team and if BC makes a commitment to rebounding they should have good success. In addition, they also need to take advantage of that size on the offensive end of the floor. They need to consistently challenge the Friars at the rim with dribble penetration as well as get some semblance of a post game out of Josh Southern and Joe Trapani. If they are able to score inside, they can slow down the pace of the game and force Providence into a half court game.

How It's Gonna Go Down...

This is a key game for Boston College because of the way things went down in the Caribbean. They were carved to pieces by St. Joseph's and Northern Iowa, lost Rakim Sanders to an ankle injury, and have generally struggled to contain even the most mediocre of opponents. If the Eagles have any interest in making a post season tournament this season, now would be the time to commit defensively before the season gets away from them. This is the beginning of a key 3 game stretch that could really set the tone for the rest of the year. I think this is the ultimate nightmare match-up for BC because of the nature of the Providence offense. The Friars thrive on taking opposing teams off the dribble and driving to the rim or kicking out to open 3 point shooters. I think BC puts up a much better effort in this game and will keep it interesting, but 1 too many times the Eagles will lose focus defensively and the Friars sink the Eagles with late 3's. A tiger doesn't change its stripes, and a basketball team can't change its mind-set in just a few days.

The Line: BC +3
The Call: Providence 77 BC 70

BC Football vs. Maryland Preview

2009-11-27T13:48:00.004-05:00

Who: Boston College (7-4, 4-3) vs. Maryland Terrapins (2-9, 1-6)
Where: Byrd Stadium -- College Park, MD
When: 3:30pm EST on ESPNU and 850AM-WEEI

Last We Saw Them...

The Eagles were at Alumni Stadium looking to close out just their 2nd undefeated home season since 1985 against the North Carolina Tar Heels. But 6 turnovers later (4 INT, 1 FUM by Dave Shinskie) the Eagles were humbled 31-13. The game started ominously as Carolina jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first 8 minutes before BC rallied to make it 21-13 at halftime. The game devolved into a turnover fest/defensive struggle the rest of the way, as it appeared whoever made the last mistake would lose the game. With 4 minutes remaining, Dave Shinskie threw his fourth and final interception of the game that was returned to the goal line. 2 plays later the Heels banged in the clinching touchdown.

Maryland meanwhile, is coming off a crushing 29-26 loss at Doak Campbell Pavilion in Tallahassee, Florida to the Seminoles of Florida State. The Terps have struggled all season, but looked like they had this one in the bag with 2 minutes remaining. With a 4 point lead, the Terps made the mistake of punting to electric returner Greg Reid who returned the kick to the 3 yard line, before Lonnie Pryor ran in the winning score. Da'Rell Scott made his return to the Maryland back field, running for 83 yards on 19 carries.

Know Thy Enemy...

On paper, there are very few redeeming qualities for this Maryland football team. They rank 88th in total defense (99th in pass, 77th in rush) and are 101st in total offense. Their offensive line has allowed a tremendous number of sacks (better than 2 per game) and has gotten their regular starting QB Chris Turner hurt on more than one occasion this season. Turner is questionable for this game as he continues to recover from knee trouble. If Turner can't go JaMarr Robinson will get another start. Robinson is far more mobile than Turner, which, considering the troubles of the offensive line, could give them the best chance to win. One thing

Maryland can hang its hat on is the return of dynamic running back Da'Rell Scott. Scott was one of the best running backs in the ACC last season and was expected to anchor the offense for the Terps this season. Unfortunately for him, he's been banged up all season and is just now beginning to get healthy. He played his first full game in a month last week and led the team in carries and yards. In his absence though, Davin Meggett has performed admirably and has helped give Ralph Friedgens club a way to move the ball. Defensively the Terps have struggled, especially in the passing game with a very young secondary and lead the ACC in plays of 20 yards or more allowed.

What to Watch For...

BC's Defensive Line

Maryland's offensive line for lack of a better word is awful. It will probably be the weakest line that the Eagles have played against this season, meaning they should be able to get pressure on the QB, whoever it is. If Chris Turner is behind center, it is imperative for the Eagles to pressure him as he is an excellent pocket passer and has killed them in the past. On the hand, JaMarr Robinson is not nearly the passer Turner is, and if BC can pressure him into some quicker decisions, mistakes will happen. Coach Friedgen has admitted that Robinson is coming along, but is still apt to make some poor decisions with the ball. Look for DT Damik Scafe to make some plays on that defensive line as he continues to get healthy and be more of a force up front with his size.

Colin Larmond & Justin Jarvis

Rich Gunnell has done a tremendous job this season of finding ways to get open and make plays despite a lot of the coverage being geared towards him this season. However, it is still critical for both Larmond and Jarvis to be effective as 2nd and 3rd options to take the pressure of Gunnell. Larmond in particular has shown the natural ability to get open and use his size and athleticism to make plays, but has struggled with holding on to the ball. In order to keep the game simple for QB Dave Shinskie against this poor secondary, Larmond and Jarvis must be able to spread the field by running solid routes and making catches when the ball is thrown their way.

3rd Down Conversions

Both Maryland and Boston College have struggled mightily on 3rd down this season (BC went an astonishing 0-13 on 3rd down last week). For BC to win this game and finish the season with 8 wins, they'll need to continue to move the chains by converting on 3rd down. In particular, I'd like to see a lot less of the shotgun formations on 3rd and short for BC. For Maryland, if they harbor any hopes of winning this game, they too must convert on 3rd down and find a way to sustain drives.

How It's Gonna Go Down...

Let's be honest. BC has better talent all over the field in this game, particularly on defense. If they get an even performance out of Dave Shinskie (1+ scores, less than 2 turnovers) they should be able to roll over the Terrapins in this one. People have compared this game to the Virginia game a few weeks ago, but as you read here, that game had the potential to be very dangerous because of Shinskie's inexperience and the Cavaliers top 30 passing defense. Maryland though has no such defense to speak of, so points should come reasonably easy to BC. Look for Montel Harris to have a big game again and for BC to contain what will surely be a platoon at QB between the senior Chris Turner and the sophomore JaMarr Robinson and roll to a relatively comfortable win.

The Line: BC -6
The Call: BC 27 Maryland 10

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-27T13:43:00.002-05:00

I'll be traveling to College Park tonight, so it's unlikely I'll have anything for you guys until post-game tomorrow. But in the meantime, here's a couple of links, and then a preview of the weekend action on the gridiron and the basketball court.

BC-Maryland Links

Dave Shinskie needs to show his critics that he's made some strides despite his struggles.

Firing Coach Friedgen might not be the best course of action for the Terps financially.

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-26T11:11:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone enjoys the holidays. Here's a few links to get you through the day.

Notes:

The injury report is out for the Eagles and there are no real surprises on it. Rolandan Finch is out again as he's not yet been cleared to practice let alone play. He should be available for the bowl game in a few weeks. Alex Albright (ankle), Thomas Claiborne (knee), and Kaleb Ramsey (foot) are all listed as questionable for the game on Saturday. Claiborne did not practice with the team this week and was helped off the field during last weeks loss to North Carolina. One encouraging note was that full back James McCluskey was not on the report and will be available to play.

BC-Maryland Links

In his senior season, Jim Ramella has been asked to play multiple positions.

Roderick Rollins feels like his career went by way too fast. But he has no regrets and would do it all over again if he had the chance.

Members of the Terrapin football team admit that it's not easy to block out the distractions caused by the rumors about coach Ralph Friedgen.

New Faces On the Heights

2009-11-25T15:16:00.002-05:00

Each recruiting season brings new surprises and new hope to every school in the country. Hope that one of their prized freshman will be the one that will develop into a superstar and lead the team to the promise land. This past week was the beginning of the early signing period for college basketball, and with that, our beloved BC Eagles have signed 3 new players that we hope will bring excitement and passion to Conte Forum.

Today, we'll meet the 3 new guys, and give you a window into what they'll bring to the table for the next 4 seasons.

Brady Heslip-Shooting/Point Guard
Burlington, ON Canada
6'2"/170 lbs

Background:

Heslip was one of the hottest recruits on the circuit this past summer following his dazzling display for Grassroots Canada (AAU). Heslip had been largely overlooked because of his 2 5-star teammates (Cory Joseph, Myck Kabongo) who played in the back court with him. His opportunities to score were limited, but when he got the chance to display his talent, he took advantage and had received several mid-major offers including East Carolina. But with Joseph and Kabongo off in other events during the summer, Heslip showed scouts how dynamic of a scorer he is. The Canadian averaged nearly 30 points a game in various tournaments in different parts of the United States by being able to shoot effectively from anywhere on the court.

His smooth stroke, ability to play multiple positions, and high basketball IQ were what drew scouts in and soon the offers came pouring in with Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Cincinnati being just a few of the teams that showed major interest. But after visiting with coach Al Skinner, Heslip chose to commit to the Eagles. His shooting ability and versatility are what will make him an effective player in the ACC over the next few seasons. He's currently enrolled at a prep school in New Hampshire and will be enrolled at BC in January.

What They're Saying:

“Brady is a true example of determination-meets-work-ethics-meets-opportunity-meets-dream. B.C. has a tradition of letting their point guards shoot the ball and they showed a lot of interest, so he should have a good career there.”
-Ro Russell, AAU Coach

Kevin Noreen-Small Forward
Minneapolis, MN USA
6'8"/220 lbs

Background:

Kevin Noreen is a 6'8" swingman out of Minnesota who this season will try and break the all-time state scoring record (he's about 600 points shy). Noreen is an exceptionally versatile forward with great size and the ball skills to match it. Reports are that he is still growing and could potentially reach the 6'10" mark, potentially making him one of the best size/skill players that BC has ever recruited. Initially, Noreen was being recruited mostly by local area schools like Marquette, Green Bay, etc. But he, like Brady Heslip got a big boost this past summer while playing on the AAU circuit (ironically, they were at the same Super 64 tournament), which led to him being recruited actively by NC State, Gonzaga, and his hometown Minnesota. One thing that drew Noreen to the Eagles though were the academics. Kevin takes his studies very seriously and while on a campus visit back in April he found that the school fit very well with his personal values from an education and athletic standpoint.

Kevin's skill set is very wide ranging as he's been able to adapt his game depending on his opponent. The wiry forward shows good touch from the outside and from the mid-range and also has some back to the basket skills, though his post game is a little raw. At his size, his best attribute is his ability to put the ball on the floor and go around opposing defenders. As he develops into his body and hones his skills, he could become one of the more versatile players in the ACC. BC rarely has been able to acquire players with the combination of skill and size that Noreen possesses.

What They're Saying:

"I just want to win. Scoring is my role on the team but I want to be a team player."
-Kevin Noreen
(Sounds like he'll fit in very well here)

Papa Samba Ndao-Power Forward
Montverde, FL USA
6'9"/190 lbs

Background:

Perhaps the most intriguing prospect for Al Skinner and the BC Eagles is Ndao. The Senegalese power forward is exceptionally raw in terms of his abilities, but his athleticism is off the charts and his potential is limitless. He's mostly a perimeter player presently as he lacks real bulk and back to the basket skills, but with time, patience, and a lot of hard work over the next few years, Ndao should develop into perhaps the most explosive athlete the Eagles have had since Sean Williams. His best attributes at this point are his ball handling and his finishing ability. He's able to drive by players his own size, and is able to out-muscle most smaller forwards who try to match his speed. As he develops, he'll become a legitimate match-up nightmare for other teams.

