Offense: F
Shinskie’s problems were mostly in his head. He even admitted it. He was confused and made some curious decisions. The biggest issue was his hesitation. He’d pump and then get flustered. He explained it was Tech’s disguises. Let’s hope it is that simple. I still think he should be the starter, but he better learn to find the soft spots in the zone quickly. Marscovetra faced their scrubs and we cannot read much into it. He did show good toughness and arm strength and understood he had to get rid of the the ball quickly.
Harris had positive yardage but didn't break anything big. Haden had an off day. Finch got decent touches but like Marscovetra, I don't know if we can read anything into it.
The first team oline was not terrible. They gave Shinskie enough time and didn't have any glaring problems. They didn't open up huge holes for the running game, but once again, there was nothing glaring. The second team was not ready for primetime when they came out in the second quarter. Goodman got burned with a speed rush and the inside guys got overpowered.
Deska had a few nice catches in garbage time. The rest of the TEs didn't do much of note.
Although there were plenty of errant passes, the WRs didn't have a great day. Gunnell had a drop on a crossing pattern and Larmond gave up on a route that would have been a huge play. He made amends a bit by playing hard for Marscovetra and scoring the TD. The second team guys looked a little lost and got pushed out of bounds a few times.
I am really concerned with Tranquill's approach. A good offensive coordinator should have some few basic plays that he knows his team can run for positive yardage. Not put up seven. Just get ten yards once. We don't have that. Switching QBs, using the wildcat and other things leads to penalties and sloppy play. Like Clemson the other huge concern is that when we are shutdown early we don't have in game adjustments. Once you know what a team is doing, you need a counter. Like Clemson we didn't have one. If not for VT calling off the dogs this would have been one of the worst BC offensive performances of all time. How can that be happening six games in?
Defense: D
There were some decent individual performances on the dline but collectively they were bad. There was no pressure on Taylor and we couldn't stop the run. Newman was okay and Rossi played hard. Scafe has had better days. Ramella was not good. Ramsey was ok but doesn't seem like a game changer.
This was the worst game by BC LBs in some time. McLaughlin who is normally a great tackler failed to wrap up multiple times. LeGrande didn't make many plays and had trouble with Taylor and Williams. VT ran right at Kuechly and neutralized him a bit. He guessed wrong a few times and also got swallowed up by their blockers. Morrissey, Bagan and DiSanzo looked okay in their time...maybe they should get more snaps.
Guase was one of the few that looked ok. Davis got burned on their first TD. Noel got burned too on the TD that made it 24-0. Johnson had trouble in run support. The second teamers had some blown assignments.
Our defensive scheme has some issues. We cannot generate pressure and for the first time the tackling was bad. The biggest issue is that VT wasn't surprised by anything we did. Our calls didn't keep them off balance. Where is the variety we saw earlier in the season?
Special teams: D
Quigley didn't have a very good day but he wasn't not the reason the game was so lopsided. Our punt coverage was decent and they made some plays.
Fox and Smith were okay on returns but always seem to run right into traffic. Where are the blockers?
Gunnell couldn't and didn't do much with the punt returns.
Overall: F
I hate giving an F, but there are two reasons for the grade. One we had another terrible performance where the team didn't come to play. One stinker is to be expected during a season. A second one -- even against a good team like VT -- is not acceptable. The second reason for the F is Spaz's idea to bring in the second teamers on our first possession of the second quarter. We are down 17-0 at that point. The guys get overwhelmed and we punted from deep in our own end. VT scored on the next play. Game (effectively) over. There is no reason to put them in there. Spaz is not building a program. He inherited a winner, is familiar with what works at BC and doesn't have the luxury of youth to build for the long term. This division is up for grabs. Coming out flat and then experimenting in a conference game is a bad idea.
We recovered from our last stinker. Let's hope Spaz does it again. NC State is beatable and if anyone knows Dana Bible's offense, it is him. I know people think I am a Spaz hater, but you cannot sugar coat what we saw this weekend. If anyone wants to be wrong about this it is me. Once again let me state that the division is bad and we have enough pieces to steal it. To do that though, Spaz is going to have to find some basics that will work and show some faith in the team. The early prevents, the wasting possession with second teamers all speak to a coach who doesn't think he has a winner. Where is the guy with passion and the yellow towel? It is only six games in and I feel like Spaz is trying to be stoic like TOB. I wish Spaz would be Spaz.
