Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Northwestern

This was a terrible game to watch back. There were dozens of plays that could have turned the game in another direction. Wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity. If we are at home during bowl season, this will be a game that everyone looks back on as one of the reasons. Hopefully the coaches and players will use the bye week to regroup.

Offense: C-

I thought Rettig played better than he did against Maine. He made tight throws and did a good job looking beyond his first read. By my count he had nine throws that were either dropped or missed by his teammates. If just two of those are pulled in, Rettig is over 300 yards and we probably win the game. But it is not just throwing, he's also getting much better about buying time in the pocket. The one nitpick might be some of his deep balls. A few were overthrown or thrown out of bounds. But he was the reason this game was even close.

The running backs are getting much of the blame, but the problems weren't really on them (other than Finch).  In general this week, the holes weren't there. Kimble looked good and I think we need to use him more. If only as a outlet for Rettig on passing plays. Williams didn't do much but this week it wasn't about missing holes or waiting for blocks to develop. Finch couldn't get much going. The fumble was bad. At this point he needs to know to use two hands in traffic. I don't know why this is still an issue.

For me the most confusing part of this team is the offensive line. They've done a great job as a unit pass blocking. Running blocking is a different issue. Most of our runs were zones and the guys failed to get much of a push or to the second level. On a few occasions they did trap and pull and it wasn't successful. Individually Cleary was good, but needs to get better push running. White played well. He and Wetzel had great blocks on our fourth down play (it was our best run design of the day). Vardaro struggled. He was beat on pass plays a few times and struggled on some run plays too. Gallik was okay but had a terrible drive-killing snap and a bad penalty late.

Coleman is really coming along. His hands are improving as are his route. We need to get him the ball more. Elliot looked good. Evans was fine. Amidon made some nice plays and is cleary Rettig's primary target, but he's got to improve on the drops. The first drive should have ended in a TD and there were a few other plays that could have been made. He's clearly playing hard and carrying the offense nearly as much as Chase, but we have very little room for error and the drops are terrible.

We ran the ball 21 times and that felt like ten times too many. It wasn't anything complex. Just normal inside zone runs, but the holes weren't there and we killed drives. What I would like to see is Kimble and Williams in the backfield together. Whenever we do use that formation, it causes great play action opportunities. I wish Martin would just throw, throw and throw some more and then go to the run when we are up or the other team is not waiting for it.

Defense: D+

The defensive line remains a disappointment. We can't close on a QB, we can't collapse a pocket and we missed tons of tackles. Plus it seemed like they were constantly a step slow. Appiah played better and seemed to get more active as the game went on, but he's still not playing as well as he did at the conclusion of last year. He needs to disrupt the line more. I don't know what's going on with Mihalik. He never seems to be near the action and hasn't built on last year's promise. Ricci and Quinn were non-factors. Rudolph was okay but didn't do much. Edebali has his usual hustling self but didn't get on the field much after getting knocked for a loop. Wujciak got extended time but didn't get to do much. All of the Ends struggled with contain. We got burned by cutbacks repeatedly. Abdesmad played but did make big plays. These guys have to do more. There were plenty of problems on D, but these guys were No. 1. If they weren't missing tackles they were getting pushed around. That's got to stop.

Clancy played his heart out. He's not covering mistakes like Kuechly but he is still covering a lot of ground and very productive. KPL got called for a killer penalty early but made up for it with some great plays late in the fourth. Steele Divitto is struggling. He missed more tackles than any other linebacker. And teams keep throwing at him in coverage. I think we need to play more nickle and give him a break. He's still talented and still made plays but he is the weak link among the LBs. Duggan played a bit and was fine.

It was a weird day for the DBs. I thought they struggled early but played better as the game progressed. Sylvia is trying to make big plays and might be the only guy who didn't miss a tackle on Saturday. Rositano missed some tackles and didn't play much later in the game. Noel missed some early tackles but made a huge hit that forced a NU fumble (of course we didn't get it). One things that I don't know for sure -- but I believe based on watching the game back, is that the safeties got beat as much as the corners on the deep balls. There was no safety help on NU's biggest pass play. Jones is a good tackler but still struggles in coverage. Asprilla was okay. Richardson played a bit and was fine.

