I don't like the trend of winning sloppy and winning ugly...but I love winning! BC pulled out another close one in Blacksburg to become bowl eligible for the second-straight season. Many BC fans feel bowl eligibility is a low bar as far as season goals go, but we cannot overlook where things were just two years ago. The story of this game was familiar. Murphy carried the team and everything else was wildly inconsistent. The D would make a great play and then look terrible. Special Teams would pin them deep in VT territory yet fall for a fake punt. The offensive line would open a hole and then look like they were slipping on banana peels. There's a lot to improve.
But winning on the road in conference is still an accomplishment and this team can still finish strong.
I will have second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday.
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After the Spaz era, how could any BC fan take bowl eligibility for granted? Credit Addazio. He won 7 games with the same players that won just 2 under the prior coach. Despite losing several key seniors this year, he has them in bowl position in year 2.
I thought they would win 4-5 due to the loss of key players and the rebuild, but Addazio could get BC to 7 wins this year. Amazing. And,if he can somehow find a way to beat Petrino and the Cardinals, they can get to 8. Great job by Addazio!
Now, there is no pressure on BC. They are bowl eligible. They are not in contention for the Atlantic title. There is absolutely no pressure on them. They can play loosey goosey and hopefully steal one. And please, let's beat Syracuse.
whew... tough win. Shades on 2nd half Wake quasi-collapse. Team lacks swagger and is not closing out games.... VT was very confident in 4Q.
but, we have spotty depth, so spotty results are going to occur and to be expected... Coaches seemed to be getting a lot out of the roster
the Ryan Day play election is a head scratcher....in one sense, the only reason Murphy and Willis got the long TD runs is because Day convinced VT we would not pass and dared them to continue to "stuff the box".. So i guess it worked...but still why not a little more play action pass. Why no short balls.
Last, while i have previously suggested nixing the Alston Jet Sweep, i am glad we used it today.. it was effective maybe 3-4 times.
not a good day for Hilliman...hope it was just an aberration
Louisville looked pretty good against FSU, but FSU does not have a dominant D (like FSU's O).
oh, my favorite moment. Did you see Brad Bates in the end zone congratulate Murphy on his winning TD run?
Good to see Bates on the scene... now talk of NorthWestern AD as Michigan AD front-running candidate...will be glad to keep Bates
Man! Who can doubt this team is infinitely more fun to watch than we have had in many years?
Stressful to the end? Yes.
Some headscratching playcalling? Yes.
But, jeez, it's so much more fun now.
I just can't understand some of the negative postings. Daz has scratched together 2 bowl-eligible seasons with basically 2 totally different teams. After unleashing and riding Andre all year last year, he brings in Murphy, and a completely different offense this year. Same, or better result.
Meanwhile the recruits he's brought in show huge potential. Let's hope they have enough to bridge the gap, as Daz will once again have to reinvent the team next year when we lose Murphy and basically the entire O-line.
Cheers to Daz, this team, and yes, Day and Brown!
BC football is definitely fun again. But, also very frustrating to watch. The missed PAT, the back-to-back false starts, not defending the fake punt, calling for a fair catch on the kick-off, late hit on the qb, the multiple negative yardage plays on first down, the inability to pass. It is extremely frustrating to watch.
I am a huge Addazio fan and I think he is doing the best with what he has. The future is bright. But, we have lived on borrowed time all season and we are lucky to be at 6 wins. The only quality win is over USC. All of the other teams were pretty bad, although we hung on to the end versus Clemson and I have a feeling we will be competitive versus the final 3 opponents.
This is not a great BC team by any stretch, but they are going to a bowl and they are fun to watch. And, the future looks very bright (Daz is only in Year 2 of the rebuild).
There is a great deal of thanks due to Coach Daz. However, there is a bit of a worry about his "jump off a bridge" response to adversity. I hope that he can learn to calm down a bit between negative plays. This is a roller coaster ride and there will be plenty more head scratching before the season is done. Coach Kelly at ND churns on the inside but shows no emotion outwardly. For his own health, I hope that he takes a "chill pill". His enthusiasm is great. He just has to channel it a bit better. I would hate to see him have a medical issue on the sideline. I know that he is doing his Rowdy Yates impression and he is doing it admirably. Somewhere along the way, the "cattle drive" has to go on with player leadership. Murphy is doing better at this but a few others have to step up. "Stone hands" Bordner could be one but he just isn't. He is one of the captains and none of these four appears to show leadership.
I think coach Daz is tremendou, but I think coach Day deserves the key mention for this one. That 3rd and 10 call on the last TD was genius. If he doesn't have the guts to call it, we probably lose. Superb run, exquisite blocking, but it all begins w/ the call.
