I will have second viewing thoughts and grades late Sunday.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Close but still far away
BC played great for nearly three quarters. But too many mistakes and not enough big plays led to Clemson escaping with the win. I am not despondent, but I am also not happy. This game was in our grasp and things started to fall apart. A big part of that was on Rettig and the OLine. But I didn't love how Addazio managed the clock. I assume he will justify it by saying that executing took priority over tempo. But overall there was a lot of positive takeaways. We can play with anyone.
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OK.. Disappointed in that outcome, obviously.
Winnable game.
Nevertheless, given the continued improvement, who can argue that 9-3 isn't possible? 9 and 3! From 2-10.
2 of the 3 losses have been to top 10 teams, and both were more than respectable.
If we can play FSU & Clemson this tough, and keep getting better, why not win out?
Chug the Kool Aid! We are on our way back!
OK.. Disappointed in that outcome, obviously.
Winnable game.
Nevertheless, given the continued improvement, who can argue that 9-3 isn't possible? 9 and 3! From 2-10.
2 of the 3 losses have been to top 10 teams, and both were more than respectable.
If we can play FSU & Clemson this tough, and keep getting better, why not win out?
Chug the Kool Aid! We are on our way back!
I will place two posts. First my positive post. Great effort in a hostile environment. The defense was excellent. The offense did the best they could do. I am proud and this is better than last year
Now my negative post. Steve Addazio can talk all he wants about playing to win and no moral victories. The proof is in what I watch. Down 10 with 4 minutes left and huddling up? A 4th and 17 fake punt? The bad set of calls after Andre Williams gained 20, albeit deep in our own territory, and we went conservative and punted. Even the announcers picked up on how we just wanted to make it look close. I'd rather lose by 40 and try to win the game. You play to win. Coach Addazio does not. BC plays not to lose. This was better play calling than FSU, but again, as we keep a game close and can try to win, we get super conservative. Face it, we have limitations on offense, BUT PLEASE TRY TO WIN!
Conspiracy theory time: Addazio was told that BC needed to take a dive and let Clemson win... or else.
There's no way the same coach that was blasting the refs at the start of the game goes that conservative in the fourth without something happening. I mean, he just looked resigned.
I don't blame Daz for this at all. I have already seen plenty of comments to that effect, but come on. Chase was a D+ at best for most of the game. The long pass was on the money but the majority of his throws were behind or overthrown for most of the game. The OL got little push on too many runs. Clemson had vastly superior talent and it showed. They let us in the game with the turnovers, but BC didn't come up with the big plays when we needed them most. The fumble TD by Chase was abysmal and took us out of the game. It was winnable yes, but needed near-perfect execution. We didn't get it. They may clearly cost us a win in the future but not Daz and Day's fault this time.
Atl, I think if you -- and everyone else-- who didn't think BC could win this game then you have some balls to say you're displeased. I thought BC could win and I'm disappointed. Everyone figured these kids were gonna get killed
He players played. not quite good enough. Too many sacks. Too many stuffed runs. We own the team we have. Stop dreaming and start believing in the future. What did you expect? Positive, positive, positive. Not if only.
If I would have told you in August that we would have 3 wins at the half-way point and we would only lose to Clemson and Florida State by a combined 24 points (58 points last year), you would have taken that deal in a heartbeat. Frankly, I am delighted that we were in the game until the end and were not embarrassed on national tv. 2-10 teams just don't beat top 10 teams in year one of a turn-around. It rarely, rarely happens.
So where do we go from here? We still need 3 wins to be bowl eligible. That should be the focus going forward. All of the remaining games, including Va Tech, are winnable. The downside is that 5 of the games could easily be losses too. BC must shrug this off and not take a single opponent for granted. I am excited that the team seems to be improving week by week (remember USC?). How much better can this team get by the end of the season? Go BC!