Posts
42 comments:
ATL, it must not have been easy watching that horror flick a second time.
We scored our first touchdown on a long pass, then the Hokies (seemingly at will) turned around and burned us down the middle for a TD. Sort of a "how dare you score on us" response.
I remember watching the Hokies last year and hearing how young they were and watching how good they were and thinking OMG these guys will be dominating over the next few years. Jeez, could we be looking at the National Champs this year or next?
What hurt us on defense, I thought, was pursuit. We would have Hokies in our grasp, they would keep churning their legs, and get away. Where was that second, third or fourth defender coming in to seal the deal?
We gotta get more creative on offensive in these types of games. How about some shifting? How about some motion? Cripes, how about some option? Changing the quarterback without changing the play calling makes no difference. Whether it was Shin or Mars, the Hokies were comin'.
I respect Spaz's "hands off" approach. I have heard him quoted as saying "I never liked people telling me how to call my game (as defensive coordinator)". But isn't that sentiment a direct result of working under the management style of TOB? I hope he feels the time is coming when he needs to get more involved with how the game is called on offense and defense. He's been with us too long to stomach watcing us lose when inside he feels he can help us win.
Just by the nature of the special kind of kids that are on our squad, top 15 schools will be an especially hard challenge for us. I say top 15 because I have always felt that we have been a play away or a player (or 2, or 3) away from having a kick butt team.
We have a young team too. It will be interesting to see how the season unfolds. Hell, just by having 4 wins we have already exceeded the expectations of some of the prognosticators.
I hate to say it, but I get that "I'm just happy to be here" feeling watching Spaz. Like most fans, I want the best for him and appreciate all he has done for the program, but does he have the drive and spark to build a great team? Or does he feel like this is icing on a solid career?
From the Herald, it says Spaz had pre-determined the second stringers were going to get that series before the game started, to build depth. I understand, especially as he came into this season without a QB who had taken a snap, his desire to get some more experience there, but I think you are right ATL, that was not the time to do it.
Hope to see a better effort against TOB this week. McDaniels beating Belichick...good time for former assistants to beat their head coach.
I think Spaz has 2 coordinators that are not up to the task. I knew the defense would drop off a bit after losing their 3 best players, but the one area with experience, corners and safeties, seems top have dropped off dramatically. The only thing that has changed is the coach.
I actually believe nearly every positon on offense is an upgrade except for perhaps the QB position. I know everyone griped about Crane, but he did play well from mid-season on and he beat Va Tech. The QB touches the ball every play so you might give Tranq some slack since he has very little talent at that position this year. Still, we have to go all the way back to the Big East days to find an offense this anemic.
Spaz needs to move both coordinators and bring in new blood for next season. These guys are good coaches, but they are not Atlantic Division Champ level coaches.
I expected BC to lose some games this year, but what I don't like to see is BC getting blown out of games in the first half. The BC program should be at the point now where they are in games until the end.
This is a very poorly coached team. Everybody knew that Tranquill was going to be a disaster. The only thing we can hope is that he gets tired again and re-retires for the 4th time. Maybe he can move out to Sun City. As for Spaz pulling the starters that early, that is unconscionable. There are plenty of times to play the backups in mop time where they can get the experience that is needed. As Dennis Green said "They are who we thought they were." The ultimate blame must come down on Gene D for hiring these guys. They are good guys but way over their head and need to go.
ATL--major kudos on your courage. Were this my blog, I would have deviated from my second-viewing custom to make the point that this game was an unmitigated disaster. Watch it again? I'd rather voluntarily submit to an unnecessary colonoscopy. Without meds.
Predetermined to do the 2nd teamer thing at the start of the 2nd quarter, regardless of game situation? Where have we heard this before. Jeez, it seems like he's taking and implementing only the worst ideas of the rather unpopular former head coach. This is not another red flag. At this point, there have been so many red flags that it's a freakin' self-destruct mechanism, one that's ticking down.
The season is half-over. It's not a matter of "how it unfolds" or "how the team develops." I think we've seen enough to know it's not going to end up meeting BC standards.
I don't care if we've already exceeded the expectations of prognosticators. Those prognostigators don't get BC, seem to have it against BC every year. We've never measured ourselves against their lunacy, and this is no time to start.
As far as QB talent, I think we have MORE this year than we had last year (especially after Crane went down). Markedly. We just don't have experience... or, as is becoming evident, the coaching to develop that talent.
