Second viewing thoughts and grades: Pinstripe Bowl

In the post game the media focused on BC and Addazio losing so many close games this year. Addazio mentioned it too. But this game somewhat captured the issues the lead to losing close games: not being aggressive enough when ahead, defensive letdowns and critical player mistakes. That is not bad luck. That is bad coaching. Plus the luck aspect of these games tends to even out. BC was 3-4 this year in games decided by less than seven points. We are 5-5 under those same parameters in Addazio's two years. There isn't a secret formula to winning tight games. The key to being a great is not being in close games very often.

This was a tough loss and the missed opportunities abound.

Offense: B

Murphy did what we've come to expect. He was off on some of his touch passes early. His throws got better late, as Penn State went heavy zone and guys found open spots. The pass to Dudeck was sharp. I thought he made good decisions on when to keep the ball on the zone reads. His running overall was very good. He did a good job waiting on blocks and then exploding.

Hilliman ran very well. There were a few runs outside the tackles where I felt he waited a bit too long to turn it up field, but that is nitpicking. Against the best rush defense in college football he ran well in space and in traffic. Willis didn't get many touches but was fine when he ran. Outlow wasn't the change of pace we've seen, but a lot of his late touches went to Murphy and Hilliman. He was effective in the passing game. Wolford blocked well.

Bordner nearly had a TD but Murphy's pass was a little high. I still think he should have pulled it down. Dudeck's catch was great. Phillips played well, but still had a few drops. The WRs and TEs blocked pretty well. Crimmins had a nice catch.

Overall the offensive line played well. Gallik got a lot of TV time because of the blood, but he did play well. He won most of his matchups in the game. Vardaro also played well. Kramer got called for some penalties, but was decent. Silberman also got hit with a costly penalty. Betancourt was fine.

I know many dislike Day, but this loss was not on the offense. We ran against the best run defense in the country and scored 30 points. The passing game was not great, but adequate given the previous 12 games this season. We had some good new wrinkles -- like the throwback to Border that didn't work. Plus we had some straight pocket plays that worked more than they have this season. The biggest complaints coming out of the game were Alston's lack of touches and continuing to run the ball late in the game. Alston should have touched the ball more. One pass was bad and the other was a drop. I would have liked a jet sweep, even if he had just been a decoy. As for running late...I have no problem with it. It is what we do well. It tends to break open games and it eats clock. It is not like we were overly stubborn. We had critical and successful pass plays on the final scoring drive and in OT.

Defense: D

The Defensive Line started the game off well but as a group couldn't generate enough pressure as the game wore on. Mihalik made a big sack early but didn't go much later. Kavalec had another quiet game. Wujciak was fine. Moore was okay.

The LBs were the best part of the defense. Despite Penn State's passing success, the LBs were not the issue with our pass coverage (as they have been in other games).  Daniels played well and even looked good after he got injured. Duggan played well. Milano was very active and looked good. Keyes was fine but wasn't used aggressively in blitzes.

The DBs had a rough night. They were asked to do a lot and none of it worked well. When they played off, Penn State just ate up yards. Asprilla tackled well but gave up way too many catches. Simmons had similar issues and tipped the TD pass the wrong way. Brown missed a few INT opportunities. Moore was okay. Sylvia was okay.

I put the majority of this loss on Brown's schemes. We were not ready for their pace. They caught us unready due to switches. The blitz didn't disrupt much. A bad offense scored 31 on us. The worst part is allowing game winning drives in the fourth quarter and going 9 for 17 on third down. These are recurring issues. I understand we might not have the most talent or the right talent for this scheme. If that is true or even if the coaches think it is true, then you have to adjust. But once again we were playing confused, passive D with the game on the line and it cost us. Statistically Brown's D had a good season but I still think we are as limited on that side of the ball as we are on offense. If we had just been better in the passing game on just one more drive, we win that game.