Blist:
I wasn't disappointed after FSU (other than losing). I didn't think we would win this game but I am disappointed. FSU played well and we lost to a better team. Clemson did not bring their A game and we could have won. I also am disappointed in Rettig. He did not play well. I have mixed emotions about Addazio's clock management. I will explain in my next post.
Overall though, still a lot to like. We have played five good games. There is no reason we cannot go bowling with the softness of our remaining schedule.
I am shocked by the ineptitude of Rettig. He panics. At the end of the first half, the shovel pass interception led to a fg. They should have been running out the clock. The same clumsy ineptitude showed up with the last four minutes. The fumble was a killer. Rettig cannot or won't throw the ball away. He takes too long to set up. When Rettig looked for reassurance, Dazio yelled at him. He just needed someone to wrap their arm around him and calm him down. It didn't happen and he felt like and looked like Custer with all of the arrows sticking in him. He was alone. The game started out so well. Nevertheless, you have to finish and BC couldn't do it. The 2 minute drill looked like a Chinese Fire Drill.
I don't think Addazio wanted to move at the pace we did at the end. He kept screaming at rettig to speed it up, and rettig kept moving back to the huddle
Very proud of the way this team fared against FSU and Clemson. FSU destroyed Maryland 63-0 and beat up on Pitt 41-13. Clemson beat Wake 56-7 and Syracuse 49-14. We are in the Wake/Pitt/Cuse/Maryland level of the ACC right now.
I wish we could have pulled off an upset against one of these powerhouse teams, but hopefully we did enough to keep our recruits on board.
I guess my point is everyone figured we had no shot, so it's kind of unfair to then say we're unhappy with how things played out when the team actually had a shot. I actually didn't think the clock mgmt was bad, neccessarily, I think we had to execute to really have a shot in the 4Q, and I'm not glad with the execution in the 4Q after the TOs.
Chase's reactions to me are completely the result of someone being very good in a situation where a team has been beset by both mediocre players around him and bad coaching/turmoil -- he tries to do too much, but I don;t think that means he's bad.
Let's focus on some positives -- Sean Sylvia is bad-ass, Myles Willis I hope reflects the speed Adazzio is bringing on board and isn;' nice to have BC coach in any sport get pissed when bas calls are made?
Blist,
I think we need to get more touches for Willis. Every time he has the ball, good things happen. Day needs to get the ball to his playmakers and Willis is certainly one of them.
I think today's game reflects what we have now with Daz. The announcers make a point of how animated he is on the sidelines and how into the game Daz appears, even to the point of joking about not giving him coffee or Red Bull.
The effort is there for as long as we could sustain it; but when things began to unravel, we see the downside of Daz's style. Instead of coaching and encouraging (yes, teaching if you will) Daz is really angry and calls out what seems to be his only quarterback in front of the entire country. Okay, if we are going to see somebody else starting at quarterback next game; but not okay if Chase is our guy for the rest of the season.
We'll have to see how the rest of the season goes with Daz and Chase; but there is some work to be done here on how Daz corrects mistakes in public.
I think the negativity stems from the fact that we were in a position to win going to the fourth, and that chance was seemingly squandered.
Some of that is on the coaching staff for not executing in a series of plays that indicate they were going for the win. HOWEVER, we have to remember that that Diaz and co are responsible for putting the team in a position to have a chance to win.
We're criticizing the staff for not finishing, only because they have raised the expectations for this team, far beyond what anyone has originally thought possibly for this year.
I repeat. They have raised expectations. We, as a fan base, now have expectations that we can go toe to toe with a top ten (FSU and Clemson), and pull out the win. That's absolutely and awesomely insane. We were 2-10 last year. Dad and co. Have completely shattered what we thought possible of this team.
Now, that is a double edge sword. When we couldn't move the ball in the fourth quarter, I screamed at Daz, wanting him and Rettig to get it together.
This is a disappointing loss because by the fourth quarter, I was expecting this staff to play to and to win. The future of BC football is bright.