Currently playing for the prestigious Montverde Academy in Florida, Ndao was invited to play for the U-18 team for his home country of Senegal based on his performances playing at the Nike Hoops Challenge and Nike World Challenge. Those events are reserved for some of the best high school basketball players in the country and Ndao accounted himself very well.

What They're Saying:

“Papa has a wealth of potential; I think his best basketball is ahead of him. I am really pleased with his decision to attend Boston College He has been in our program for three years, and has worked very hard athletically and academically to put himself in this position to accept this scholarship offer. Papa is in his second year in being a captain of our team, and he continues to improve in every aspect of his game."
-Kevin Sutton, Montverde Academy Head Coach

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-25T10:34:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so posts will be limited, but hopefully I'll be able to get a little something up, just to distract you from your food coma's and annoying relatives.

BC-Maryland Links

Considering the expectations, there's no shame in the 7-4 record the team has posted.

Dave Shinskie might be playing to protect his job for next season this weekend in College Park.

The challenge Saturday will be to play as if they're still competing for an ACC crown.

Even the governor of Maryland has an opinion on the Ralph Friedgen situation.

Recruiting News

2009-11-24T20:41:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of our friends over at Eagle Action, Offensive tackle Aaron Kramer from Duxbury, MA has committed to the Eagles this afternoon over UConn. Notre Dame had also shown interest but had not made an offer to the 6'7, 275 lbs Kramer, who has also been playing tight end for the Dragons this season.

Listed as only a 2-star recruit, Eagle Action believes that Kramer is a major sleeper in the class of 2010. Notre Dame's interest in the kid would seem to confirm that theory. Aaron will enroll at BC in January. With all the talent along the line that is moving on to the NFL or graduating this year, he may find himself some playing time next season.

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-24T16:04:00.002-05:00

It's a slow news day today in relation to BC athletics, as everyone seems to be focused on Northeastern's announcement about cutting it's football program yesterday. So in addition to the BC basketball links regarding the game yesterday, I've also included a slew of links regarding Maryland and their coaching situation.

BC-Northern Iowa Links

Kwadzo Ahelegbe had a big game, but it was the Panthers defense that won the game.

BC-Maryland Links

Getting rid of head coach Ralph Friedgen isn't as simple as firing him.

Friedgen though, says he's not concerned about the rumors, just about the game against BC.

The Terps might be tempted to start JaMarr Robinson again, but if Chris Turner is able to go, he'll probably get the start.

Mark Herzlich Surgery Successful

2009-11-24T13:25:00.003-05:00

News came yesterday courtesy of the HerzNation blog that Mark had the metal rod surgically implanted in his leg. According to the blog, the surgery went very smoothly, the bone is strong, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

I have to admit, I was skeptical that he would legitimately be ready to play next season, but by the sound of this news, he'll be training within the next few weeks and hopefully be ready to go. The thought of having Mark Herzlich (even at 70% of himself) and Luke Kuechly in the middle of that defense along with the returning Mike Morrissey, Dominik LeGrande, and Will Thompson is a frightening thought for opposing teams.

Bowling in Obscurity, Part 2

2009-11-24T12:28:00.003-05:00

Last week, we profiled the seemingly endless bowl possibilities for Boston College, and how they could greatly improve their stock (to the chagrin of bowl reps) by beating North Carolina and Maryland to close the season. Now, with the North Carolina game in the loss column, let's take a look at what is available for the Eagles, and make another prediction as to where they will be playing in late December.

With BC now guaranteed to finish no better than 5-3 in the ACC, they will be a part of what is essentially a beauty contest with several other 5-3 or 4-4 teams for the right to go to the most prestigious bowl games. And for all intents and purposes, BC is the ugly kid who got forced into the contest by their parents. They're best win is against Florida State (currently 6-5), they're 1-3 on the road, and have been blown out in 3 games this season. This means, that in all likelihood, the Eagles will drop to the bottom of the bowl pecking order. But where is the bottom?

Most people assume that the bottom of the barrel in this case will be the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco against a 2nd tier Pac-10 team. But the reality is that there is another rule in place, recently added by the NCAA, that could keep the Eagles out of California and on the East Coast.

Added in 2006, the NCAA rule states:

"A bowl game can not select a ream with 6 wins until all bowl eligible teams with at least 7 wins have been selected."

Initially, I was under the impression that this rule only applied to bowls looking to replace conference affiliations with an at-large team. I assumed that the goal was to keep bowls from passing over a mid-major team with 8 wins for a BCS level school that may only have 6. But, upon further examination, this rule does also apply within the conferences. This means that a 6-6 team can not be selected in front of a team with 7 or more wins.

Where this affects Boston College this weekend is when we look at the team that BC beat back on October 3rd of this year. The Florida State Seminoles rebounded after losing starting QB Christian Ponder for the season by winning their last 2 games to make themselves bowl eligible. But this weekend, the 'Noles will be in the Swamp taking on the #1 ranked Florida Gators. If Florida State can not come up with what would be an absolutely shocking upset, Florida State will finish the season 6-6. This would mean that unless a deal is struck between BC and the bowl selection committee's of the Emerald Bowl and the Meineke Car Care Bowl, to allow Meineke to take Florida State, the Eagles will be bowling in Charlotte for the 3rd time this decade.

Now, again, as we explained last week, all of these rules about bowl selections can be overridden by a well placed dollar amount (likely to be the difference between the bowl payout loss for BC). But if the Eagles do not agree to be passed over, the Meineke Car Care Bowl will have to take the Eagles.

Any questions or comments regarding this article? Have an idea for a topic that you'd like "The View From Section X" to cover? Leave them in the comments below or e-mail the blog: section.x@live.com

Posting Schedule for 11/23-11/30

2009-11-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

I'll be in attendance this Saturday at Byrd Stadium for the BC-Maryland game, and with Thanksgiving being this Thursday (that snuck up on us didn't it?), I might not be as active this week. But I'll do my best. As always, I don't have the "news, notes, and links" posts listed here as they will occur daily.

Tuesday:

Bowling in Obscurity Part 2. Despite "the BC rule" no longer being a factor for the Eagles, this weekends finale against Maryland still holds huge implications for BC's bowl possibilities. We'll examine why.

Wednesday:

New Faces on the Heights. Al Skinner has signed 3 new recruits that will help shape the future of BC basketball for the next few years. We'll profile each of them.

Thursday:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday:

Preview- BC football vs. Maryland
Preview- BC basketball vs. Providence

Saturday:

Recap- BC football vs. Maryland
The Scene- Photos from Byrd Stadium

Sunday:

Recap- BC basketball vs. Providence

Northern Iowa 81 Boston College 69

2009-11-23T18:03:00.002-05:00

The Scoreboard

                     1     2      F
Northern Iowa        38    43     81
Boston College       41    28     69

The Story...

Unfortunately for the Eagles it was the same story. Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris struggled to contain the perimeter players for the Panthers, Joe Trapani and Josh Southern got into foul trouble covering for them as a result, and the Eagles simply couldn't get stops when they needed them to try and steal a game from a team that clearly superior. The Panthers shot the lights out from the field, Kwadzo Ahelegbe in particular was completely unguardable for Northern Iowa, going 14-17 from the field for a game high 32 points. Despite the insane shooting for the Panthers the Eagles still held a slim halftime lead. Eventually though, the Eagles depth and fouls became an issue, resulting in BC not being able to put enough bodies on the floor who could put the ball in the basket. The Panthers stayed hot the majority of the afternoon and cruised to an 81-69 win.

By the Numbers...

65...The percentage that Northern Iowa shot from the field for the game. This is an absolutely disgraceful percentage if you're a BC player. The defense was completely non-existent on the perimeter and allowed Northern Iowa's guards to go anywhere they wanted with the ball. There was never a point in the game where the Panthers were pressured into a shot that they didn't want. It was a terrible effort and sadly, pretty typical of the talent on the floor.

77...The percentage shot by Northern Iowa's leading scorer Kwadzo Ahelegbe. Kwadzo's shooting was the most glaring example of how bad the Eagles defense was on the day. He was not exceptionally hot while making ridiculous shots. In fact most his shots were either layups, dunks, open jumpers, or simple 2 dribble drive pull-ups. This was illustrated by the mere 3 three pointers taken. Though to be fair, Kwadzo did make all 3.

14...The number of offensive rebounds for the Eagles. One of the few bright spots for the team to this point has been the rebounding. Faced with the same size and athleticism issues they had last season, it was tough to imagine they'd be any better on the glass. But it's been quite the opposite. BC has rebounded very well this season and has out-rebounded every opponent so far.

Thumbs Up...

Rebounding

Sticking with this theme for just a moment. You have to give the BC some front line some credit. Northern Iowa missed just 19 shots in the entire game and yet BC still out-rebounded them 31-20. Joe Trapani led the way with 7 boards and Reggie Jackson continued his assault on the glass, pulling in 6. Jackson still leads the team on the boards, averaging 7.5 per game.

Corey Raji

Raji turned in his best game of the season dropping a season high 18 points on 7-13 shooting. Raji was, and continues to be the only acceptable perimeter defender for the Eagles. He moves his feet well and keeps his man in front of him, and is a still a big time threat to block shots from the weak side or on the break with his athleticism. When Raji has his jumper working, he can be the best player on this team.

Thumbs Down...

Team Defense

A lot of people will point to the absence of Rakim Sanders (ankle) as the reason that this team is struggling. But what Sanders brings to the table, is not what the Eagles are missing. In fact, Sanders may be the worst defender on the team. Only Raji has continued to put in the defensive effort necessary to contain even slightly above average guards and quick forwards. The more I see of this team, the more convinced I am that their defensive shortcomings will torpedo the season.

Three Point Shooting

The three ball is such a major part of college basketball these days, and often times when a game is tight or at least competitive, it can often come down to which team makes its shots from deep and which team struggles from there. The Panthers took fewer (9) and made more (5) resulting in fewer missed opportunities in a game in which neither team played exceptional defensively. Northern Iowa exploited BC's weaknesses better than BC did Northern Iowa's.

Overall...

The Eagles are off now until Saturday when they travel to Providence for a battle with Keno Davis and the Fryars. In between now and then, Al Skinner and his team need to decide whether or not they're willing to commit to getting better defensively, or if they're just satisfied with being competitive as an above average offensive team. Playing the way they have to this point is simply unacceptable. Allowing any player to shoot 14-17 from the field without taking hardly a single contested shot is an indicator that this team is simply not trying on that end of the field. I'd love to see Corey Raji or Joe Trapani stand up and say 'enough is enough' and try and get the team to commit to getting better. Looking ahead (@Providence, @Michigan, vs. Miami), there is a real chance that this team could be 3-5 before getting back to the cupcake portion of the schedule. If they harbor any dreams of an NCAA Tournament berth, they'd better get it together now.