Kain Colter is an average college quarterback. He was their backup last year and was in the middle of a QB controversy prior to this game. Yet for the second year in a row, he looked like an All-America candidate against us. How did we not adjust? Why didn't we spy him more. Why weren't we ready for his cutbacks? Why did we wait so long to bring linebacker blitzes? Where were the corner blitzes? It was a terrible game plan. Sure we kept them out of the endzone most of the day, but they picked us apart and we couldn't get them off the field. Also, why aren't we using the second team LBs more? Our guys were out there for 100 plays! Mix it up. See if someone can make a play.

Special Teams: B-

The kick returns were solid. I like how Evans runs with confidence.

Freese made all his kicks.

The punt coverage was fine.

We didn't return a punt.


Overall: D+

Two things killed us against Northwestern last year. We scored before the half and then allowed the Cats to march right down the field to answer. We also did a poor job containing Colter. That is why so much of Saturday seemed like deja vu. Spaz is a defensive guy. Could he not add or do anything that would have helped us? Why didn't we blitz more early? Spaz laid the foundation for our bend but don't break philosophy and it killed us Saturday.

His clock management wasn't as bad, but Matty416 made great point about Spaz needing to kick a field goal late. When completed a pass to Amidon to NU's 19 yardline, we should have kicked the field goal. There were 23 seconds left and we needed two scores. If we were going to win, that was the only way to pull it off. But I don't think Spaz was thinking like that. He never does.

In-game comments post: Northwestern

This is our first road test and a chance to gain a little bit of national respect. Or it could be a long day against a tough Northwestern team. Since it is sort of BC's birthday, I think we are due for some good luck.

I know plenty of people will be at Fenway or in bars, but feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on twitter.

Game Watches: BC vs Northwestern

This game marks BC's debut on the Big Ten network. For those in the midwest or with a satellite, this is probably not a big deal. Others -- especially those without a sports package -- will have to search for a Big Ten Network option. Of course you can always watch it with your fellow BC fans at a Game Watch. If you are attending the Mass at Fenway, please know that many plan to go straight from the celebration to the bars on Lansdowne to watch the game.


Austin Game Watch
The Tavern
922 West 12th Street
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 320-8377

Charlotte Game Watch
BlackFinn Saloon
210 E. Trade St. (The EpiCentre)
Charlotte, NC 28202

Chicago Game Watch GO TO THE GAME!!!
Tripoli Tap
1147 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-4400 

Dallas Game Watch 
Christies Sports Bar
2811 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204-8567
(214) 954-1511

New York City Game Watch
Joshua Tree (on 3rd Avenue btw 34th and 35th Streets)

Phoenix Game Watch 
Gallagher's Sports Grill
7575 N. 16th Street
Phoenix

San Diego Game Watch
The Beer Company
602 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's in San Francisco
2064 Polk Street (corner of Polk and Broadway)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Washington, DC Game Watch
Irish Whiskey Public House (formerly Porter's)
1207 19th Street, NW Washington, DC

BC-Northwestern preview

Last year's game against Northwestern was very telling. BC did enough to win, but a few bad plays, questionable clock and game management, and the inability to stop a scrambling quarterback cost us the game. All the issues became recurring problems throughout the season. Some of those problems still exist, but I feel like we have enough new elements to mask those issues. But because it is a non-conference road game, I feel like Saturday will once again be an indicator of how we will handle the rest of our schedule.

Hot Seat Thermometer
One week can make a difference. BC won easily and Notre Dame joined the ACC. What's there to worry about, right? In a way this game is all house money for Spaz. As the underdog, lame duck on the road, few expect us to win. Yet if he does win or even comes close, there will be those who say "look how hard this team is playing for Spaz!"
Temperature: It's still warm, but the winds coming off Lake Michigan makes things feel better

Overlooked storyline: the return of the Illinois crew
Only our recruiting focus has reverted back to Ohio this year, prior to that we really started making inroads at the Catholic programs in the Chicago area. This game will be a homecoming of sorts for Cleary, Clancy and Sinkovec and a few others.