One shout-out that didn't get any mention: Aponovicius not only did his limited job on XPs, but found the endzone at least twice with his kickoffs. So that's a tiny little bit of positive news.
I was outraged and horrified to see the second team offense play in the first half. That was the most godawful coaching decision I can remember seeing. Of all the things that upset me in this game, that was *by far* the worst!
We were painfully close in the first quarter to making this a game. We held them to a FG on their first drive, and then appeared to have a stop on their second drive... before Mike whiffed the sack and Taylor threw an easy TD pass. We *should* have had a TD pass of our own on the next drive. Larmond was open over the top and Shinskie threw a perfect ball under pressure. It was his best play of the game, and Larmond's worst. He inexplicably slowed up and started pushing off the defender; did he lose track of the ball? Larmond had some amazing catches later, but when it counted he didn't deliver.
The nicest thing I can say about this team right now is that I'm still willing to travel to Boston this Saturday to watch them play the wuffies...
I was there, Larmond appeared to lose the ball, perhaps thinking the ball was underthrown.
Make no mistake about it, it would NOT have made a difference. VT was simply un-stoppable Saturday and is a legitimate NC contender.
At the risk of looking on the positive side of things (an option no one above apparently cares to even consider), I'm going to state a few points that hopefully will bring some perspective. You may see them as making excuses, but I see them as simply realistic.
1) Is anyone surprised that Bud Foster confused the hell out of some kid (yes in football years, Shisnke is a kid) who 4th most recent start was in a high school game? Does anyone really think he wouldn’t have made any of our other qb’s look that bad too? Foster has been the coordinator most deserving of a head job in the country for the last 5 years now and no one gives him credit for his consistency. We have been VT’s thorn in the side for the last few years, and they smell national championship this year, and if you think that Foster was going to bring anything less than the house at our qb’s, you don’t understand football as it is today. Foster brought looks and stunts at Shinske that Shinske had never even dreamt of, and then loaded the box when it was obvious we couldn’t pass and had to run. No way we were going to get anything going there. Now, coaching adjustments are a different story, and I don’t pretend to know enough detailed football to counter VTs defensive looks, whatever adjustments needed to be made were either not made, or made and reacted to well by a skilled and experienced defense.
2) As for the defense, yes our secondary was supposed to be good and is very experienced. But, let’s remember why they looked so good in recent years. On the run side of things, Raji and Brace clogged up the middle, forcing opponents to run to the outside, right into the waiting arms of our skilled linebackers. The d-backs hardly ever had to worry about run support; it was easy to make them look good. Now, with guys who are nowhere near the talent of Raji and Brace, and exactly 1 linebacker who had ever seen the college field before, you expect to look even remotely similar to last year against a team that has played us 5 times in 3 years?
In the passing game, Raji and Brace could put pressure on the qb by themselves, of course our blitzes are going to be significantly less effective, and any qb who has all the time in the world would be able to pick apart any secondary; there’s only so much they can do, especially when there are less linebackers in coverage, because they’re forced to try and pressure the qb.
I guess what I’m saying here is let’s not get ahead of ourselves, thinking we weren’t going to look this bad against this team. Virginia Tech has more skilled players at most positions, the coaches can therefore look like better coaches, because they can do more schematically and their plays are executed better. It’s not entirely Spaz’s fault; he beats the teams we’re supposed to beat, and we do have a significantly less talented team that Virginia Tech, who has more than an ACC Title in their sights this year. Spaz certainly has a lot of work to do, and he’s not perfect (the putting in the 3rd teamers in the 2nd qtr was a terrible idea flat out, there’s no defending that), but his players can only make him look so good. Let’s not get caught up in the hype and think the team we have is even close in talent to VT, and can compete with them at their place; it just wasn’t going to happen. We’re obviously going to win more games than the “experts” predict, but this team was nowhere near ready for this VT at Lane, the two teams are in different realms of football right now. We all knew this deep down, we just got caught up in the hype.
That being said, I think we can win the rest of our ACC games this year, and with a little luck might see Tech in the championship game again, so we better have learned a lot from this game. But for now, let’s focus on taking our anger out on an NC State team we know we can beat and regaining the swagger.
I know they're probably a package deal and just the sight of him might make GDF's head explode, but if we could get Logan back on staff to coach up these young qbs I think we could be a very dangerous team next year.