Special Teams: C

Willis had one really good return and was solid on the others. (I will get into the Penn State onsides attempt in the section below.) Alston didn't get to do much. We obviously didn't attempt a FG.

The coverage teams were good.

Knoll is obviously a head case. That may be correctable this offseason. I hope for his sake it is. However, going into the game Addazio needed to find a better, more consistent solution. There has to be someone on that roster -- not just a kicker -- who can make 7 out of 10 point after attempts. Knoll didn't lose the game by himself, but that was not a good Special Teams day.


Overall: C+

Addazio hasn't been perfect, but he's been much better than I expected. In my opinion this was the worst game of his BC tenure. We lost other games and come out flat more than once, but most of that could be explained away by talent or timing within the season or just a bad matchup. This was not a good Penn State team, yet they looked more talented and set the tempo from the start. They weren't bothered by our pressure and didn't fold when we built up a big second half lead. Even Penn State's failed onside kick showed a level of coaching and preparation that we didn't have. They saw a BC mistake in how we fielded kickoffs and nearly exploited it. That is what you are supposed to do with three weeks of bowl prep.

Losing the game on a missed extra point is brutal, the game shouldn't have come down to that. This isn't shake everything up type of loss, but it was a reminder that Addazio is not Midas. He still needs to upgrade talent, still needs to do a better job with bowl prep and cannot let his schemes be so one dimensional.

The day after the Pinstripe Bowl

I haven't been able to watch the game back yet. I've been pro-Playoff anti-Bowl for a while, mostly because of the subjectivity of the system. Now I am starting to wonder if even this level of bowl is worth it...to the fans. We never really revel or remember the wins. However, the losses are killers. I will have the grades and thoughts up Monday. Until then, here are some other links and things related to the game.

Soaring to Glory rounded up the various BC personalities' twitter reactions to the bowl game.

Addazio said all the right things in the post game, but he is already starting to lower expectations for next year. I understand his point, but as I will blog about plenty this offseason, Year 3 is pretty telling regardless of the circumstances or roster.

Here is a Vine of a frustrated Addazio during the game.


My old friend Old Man attend the game too and shared these photos. Aside from the end, everyone enjoyed the experience. ("...other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?")

Burned in the Bronx

Once again it came down to a kicker and BC got burned. But even though the game seemed in hand at various times in the second half, I don't feel like BC played well. This was not a good Penn State team and yet they dictated much of the tempo and did a lot of what they wanted. We couldn't get them off the field. BC made too many mistakes. The extra point was terrible, but plenty of blame belongs to the coaches and other players.

It was a good season, but that is terrible way to end it. There is a lot to digest for the offseason.

I plan to have second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday but it may drag into Monday. This one will take a while to recover.

In-game comments post: Pinstripe Bowl

This is the day. Our last chance to watch BC football until next fall. Let's make it a good one. Leave your thoughts and comments below

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Game Watches: Pinstripe Bowl

It is the last BC Football game of the season! That makes a great time to attend your first game watch. Join your fellow BC fans across the country as we hope to end the year on a high note.

Atlanta Game Watch
Taco Mac
573 Main Street Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30324

Boston Game Watch
Warehouse Bar & Grille
40 Broad Street
Boston, MA 02109

Chicago Game Watches
Nic and Dino's Tripoli Tap
1147 W Armitage Ave
Chicago

Finley Dunne's
3458 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago

Dallas Game Watch
Corner Bar
4830 McKinney Ave
Dallas

Denver Game Watch
Whittier Pub
2000 East 28th Ave
Denver

Hartford Game Watches
Damons
310 Prospect Ave
Hartford, CT 06106

Houston Game Watch
J.Black’s
110 S Heights Blvd
Houston

Los Angeles Game Watch
Sonny McLeans
2615 Wilshire Blvd

Minnesota Game Watch
O’gara’s Bar and Grill
164 Snelling Ave N
St Paul, MN 55104

New York City Game Watches
Joshua Tree
513 3rd Avenue (between 34th and 35th Street)
New York, N.Y.