I
How impressive was it for the BC D to hold Clemson to 17 offensive points in Death Valley. Brown did an awesome job. The D=line and linebackers were in Boyd's face for much of the game. The game was still in the balance with about five minutes left. Day called another great play( the Willis draw and the Amidon pass). The reverse to Amidon brought BC to the Clemson 30. ( scoring position) but was nullified by a hold. No replays were shown so how valid that call was is unknown. The ACC didn't want BC taking the luster off their prime time Clemson-FSU matchup. 2. BC has reached the half way point in the season. The squad is vastly improved over last year. They have played six games and five have been very well executed and entertaining. The coaching staff have performed magnificently. The future is bright. Is anyone afraid of NM ST. or NC ST ? The other four games are toss ups. Two goals were set at the start. Win game #1 and get to a bowl. Both are going to be achieved. 3. Many proclaimed Rettig an NFL prospect. He isn't. While his fumble hurt greatly, his shovel pass to the guard instead of the End was the biggest blunder. The play was open for a first down. The drive could have continued. With two weeks to prepare for UNC should another option at QB be looked at? Getting a QB ready for next year may be more important than the number of wins this year. 4. A and M and Mizzou are up at the top of the SEC. How did that happen? Two years ago they were middle of the pack in the Big 12. Now they're world beaters in a purported tougher conference. Maybe that conference is a little over rated. Oregon looks like the top team in the land. The Big 12 and Big 10 look average. Lets hope we don't get a OSU-Bama championship. If the SEC champ is in the game their opponent should come from the PAC 12 or the ACC.
The first drive of the second half was a no huddle. It was a bust. Frankly most of the no huddle drives were unsuccessful.
Clock management was not the problem. It was scheme.
In the second half we went NO BACKS and left Pachan 1:1 on Beasley. That was the difference in this game. Now the coaching staff must have faith that Rettig will make the right decision- when he has not protection but he didn't.
Rettig ost us big time in this and the FSU games.
We are 50/50 to win the rest of our games but the next one is the most important of the season.
We have two weeks to heal and figure out North Carolina. We need to win that game to get to 6/7wins. Maryland and Syracuse on the road will be tough.
what a great game from BC. very tough loss indeed but going into Death Valley and hanging with Clemson was very impressive. after Clemson scored to go up 10-7 in the 3rd Q, the place was going crazy and we could have folded. instead we went right back at them and scored on a great playcall with Amidon burning that "Southern speed." happy for Amidon - 6 for 121 and a score should get him some NFL coverage.
hats off to Don Brown and the defensive coaching staff -- the year over year improvement of that unit is truly remarkable.
Myles Willis! running through tackles and burning that "Southern speed" (he is from ATL after all). happy for him and the coaching staff really need to find more ways to utilize him. he should touch the ball 8-10 times a game.
i have said it once and i'll say it again - Rettig is simply not very good. a senior QB who has started the vast majority of games in college should not be making the mistakes he makes, its that simple. he panicked on the shovel pass throw, he panicked on the fumble - those were truly backbreaking turnovers. "game managers" (as some proclaim Chase to be) don't make such careless, ill-advised turnovers. he doesn't have a strong arm, his mobility is average at best, and he panics. on top of that, as has been the case all year, we have only 1 good WR. to beat a team like FSU or Clemson on the road, he needs to play flawless football and yesterday was almost a failing grade for Rettig. that being said, he's our best option this year and i want as many wins as possible. i am very confident in QB commit Darius Wade to come in and compete from day 1 with the QBs on the roster.
the positives - we are 3-3 heading into the second bye week, and we hung right with FSU and Clemson.
@ UNC -- the Tarheels are 1-4 and reeling. they play Miami on Thursday night and should be reeling by the time of our matchup.
vs. Va Tech -- a home game against the Hokies, who are 6-1. still, they beat East Carolina 15-10, needed 3 OTs to beat Marshall, and only beat NC by 10. they are beatable, especially at home.