I haven't seen anyone mention this but did anyone think it was bush league for Beamer to go for it on 4 and 1 in the 4th quarter when they were already up like 30 points?!? I thought that was truly classless and expected more from Beamer. It reminded me of Lou Holtz's fake punt in '92.
Yea, I thought the 4th and 1 was pretty classless. Also, that made me wonder what the hell people were talking when they kept saying "Beamer called off the dogs". I think going for it on 4th and 1 when you're dominating a team is the exact opposite of calling off the dogs.
Dan and Brian, it's hard to say. As JohnQPublicSchool pointed out saturday:
"A lot of people consider going for it on 4th down to be MORE sportsman-like, because you're giving the defense a chance to stop you, especially given the fact that you know they're going to run; as opposed to kicking the easy three points. I guess it all depends on your point of view."
Superfan -- great comments!
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SPOILER ALERT FOR Doom-n-Gloomers
skip this para
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For those who still prefer the upbeat, let's not forget that we can still win the division and go to the ACCCG. In fact, dare I say it, but I think we have as good if not a better chance than the rest of the divison to win it out.
ATL (or others) -- Love to hear about why our secondary is so awful. The middle of the field -- btw the LB and Safety's -- is always open. Its just a joke. I know the lack of pressure contributes to this, but still it can't be that easy.
The NCSU will be hitting that spot all day long unless the coaches tighten things up.
There's no sugar coating it. The staff coached like they expected to lose.
I get it. VT is really good. They probably should beat us. But I can't stand the thought that we lots this game on the plane ride down or even in practice the week before.
Anyone know what has become of Tuggle? 3rd stringer now? Marsco looked pretty good against the VT 2nd team.
What's the Tuggle buzz?
I agree with much of what Superfans said, but remain confused about some things.
Where did people get the idea that there was "hype" about BC going into Lane and winning? As you said, we're in two very different football worlds right now. And that predated the game.
More importantly, and I'd piggyback a little off of what Mod34b said, despite him warning me off, both of you suggest that we "can" win the rest of our conference games and make the ACCCG? Well, okay, we "can" win b/c we're playing the games.
But what hasn't convinced you yet? This team has looked awful in its only two road games. Yes Va. Tech is good, but Duke was competitive against them. Are we not on that level? Was it Duke's incredibly tough stadium?
I think some of us keep expecting to see BC just turn it on and beat the teams we're supposed to beat, as we've done so many times in recent yrs. I don't think there is one team on the schedule that we're "supposed" to beat this yr. looking ahead.
As Darius said, there were so many red flags prior to this game, going all the way back to Kent State, that I'm surprised so many astute observers just gloss over them. This is an average team in a weak conference.
SuperFans point #2 is right on. As for your first point, I think a lot of us would agree that it's the coaches who should put overmatched kids in the best position that allows them the opportunity to adjust. Did that happen?
Also, I was hoping for a no-holds-barred approach to the gameplan. Couldn't have been any worse.
Clemson is home against Wake, FSU, and UVA. On the road vs. Miami and NC State. Wake is at Clemson, GTech, Duke and home for Miami, and FSU.
There ya go "we can win the division"-ers.
Wake controls its own destiny, but has a tougher go of it.
The 4th and 1 TD didn't bother me. It was a sweep right. No trickery. Stop me if you can. We couldn't.
I guess it boils down to two things: 1) I expect BC to be competitive, even vs. Top 5 opponents. Not win, mind you, but not wait until the 2nd half to complete a pass or get a first down. When it happens once in a season, you pause. When it happens twice, you have a very serious problem that doesn't get remedied in a week. What you have to do is improve, win or lose. We'll see the next road game. VTech is good. But there's no excuse for incompetence. And 2) ATL should get time off from purgatory for watching that game again. Ah, the things we do for love...
Time to get rid of the entire staff and Gene. Gene has ruined the program.
We need Chet Gladchuck to come back to the Heights. He can really rebuild this team. It would not be hard to get him to come to Boston.
When is gene going to take responsiblity for this sinking ship? Bring back TOB, Dan Henning, someone.
Can we give Ty Willingham or Bob Davie a chance?
We need divine intervention to save this season.
I have no problem with Beamer going for it on 4th and 1 late. He feels he has a BCS caliber team and I believe margin of victory is in the formula (I might be wrong about this). Anyway, Va Tech has had a lot of frustration against BC in recent years in regular season games and I think he wanted a little payback.