Three Simple Keys
1. Shutting down their WRs. Usually our DBs are outclassed by the other team's skill guys. Not this week. We can contain their WRs. We can't let them get extra yards and cannot let them make big plays.
2. Establish the pass first. You can talk me into a vanilla approach against Maine, but not against Northwestern. Let's come out passing first and then, when we have the lead, start killing clock with the run.
3. Attack downfield. Syracuse and Vanderbilt both challenged NU and had success. We should press them deep too.

Gambling Notes
-- BC is 10-30-1 all time against Big Ten teams
-- Spaz is 7-9 on the road
-- Pat Fitzgerald is 6-6 vs BCS teams
The current line is BC+3.5

Factoid
The last time BC lost in Evanston (1993), the followed the loss by winning their next eight games.

Scoreboard Watching
Wake Forest-Florida State has the most relevancy to our season. We face both and this game will be a test of which team is for real. Not much was expected of the Deacons, but they already won a conference game. Florida State is expected to be a national power, yet hasn't played anyone yet. We'll know a lot more about both after the game.

I hope to see...
BC get to Colter and/or Siemian. In last year's game, there was nothing more frustrating than watching Colter nearly get tackled only to escape and turn a negative play into a big gain.

BC is in trouble if...
we kick field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. Earlier in the week I touched on our redzone issues. Northwestern can put up points on anyone, so for us to keep pace and win we need to get 7s instead of 3s!

Bottom Line
There are a millions reasons to doubt BC this weekend, but I am rolling with my hunch. I watched a portion of Northwestern's Syracuse game and didn't come away feeling the Cats were all that good. I think we trade scores with them for the first half, build a little bit of a lead in the second half and then hold off their rally late.
Final Score: BC 35, Northwestern 31

Guest Blogger: James Quintong

Last year I asked ESPN's James Quintong about his alma mater Northwestern. Now it is time to take on the Wildcats again, so I asked him back to get us up to speed on NU. Although he's a Cat, James's brother is an Eagle, so he's familiar with BC and our recent struggles. My questions and JQ's answers below. 


ATLEagle: Last season BC prepped for Persa. Of course Colter started and killed BC on the ground. Now Colter is less than 100% and NU is playing two QBs. Who plays Saturday and how should BC try to shut the offense down? 

James Quintong: I still think Kain Colter will start on Saturday despite a subpar passing game against Vandy. Part of that, though, was due to some uncharacteristic drops from a solid NU receiving corps. Colter did make up for that with a great game-sealing 29-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter. Overall, Colter is the most dangerous player in the offense given the many ways he make plays, running, throwing and even catching the ball. However, Trevor Siemian has shown he can lead the team in late situations (he was under center for the go-ahead field goal against Vandy), and he's probably the better "traditional" quarterback. I think NU can put up points no matter who's at quarterback, although each gives the team a different look. However, the early star on offense this season is speedy junior Venric Mark, who was already a huge factor in the return game during his career (and returned a punt against Syracuse for a TD) and now has become the 'Cats' go-to running back. He may be a little guy (listed at 5-8, 175 pounds, and teammate Tyris Jones compared him to Gabby Douglas in training camp) but he looks comfortable carrying the load so far. He might be the key to stopping the NU's attack at this point, as he can open things up even more for the quarterbacks, or at the very least bail out the offense if the quarterbacks aren't getting the job done.

ATLEagle: Syracuse put up a ton of yards and points in the opener. Last week, NU contained Vanderbilt. Which unit is the real Northwestern defense?

James Quintong: I was impressed by NU's defense in the second half against Vanderbilt, although I still think the defense is a little bit closer to the one that got lit up by Syracuse. In fact, Vanderbilt was making plays in the first half before the 'Cats turned things around later. The secondary is still somewhat vulnerable, and the pass rush has had its moments, although the run defense has been pretty decent so far. The one thing that has helped NU in both games this season is forcing turnovers at critical times. Both turnovers against Syracuse turned into TDs, while NU stopped a late first-half Vandy drive with a fumble (opening the door for the second-half comeback) and sealed the win with another fumble recovery. Linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo has been the big-play guy so far (getting both turnovers against Syracuse), while defensive end Tyler Scott had a sack and a forced fumble against Vandy.