Brazen Fox NYC
106 3rd Avenue (at 13th Street)
New York, N.Y.

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

Pittsburgh Game Watch
Buffalo Blues
216 S Highland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

San Diego Game Watch
The Beer Company
602 Broadway St.
San Diego

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's
2064 Polk St.
San Francisco

Saratoga, NY Game Watch
Stadium Cafe
389 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

St. Louis Game Watch
The Post Bar and Grill
763 Old Ballas Road
Creve Coeur, MO 63141

Washington, D.C. Game Watch
Irish Whiskey Public House
1207 19th Street Northwest
Washington, D.C.

BC-Penn State preview

Bowls are always such a weird phenomenon. Sports are often about rhythms and patterns. The team is used to a certain schedule. Yet with bowls, the whole routine changes. I never know what to expect. If BC had played this game the week after Syracuse, I would have felt sure they would win. Now it is about regrouping and preparing for one certain opponent. I still like our chances, but hate the weird break in the schedule. Despite my complaints about the bowl system and schedules, I love having one more BC game!

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
Do you know the best way to change our fan's perception of bowl games? By making a big deal out of them. This year BC went all out. A custom paint scheme on the bus! Decorated lobbies at the team hotel. Getting pep talks from John Mara, Herzy, Andre Williams and Coughlin. If the school makes a big deal out of the games and the players make a big deal, then the fans will hopefully get excited too. Selling out our allotment in New York didn't prove too much of a challenge. People wanted to be there. Hopefully that enthusiasm will carry over to future bowl games. I think it will...especially if BC keeps turning the trips into events. 


Three Simple Keys
1. Murphy keeping the ball on the zone reads. I don't know if he was more injured than BC let on or was just making poor reads, but Murphy missed some big holes late in the season. Penn State is going to key on him, but he still needs to keep it himself for at least 10+ carries. That, more than anything, will open up our offense.
2. Get to Hackenberg. Penn State allowed 42 sacks this year. The line isn't great and Hackenberg holds the ball too long. We need to be in his face and bringing him down. It will disrupt their whole offense.
3. Don't give up on the run game. Things might be sluggish for a while, but we still need to keep running the ball. Something will open up and a big play will come. As good as their run defense is, their pass defense is a worse matchup for us.

Gambling Notes
-- Addazio is 1-1 in bowls
-- BC has lost four straight bowl games
-- BC has won three straight over Penn State
The current line is BC-2.5

Factoid
BC has played Penn State 23 times, but never in a bowl game.

Scoreboard Watching
It is all about the Rose Bowl. Even if you don't care for Florida State, it would be great for the ACC if Florida State won the whole thing again. At a minimum we need a respectable showing.

I hope to see...
A young reserve step up. You should never read too much into a bowl game, but I hope one of the young guys (maybe a WR) makes a big contribution. They've had an extra practices to shine and earn time on the field.

BC is in trouble if...
If drives stall. A low scoring, field goal game is just what Penn State wants. Kicking in this weather and at a baseball stadium is tough. We need drives to get to the endzone.

Bottom Line
As much as I respect Penn State's run defense, I still think that our scheme and size will win the match up. I think BC's defense gives them trouble and we slowly pull away in the second half with some long, clock eating drives. The win is measured sign of our rebuilding progress and a fitting end to a surprisingly fun season.
Final Score: BC 28, Penn State 13

The Pinstripe Bowl has already made BC a winner

We all want BC to beat Penn State, but the Pinstripe Bowl is already a huge positive for BC. By selling out our full ticket allotment and the game selling out quickly BC can finally start to change our travel reputation. Technically BC sold our ticket allotment for the 2007 Champs Bowl, but I know for that game we gave some tickets away to local charities and Catholic churches. There was no need to give tickets away this time around. In fact, BC had to use a priority system on tickets for the first time in a bowl game.