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-23T11:06:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know I was slacking over the weekend. It was a good time though, went to the game, then out to Roggie's and then caught the Texas/Kansas game on TV that night. Now we're back on a regular schedule.

BC Football Links

Coach Spaz may finally be tiring of the "the team is young" mantra.

Despite the tough loss at home, 8 or even 9 wins would still be a good season for BC.

It was simply not a good day to be a BC football fan Saturday.

The offensive line corralled the aggressive UNC D-Line except for some key plays.

BC Basketball Links

WEEI wouldn't dare bump the Big Show for todays BC-UNI game...so your only avenue for listening to the game is through CBS All-Access online.

*UPDATE* The video feed for the game will also be available...providing you've got 8 bucks laying around. Might be worth it though considering the interesting opponent.

The Scene: Photos From Alumni Stadium

2009-11-23T10:36:00.005-05:00

North Carolina 31 Boston College 13

2009-11-22T15:07:00.002-05:00

The Scoreboard

                    1      2       3       4      F
North Carolina      21     0       0       10     31
Boston College      3      10      0       0      13

The Story...

In recent BC history, I struggled to think of a game as bizarre as the one we witnessed this weekend. The Eagles were down 21-0 before you'd had a chance to blink, and suddenly, what was supposed to be a great moment for the Eagle seniors, turned into a nightmare. BC rallied though forcing 3 turnovers to claw within 8 at halftime. A strong defensive effort in the 2nd half by both teams (combined with more turnovers) kept the score the same deep into the 4th quarter before Dave Shinskie was picked for the 4th time in the game resulting in the back breaking touchdown for the Tar Heels. A late field goal was added to provide the final 31-13 margin. On the day there were 10 total turnovers (6 by BC, 4 for North Carolina) and less than 400 total yards of offense. Montel Harris continued his assault on the BC record books by gashing the nations 7th rated run defense for 132 yards.

By the Numbers...

24...The number of points North Carolina scored off of BC turnovers. I mentioned this in the game preview, but it bares repeating here. The Tar Heels offense is mediocre and generally relies on their defense to help either score points for them, or put them in great position to do so on their own. The Tar Heels longest sustained drive was their opening drive in which they went 70 yards in 8 plays for their lone unassisted score. After that, the longest drive they could cobble together was 31 yards. The defense did it's job, Dave Shinskie and the rest of the offense were horrendous despite multiple opportunities.

6...The number of carries for Montel Harris in the 2nd half. With Shinskie struggling badly to find open receivers, common logic would seem to indicate that the best course of action would be to continue giving the ball to your best weapon...especially after a productive first half. And it wasn't as if he was ineffective on those 2nd half carries as he racked up 48 yards (8 yard average). If Gary Tranquill felt like they couldn't run the ball much more, they could have at least attempted to utilize the North Carolina strategy of short passes and screens rather than attacking deep.

0...The number of conversions on 3rd down for BC. Repeatedly the offense was forced into 3rd and long situations and forced to have to make plays 7 or 8 yards down the field when they clearly weren't able. By contrast, North Carolina utilized the bruising Ryan Houston (more in the 1st half) and a short passing game utilizing multiple screens and misdirections to keep the game manageable for the equally abysmal TJ Yates.

6...The number of points the Eagles came away with after turnovers provided them the ball inside the UNC 30 yard line. As was mentioned in the preview, 1 of the keys to the game would be the ability to make the most of scoring opportunities. Whereas North Carolina scored touchdowns on their opportunities, the Eagles primarily kicked field goals. If both of these opportunities were touchdowns, the game would have been 21-21 at halftime and could have turned out different.

19...The number of tackles by Luke Kuechly. The defense was repeatedly ask to keep the team in the game despite being given a short field to defend. Kuechly though rose to the challenge and was simply everywhere making plays. There's not much more that can be said of the season that this kid has turned in, as he is likely the best freshman linebacker in the country and most certainly the best freshman linebacker BC has ever had.

Thumbs Up...

Montel Harris

Despite facing the 7th ranked run defense in America, Harris turned in another stellar day with 23 carries for 132 yards for a 5.7 average. North Carolina was averaging just 90 yards allowed on the ground this season. Montel was able to break the Eagles out of tight spots many times with his tremendous vision and keep the offense moving in the 1st half. The only thing he wasn't able to do was get the ball in the end zone on the goal line in the 1st quarter.

The Secondary

Roderick Rollins and Marty Bowman in particular were spectacular. The secondary was outstanding again against the North Carolina receivers and running game. For one of the few times all season, the corners will allowed to play close to the line of scrimmage and try and cover the receivers man to man and they were very successful at it. They did a great job keeping receivers in front of them and breaking up potential big plays on the rare occasions that TJ Yates attempted to throw down the field. The coverage also produced multiple interceptions as Yates simply had nowhere to go with the football (the Rollins INT in the end zone stood out). Also, when the Tar Heels ran the ball, the safety's did a tremendous job of filling the gaps and helping the D-Line bring down Ryan Houston.

The Offensive Line

Against one of the more fierce pass rushes in the country and a tremendous run defense, the O-Line played one of it's better games of the season. They stifled ACC defensive player of the year candidate Robert Quinn after a quick start, holding him without a sack and only 3 tackles. They also kept Butkus Award semi-finalist Quan Sturdivant from being a major factor (just 7 tackles). Shinskie was given good time to find receivers, and Montel Harris was given lanes to run through. What happened Saturday was not their fault and they deserve recognition for their efforts on senior day.

Thumbs Down...

Dave Shinskie

I've been among the group that has defended him through his growing pains this season by trying to get people to put his performances in perspective. He's still a true freshman QB, playing organized football for the first time in 7 years. But, his performance yesterday was inexcusable. With ample time to throw the ball he simply could not make the throws necessary to keep the team in the game. He indicated that he had injured his thumb at some point during the game, but that still doesn't change the fact that he didn't seem to have the presence to throw the ball away or run when the rush finally closed in on him.

Wide Receivers

As bad as Shinskie was, this group wasn't any better. On the rare occasions when the beleaguered QB was able to throw a catchable ball, the receiving core struggled to actually...you know...catch it. Several drops resulted in killing drives and prevented the Eagles from establishing any kind of flow offensively, particularly in the 2nd half. They weren't the primary problem for BC, but they don't get let off the hook for this one either.

Gary Tranquill

Perhaps more than the rest, Gary Tranquill could shoulder the blame for this debacle. His play calling was questionable when it came to 3rd down situations, as the Eagles repeatedly threw on 3rd and short to no avail. Also, when it became clear that BC could not beat the UNC secondary down the field with a vertical passing game, perhaps a screen pass or short comeback routes would have been a better idea. That's assuming they should have thrown it as much as they did. They clearly were able to run against the vaunted Carolina defense but went away from it in the 2nd half (8 rushes). I mentioned this last week, the premise about getting Harris hurt because of overusage is ridiculous, as he could be hurt on 1 carry rather than on 31 carries. You can't play scared. If the game dictates Harris running it 40 times, then so be it, and yesterday, it did.

Overall...

Excluding the disastrous beginning to the game for BC, the team battled valiantly despite the uphill nature of it. I went in expecting BC to lose in much the same fashion that they did (excluding the 10 turnovers of course), but it doesn't take away the sting of "what if?". The Eagles had multiple opportunities to get back into the game and steal it despite the poor play of the offense. They need to have short memories though, as they travel down to College Park to play a Maryland team that is probably the worst in the conference. A loss there would be devastating and would serve to put a dark cloud over what, overall, has been a very positive season. Finish strong should be the motto.

Live From Alumni Stadium With Links!

2009-11-21T07:27:00.002-05:00

I'll be in my seats in Section X for the season's final home game against North Carolina. I'll have a recap up later tonight along with the new, as yet to be named, photos from the game feature. So check back for that tonight. In the meantime, enjoy some gameday links!

BC-North Carolina

It's been a good season for the Eagles, but the 'Heels might be the hottest team in the land.

Senior captain Matt Tennant wants to cap his career with a perfect home season.

Coach Spaz thinks this might be the best team the Eagles have faced this year.

A win today and some help from in-state rival NC State could boost UNC's bowl attractiveness.

Special teams could be the deciding factor when 2 below average offenses collide.

BC Basketball

Coach Skinner still hopes to win at least 2 games in this tournament.

Garrett Williamson took the game over in the final 2 minutes for St. Joe's.

St. Joseph's 84 Boston College 80

2009-11-20T21:56:00.004-05:00

The Scoreboard

                   1       2       F
St. Joseph's       39      45      84
Boston College     40      40      80

The Story...

The night began with such promise as the Eagles put their full starting lineup on display for the first time all season. But what began as a good night BC basketball quickly became a nightmare as Rakim Sanders badly rolled an ankle in the opening 3 minutes and did not return. Making matters worse was Corey Raji picking up 2 quick fouls and having sit out almost the entire half. To top it off, the Hawks ran out to a quick 9-2 lead and it seemed everything would come unraveled for the Eagles early. But as they often do, they rallied back behind Joe Trapani (20 points) to take a 1 point lead at halftime. In the 2nd half though, Darrin Govens and the rest of his team caught fire from deep (10-21 3FG) to go ahead by as many as 8 before holding off a late BC rally that included 2 point blank misses with under 5 seconds remaining that would have tied the game. St. Joe's was led by senior guard Garrett Williamson (18 points).

By the Numbers...

+8/+6...If you had told me that BC would out-rebound the Hawks 46-38 and turn the ball over just 5 times to St. Joe's 11, I'd have told you the Eagles won this game by 30. These were 2 of the 3 hot button issues facing the 09-10 Boston College basketball team and the won both of these categories. Biko Paris in particular deserves credit for his floor management and presence (4 assists, no turnovers, perfect from the line). So how, you ask, did the Eagles lose this game? Read on...

48%...Remember those 2 hot button issues that they were solid on? Well the 3rd was perimeter defense, which was a colossal failure in this game. The Hawks shot 48% from 3 land in the game and made 6 3's in the 2nd half. The 3 ball became more of a factor in the 2nd half after the Eagles guards were completely incapable of keeping the Hawks perimeter players out of the paint (Carl Jones in particular). In the 2nd half, the Eagles adjusted and started collapsing the paint which resulted in wide open drive and kick plays which ultimately was the undoing of the Eagles.

27...This question hasn't been sufficiently answered yet, and unless he was injured we likely never will get one. Why did Joe Trapani play only 27 minutes and sit the final 9 minutes of the game? Was he injured? Did Skinner not like the way he was playing? If he wasn't injured (and there was no indication he was), it's hard to explain why the leading scorer on the team and, with Rakim Sanders on the bench, their most skilled offensive player was on the bench.

Thumbs Up...

Reggie Jackson

Yes, he blew a complete bunny at the rim in the closing seconds that would have sent it to overtime, but the kid is playing fabulous basketball on the offensive end. He led the team in rebounds (11) and also chipped in with 18 points and 4 assists. When he figures out things defensively, he'll be frightening.