ATLeagle: The Wildcats are 23-16 under Fitzgerald at home. Spaz isn't great on the road. Would you consider Ryan Field a tough place to play in general? Any advice for BC fans making the trip? 

James Quintong: The 'Cats have done pretty well with nonconference home games under Pat Fitzgerald, but during Big Ten play, it's not unusual for Northwestern fans to be in the minority at Ryan Field, given the huge alumni contingents from places like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois making the relatively short trek to Evanston. So I wouldn't necessarily consider Ryan Field to be a huge homefield advantage, generally speaking. I would imagine the atmosphere at Ryan Field for this game could be similar to my experience at last year's game at Alumni Stadium with decent pockets of BC alums within a stadium that won't be anywhere close to a sellout. The area around the stadium is very nice (FYI: it's about a couple of miles from the main Evanston campus, which is worth checking out, especially in the areas overlooking Lake Michigan), and it's also accessible via the El train for those coming in from Chicago or downtown Evanston.

ATLeagle: What is your prediction for the game? 

James Quintong: After a while, I think I've just become used to high-scoring shootouts with this Northwestern team, and I can see BC throwing the ball a lot on this defense (I remember Chase Rettig throwing for 375 yards against NU in last year's opener). I still think the 'Cats have more than enough weapons to keep up, and playing at home will help. Since I'm used to close nailbiters against teams of relatively similar stature, I'll go with NU 31, BC 27.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Northwestern

My gut reaction to Saturday's loss was: "we are going to lose every game." The defense gave up a lot of yardage and we only managed 17 points. It felt just like last year. But I have hope after watching things back. As usual things aren't as bad as they appeared live. This frustrating loss can be contained. There were only a few issues (which are mostly fixable). If the coaching staff does its job, we should be okay.


Offense: B-
Rettig won't be the issue this year. You could see it from how he reacted to the decisions he made. The defensive pressure mounted (as did the emotional pressure) and he kept getting up. While some of his throws were off, there weren't many mental errors. I am not going to give him too much blame for the sacks/intentional groundings. Those will decrease as our play calling becomes more honed. Oh, did you notice he threw for 375 yards? I felt really good about Rettig prior to the season and feel like yesterday validated most of my optimism. If he can stay upright and get a little more accurate on all his throws, he can have a big year and a big career.

Andre Williams reminds me a lot of William Green. While that sounds like hype, from me it is a backhanded compliment. Like Green, Williams is a powerful runner who can be great in space. However, one thing Green never became great at was patience on holes and feeling traffic. Green ran behind a better line than Williams, but I do think he needs to improve as a runner between the tackles. Watching the game, I felt much better about Williams as a pass blocker. He did a good job picking up the blitzers and late rushers. Kimble wasn't as good in his limited opportunities to pass block. Kimble also didn't do much with his chances to carry the ball.

Momah had some drops but that shouldn't smudge his career day as a WR. He showed good ability to adjust his routes and he made some big plays. With his size, I feel like we are finally taking advantage of what he should be doing. Larmond doesn't look 100%, but it was still a very good first day back. Swigert's hands remain impressive although, I think he needs to work on his blocking a bit. Amidon looked good. Coleman only go one ball thrown his way and couldn't pull it in.

When I spoke of things that could be fixed, the Offensive Line was one of my primary points. Put aside the mental mistakes, I actually think we have decent talent here. The problem is they are being asked to do things they can't do well. When things were kept simple, they actually executed well. I think if we simplify the game plan, the guys will be okay. Use less pulling and movement. Use a few more zone runs and see what happens. Whatever is done, as a group they need to do a better job getting to the second level. If they don't, our running game will never be consistently explosive. Individually, I thought White had the best day. Spinney looked good early but then seemed lost on some plays where he was pulling. He also had the killer penalty (more on that later). Cleary was okay. Richman got in for a bit but was ineffective. Wetzel was fine. Gallick had the toughest day. He got blown up a few times and caught in traffic a few other times. Some are calling it one of the worst OL days they've seen at BC. I wouldn't say it was that bad, but it wasn't good. Now the questions is can Devine, Rogers and the five guys on the field get on one page? I think they can and the key will be to keep it simple.

