BC needs to win this week. A good coach wins this week. I don't need to rehash our history. No one needs a reminder of facing a struggling Syracuse team late in the season. Addazio's first two years have been better than I expected. But the job is not done. Here is why this game is a must win.
1. It ensures a winning season. Win or lose, BC goes bowling. But bowl games count in the W-L record. A 6-7 season would be losing and a setback. History won't remember the close losses. The narrative will be the losing season. If BC wins this weekend, the worse BC can finish is 7-6. That's not necessarily exciting but it supports the building narrative.
2. It shows that Addazio hasn't lost the team. In college sports, there is a sense of momentum. The guys are young and need direction. This team is on a losing streak. Addazio needs to restore confidence and restore belief. If the guys come out sluggish, it will be on the staff.
3. We are a heavy favorite at home. Our home record this year is disappointing. Some of that is due to who we played at home. But Syracuse is coming in reeling. Good teams have run on them. We should establish the run and put them away. Good teams and good programs win at home, especially as a favorite.
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These last two games (Syracuse + bowl) will define the season. Win both, and we hit 8 wins for the first time in 5 years. We would also improve over last year's 7 wins, and we'd take some positive momentum into next season.
Go BC - beat Syracuse.
I agree w/ you ATL, but it bothers me that when people bring up the infamous loss to the Cuse they fail to mention that our star QB was out. I was at the game, and it was the worst loss I've experienced as a BC fan going back to 72, but that key fact is rarely brought up. It would be like Murph getting put out last week and we have to start Wade. As anyone knows who pays attention to me, I'm a big Daz fan, and I'm confident he'll get it done. Strange things happen though, I think Beamer is a great coach, but I can't believe they lost to Wake last week.
Tim , as you well know, it is not just the Matt Ryan game where Syracuse crushed our hopes. They have been a thorn in our side since the 80's and we need to shake off the FSU loss and attack the bastards.
ATL makes a great point. A win guarantees a winning season. We have not won a bowl game in years, so we need this win over Syracuse to give the team some momentum going into next year. And we need to get revenge for that horrible loss last season.
Go Eagles!
Hoib-
Agree 100% re: the '04 loss. The anti-TOB crowd loves to point to that game as Exhibit #1 against TOB, but it would have been a vastly different outcome if Peterson played.
I also think the significance of that game has been blown out of all proportion in many BC fans' eyes. If we won, we would have been outright champions of a watered down lame-duck Big East that no longer included Miami and VTech. Whoopee. Sure, we would have gotten the BCS bid... how'd that work out for Pitt? (Utah 35, Pitt 7).
Another big factor in that game (and the memory that sticks with me from this game) was Syracuse's safety Diamond Ferri running the ball down BC's throat. If not for that performance, the game would be remembers much differently.
Tim,
Agree about Fiesta that year, but it still counts as a BCS bowl. It's particularly gauling to me that UCONN has one and we don't. On my bucket list for my Eagles is 1 BCS and 1 final four. I'm running out of time. I remeber a great photo in the Globe the day after York got his first. I t showed an older fan holding up a sign by the glass that read "now I can die in peace". I completely relate to that sentiment.
Looked up the stats from that '04 game:
Ryan was just 24/51 (47%) and threw 3 interceptions. We ran 29 times for 71 yards (2.45 yards per carry). We were 4-for-20 on 3rd down. We lost one fumble. We had 9 penalties for 89 yards. Yuck.
It is never easy for BC. Ever. That will be so against Syr.
Syracuse is better than its record suggests. BC's stats are better than Syracuse in almost evvery category, but only slightly better. Againt common opponents, BC and Syracuse are similar enough.
Only team to really gash Syr rushing was Pitt. But Pitt did it worse to BC.
It does seem that Syr has 'checked out' of this season - at least did so agaisnt Pitt.
I hope Syracuse is not motiviated and filled with new energy to thwart BC once again (they really enjoy that a bit too much!)
Tim
Were you there in 04? Was an amaizingly festive atmosphere before, and absolute despair afterwards.
Yes, I was there in '04.
We could have had Joe Montana starting at QB against Syracuse in 2004 and would not have made a difference. We got blown off the ball on the first play of the game (for a TD), and every play thereafter. BC was absolutely dominated --- and mostly on the defensive side.
Sure, Paul Peterson didn't play. Unfortunately, that wasn't material to the result.
If you get a chance, nice words about BC in Spencer Hall's article in EDSB about Florida State:
www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/
About half way through his piece" Consider the villain, or 24 hours at Florida State"
"Sure, Paul Peterson didn't play. Unfortunately, that wasn't material to the result."
Again, look at the offensive stats:
Ryan was just 24/51 (47%) and threw 3 interceptions. We ran 29 times for 71 yards (2.45 yards per carry). We were 4-for-20 on 3rd down.
It was Ryan's first career start. Peterson, in contrast, was a veteran who had led BC to victories over #12 Virginia Tech, #13 West Virginia, #24 Notre Dame, Penn State, Colorado State (bowl game) and others.
You're saying this had nothing to do with the outcome?
eddierock
They did get pushed around that day early and I think they paniced. Football more than any other game is a game of emotion. I'm a big TOB fan, but he wasn't one to provide an emotional lift. That came from our emotional leader Peterson, he was sorely missed that day.
No question in my mind that BC wins that game with Peterson. One of my all-time favorite BC quarterbacks. He was just a winner.
I rank them this way:
#1 Flutie
#2 Ryan
#3 Peterson
#4 Foley
Not sure who would be next. Maybe one of the Hasselbacks or St. Pierre.
from way back you have Chuckin Charlie, and Jack Concanon. Mike Krusec would come after Foley, from the ones I've seen.
don't forget Tyler Murphy! i will miss watching Murph zone-option teams to death.
Peterson could have played and they still would have lost because the defense was absolutely brutal. The only highlight that entire game was the punt return for a TD before the half.
As noted, in 04 the defense did not show up and was embarrassingly bad. I loved Petersen, too, and we would have had a better shot with him, but they ran all over us using a defensive back. No excuse for that.
And as much as I enjoyed the Petersen era (which TOB delayed far too long due to his crush on Porter), he was not better than Foley.
JMC
I agree w/ u about Foley, he palyed 4 years at a high level. I think Paul only played 2, plus Glenn QB'd us to the greatest win for us since I've been watching going back to 72. I think it's fair to feel, as you and BB do, we would have lost to the Cuse in 04 even w/o Peterson, but I think it still needs to be mentioned.
I should have said previously that just to say Flutie was #1 doesn't do him justice. He soars w/ the Eagles in Valhalla miles above the rest. I've closely followed the college game since 64, and I think he is one of the 10 best college players I've seen. Herschel Walker being #1
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