Joe Trapani

Joe, when he was in the game, was a force on both ends. He easily had his best game of the season despite a so-so shooting percentage. He found other ways to contribute in the game either by rebounding (8), or on the defensive end (1 steal, 2 blocks). He was constantly put in the position of having to try and erase his teammates mistakes defensively, did an admirable job, and was the reason the team led at half.

Thumbs Down...

Al Skinner

I won't single out the defense, or the play calling, or the blown layup at the buzzer. But I will harp on the fact that Al looked like he didn't have this team ready to play the game. And after things went wrong (Sanders getting hurt, 2 quick fouls on Raji) it seemed like the team struggled with focus and intensity the rest of the night. Then of course there was the fact that Al seemed to forget that Joe Trapani was on the bench. Al was not on his game tonight and did not put the team in the best position to win the game.

Josh Southern

I've talked at length about how important it is for Southern to be able to hold his own against some of the better centers that he'll play against in the country. And on this night, Josh struggled again, mustering just 6 point and 4 rebounds in just 20 minutes. He was constantly pushed around inside and had his shot blocked several times by smaller players. Josh often times seems to be going through the motions and doesn't seem to be improving from his freshman year.

Overall...

My concerns about the Eagles ability to keep opposing teams out of the paint were confirmed tonight as time after time the BC perimeter players stuck to screens like velcro and the help was late. This resulted in fouls, free throws, and easy points for the Hawks. As the game progressed, the team committed to defending the paint by packing it in, thus leaving open the 3 point line where St. Joe's successfully bombed away to the tune of almost 50%. The Eagles meanwhile went ice cold for a 5 minute stretch after Tyler Roche hit back to back 3's to give the Eagles a lead. That stretch included turnovers, poor ball movement, bad shots, and poor transition defense. If you remember back to the team preview, I mentioned that this team had great potential, but there were also major red flags that could result in a 2nd losing season in 3 years. This was not even close to the best team they'll play this year, meaning that against better teams, if the defense improve, things could get very ugly.

Stay Tuned For...

I'll try and get up a preview of the BC-North Dakota State game tomorrow but no guarantees. I'll be at the BC-UNC football game taking pictures. The pictures, along with a recap of the game should be up sometime tomorrow night. Enjoy the weekend!

BC football vs. North Carolina Preview

2009-11-20T15:47:00.004-05:00

Who: North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3, 3-3) vs. Boston College Eagles (7-3, 4-2)

Where: Alumni Stadium -- Chestnut Hill, MA

When: 12:00pm EST on ESPN2 and WRKO-AM680

Last We Saw Them...

The Eagles were holding on for dear life as they struggled to put away the lowly Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville. Dave Shinskie had thrown 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown) and nearly several more. He did connect with Justin Jarvis in the 2nd quarter for a score, and then with the team trailing 10-7, he converted a 4th and goal from the 1 to put the Eagles ahead. On the final drive of the game, Virginia drove from its own 21 to the BC 17 with 30 seconds remaining. On 4th and 2, Cavaliers QB Jameel Sewell scrambled but was stood up just in front of the first down marker by Mike Morrissey to preserve the 14-10 win. It was the first road victory of the season for Boston College.

Know Thy Enemy...

North Carolina is riding a strong wave of momentum into the Heights for this weekends game. They've beaten 2 nationally ranked teams in the last 3 weeks, including a 17-14 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Heels rely on a stifling defense that is among the fastest in the country. They rank 8th in the nation in total defense (268 ypg) and are particularly stingy against the run (under 90 ypg allowed). They're led defensively by middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant (64 tackles, 10 for loss) and DE Robert Quinn (10 sacks, 4 forced fumbles). If the Eagles are to compete in this game, they will especially need to get a handle on Quinn. When Quinn and Sturdivant are factors in the pass rush, it makes their secondary that much more dangerous. Kendrick Burney will be the man in that secondary looking to do the most damage (3 INT's last week against Miami). However, the UNC secondary has shown vulnerability when the QB has had time to see the field. Protection will be key for the Eagles.

Offensively the Tar Heels have struggled this year and at times have been just downright awful. 3rd year QB TJ Yates still leads the UNC attack, but has been inconsistent since returning from off season knee surgery. He has shown improvement over the last few weeks though. The rushing attack was powered by a dual combo of Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston, but the former is lost for the remainder of the year thanks to shoulder surgery. Houston is a straight ahead power back (6'2, 245), and has enough athleticism and speed to make defenders miss at times. BC will need to have multiple bodies in to stop the run, requiring a better effort for the D-Line than we've seen this year.

Go-No Go...

Nothing really new for the Eagles in terms of injuries. Backup RB Rolandan Finch will again miss the game as he continues to recover from his battle with mono, he could be available next week. DE Alex Albright remains questionable with a lingering ankle problem along with fellow lineman Jim Ramella. The only real change to the report is the addition of James McCluskey who is listed as questionable because of a leg issue. McCluskey missed the first 6 games of the season with a torn achilles.

For the Tar Heels, only the aforementioned Shaun Draughn will be out of action in terms of key players. FB Devon Ramsay is listed as question with an ankle sprain he suffered during last weeks win over Miami.

What To Watch For...

BC's Offensive Line

I mentioned this earlier, but it bares mentioning again. The North Carolina defense is absolutely frightening, particularly in the front 7. The secondary is full of ball hawks, but it may be the weakness in the unit. Individually, they struggle in man to man coverage, especially when plays are given time to develop. With BC's stable of good receivers, they can exploit this. But it will take a supreme effort from the offensive line to provide Shinskie the time he needs to find the open receivers, and for the receivers to run their routes. Also, it will be important for BC to keep some semblance of balance in their offense by utilizing some creative ways to get Montel Harris going in the run game. Slamming the ball up the middle will not get it done. If these things happen, BC's chances of winning increase exponentially.

Ryan Houston

The bruising tail back may well be the key to the game for both teams. Houston is a load in the backfield weighing in at nearly 250 pounds. He also is nimble enough to avoid tackles and extend plays. BC must not let him bounce off tackles and get those 2nd and 3rd effort yards. This will require the defensive line to turn in perhaps its best effort of the year. They'll need to make the stops at the point of attack and force the Tar Heels into passing situations. North Carolina does not have that Hakeem Nicks or Brandon Tate level of receiver this year, and as such BC should be able to contain the passing game, particularly in 2nd/3rd and long.

Special Teams

With 2 stout defenses and 2 offenses that have been prone to mistakes and long stretches of ineffectiveness, it's not unreasonable to assume that this could be a low scoring game. This means that special teams could end up playing a huge role in the outcome of this game. The team that wins the field position battle (punts inside the 20, kickoff/punt returns, etc) could well win the game.

Red Zone Efficiency

Again, the game could be low scoring so it will be CRITICAL for both teams to capitalize when the opportunities present themselves. In the red zone it will be completely unacceptable for either team to leave points on the field via turnovers, missed field goals, etc. The team that makes the most of the (potentially) rare opportunities to put up points could end up winning the game.

How It's Gonna Go Down...

I won't lie. This game makes me very uneasy as a BC fan. Teams with dominant defensive lines have been the teams that have frustrated the Eagles the most this season (read: Clemson). I can see the effort and execution on the offensive line being better than in that game, but ultimately I think they'll struggle to contain Sturdivant and Quinn. Expect a low scoring game where Carolina racks up yards but not points and BC struggles to move the ball. Late in the game Quinn will pick up his 11th sack of the year resulting in a fumble or he'll force an errant throw by Shinskie that will be picked off. Carolina will score late to torpedo the undefeated home season.

The Line: BC -3
The Call: UNC 17 BC 9

BC basketball vs. St. Joseph's Preview

2009-11-19T21:05:00.004-05:00

Who: Boston College Eagles (2-0) vs. St. Joseph's Hawks (2-0)
Where: Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center -- St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
When: 6:00pm EST on WRKO-AM680

Last We Saw Them...

BC was playing it's 2nd and final game without Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn who were suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules. The game was a laugher for the most part as the Eagles jumped on the St. Francis (NY) Terriers early then briefly let their foot off the gas pedal before pulling away and cruising to a 72-44 win. Highlighted by a strong defensive effort and another efficient night from Tyler Roche (19 points), the Eagles solidified their rotation for the Paradise Jam Tournament. Reggie Jackson chipped in with a near triple double of 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Know Thy Enemy...

The Hawks are a little down this year thanks to the departure of leading scorer/rebounder Ahmad Nivins and point guard/2nd leading scorer Tasheed Carr. With all the senior leadership that graduated last season, St. Joe's has major holes to fill, especially in the front court. Doing his best to fill in is junior Todd O'Brien. O'Brien missed all of last season with an injury but is averaging just shy of a double double so far. Leading the Hawks in scoring through the first 2 games of the year is true freshman Carl Jones. Jones is raw but has real potential especially when driving to the basket. Rounding out the rest of the St. Joe's scoring threats are junior swing man Idris Hilliard, and senior 2 guard Darrin Govens. The Hawks are very disciplined and will not resort to bombing away from deep...they'll continue to work the ball close to the rim and try to wear down their opponents late in games.

St. Joe's is 2-0 so far on the young season with tight wins over Drexel and Holy Cross. The latter coming after the Hawks blew a 5 point halftime lead and were tied with less than 2 minutes to play. The Crusaders dominated the game on the glass 50-33.

Go-No Go...

For Boston College, Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn will make their season debuts in this game after being suspended for the first 2. Sanders averaged nearly 13 points per game last season and is the teams 2nd leading returning scorer from last season.

For St. Joe's, everyone is healthy and ready to go.

What To Watch For...

Team Cohesiveness

The Eagles will be welcoming back 2 starters to the lineup for this game and it's fair to wonder how quickly they will mesh into the lineup that gelled so quickly in the opening 2 games. The quicker that Sanders and Raji get themselves integrated into the team the quicker things will start to move in the right direction in the game. If both struggle getting their legs under them, particularly in this playoff setting, it could present the opening St. Joseph's will need to spring the upset.

Perimeter Defense

As I mentioned earlier, Hawks coach Phil Martelli has developed teams that play with extraordinary discipline when it comes to offense. This means that we'll see his team driving to the basket, and are unlikely to see them chucking 3's. This will be a major test for the Eagles improved perimeter defense as they'll need to defend well at the point of attack. If Govins and Carr are allowed to penetrate to the goal at will, this could be a very difficult game for the Eagles. Especially with the noted foul problems of BC center Josh Southern and Joe Trapani. Much as I'd like to believe Evan Ravenel and Courtney Dunn will be improved, I don't want to see them log big minutes in this game.

The Benches

Not to keep harping on this topic, but with the returns of our suspended starters, it also means a return to the bench for Tyler Roche and Reggie Jackson. Roche in particular will need to be effective in his limited role off the bench shooting the deep ball and rebounding. If Roche, Jackson, Ravenel, and Dunn can provide the starters with a few minutes of rest on the bench and not get completely dominated, this team has serious potential. By the same token, St. Joseph's lost a ton of talent from last years tournament team. They're still searching for an identity, and trying to hammer out a rotation. This game could well be decided when the starters sit down and the subs get in the game.