Considering we only scored 17, I actually liked the way Rogers called the game. In the redzone he mixed up the play calling instead of the run, run, run, kick pattern we are so used to. Rogers tried to revisit plays that worked. He mixed in a good amount of run and pass, which made the play action more effective. The variety of plays seemed pretty deep considering it is a new offense and this was game 1. I also appreciate that he made adjustments. For example, the line couldn't sustain some of the pass protection as the game drew on, so he used more shotgun and short drops.


Defense: C-
The defensive tackles were a big part of our problem. Not only did they not make one big play, but they didn't even do what they are required to do in BC's scheme -- clog the middle. The guys got pushed and contained. It is my biggest worry since I don't see any new DTs coming to save the day. The defensive ends were actually decent. Holloway had a sack, but was also fairly disruptive. Edebali also made some nice plays. The big surprises were Wujciak and Abdesmad. They didn't get as many snaps, but both showed good motors and good contain. Wujciak actually got into the backfield a few times too.

KPL covered a lot of space and made some nice tackles. He needs to time his blitzes a bit better. Kuechly played well. The interception was him taking advantage of a bad throw. However, he couldn't do it all and most of their big plays happened when he was blocked downfield. Clancy played well and should probably get more playing time. Devitto had some great moments but also had some problems. In part because of playing the field side, he is asked to cover a lot of space (which became a problem that I will explain in a bit). He is probably best playing closer to the line and rushing the passer on occasion. He's got great strength -- as he showed on the sack.

Albert Louis-Jean got hammered by some BC fans for playing so far off. That's not really his fault. He's asked to do that. What becomes a problem is when he, Devitto and Williams all played very deep and left a ton of open space on their side of the field. There has to be better coordination on the field side. The biggest issue with ALJ was the inconsistent tackling. Our corners don't need great speed but they do need to be great tacklers. That's just how we've designed it and it is where we missed Fletcher. On the other side Jones was very good. Hughes was somewhat hesitant. Syvlia made some nice plays in limited time. I bet he will get even more time next week. Noel wasn't near much of the action but also didn't make a big impact on D (although he made a nice special teams play).

What is there to say about our defensive scheme? It was the standard Spaz/McG D. We just faced a team that executed well and played against our weaknesses. My concern and criticism is that some of the guys didn't seem ready (field side) and we didn't have any solutions to shore up the DTs.

Special Teams: D

The missed FGs were killers. I hope it was just a one-time issue for Freese. Quigley had some nice kickoffs and good punting. I appreciate Swigert being fairly aggressive with the punt returns. Kimble's kick returns were solid.

Overall: C

I guess what frustrates me most is that we were close. 479 total offensive yards! But I feel the big Spaz issues remain. We butchered the clock at the end of the half. Came out with no momentum and then ran a sloppy two-minute drill in the final drive. Just take the last sequence. We get the first down with 18 seconds left. We have one timeout. The best move is to kill the clock. But because NU had an injured player we went ahead wasted time and then had a penalty. Mental mistake for sure, but it is too common under Spaz. He lacks feel for the game. Killing the clock my of kept Spinney from being jumpy.

I am not without hope. We have potential in many places and we've shown we can move the ball. If Spaz can help the defense and figure out how to cover for our lack of talent at DT and lack of experience at CB, we should be okay.

All too familiar

We came into this game with questions. Some were answered and new ones arose. This will be a frustrating loss because BC had plenty of opportunities. There is plenty of blame to go around. As Danny Kanell pointed out our biggest area of concern is on the offensive and defensive line. Spaz's game management doesn't really raise questions at this point (since there is nothing left to ask).

Since it is a holiday weekend, I will probably have a few more posts. I should have grades and second thoughts up late Sunday night.

P.S. Half-hearted congrats to Rettig for his first 300 yard game (how was the show Mrs. Lincoln?).