By the way, these are football players at the D-1 level. If they don't want a team to get a 4th and 1, then stop them. It's that simple.
also, ryan williams is really, really good. not to say we couldn't or shouldn't have done a better job slowing him down, but he's a beast out there. The thought of him getting better over the next couple years is scary.
CT --
As a ACCCGer, let me step back from the emotional appeal you so despise, and offer you objective statistics of BC's chances vs. WF and Clemson's chances.
Consider the following lists which shows each team's remaining opponents and their respective ranks using Jeff Sagarin's College Football Ratings.
Boston College (Sagarin rank #39)
Maryland (#93)
NCSU (#73)
UVA (#58)
UNC (#55)
Wake Forest (Rank #50)
Clemson (#42)
FSU (#45)
MIAMI (#15)
GTECH (#12)
DUKE (#64)
Clemson (Rank #42)
WF (#50)
FSU (#45)
NCSU (#73)
Miami (#15)
UVA (#58)
BC clearly has the easiest road to the ACCCG!
However, should we blow it against NCSU, well then, we're in trouble!!
BC has made up for a lack of talent with schemes for many years. Sure, we've had our standout athletes, but by and large, our team has not been the athletic juggernauts we have been known to beat. We do this through good schemes, solid execution, and playing to our strengths.
Someone already said that its our coach's jobs to put our players in the best position to win. They completely failed there on Saturday. Vtech was getting pressure, and disrupting plays all over the place. Where were the misdirections, the draws, the screens? They didn't appear until late in the 3rd quarter. In the 2nd quarter when it was apparent that we could not run right into 8 defenders and gain more than 1 yard, why did we continue to do so? When Shinskie proved that he was a little rattled and sailing his passes, why did we not start calling shorter routes?
Yes, the players did not execute as cleanly as they could, no they were not as athletic as vtech players. Across the team we have not been as athletic as vtech for a number of years, yet that has not held us back in the past.
Its one thing to get beaten by the 5th best team in the country. Its another to look like there was no coaching staff and the 5th best team in the country beat a group of pick up players.
What is it about the road that renders our team incompetent? Does the coaching staff forget to gather Tranquil from his crypt in the Alumni stadium coach's box?
The biggest thing I was disappointed about was that our team came out flat and stayed that way - that's on the coaches. VTech came out fired up, most likely because we've beat them so often at home, and was clearly looking to make a statement - which they did, emphatically.
I still don't agree that going for it on 4 and 1 was the right move on Beamer's part. You're asking a defense that has been on the field all game to come up with a big stop when they are dead tired. Anyone who watched the game knew that they were running all over us and for them to pick up 1 yard was a given. That 4th & 1 turned into 7 points instead of 3.
.....and, this just in, Mark Huguenin of Rivals ranks BC #35 and says the following:
BUZZ: Despite getting drilled at Virginia Tech, BC still is in good shape to win the ACC's Atlantic Division title again. NEXT: Saturday, vs. N.C. State
Sorry doom and glomers, there is hope, LOTS of it!!
shout out in Schlabach's on/off the mark...
Off The Mark: Truly Offensive
1. Boston College
The Eagles had 3 yards of offense in the first half of their 48-14 loss at Virginia Tech. BC has had 1 yard of offense combined in the first half of two ACC road games.
ouchies.
Mod--get your head out of the sand. There is no glimmer of light with this team after Saturday's disaster. BC couldn't have beaten a high school team Saturday. The fact that Spaz has literally quit twice in the past 4 games is unconscionable. He is a horrible coach who surrounded himself with a horrible staff. Jags was a great coach because he took chances. Spaz looks like he's playing not to get blown out. He's doing exactly what TOB did only worse. Logan would have been a much better coaching option.
And for all these people who think BC can win out or win the Atlantic, what team are you watching? BC will be lucky to become bowl eligible at the end of the year. Notre Dame is looking more and more like a loss as is Central Michigan. LeFevour is going to shred this defense apart. NCST will be dangerous next week given their Duke debacle (remember Va Tech?). Then BC will be left with winning at least 2 games from the Maryland, VA, and UNC group. All of these games are winnable but given BC's inconsistency, all these games are losable as well. VA suddenly got a fire lit under them and have played well the past 2 weeks, esp. against Indiana. UNC has a good defense but a horrible offense. BC though has made second stringers look like Heisman contenders in the past. And remember, Maryland beat Clemson who demolished BC. BC will be lucky to hit that 6 win mark. And by the way Mod, I'm becoming a parody of myself because I thought that Saturday was a disaster? Get your head out of the clouds and realize that this is not a good team at all.