The Line: N/A
The Call: BC 67 SJU 58

Handicapping the Paradise Jam Tournament

2009-11-19T11:47:00.006-05:00

With the Paradise Jam Tournament getting under way from the US Virgin Islands tomorrow, let's take a few moments and take a look at the field and provide the odds for winning.

DePaul

The Blue Devils were a team last season that pulled off one of the greatest feats in college basketball that these eyes have seen. They managed to go winless in the Big East regular season at 0-18. That in and of itself would have been impressive enough, except that the Blue Devils made gamblers a ton of money as they broke their 18 game losing streak by ousting Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East Tournament, before putting a scare into Providence in the 2nd round but ultimately falling. The Devils return 3 of their top 5 scorers from last season, but lost senior standout Dar Tucker. For DePaul to make a run in the tournament, leading returning scorer Mac Koshwal will need to be a dominant force inside as he was in the season opening win against Columbia (19 pts, 12 rebs).

Odds: 30/1

Northern Iowa

The undisputed dark horse of this tournament from the undisputed dark horse conference in the country (Missouri Valley). Rated as the 7th best mid-major team in the country, the defending MVC champions return all 5 starters and most of their bench and should be an exceptionally dangerous team in this thing. Led by a back court featuring Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Ali Farokhmanesh, the Panthers are a terrific outside shooting team with a low rate of turnovers. In addition they can pound it inside with Adam Koch and Jordan Eglseder.

Odds: 6/1

Tennessee

The favorite for this tournament in my book. The 11th ranked Volunteers boast a ton of returning talent in Wayne Chism, Scotty Hopson, and Tyler Smith and currently have 5 players averaging double figures. Chism and Smith in particular provide a punishing and athletic front court that will provide match up issues for everyone short of Purdue because of their outside shooting ability. Scotty Hopson might well be the best individual player in the tournament. He scores from everywhere on the floor and is lights out from 3. They'll be tested against Northern Iowa in the second round, but it will take a supreme effort to oust this team from this tournament.

Odds: 3/2

East Carolina

Being led by point guard Brock Young, the Pirates certainly aren't the most talented team in the field, but they do have depth, and will probably rotate 9 players throughout the tournament. They rebound well for a mid major (4 players averaging at least 5 boards a game. What will hurt this team ultimately in this tournament (besides the opening round game against Tennessee) is the turnovers. They've averaged just over 20 a game this season so far. Unacceptable.

Odds: 40/1

Boston College

The Eagles definitely qualify as a darkhorse in this tournament as they bring better than expected depth to the court, solid perimiter play, but major questions under the basket. Rebounding will continue to be a problem for the Eagles and is something that will have to be addressed in order for them to have a shot to take this thing. The big advatange that the Eagles have going into this tournament is that nobody has film to study on them because they haven't been at full strength yet thanks to the suspensions of starters Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and reserve forward Courtney Dunn. BC could use this to it's advantage and possibly spring the upset over Purdue in round 2.

Odds: 8/1

St. Joseph's

What looked initially like the best first round match up (St. Joe's vs. BC), turned into something of a ho-hum affair. The Hawks lost a ton of talent from last seasons NCAA Tournament team and don't have a to replace it with. True freshman Carl Jones will do his best though and is off to a good start (15 ppg), but he doesn't have much help as Darrin Govens is the only returning starter. Junior Todd O'Brien has done a nice job in his first season as a starter inside for St. Joe's as he leads the team in rebounding and nearly averages a double double (9.5 ppg, 9.0 rebs). For the Hawks to spring a few upsets or win this tournament they'll need to find ways to manufacture points off turnovers and offensive rebounds. Otherwise they simply won't have enough ammo to bring to a gunfight against some explosive offensive teams.

Odds: 15/1

Purdue

The Boilermakers enter the season ranked 7th in the country and with aspirations of a Final Four appearance. All the pieces are certainly in place as their top 3 players are back in Robbie Hummell, JaJuan Johnson, and E'Twaun Moore. Hummell in particular is probably the toughest guard in the tournament because of his versatility, he can shoot the deep ball and is also a skilled ball handler and post player. Healthy this season after struggling with back trouble, he makes Purdue easily the 2nd best team here, and you can make an argument for the best overall. The Boilers did get some bad news today though when PG Lewis Jackson had surgery to repair a broken foot. He'll be out for this entire tournament. Senior Chris Kramer will take his place. Simply put, if center JuJuan Johnson is able to lead the team defensively and Hummell and Moore do their thing, Purdue will be probably be in the final opposite Tennessee.

Odds: 3/1

Projected Winner: Tennessee
Projected Finish for BC: 4th (loses to Northern Iowa in consolation game)

Stay Tuned For:

We'll break down Fridays first round match-up between BC/St. Joe's tonight, and then get you ready for BC-North Carolina football game tomorrow!

News, Notes, and Links

2009-11-19T11:23:00.002-05:00

Some links for you guys, and then the handicap of the Paradise Jam Tournament will be up.

BC-North Carolina

Despite being on their 3rd coach in 4 years, the Eagles seniors keep winning.

BC keeps graduating it's athletes at an incredible clip.

UNC coach Butch Davis shares similar philosophies when it comes to winning with hoops coach Roy Williams.

News, Notes, and Links

2009-11-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry for not posting the TCU-Boise State debate article, it's been a hectic day. We'll examine that sometime next week. In the meantime, enjoy some links!

BC Basketball

The Eagles officially closed their recruiting class for next season when Brady Heslip, Kevin Noreen, and Papa Samba Ndao all signed their letters of intent today.

Tyler Roche led the team in scoring in the win over St. Francis (NY) last night.

BC Football

Mark Herzlich was named the recipient of the Disney Spirit Award, given to an inspirational athlete.

BC-North Carolina

Dave Shinskie might not want to throw near Kendrick Burney this weekend.

North Carolina rides a wave of momentum into Alumni Stadium Saturday.

Boston College 72 St. Francis (NY) 44

2009-11-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

The Scoreboard

                      1        2         F
St. Francis (NY)      22       22        44
Boston College        36       36        72

The Story...

The Eagles showed a little bit more energy early in the game tonight in an attempt to bury the wounded Terriers early. But the Terriers remained feisty, battling back from as many as 20 in the 1st half behind Akeem Bennett (team high-18 points). Still, despite the effort from St. Francis, BC led by 14 at the half. The rest of the game though, became the Tyler Roche & Reggie Jackson show. Roche hit 5 3's and led all scorers with 19 while Jackson scored 17 while dishing out 7 assists and bringing down 8 rebounds and the Eagles cruised to a 72-44 win at Conte Forum. It was the final game before the returns of the suspended Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn.

By the Numbers...

33.3%...The percentage of free throws made by St. Francis (4-12). When you're undermanned and facing a superior opponent you simply can not afford to leave points on the floor. The misses at the line were the reason the game didn't get more interesting in the 1st half while the Terriers were playing well from the field.

16...The number of turnovers for the Eagles. A number of these came during the aforementioned first half run by St. Francis when the team seemed to relax after getting a 20 point lead in the first 12 minutes. BC settled down afterwards and only had 4 turnovers in the 2nd half. They also forced 18 Terrier turnovers.

13...The number of points for Josh Southern. That ties a career high for Southern, who will need to be vastly improved and be able to stay out of foul trouble if the Eagles are going to be successful this season. Josh was very effective in this game from the field and showed surprising touch from the mid-range, a shot he did not have the last 2 seasons.

7:4...The A/T ratio of BOTH Biko Paris and Reggie Jackson. I mentioned in my preview that I wanted to see something closer to the 2:1 ratio that is the gold standard for point guards and we saw it. If it weren't for a sloppy stretch in the 1st half, this number would have been even better. Nice job by both, Jackson in particular...the team as a whole had 21 assists on 28 baskets...an excellent number.

Thumbs Up...

The Offense. The offense was very fluid against the 2-3 zone that St. Francis deployed in an attempt to slow down the Eagles. They constantly found the seams and moved very well off the ball into the open spaces. Reggie Jackson in particular was excellent at finding the cutters on the weak side. When the team did settle for 3's, they made sure most of them were of the open variety and made them.

Tyler Roche. For the second straight game Tyler Roche was a consistent threat from all over the floor and proving that at least for now, he'll be a powerful weapon. As long as he continues to play defense and rebound he'll have carte blanche to fire away from deep as he did in this game (5 made 3's). Before we designate him for a lead role on this team though, let's see what happens this weekend.

Reggie Jackson. Reggie provided the leadership at the point guard position that the team was worried would be lacking with the departure of Tyrese Rice. I'm not ready to say that Jackson is more deserving than Biko Paris...but I'm getting close. I also found it interesting that as opposed to the Dartmouth game, Jackson played the lead guard throughout most of the game while Paris mostly played off the ball. Perhaps Al Skinner is waning on his decision to start Paris?

Thumbs Down...

Sustained Intensity. The Eagles came out with better energy than they did against Dartmouth and looked like they were interested in ending this game quickly. But after building a quick 20 point lead, the Eagles relaxed and St. Francis didn't quit. This resulted in the St. Francis chopping 8 points off the lead. While it's likely they won't have these types of lapses in concentration against better teams, if they do, the runs by the other team will come faster and with more points.

Overall...

Much better performance overall than the Dartmouth game. Complete with tremendous ball movement against the 2-3 zone, transition points, solid perimeter shooting, and pretty good on the ball defense the Eagles turned in a solid game. The first 2 games were all about building depth for the more important games while Sanders, Raji, and Dunn served their 2 game suspensions and I think they accomplished that. With Jackson, Ravenel, Dunn, and Roche off the bench, the depth that was in great question before the season suddenly seems to not be so bad.

Stay Tuned For...

Tomorrow I'll post up an article that I hope will draw some interest. I'll be analyzing who belongs in the BCS from the non-automatic qualifier category, Boise State or TCU? Should be up in the afternoon.

Bowling In Obscurity

2009-11-17T12:48:00.000-05:00

Champs Sports? Music City? Meineke Car Care? Emerald? With the unexpected (by the experts) success that the Boston College football team has had this season, their bowl possibilities seem almost endless. There has been a great deal of confusion regarding how the bowl selection process works when it relates to the Eagles. This article will hopefully go a long way toward explaining that process, and we'll also clarify the definition of "The BC Rule".

Historically speaking, Boston College has always been passed over in the bowl selection process for teams with lesser records but bigger fan bases. Bowl games outside of the BCS are and will always be about money. If bowl games were about matching up the best teams against each other, BC would have been the team battling nationally ranked Auburn in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl in 2007 (The Chic-Fil-A is the highest non-BCS bowl that the ACC is tied to). But, due to the Eagles reputation as a "poor traveling" fan base, they were passed over in favor of Clemson, a team BC had beaten just 2 weeks prior and but brings much greater revenue to the city of Atlanta because of it's traveling fans. I won't get into the specifics as to why other schools (particularly in the south) travel better than BC. I'll let the undergraduate enrollment and alumni base location explain that for me.