In-game comments post: Northwestern

It's Christmas Day for BC fans! Here's the latest: Persa's out for them and Fletcher is out for us. Given the positions, it is a bigger loss for them. I obviously feel better about our chances, but either way this will be a good test. I am not sure if I will be online during the game (but I will probably tweet). Leave your comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Game Watches: BC vs Northwestern

A new season means some new locations for Game Watches. I didn't get all that many emails, so maybe the holiday weekend has the clubs waiting until next week. If you are part of a Alumni Chapter and looking for an event, Game Watches are usually a good call, especially if the game is on ESPNU or ESPN3.com. I never heard from anyone regarding the always political NYC watches. If you have news or updates, post it in the comments. Also, long time stalwarts in Washington, D.C. haven't sent me anything. I know they had location issues last year, so udpate the comments as needed. Please note that Denver has grown from someone's house to an official watch. Congrats to them. As of now it seems like Chicago still has the biggest crowds. LA has two locations and has some great deals on food and drinks.



Austin Game Watch
The Tavern
922 W 12th Street

Chicago Game Watch
Trinity
2721 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL

Dallas Game Watch
Christie's Sports bar
2811 McKinney Ave, Suite 22
Dallas, TX 75204

Denver Game Watch
Icehouse Tavern
1801 Wynkoop St, No 150
Denver, CO 80202-1098
(303) 292-3775
www.icehouselodo.com


Los Angeles Game Watches
SHARKEEZ
3600 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 545-8811
Complimentary Mimosas for an hour with the purchase of any breakfast
$3 well drinks and domestic draft beer
20% off all regularly priced food menu items

CAMINITI'S
1220 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank
(818) 556-6550
Dunkin' Donuts Coffee
Morning Mimosas
BC Special: 20" 1 topping pizza abd pitcher of beer for $17.99


Phoenix Game Watch ***UPDATE***
Joint gamewatch with Northwestern alumni
Saturday, September 3, 2011 @ 9 a.m. Arizona time
(*** this game only ***) K O'Donnell's
14850 N. Northsight, Scottsdale

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's in San Francisco
2064 Polk Street (corner of Polk & Broadway)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415-771-3300

Injury updates and other links

First a reminder that BC Football provides joy to Eagles even during the most challenging times.

While there is an outside chance he could see action, it is looking more and more like Persa won't play.

Donnie Fletcher is unlikely to play. If he can't got Al Louis-Jean gets the start. Our other injured players are showing more promise.

Men's Soccer beat Quinnipiac.

One of BC's key targets Canaan Severin will make a visit this weekend.

BC-Northwestern preview

Every season has a “fork in the road” game. It's usually not the opener. Like every season, we have questions to be answered. Yet unlike other seasons it seems like all our questions are on one side of the ball. Can Rettig be great? Will Rogers turn things around? How healthy is Montel? It’s all about the offense. BC will never win anything significant with the worst offense among BCS schools. If we are going to have hope, if we are going to challenge for the ACC title, and if we want our Saturdays to be fun again we need to be competent on offense. After playing Northwestern we will know a lot more about this team.

Overlooked storyline for the game: BC’s defensive ends
With the issues in defensive back and the shuffling of the offensive line, no one is really discussing our depth at defensive end. The DEs will be critical this game as they will need to contain whoever is playing QB for Northwestern. True freshman Connor Wujciak is listed on depth chart and there aren’t many bodies BC can turn to if the Des struggle or get hurt.

Three Simple Keys
1. The offensive line play. No one really questioned Spaz on this, but with days before the game, he announced he would play his “best five guys.” This philosophy (as opposed to playing the guys who are best at their respective positions) cost us last year. Let’s hope it clicks this year.
2. Converting in the redzone. I know this might be asking too much since we just want some successful drives, but BC cannot settle for field goals against a team that scores as quickly as Northwestern.
3. Establishing the run. Even though Northwestern has made stopping the run important, I don’t think they will be that improved. If BC cannot run on them, winning the game will be a struggle.

Gambling Notes
-- Spaz is 10-4 at home
-- Spaz is 1-3 vs non-ACC BCS teams
-- Pat Fitzgerald is 3-5 against non-Big Ten BCS teams
Due to Persa’s status, the game was taken off the Las Vegas books. Prior to that the line was BC-3.

Factoid
BC and Northwestern have played three times. The games have all been in September and had unusual scoring. The three games have been decided by 49 points, 45 points and 1 point respectively.