@ New Mexico State - they are 0-6. this needs to be a win.
vs. NC State - a home game against the Pack, who is 3-3 and just lost at home to Syracuse. State lost 26-14 to Clemson, we lost 24-14. State also lost to Wake Forest, and has lost 3 of their last 4, with a game against Florida State coming up. this is a very winnable game at home.
@ Maryland -- yes, Maryland is 6-1. they also got crushed by FSU 63-0. they barely beat Virginia (won by 1 point), and have wins over Old Dominion (1-5), Florida Int'l (4-2), and UCONN (0-5). the Terps have talent and this is on the road, but this is a winnable game as well.
@ Syracuse -- is 3-3. lost 49-14 to Clemson, and have wins over Wagner (2-5) and Tulane (5-2).
the only "must win" game is New Mexico State. that puts us at 4, with 5 games to play, and every one of those 5 games is winnable. i hope Addazio can keep up the focus and the fire with this team. as crazy as it sounds, this team could win 8 games.
how good is Wade going to be as the QB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orhjgsjlRKg
can't wait for him to get to the Heights (i think he is enrolling early and will be there in January)
Ned, you're crazy if you think the sec is overrated.
Remember Bobby Wolford, star of the 'nova game? Is he hurt? I have not noticed him in the lineup the past few games.
This is a team that went with only two "ws' last year. What do you want. Great effort. Good game plan. great D. Two more years and we'll see top 10. If only we had more talent... if only...
I agree with Ned - that holding call was crucial and very curious.
With all the problems, I thought we maybe could have continued that drive into a score to make it 24 to 21 or 24 to 17 with time remaining to make the last few minutes a real nail biter.
Eagleboston - We haven't seen Wolford because Sinkovek healed up and got back into the lineup.
The 5th year senior is a better player - I think that's the reason.
Yes, Clemson was probably already thinking about FSU, and yes they turned the ball over, but I was really impressed with how we played defensively. We were winning one-on-ones up front. How could that performance not be a source of pride? One would think that might pique a recruit's interest.
Rettig, on the other hand, ugh...
And if you're worried about Daz yelling at his QB...come on. Do you know who Saban is? Spurrier? Meyer? These guys are maniacs at times. It's a part of what makes them good.
Anyway, we desperately need to get faster, but there are such things as moral victories since this isn't the pros. You have to slow the train down before you change direction, and this qualifies as doing just that. What a great confidence booster.
I saw a good bit of the game, at 35000 feet flying between New Orleans and Boston. When we lost the satellite feed, BC was up 14-10, but I figured it would be another "close, but no cigar" kind of outcome, so I wasn't surprised.
What a shame about that beautiful catch by Amidon that was negated by the holding call. I am loving everything I see and hear about Myles Willis. We more than held our own against a powerful team for the 2nd time this year; I think very few of us thought that would be the case.
While I hoped for better things out of Rettig, the mom in me can't get too down on a kid who's been through the kind of drama he has and hung in there. I'm optimistic about the rest of the season and very excited about seasons to come.
"...And if you're worried about Daz yelling at his QB...come on. Do you know who Saban is? Spurrier? Meyer? These guys are maniacs at times. It's a part of what makes them good...'.
Let me know when Daz makes it into the kind of company you mention.
In the mean time, save the histrionics for the practice field. Deal with your players the way you'd like to be treated when you screw up.
BTW somebody will have to explain why we seem so inept at the 2-minute drill. Last time I looked clock management and having the correct personnel in the game, calling the plays...al in time, is on the coaching staff.
Yeah, Lenny, talent has nothing to do with playing. It's all the fault of the current coaches that Spaz left what he did.
It wasn't a comparison in quality, just style. Yelling at your QB and winning don't seem to be mutually exclusive. Grow. Up. Seriously. Save the rah rah Jesuit thing for Sundays.
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