What does that have to do with this year? Well quite a bit actually. It was because of incidents like the one above, and an even more insane series of snubs in 2005 that led to BC being forced into playing in Boise, ID, that a rule was enacted affectionately known as "The BC Rule". While not specifically enacted to help out the Eagles, it's hard not to notice the timing. The rule is written into the bowl contracts, and as a result is not an arbitrary suggestion to the bowl games and has been exercised twice already (and was also a primary reason that the Gator Bowl was dropped from the ACC going forward after this year).

"The BC Rule" states that a bowl can not select a team in the process in which there is more than a 1 game difference in conference record (ie, a team with a 4-4 ACC record can not be taken ahead of a team that finishes 6-2 or better).

Now let's get to the relevance on this season starting by getting 1 thing out of the way. No matter what happens, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Virginia Tech will be taken before the Eagles in the selection process based on their conference record being (at minimum) 5-3. After that though things get very dicey. If BC wins out and finishes at 6-2 in the conference the ONLY other team in conference that could finish 5-3 is Miami/Duke (they play each other).

That means BC would be first in line for a bowl bid ahead of (let's assume Miami beats Duke) Florida State, North Carolina, and Duke. Under these circumstances, with BC sitting at 5th in the pecking order of ACC teams, let's examine another piece of the bowl selection process that has confused people.

According to the ACC bowl contracts, the Music City Bowl, the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and the Emerald Bowl are listed as having the 5th, 6th, and 7th choices in the selection process. This is not entirely accurate though. What most people don't understand is that these 3 bowls are allowed to work together to choose which teams will compete in their bowl. By this, I mean that each bowl will select which team it PREFERS to have. If the bowls agree on the selection, record is not a factor (a 4-4 team could be selected ahead of a 5-3 BC team). If they DO NOT agree, then the bowls will select in order based on their payout (Music City, Meineke, Emerald). However, "The BC Rule" DOES indeed trump this selection process. This means that in the scenario we listed earlier in which BC finishes 6-2, the Music City Bowl would HAVE to take the Eagles unless the team agrees to not be selected.

Basically to simplify this whole process, if BC wins their final 2 games (vs. North Carolina, @ Maryland) they are guaranteed to fall no lower than the Music City Bowl. I attended the Music City Bowl last year in Nashville and had a great time. I'd encourage all Eagle fans to do the same. Now, if BC loses 1 of both of these remaining games, they will be thrown back into the free selection process and likely end up in San Francisco playing in the Emerald Bowl.

Any questions or comments on the selection process? Leave them in the comments section or e-mail me: section.x@live.com

Stay Tuned For:

The recap of the basketball game between BC and St. Francis (NY)...see the preview below for a look at the Terriers and where you can WATCH the game.

Official Logo

2009-11-17T01:34:00.000-05:00

The glorious unveiling of the official "The View From Section X" logo.

Thanks to BC Mike for finding the VERY old Eagles logo, last seen in the very early part of the 20th century, and noticing that the Eagle makes an X.

BC-St. Francis (NY) Preview

2009-11-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

Who: St. Francis Terriers (0-1) vs. Boston College Eagles (1-0)
Where: Silvia O. Conte Forum -- Chestnut Hill, MA
When: 7:00pm EST on CBSSports.com

Last We Saw Them...

The news of the suspensions of Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn had just been handed out, and all of a sudden it seemed as though the Dartmouth game could become dangerous. But, thanks to a career high 30 by lone senior Tyler Roche, the Eagles shook off a rough start defensively to rout the Big Green 89-58 at Conte Forum. Reggie Jackson contributed 16 points in his first career start, while Biko Paris dished out 7 assists.

Know Thy Enemy...

St. Francis, like Boston College is short on depth (playing only a 7 man rotation against Brown) due to a string of injuries including their leading returning scorer Kayode Ayeni (13ppg last year). Among those who will be available to play for the Terriers include sophomore Stefan Perunicic who is looking to build on his solid freshman season (11ppg). He's a long range shooter who attempted over 200 3's last year, and when he gets it going, can be very difficult to turn off. Up front the Terriers lack size (both starting forwards are under 6'8) but Nigel Byam is good enough offensively to drag opposing 4's away from the basket and spread the floor. Under the basket, Herman Wrice is an effective if undersized shot blocker.

The Terriers have played just 1 game this season so far, dropping a tight 68-64 decision to Brown at home. Byam led the way for St. Francis with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Akeem Bennett was the high scorer with 19.

Go-No Go...

For BC, Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn will sit this one out to complete their 2 game sentence for a violation of unspecified team rules. They'll make their debuts Friday when the Eagles travel to the US Virgin Islands to take part in the Paradise Jam Tournament. Otherwise, everyone is healthy and available to go for BC.

For St. Francis, leading scorers Ricky Caldell and Kayode Aveni will sit this one out. Kayode is recovering from off-season knee surgery.

What to Watch For...

Putting the Hammer Down

Against what appears to be an inferior opponent who also happens to be missing its 2 best players, there is no excuse for BC to allow the Terriers to hang around in this game the way they did Dartmouth. Watch for the Eagles to come out with much more passion and fire, especially on the defensive side of the field, and try to bury St. Francis before halftime.

Tyler Roche's Shooting

The much maligned New Hampshire native scorched Dartmouth for a career high 30 points while shooting an outrageous 12-15 from the field. While he's unlikely to duplicate that performance (read: guaranteed not to), it would be nice for him to consistently make some shots and contribute when the team is at full strength. Watch to see if last week was an anomaly or whether Roche will be a factor on this team.

Biko Paris' A/T ratio

Fans were excited to see Biko distribute the ball well against Dartmouth (7 assists) and shoot well from the field (3-3, 6 points), and I was as well...however the 6 turnovers were of concern against such a mediocre opponent. Watch to see if Paris is able to turn ins something closer to a 2:1 A/T ratio. Efficiency is a major factor for a team with so little margin for error like the Eagles.

The Line: N/A
The Call: BC 94 St. Francis 69

News, Notes, Links

2009-11-16T18:18:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the late start today...had a ton to do at work. Let's get to it.

Notes:

BC has been instilled as a 3 point favorite...which means the game is actually a pick 'em as the home team is always spotted 3.

BC-North Carolina Links:

The Eagles survived against Virginia to set up a big showdown this weekend.

Saturdays game will have major implications for both teams bowl possibilities.

Next Saturdays season finale against Maryland will be a 3:30 start on ESPN-U.

North Carolina's oft-criticized offense finally is starting to gel.

Stay Tuned For:

A preview of the BC basketball game vs St. Francis (NY) within the hour.

Scheduled Posts For the Week...

2009-11-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

It's likely to be a little bit of a slow week with just 1 basketball game, but I'll do my best to keep you guys entertained this week as we head towards the BC-UNC football game on Saturday afternoon. In addition to the planned postings for this week, I'll also try and throw in a daily dose of links from both sides of the BC-North Carolina game.

Monday:

Preview- BC basketball vs. St. Francis (NY)

Tuesday:

Bowling in Obscurity- Where the football team will spend the holidays...and a clarification on "The BC Rule".
Recap- BC basketball vs. St. Francis (NY)

Wednesday:

BCS Busting- An objective view on whether TCU and Boise State deserve BCS bowl bids.

Thursday:

Handicapping the Paradise Jam- A look at the competition.
Preview- BC basketball vs. St. Joseph's in Round 1 of the Paradise Jam

Friday:

Preview- BC football vs. North Carolina
Recap- BC basketball vs. St. Joseph's

Saturday:

Recap- BC football vs. North Carolina
The View From Section X- Photos from BC/UNC

Sunday:

Preview- BC basketball vs. Purdue/South Dakota St. in Round 2 of the Paradise Jam

If you have a topic that you'd like "The View from Section X" to cover, feel free to send it in an e-mail, or post it in the comments.

News, Notes, & Links

2009-11-15T15:08:00.001-05:00

BC-Virginia Post Game Links...

Mike Morrissey saved the day for the Eagles.

Shinskie struggled but was big when he needed to be.

BC's ACC title game hopes now rest on the Clemson-UVA game next week.

For Virginia, it was a game of inches.

Despite the loss, Virginia's defense had much to be proud of.

National Links...

The polls are out for this week...and BC continues to get little to no respect.

Notre Dame took it on the chin again yesterday...how did we lose to them?

Ohio State will be in the Rose Bowl no thanks to coach Jim Tressell.

Stay Tuned For...

The unveiling of the official "The View From Section X" logo! Coming sometime tomorrow.

A preview of the BC-St. Francis (NY) basketball game scheduled for Tuesday night.

I'll also put up my list of scheduled posts for this week sometime tonight.

BC vs. UNC Start Time

2009-11-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

The ACC just released the start time for next weeks ACC games...

So much for my little birdie. BC vs. North Carolina is slated for 12 noon on ESPN2.

Boston College 14 Virginia 10

2009-11-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

The Scoreboard

                      1        2        3        4       F      
Boston College        0        7        0        7       14
Virginia              0        0        10       0            10

The Story...

Not a bad way to start the blog. Everyone predicts a blowout and I get it right by calling a defensive struggle. This one was not pretty folks. The Eagles road struggles reared their heads for the 4th time this season. And make no mistake about it, against a better team, BC gets their asses handed to them in this game. But behind a heroic effort from Montel Harris (37 carries, 151 yards) and a key stop on 4th and 2 at the BC 15 by Mike Morrissey on Jameel Sewell, the Eagles escape with a 14-10 win.

By the Numbers...

2...The number of interceptions thrown by BC QB Dave Shinskie, 1 of which was returned for the Cavaliers lone touchdown of the game. He now has 7 interceptions in road games this season...nearly 2 a game.

37...The number of carries by BC's stud running back Montel Harris. Since coughing up the winning TD against Notre Dame, Harris has been terrorizing opponents (287 yards the last 2 games)...he's now over 1,000 yards for the season, the most since Derrick Knight patrolled the Heights.

1...The number of TD's Virginia had called back. Early in the 3rd quarter, Vic Hall returned a punt 74 yards for what appeared to be the tying TD...but it was called back thanks to a block in the back penalty. That play loomed large due to the final score.

13...The number of tackles by Luke Kuechly. If he weren't a freshman I would tell you that the guy is an absolute lock for ACC DPOY. As it is, he might even end up having to settle for 2nd place in the ROY battle because of the performance of Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams. Despite that, with 107 tackles now, there's no denying this kid is going to be a star.

Thumbs Up...

Not going to lie...there's not a lot to like about how the team played today other than the grit they showed. But let's try anyway...

Montel Harris. Harris gets the game ball thanks to the aforementioned 37 carries for 151 yards. He repeatedly broke tackles and made plays out of nothing to keep drives alive and put the offense in position to succeed. His combination of speed, balance, and power continue baffle opponents and make him an under the radar superstar. Without him, there is no question that they lose this game.