Bravesbill-
Before we claim that Spaz has surrounded himself with a horrible staff, the majority of the staff remains from the previous two (ACC Atlantic Division Championship) seasons (only Logan, Spaz, Bicknell and the ST coach whose name I forget left)
Also, one thing I like about Tranquill's playcalling more than Logan's is that we actually have established the threat of a downfield pass, something that seemes virtually nonexistent last season.
This is a good team that is in the process of coming together, but is nowhere near the likes of competing with an experienced and polished NC Contender such as VT, and we shouldn't read so much into one game against that kind of opponent.
I dunno if it's just that your sarcasm doesn't come across well in posts or what, but HOLEY MOLEY people, pump the brakes!
Take a step back from this game and let me propose a hypothetical. Come on a journey with me. Let's say instead of VaTech, we played this past Saturday against FL down in the Swamp. The game follows the same course and ends with the same result. I feel like I'd hear a lot more people saying, "Well they're a ridiculously good team. Disappointed with how flat we were, but they're just a REALLY good team that played up to their potential." Instead, people left and right are calling for our coaches to be drawn and quartered and GDF to be run out of town. I feel like our recent history of winning against VT has put some unrealistic expectations in peoples' minds. This is a ridiculously good VaTech team! They're #3 in the BCS right now for crying out loud! We just came up against a far superior football team that, most likely, Beamer had fired up after their mediocre outing against Duke. He wanted his boys to prove a point to the BCS voters and start making a NC push. He did just that.
Am I disappointed with how flat the team looked and how few adjustments were made on either side of the ball? Of course. But as for our overall performance, like I said I think we just came up against a far better football team that was looking to reverse its losing streak against us. I think it's safe to say that Tranq is looking suspect at best right now, but I think the sample size at this point is a little small to say the whole staff needs to be dragged behind a shed Old Yeller style.
I am going to second Colin's comments, with special emphasis on VaTech being the #3(!) team in the nation, coached by a guy who has put in place a dominating infrastructure and team. Spaz inherited a team that fell apart at the seams, and is slowly putting the program back on track.
Did I like what I saw Saturday? Hell no. But putting the loss in perspective, first year HC v. long term HC, BC away in Lane Stadium, VT needing a statement game after Duke, and it being their Homecoming weekend, VaTech had the advantage.
ATL had predicted us to be 3-3 at this point. We're 4-2. Yes, some of the games have been close, but we have won them.
Just a few random thoughts
1) Jags was a jerk for what he did, but he made us all believe, no matter who the opponent was, that BC would win.
2) Logan was not perfect, but he was loads better than Bible and Tranq. He took chances. Sometimes things didn't work out, but they worked out alot more often then you'd think.
3) Remember that video the Globe did about Spaz? It was a "day-in-the-life" thing. Remember the part that was something like: "11AM, Coach takes a stroll around the Rez." That always struck me as kind of wrong. Now I know why.
4) This game was an embarrassment. What kills me is not the loss. Va Tech is a good team, but we just seemed to give up so soon into the game. Some of that is the players' fault, but most of it is the fault of the coaches (See point 1 above).
5) As this season progresses, we are seeing that Gene was absolutely right in hiring Jags instead of Spaz the first time.
6) Give this staff the rest of the season to prove themselves and work out the kinks. If there's no improvement, fire Spaz.
I thought the opening kick-off (out of bounds) set the tone -- BC would play scared. I wonder when that decision was made - early in the week or just before the kick? Or was it a full week before when we insisted on kicking short to Fla. St.? Hard to feel confident and play aggressive when you're told right up front that you can't handle these guys in an open field.
Spaz's pre-game decision to give Marscovetra the first series of the second quarter was right out of the TOB playbook, but I don't remember TOB replacing the entire first-team offense like that. That was unbelievably stupid.
Shinskie's comments about not recognizing VT's defenses echoes what he (and Tuggle, maybe?) said after the Clemson game. That Clemson was running completely different schemes than what they practiced against. I wonder how the staff would respond to that.
Colin, you would be absolutely correct if this wasn't the second time in four games that the team looked like this. Remember, we put up even fewer yards against Clemson, a team who lost to Maryland (who lost to Middle Tennessee State).