Scoreboard Watching
I will be paying attention to Miami vs Maryland. Both are on BC's schedule and both have new coaches. If the games were played today I think we’d be an underdog against both.

I hope to see...
Rettig have a solid day. My expectations are high for him, but for this game I would settle for him completing most of his passes and avoiding any INTs.

BC is in trouble if…
Northwestern gets to 30 points. Spaz’s teams have only scored more than 30 once against a BCS team. I know there will be improvements on offense, but I don’t think we are ready for a shootout yet.

Bottom Line
Even if Persa plays, he’s not going to be 100%. That leaves Northwestern one dimensional on offense, which plays right into our style. I think BC will frustrate them most of the day and keep the QBs in the pocket. I also think this will be a decent, mistake free game on offense. I think BC controls the tempo and the scoreboard en route to our first win of the season.
Final Score: BC 27, Northwestern 17

Guest Blogger: James Quintong

To kick off a new season and get a better feel for Northwestern, I've asked my friend and ESPN writer James Quintong a few questions about his Wildcats. The added benefit of picking JQ's brain is that he is pretty familiar with BC since his brother is an Eagle. Below are my questions and his answers.


1. If Persa is less than 100% do you think Northwestern can be as prolific on offense? What sort of schemes give the Wildcats the biggest problems?

JQ: I still have a few questions about Persa's health, so I'm curious to see how the offense will operate early on. While Persa's running ability is one of the more obvious things that had put him on the map, his ability to avoid bad mistakes last year was a bit underrated (and was exposed in a big way when Evan Watkins and Kain Colter took turns replacing Persa at QB). So even at less than 100%, Persa should at least make a bunch of plays from the pocket, although how many compared to last year is a big question. Thankfully, most of his receiving corps from last year is still around.

I'm also wondering how the running backs will fare, as that has been a spotty part of the offense the past couple of years. Sophomore Mike Trumpy had his moments last year and looks to be the guy worth watching heading into this season.

2. Last year teams ran all over the Northwestern defense. Have there been any adjustments this year? Do you think it will remain the Achilles heel?

JQ: Somehow, when Persa tore his Achilles last year, the defense seemingly did too, as their worst games of the season came after Persa's injury. I think the run defense can still be an issue this year, with a number of youngsters picking up more of the slack, especially at the linebacker position. As a whole, though, there is some optimism with this unit, given the experienced starters on the d-line and in the secondary.

3. BC fans often feel slighted by the Boston media. How would you rank Northwestern on the Chicago sports landscape? Do NU fans even care about respect and perception? Has Northwestern done anything to try to change that perception?

JQ: BC and Northwestern are very similar in the context of their cities' sports landscapes. They're both smallish private schools (at least in comparison to their conference mates) with high academic reputations in big cities dominated by major league sports, and thus they both lag way back in the pecking order. In Northwestern's case, the school definitely lags behind the five major league sports teams, but it also has to battle with Illinois and Notre Dame for attention among the local college teams. (Actually, the Northwestern blog Lake the Posts does a good job in showing how similar BC and Northwestern are in terms of citywide perception.)

I think there is a good segment of fans, especially the more diehard ones, that want a bit more respect, especially with regards to bringing more Northwestern fans into the stadium. When it comes to home games, the size of the crowds can depend on who's playing, because despite Northwestern's recent success, there are still huge swaths of fans from the other teams (especially during conference season).

Recently, the school has been marketing itself as "Chicago's Big Ten Team" (as seen on the Dan Persa billboards and on the new basketball court) to try to draw in more of the local Chicago audience. We'll see if it actually works, but at least it's a start. The recent "Persa Strong" Heisman campaign (complete with billboards in both Chicago and Bristol, Conn.), the new Pat Fitzgerald banner outside Ryan Field, and even the Facebook campaign to help choose a new basketball floor (with one of the choices being a Boise State-inspired purple court) are all ways to get the Northwestern name out there even more.

4. What is your prediction for the game?

JQ: I think whether or not Persa plays, this will be a bit of a slog of a game. If Persa plays, I see a Northwestern winning 20-17. If not, it's BC winning 17-14.