Mike Morrissey. Virginia had gone 65 yards in just over 90 seconds with the game on the line, and things appeared to be slipping away from the Eagles. Virginia though faced a 4th and 2 from the Eagles 15 yard line with 20 seconds remaining. The play was a designed QB draw for Jameel Sewell...Morrissey met Sewell right at the 1st down marker and did not give a centimeter. Replays confirmed that Sewell was stopped by inches. Not bad for a walk-on, eh?

Thumbs Down...

Where to begin...

Dave Shinskie. Wow. Just wow. 12/26 for 147 yards, 1 TD & 2 INT, 1 of which was returned for a touchdown. Time after time, Shinskie forced throws into coverage, refused to run with the ball or check down to open receivers/backs/tight ends, and generally played like a true freshman. He MUST cut down on the mistakes, and must learn when to throw the ball away. There were times today where it looked like he flat out looked like he didn't know what was going on...the interception in the end zone on the opening drive being the prime example...just awful. Keeping things in perspective, Colin Larmond dropped a gorgeous 60 yard-would be-TD pass in the 2nd, and Dave did make some timely throws in the 4th quarter including a 24 yarder on the Eagles final drive to help provide the Eagles with breathing room out of their end of the field.

Gary Tranquil. I've been pleasantly suprised with Tranq this season. He's not been nearly the dull play caller I had been expecting and has kept things well balanced. This was not one of his better days. Despite Shinskie obviously struggling with confidence in the 3rd quarter, Traq continued to dial up empty back field and shotgun sets for him to throw. I understand everyone's concern about Harris getting hurt or overworked...but you can't play scared. If Harris needs to touch the ball 45 times today for them to win, then so be it. Also, what is with the empty backfield calls on 3rd and short? Ugh...

Mike McLaughlin. I know we love the guy. I realize he's a tri-captain. I understand that he's a senior. But the guy is just not there. He's not been the same player since tearing his achilles and has often been a liability on the field this season. There I said it. Today was easily his worst game since returning to full time duty. He couldn't drop back into coverage fast enough to pick up the receivers over the middle, he repeatedly sold out the blitz way before the snap, and when he was close enough to the play to make a tackle he either missed, or couldn't get off his blocks. On the plus side at least he managed to not get called for a personal foul.

I'll stop there...yes, I realize they did win the game.

Overall...

Everyone take a deep breath and say it with me...they won the game. Ultimately that's what matters, whether it was aesthetically pleasing or not. This is still a good football team, and they still are likely to win at least 1 of their last 2 games and finish with a very respectable 8 wins. And if nothing else it was nice to see them find a way to win a game without playing lights out on offense. The fact remains though, if they play this way next weekend (vs. North Carolina, time TBA tomorrow), they'll get hammered.

Scoreboard Watching...

Clemson 43 NC State 23...hard to ask a team like NC State to do your dirty work for you. The Tigers needs only to beat Virginia at home next week to clinch the Atlantic.

Georgia Tech 49 Duke 10...not gonna lie...when Duke ran out to a 10-0 lead I started paying attention as the upset seemed to be brewing...not so much. The Jackets are into the ACCCG and await either Clemson or BC.

North Carolina 33 Miami 24...Carolina is on a tear right now heading into the showdown with BC at Alumni. BC's undefeated record at home this season will be severely tested against an excellent Carolina defense.

Stay Tuned For...

The announcement of the start time for next week's North Carolina game will be out tomorrow morning...a little birdie informs me that a night game is a high probability. Tickets are still available through the BC Ticket Office.

BREAKING NEWS: Verica Not in Uniform

2009-11-14T15:11:00.000-05:00

Backup QB Mark Verica is not in uniform for Virginia as we head towards kickoff. Starting QB Jameel Sewell will start for the Cavs despite ankle and shoulder problems. Freshman Riko Smalls will back up Sewell, though WR Vic Hall will also see snaps at the position.

Game Day! News, Notes, & Links

2009-11-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

In the News Today:

Coach Spaz knows this team could be a tough out

BC hopes to make its first trip to Charlottesville a memorable one

Virginia coach Al Groh blocks out the criticism and keeps working

If Virginia wants to make a bowl game, they'll have to win out.

Can't Be In Charlottesville?:

Listen to the Game here

Or on WEEI beginning at 3pm

There's no TV for the game but you can watch it here

If I find a bootleg feed for the game I'll make sure to post it later on.

Enjoy the game and check back afterwards for a recap!

Boston College 89 Dartmouth 58

2009-11-13T21:53:00.000-05:00

Scoreboard

Team         1        2         F
Dartmouth    23       35       58
BC           45       44       89

The Story...

The game itself became almost secondary upon the news that Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn had been suspended for 2 games for an unspecified violation of team rules. Rumors and accusations were swirling, but the players in uniform more than did their part to ensure that there would be no upset on this night. Tyler Roche led the way with a career high 30 points as the Eagles dispatched the Big Green of Dartmouth before halftime.

The game stayed competitive through the first 10 minutes as Dartmouth stifled BC with a variety of different looks on defense and a Princeton style offense. Roche ran off 8 straight points with roughly 8 minutes remaining to stretch a 7 point lead into 15 that grew eventually grew to 22 by halftime and the Eagles never looked back. What remained of the bench mopped up in the 2nd half to secure an 89-58 win to open the season.

Thumbs Up...

It's hard to get too up or too down in a game where the opposition was clearly inferior. But, under the circumstances, with several key players out, the backups were forced into key roles and performed admirably. Tyler Roche was obviously the star of the evening as he doubled his career high with 30 points. The much maligned senior was 10-12 from the field including 4-5 from 3 point land.

Also on the good list was Reggie Jackson and his 16 points and 4 assists. From an athleticism standpoint, Jackson provides the Eagles with an element the likes of which this program has rarely seen.

Dallas Elmore and Evan Ravenel also provided some quality help off the bench, chipping in with 10 and 7 points respectively. These 2 will need to be able to contribute to the team when it comes time for conference play if they are to be successful this season against better teams.

Thumbs Down...

The defense again left a lot to be desired during the period in which the game was competitive. Roche and Joe Trapani were beaten repeatedly on back door cuts that allowed Dartmouth to hang in the game early. Trapani was caught out of position on one possession and was forced to commit his 2nd foul just 4 minutes into the game.

Trapani himself also gets a thumbs down for his overall effort from both the field and the line. Joe was the Eagles most consistent player last season so it's likely that this is just a hiccup, but for this evening, he was less than himself shooting just 5-14 from the field and 1-3 from the line.

Biko Paris. I struggled with where to put Paris on the thumbs up/thumbs down chart. His ability to get the team into the offense was terrific, and his defense was solid. However, his 6 turnovers against 7 assists is absolutely unacceptable against an opponent of this caliber.

Free throw shooting also continues to be a problem for the team as they converted on just 23-32 attempts.

Overall...

A solid if unspectacular performance. There were moments where things clicked really well, and others where the concerns that I have for this team (turnovers, rebounding, defense) reared there heads against an inferior opponent. The suspensions of Sanders, Raji, and Dunn obviously played a role in that, and as a result, I expect to see a more consistent basketball team in the Paradise Jam. It might not have been an exceptional win, but we'll take it!

Next Up...

The Eagles stay home next Tuesday when they take on St. Francis (NY) in what should be little more than a glorified exhibition game.

Stay Tuned For...

A recap of tomorrows football game as the Eagles seek their first road win of the season against the Virginia Cavaliers. Hopefully the recap will be up within an hour of the final whistle.

3 BC Basketball Players Suspended

2009-11-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

Corey Raji, Rakim Sanders, and Courtney Dunn were each suspended for 2 games (tonight vs. Dartmouth and Tuesday against St. Francis) for what is being termed a violation of team rules. No specifics were provided in the press release by the school. More details on this as they are known. Check in tonight for a recap of the game.

BC-Virginia Preview

2009-11-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

Who: Boston College (6-3, 3-2) vs. Virginia (3-6, 2-3)
Where: Scott Stadium -- Charlottesville, VA
When: 3:30pm EST on ESPN360.com

The Back Story...

This is only the 2nd meeting between the 2 schools since BC joined the ACC, and the first in Charlottesville, the first was in 2005 at Alumni Stadium. Eagles fans will remember the malicious chop block thrown by Virginia OL Brad Butler on Mathias Kiwanuka. BC responded by dominating Virginia the remainder of the game with a punishing offensive line led by future NFL players Jeremy Trueblood, Gosder Cherilus, and Josh Beekman, winning the game 28-17. The Eagles racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense on that rainy afternoon, led by Andre Callendar's 11 carries for 119 yards.

Know Thy Enemy...

The Cavaliers (or the 'Hoos, as there fans are known to call them) are 3-6 on the season including a loss to 1-AA William and Mary on opening weekend. Things have come in 3's this year, as after beginning the season 0-3 the Cavs ripped off 3 straight wins including a dominating 16-3 win over North Carolina. Since that winning streak Virginia has lost it's last 3 including an ugly 52-17 loss to Miami last week.

Head coach Al Groh has been dodging bullets for years now while navigating a perennially mediocre football team. This year he may not be so lucky. Faced with consecutive losing seasons, time may be winding down for Groh. Virginia though, hasn't quit on the season and boasts the nations 25th ranked passing defense (49th overall defense) in the country. This has been offset though by the absolutely abysmal offense which ranks dead last in Division 1-A (263 ypg). There is some talent on that side of the ball though, as Mikell Simpson and Rashawn Jackson provide the running attack, and senior wideout Vic Hall will lineup at just about every position on the field at one point. Quarterback is up in the air right now as senior dual threat QB Jameel Sewell sat out last weeks game against Miami and is listed as questionable for tomorrows affair. If he can't go look for Mark Verica to take the bulk of the snaps. Verica completed just 11/29 for 75 yards last week in the blowout at Land Shark Stadium in Miami but also was injured and is listed as questionable.

Go-No Go...

The Eagles come in off their bye week and appear to be getting healthy heading for the stretch run. They'll welcome back Rich Lapham, Mike McLaughlin, and possibly Alex Albright after all 3 sat out the 31-10 stomping of Central Michigan back on Halloween. Damik Scafe and Will Thompson should also see their roles expand this weekend after seeing limited action the past few weeks. Both have been hampered by injuries this season. Scafe in particular will be a welcome site to a beleaguered defensive line that has been gashed the last 2 weeks for big gains. Freshman RB Rolandan Finch will sit this one out and probably one more as he continues to recover from mono.

What To Watch For...

Eagles QB Dave Shinskie

After an efficent day against the Chippewas, will need to be on his game against the Cavaliers pass defense. Shinskie has struggled the most this season when faced with an opponent with a strong defensive line and/or a good secondary. The Cavs will provide half of that equation.

Who the Hell is Playing QB for Virginia?!

Jameel Sewell did not play last week against Miami, and backup QB Mark Verica got injured during the Miami game. Only senior WR Vic Hall has taken snaps at QB besides those 2. Will it really come to that for Virginia? It could happen if neither is able to go. The only other scholarship QB active and available for the game will be sophomore Brendan Lane. Lane has not thrown a pass in a game in his college career. Bill McGovern should be licking his chops at the thought.