We haven't laid an egg only against the #3(!) team in the country. We also laid an egg against a team who isn't even counted in the "Also receiving votes" category.
I'm terrified that we are in the process of seeing a trend develop. Surely, our inexperience on both sides of the ball is partly to blame, but since 2000 we've always been able to plug in new players and experience at least decent results.
Bravesbill --
I am wondering if all your posts are just a spoof. (but sadly, I know they are not) Just "listen" to yourself:
There is no glimmer of light with this team . . .Spaz ... is a horrible coach . . . with a horrible staff. ... BC will be lucky to become bowl eligible . . Notre Dame is looking . . . like a loss as is Central Michigan. . . . . this is not a good team at all.
I do think your posts are hysterical. I actually look forward to reading them.
Maybe we can come up with a Motto for you and other doom-and-gloomers.
My suggestions:
"Together We Can't"
"Change We Will Never Believe In."
"Hopelessness and Stasis"
"Spaz is a Spaz"
"I am really a dopey Domer lurking on a BC board for spite"
SuperFans:
"This is a good team that is in the process of coming together..."
Really? When is the official union?
It may very well be a good team next season, but it is defensively porous at the most inopportune times and offensively incompetent road team all the time. It wasn't just this game.
Mod34B, I love ya man, the enthusiasm, the polyanna thing...and I really really hope you're right. But, uh, it's tough to quote me Sagarin rankings w/ BC at 39, Clemson at 42 and Wake at 50 when Clemson, well, you know, and Wake should've won if a QB fell down or a RB ran the right way on 1st and goal at the 3. 3 spots better than Clemson? 11 over Wake? Um, sorry, no.
Danny: "What is it about the road that renders our team incompetent? Does the coaching staff forget to gather Tranquil from his crypt in the Alumni stadium coach's box?"
That's funny.
It would help to have a QB who is prepared to play good teams. It would help to have a QB w/ a game personality. Maybe it would just help to have him have more than 3 starts thus far. I don't know.
That's kinda the point.
Who is the QB?
And to echo what was said about Ryan Williams...seems a long time ago that their starter was lost for the season, doesn't it? Maybe he won't improve over the next three yrs.
You know, like our secondary.
im close to ceasing all future posts on this site because im so sick of reading these hypercritical responses. i cannot recollect anyone stating before the season started that we would go 12-0. most people expected to go 7-5. we are 4-2 currently. support our boys, they need us.
i need more mmason and big jack krack. these long-winded rants are getting redundant and taking away from the overall quality of ATL's site. i cheer for bc and check out this blog because i love the school and want to stay current with the sports scene. i enjoy interacting with people that have the same passion for bc sports. i want to hear their legitimate critiques of our teams. I don't come here to listen to trivial bickering and ridiculous histrionics.
if we plat VT 10 times , we'd lose 10 times ... they are a superior football team at every position and very well coached ... that we got thumped is not what's troubling ... the lack of an effective GP is ... in preparation for the upcomoing game a coach has to ask his staff can we beat this club , obviously on paper , no ... so then the HC says what do we have to do to offset their strengths , i.e. speed and putting 8 in the box ... answer , short , quick passes , screens , swings to the RB's ... as noted by superfan didn't happen till late in the game... that coupled with no in game adjustments worries me ... i hope i'm wrong but with Tranquil i think we have the old football mentality , i'll keep doing the same thing till it works ... i'm not convinced we have an OC that is up to speed on 2009 football , i hope i'm wrong , but i'll be watching with a jaundiced eye ...
Bye-Bye Blockparty!
CT --
you don't like Sagarin? He is quite reputable. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Sagarin
Every football game is won and lost in little things. Yes, we beat WF on a dumb play. So what?
You can quibble with numbers, but you can't (and don't) deny BC has an easier road to ACCCG than WF or Clemson, even if both teams might be better teams than BC,
Also, a pollyanna is unreasonably or illogically optimistic. I am reasonably and logically optomistic. Indeed, I am the true realist here.
Bravesbill, if you think NC State is going to come out fired up after their "Duke debacle" as you called it, why wouldn't you think our guys wouldn't come out fired up after their VT debacle? Don't say it's because of our coaching staff...because you're criticizing our coaching staff for being like TOB. And guess who NC State's coach is?