Our special teams coaching that's another matter. You have to watch the fake late in a game against a team that is down. Particularly against a team that made special teams famous.
I don't want to end on a negative. What a great season. The future looks mighty bright for our Eagles!
"Superb run, exquisite blocking, but it all begins w/ the call."
And, it was Bordner that had the key block, that sprang Murphy>
And it was Callinan who threw the key block to spring Willis.
I can see why these big guys are playing WR.
Sometimes we may not agree with it, but they can crush the DBs and hold off the LBs.
That was the only good play call had the entire 4th quarter. This jumbo nonsense has to go. Everyone knows it will be a run right up the middle and BC got stuffed all the time even in shirt yardage situations. At least Brown got more aggressive on defense after VA Tech got the lead. I'm not opposed to running the ball but mix it up. Use different formations. Try to spread out the defense. Try to use your speed to get to the corner. Do anything but more jumbo set plays.
great win yesterday, and really an impressive job by the coaching staff to have gone into NC State, Wake, and VA Tech and come out with strong wins in each game. yes, there are moments where BC isn't in control and moments where you scratch your head, but a Win is a Win so they must be doing most things right.
the D has really stepped up over October. this team, likely due to inexperience and lack of depth, is wildly inconsistent, but more often than not we are on the right side of the ledger.
Murphy is one of the best offensive players we have had in my time watching BC football. 110 passing yards on 8/15; and 122 running yards on 18 carries; 3 total TDs. to show you what a difference a coaching staff and a scheme make, last year Murphy had 61 rushing yards on 61 attempts! this year he had 965 yards on 131 attempts. Addazio & Co. have shown they can identify what guys do well and put them in a position to execute - did the same last year with Andre Williams.
this team won 2 games two seasons ago. with basically the same group Addazio wins 7 games last year. losing our long-time starting QB, best WR and best RB, we have come back and somehow have 6 wins already at the start of November. just a superb job of getting guys to buy in, compete, and putting people in the position to succeed. in our losses this year, we have been in each game. Pitt could have been a W; Colorado State could have been a W; Clemson could have been a W (the no-call on the intentional grounding/safety and the Rouse drop being the two big plays). even with those losses, Pitt has the best RB in the ACC and he rann all over us; CSU may be the best non-Power 5 team in the country; Clemson is Clemson. there is no reason why, if this team plays up to its abilities and is more consistent, we can win out. will that happen? probably not, but it just shows you how well of a job this coaching staff has done.
i want that Syracuse win, just to get them back for last year. and if Daz can pull one other win out (PLEASE can we be the team that knocks off those d-bags down in Tallahassee), i would be ecstatic.
Been a big fan of Daz since he made the decision to line up last year in jumbo sets and take the ball out of Rettig's hands.
Love the fact that he understands recruiting and that it's continuing to improve. Looking forward to him getting his hands on more talented playmakers at WR and anywhere on defense.
Not to sound overly pragmatic, but our six wins have come against teams with a total of 22 wins and USC accounts for six of those. We got a scheduling break. The less pragmatic part of me thinks that winning is the best way to recruit. But we've won before and the proverbial ceiling, minus Ryan, hasn't changed much. I guess I'm a bit cautious (though admittedly optimistic) about Daz getting us back to the ACCCG in the Atlantic division.
That's what this process has to be about. The Orange Bowl. I'm over eight wins and Dec. 26 bowls. Two more years. We'll know by then.
End of vent. Good win. Now go get inside some living rooms. Guys not thinking about Kent State that is.
CT
I agree the teams we have beaten aren't great, but our 3 ACC wins are on the road, as El MIZ said. To do that w/ the youngest team in the ACC screams great coaching.
In the BC mag article to start the year he talked about us being ready to win 10 in yr 5. That's what I'm looking for. I'd be happy next year w/ a season like the first 2. We will have to break in a new QB and O line, although the D will continue to get better. Maybe yr 4 we get 8 or 9. I do worry about losing him though. I really think he's the real deal.
BB
I don't understand what you are seeing. The series before the big 4th quarter TD, Day called a 1st down play action pass. Fooled no one and we had 2nd 18. The jumbo was the perfect package against a Tech team that was uncharacteristically weak up front. Woody Hayes used to say when you throw a pass 4 things can happen and 3 of them are bad. I think we are much better off to keep banging it in there for positive gains, and try to move the chains. You wear em down and then once in a while you break one. That's what this team is best equipped to do. I don't think this is just for this year. I think this is how our coach wants to play, and he will continue in this style for as long as we are lucky enough to have him.
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