Cohesion on the Offensive Line

As I mentioned earlier, if nothing else, Virginia can defend the pass. That means that in order for the Eagles to be effective Shinskie will need time to throw, and Montel Harris will need holes to run through. The offensive line will need to turn in a top performance to ensure that a very winnable game doesn't get away from them.

The Outcome...

Much as I would like to believe that this is the type of team that BC over the last decade would hammer (beleaguered coach, no offense, average defense), I don't think the Eagles cruise in this one. I think they'll struggle to move the ball through the air while the Virginia defense keys on the run. This could resemble the Notre Dame game to some extent. Ultimately, Virginia's inability to put points on the board with a 2nd/3rd string QB will be it's undoing as BC escapes with a uneasy win.

Line: BC -4
Score: BC 17 Virginia 10

Stay Tuned For...

A recap of tonights season opener for BC basketball as they take on Dartmouth!

BC Basketball Preview

2009-11-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Last We Saw Them...

BC ran out to a quick start against USC in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament, led by sophomore Corey Raji, but led at halftime by just 4. After some halftime adjustments by USC coach Tim Floyd, the Trojans, led by Dermar DeRozan were able to drive to the basket almost at will. When they couldn't score on those drives, Taj Gibson cleaned up a lot of the mess shooting an NCAA Record 10-10 from the field. Daniel Hackett contained Tyrese Rice, and the Eagles were unable to put points on the board in the 2nd half. USC outscored BC by 21, and went on to win 72-55, bringing an end to the BC career of the prolific Rice. The Eagles finished with a mark of 22-12.

What's Different Now?

Not a whole lot from a personnel standpoint. 8 of the top 9 players from last season return. The 1 player missing from last years rotation, however, is leading scorer and playmaker Tyrese Rice. Rice is one of BC's all-time leading scorers and the team will struggle to replace his point production.

The player with the unevnious task of trying to replace Rice, is junior Biko Paris. Paris' minutes have been as inconsistent as his play over the past 2 seasons (he actually played fewer minutes last year than he did as a freshman). Paris probably does not need to replace the point production that Rice brought, as much of that responsibility will fall on fellow juniors Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani, but he will need to provide leadership from the position. Paris will be asked to get the ball to Sanders and Trapani, make the occasional shot, and not turn the ball over. Promising combo guard Reggie Jackson will begin the season off the bench, but Coach Al Skinner will likely not hesitate to make the switch if Paris is a liability. Biko, the New Orleans native, has been named a co-captain along with senior Tyler Roche.

What Needs to Improve...

Defense and rebounding. The team struggled last year to rebound the basketball with a thin and undersized front line. This became an even bigger problem when facing more athletic opponents, and was generally the reason the team would lose games (see: USC, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Purdue). With no new recruits, the front line will look similar to last year and could continue to be a problem. To offset this problem, the team will need significant improvement from junior Josh Southern who has been something of a disappointment since arriving on campus as a highly recruited freshman. Sophomore Evan Ravenel will also need to produce during his minutes this year, as he will be given an opportunity to back up at both forward spots.

The defense was also poor for an Al Skinner coached team who generally produces solid defensive units. The team struggled, especially on the perimeter, to keep opposing players out of the lane. The primary culprits were Tyrese Rice and Rakim Sanders. Both struggled with individual defense and gambled far too often for steals. Biko Paris should provide an upgrade defensively at the point guard spot, but Sanders will need to greatly improve his defensive skills to keep teams from picking on him.

If It Ain't Broke...

Offensively, this team should be fine. They shot the ball well from the field last season (44%) despite the efficency struggles of Tyrese Rice (41% FG). Often times the team was it's best offensively when Rice was on the bench because there was more balance to the floor and less predictability. Look for that to be the case over the long haul this season, especially as the team continues to gel together. Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani should be able to lead the way, but look for at least 4 of the starters to average double figures, as well as Reggie Jackson off the bench. The flex offense (whether you love it or hate it) demands equal ball distribution, and with this particular team, if run correctly, can make them a ver effective unit. As a team they will need to improve their free throw shooting (73% as a team) and will need to find ways to score inside as they have no true low post threat.

The Road That Lies Ahead...

The non-conference schedule is a little more stout than it has been in the past beginning with a trip to the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands. BC will open that tournament against a weakened St. Jospehs squad. Depending on the results, the Eagles could lineup against Purdue for the 2nd straight year and a potential championship game with Tennessee is also looming. Otherwise, the more difficult portion of the non-conference schedule includes games at 15th ranked Michigan, home against South Carolina, and UMass.

Outside of those games, there are the usual suspects: Dartmouth, St. Francis, Harvard, Bryant, Maine, and NJIT (more on them later).

Once conference play begins, it's hard to envision a scenario where BC could have gotten a more difficult draw. Beginning on January 9th and running until February 20th, the Eagles will play 5 games against ranked teams (in order): @#24 Clemson, @#8 Duke, vs. #24 Clemson, vs. #8 Duke, vs. #4 North Carolina...yikes.

The Outlook...

As I mentioned, the non-conference schedule overall is good and the conference schedule is loaded. I think this team has the potential to be a really tough out against some of the better teams in the conference. We'll get a gauge on this team early on at the Paradise Jam against St. Joe's and then most likely, Purdue. If the defense and rebounding are improved, this is a definite tournament team. If they surrender points and turn the ball over in bunches as they did last year, there's no Tyrese Rice to bail them out of tough situations and they'll be NIT bound.

Record: 20-12
ACC Finish: 8-7 (6th)
NCAA Tournament: 9 seed

Overtime...

While the non-conference schedule is certainly better than what they played last year, the inclusion of the New Jersey Institute of Technology as an opponent is an absolute disgrace. This is a school in it's infancy of 1-A basketball. They've won precisely 1 game in the last 2 years, and have averaged less than 50 points a game during that stretch. There's no reason to schedule a team like this. All they're going to do is hurt the Eagles and their chances of making the tournament when it comes to RPI. I applaud the scheduling of Kansas, South Carolina, and other teams of that ilk, but these type of games cancel out a lot of that. I realize the conference schedule is difficult, but that's no excuse to schedule an opponent like this.

Stay Tuned For...

A recap of tomorrow's season opening game against Dartmouth will be up shortly after the final buzzer. A preview of Saturdays football game against Virginia is also just around the corner.

Posting Schedule for Section X!

2009-11-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

11/12- BC Basketball Preview

This will be an all encompassing preview for both the team itself as well as Fridays season opener at Conte Forum against Dartmouth.

11/13- BC Football @ Virginia Preview
BC Basketball vs. Dartmouth Recap

Previewing the Eagles first visit to Charlottesville to battle the Cavaliers and then a recap of the basketball team's season opener against Dartmouth.

11/15- BC Football @ Virginia Recap
National CFB Round-Up

We'll recap the Virginia game, take a look forward to the final home game of the year against North Carolina, and wrap up the weekend in college football.

The View from Section X

2009-11-11T19:58:00.000-05:00

Hello all, and welcome to Section X. No it's not a porn blog...

My name is Dave and I'm a season ticket holder for football and avid fan of all Boston College sports. During my time as a season ticket holder, and time as a BC sports fan in general, I've had the opportunity to see some amazing games, moments, and feats of athleticism.

I've attended games on and off for the past 20 years, but had never become what I would consider a die hard until recently. I got hooked on BC Sports on October 23, 2004 when Paul Peterson hooked up with Tony Gonzalez for a 30-yard TD with just :54 seconds remaining to help the Eagles to a 24-23 win over rival Notre Dame. The win went largely unnoticed by the local media. I couldn't believe it...I wanted to read and here more about that game.

I discovered that this was not just a fluke occurrence just 2 weeks later when the Eagles went into Morgantown, WV and knocked off West Virginia on the road for the first time in 15 years. The win put BC in the drivers seat for the Big East Championship in their final season as a member of the conference. What should have been cause for an outpouring of support for the school and program which was now "this" close to reaching the Orange Bowl, was met by a collective yawn. The media fawned over the Red Sox and their recent World Series title. As a non-baseball fan, I couldn't have cared less.

Of course BC did not win the conference that year, suffering a brutal beating at the hands of a 5-5 Syracuse in the teams final regular season and Big East conference game. It was considered one of the biggest choke jobs in recent college football. I was down, and I was angry. I wanted someone to blame. And again, it went largely unnoticed and uncovered.

The team, of course, recovered and has gone on to success in the ACC playing against traditional powerhouses Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Clemson. This has continued to go largely ignored by the Herald and the Globe here in Boston, choosing instead to cover whatever 7th tier free agent the Red Sox are pursuing or dissecting regular season game 4 of 82 for the Celtics. Now in their 4th season of ACC football and still with almost no support from the local media, I've decided to start this blog. My hope is to provide other folks like myself with articles, news, and information on Boston College football and Boston College athletics in general.

I'm hoping to provide at least 1 post per day during the football/basketball seasons regarding the team. Some ideas for features that have been kicked around include: weekly podcasts, round table debates, weekly recruiting updates, game previews/recaps, etc. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

The View From Section X

Who's To Blame?

BC Recruiting Update

BC Scheduling Update

BC loses to Harvard...again

News, Notes, Links

Reggie Jackson's Dunk

Boston College 61 Miami 60

Emerald Bowl Update: Opponent Confirmed!

So...What Now?

Hofstra Drops Football!

Boston College 62 Michigan 58

More ACC Awards

GT's Paul Johnson Named ACC Coach of the Year + Links

*BREAKING NEWS* FSU's Bowden to Retire Tomorrow

All-ACC Teams Announced + Links!

Boston College 82 Providence 77

Boston College 19 Maryland 17

The Scene: Photos from Byrd Stadium

News, Notes, Links

BC basketball vs. Providence Preview

BC Football vs. Maryland Preview

News, Notes, Links

News, Notes, Links

New Faces On the Heights

News, Notes, Links

Recruiting News

News, Notes, Links

Mark Herzlich Surgery Successful

Bowling in Obscurity, Part 2

Posting Schedule for 11/23-11/30

Northern Iowa 81 Boston College 69

News, Notes, Links

The Scene: Photos From Alumni Stadium

North Carolina 31 Boston College 13

Live From Alumni Stadium With Links!

St. Joseph's 84 Boston College 80

BC football vs. North Carolina Preview

BC basketball vs. St. Joseph's Preview

Handicapping the Paradise Jam Tournament

News, Notes, and Links

News, Notes, and Links

Boston College 72 St. Francis (NY) 44

Bowling In Obscurity

Official Logo

BC-St. Francis (NY) Preview

News, Notes, Links

Scheduled Posts For the Week...

News, Notes, & Links

BC vs. UNC Start Time

Boston College 14 Virginia 10

BREAKING NEWS: Verica Not in Uniform

Game Day! News, Notes, & Links

Boston College 89 Dartmouth 58

3 BC Basketball Players Suspended

BC-Virginia Preview

BC Basketball Preview

Posting Schedule for Section X!

The View from Section X

BREAKING NEWS FSU's Bowden to Retire Tomorrow