It is hard to deny the fact that we do have one of the easiest roads to the ACC Title game. The 4 ACC teams we have remaining on our schedule have a combined 2-5 record in conference play, and only one of them has played one of the ACC's big 3 (UNC got walloped by GT). They have all had their moments where they have looked just as bad, if not worse, than us last week. And none of them have played anyone nearly as good as VT.
And CT, Clemson is high in the Sagarin ratings probably because they lost closely to two ranked teams in GT and TCU. Not to mention they screwed up (similarly to how Wake screwed up against us) in the game against UMD. Also, saying that Clemson lost to a team that lost to Middle Tennesee is flawed, because Clemson beat Middle Tennesee by a pretty solid margin this year.
I too would love to castigate bravesbill for his hyperbolic doom and gloom, but the problem is that there's just too much evidence backing him up to dismiss his viewpoint as less than legitimate.
VT may be a legitimate top 5 team, or even the best team in the nation, decisive Alabama win notwithstanding. I don't care. Our football team's performance on Saturday was shameful. We play Tech every year. There was never this big a disparity between BC and VT, even in the year they DID play for the national championship.
I would feel no less disheartened if it had been Florida handing our butts to us. We've got a long history of standing up strong against #1 teams--from the likes of Tennessee in 1940, through Texas in the 70s, through ND in 93 and then Miami in 2001.BC should never be that incredibly dominated by anyone, regardless of their ranking. I don't pretend to demand 14-0 every year, or ever, but I DO expect BC to at least compete respectably whether against VT or Miami or Texas or Florida. BC should never be so outmatched that the other team goes into the locker room at half with more POINTS than we've got YARDS. And it's happened TWICE. In a MONTH. And one of those games was to a team that's not very good, judging by how the rest of the college football world has fared against them this year, and really for the past 25 years. Too soon to throw the staff under a bus? Too small a sample size? Hmph. This isn't baseball, with a marathon season and everyone blowing a few ballgames. Football consists of about a dozen games a year. We're halfway through the season. And we've laid eggs in a third of the games we've played, because the team wasn't prepared and the gameplan was worthless. That's unacceptable.
Shoot. Reading back through the comments, I see I echoed a lot of what CT said. Sorry. To it, I'll add that Jags had that infectious charisma and belief in BC that made us all believe, too. I wish we still had that. Spaz is just such a downer, that it's hard to be enthused about the team when HE isn't.
Logan less vertical than Tranq? Not on your life. Did you see what he did when he had an actual quarterback? Last year, we had no QBs. None. Certainly not after Crane went down, anyway. We've got more talent at the position this year. Just no experience. So airing it out NOW is just plain dumb. Thanks Tranq.
Also, Mark Huguenin of Rivals clearly did not see the game. That's no crime. Hell, I wish *I* hadn't seen the game. But ranking BC so high based on their prospects of advancing from a group of six unexceptional or just awful teams completely lacks credibility.
This season is not lost. We've gotten a couple good results, and there's no one left on the schedule that we shouldn't beat. We've got some very talented players. It's a weak division, and we could yet advance from it. But whatever our team does manage to achieve yet this year, it will do so largely on accumulated learning from the past staffs, raw talent, and opponents' vulnerability. Because I have seen no reason to believe that it'll be due to weekly preparation, gameplans, or in-game coaching/schemes/adjustments. The players will have to win "despite the coaching," as the mantra's been in some circles.
I said at the end of last season (it might be in the old posts somewhere) that BC would lose 4-5 games this year. I still believe that. I hope I'm wrong, but my prediction was based on the losses at key positions and the tough schedule. I'm not being pessimistic, it's simply reality. I am passionate about college football and have been watching it every Saturday since 1974. BC is not an elite team and when you lose talent such as BC lost this year, there is going to be a rebuilding year. I am actually bullish on BC long-term. I think we need to make some assistant coaching changes, but I like our young players and I feel the next few seasons will be great for BC.
Ok Mod34B, here:
Yes, BC has an easier road.
Sagarin is reputable.
You are reasonably optimistic and thus a realist.
To point 1, we need it.
To point 2, does head-to-head mean nothing?
To point 3, the first half is debatable, the second not so much.
Still hope you're right.
Agree with Darius (or maybe the other way around, I don't know). Except for the statement that there is no one on the schedule we "shouldn't" beat.
BlockParty...many of us are concerned with the big picture--the program--not just results against a top 5 team (which was absurd).
I agree with you on one thing...where is Big Jack Krack lately?
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