I assume most of the success is due to location. We are playing relatively close to campus and in the middle of a huge alumni population. However, future bowl organizers don't need to know that. We can spin the demand for this game in multiple ways: "BC will sell out a bowl game when we face a team from a major conference", or "We will sell out our tickets when we travel to a desirable destination" or "Addazio has changed the culture of BC Football." All of that is completely subjective, but it makes sense to a bowl organizer. 

The Pinstripe is truly excited to have us. They were one of the first bowls to sell out this year. Even before we take the field, we have done enough that they will select us in the future. But this is about more than the Pinstripe. We need to turn this success into future bowl opportunities. 

NESN to host Pinstripe preview Sunday night

BC is making a big deal out of the Pinstripe Bowl and we are not alone. The media is paying more attention than normal. This Sunday night at 10:30 BC play-by-play man Jon Meterparel will host a Pinstripe Bowl preview on NESN. It will be a good time to get caught up on the bowl and get BC-specific original content on local TV. If you're outside of the region but have a sports package, you should still be able to watch it on NESN.

Meet Bob Shoop

Penn State's Defensive Coordinator Bob Shoop should be a familiar name to many of you. Ten years ago, if you had asked those around the program where the former TOB staffer would be today, many would have predicted he would be the Head Coach at BC. For a long time Shoop was on that path. But things never go according to plan.

After TOB's first staff started getting better jobs, TOB started backfilling with other young, rising coaches. One of those hires was Bob Shoop. The DBs coach had just spent a year at Army, but had the perfect checklist of stops prior to BC: worked as a GA with TOB in Virginia, worked with Gallup at Northeastern and worked with Gene at Villanova. Well regarded and a great recruiter, Shoop exceeded most expectations. But with Spaz firmly in place as DC, the growth opportunities were elsewhere. When Columbia came calling with its head coaching position, Shoop had to take it. Although it had been a career killer, Columbia's bursts of success in the '90s and Shoop's familiarity with the Ivy League gave hope that he could consistently win there. Shoop understood that this was just a stop on the way up and knew that networking and relationships were going to remain important, so it didn't hurt that he hired John DeFilippo and Mike Siravo for his first Columbia staff. Shoop would learn to be a head coach and in a few years a bigger better job would come calling.

Shoop had two issues at Columbia. The team didn't win on the field and his personal life got mixed up with his work life. He was fired after three seasons. There was always talk that he might come back to BC. However, the timing and staffing was never right. After Columbia he worked under Don Brown at UMass and then worked his way back up the ranks. He was James Franklin's DC at Vandy and followed him to Penn State. He now coaches one of the best defenses in the country.

Shoop will probably get another shot at being a head coach. He can explain away the losing at Columbia ("no one wins there") and can also explain the off the field stuff. The opportunity for him to coach BC is probably gone but that is how this sport works sometimes. If Gene were still around pulling strings, who knows what might have been. Regardless, Shoop brought in a lot of great players to BC and I am glad he's bounced back.

The lowdown on the Pinstripe Bowl

Facing Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl is about the best way we could have ended a 7-5 season in Year 2. The bowl lacks history, warm weather or even a great date, but it provides a few important opportunities for BC.

1. The game is very winnable. Penn State's best win was against Rutgers. Good showings against Ohio State and Maryland were negated by terrible games against bad Illinois and Michigan teams. There offense is far from explosive. The only reason to fear them is their run defense. Statistically it is the best in the nation, making this a strength vs. strength matchup. But I still think we are the better team.

2. It is against against a traditional power. This is a hobbled six-win team dealing with a depleted roster. The Penn State brand has also been soiled by the Sandusky scandal. However, the record books won't care. The media won't care. I doubt even recruits care that much. What will matter is beating a Big Ten team. It will matter that we beat Penn State.

3. The game is close to our fans and recruiting base. The Tri-State area is home to BC's second largest alumni base. We could sell out our ticket allotment alone just through fans that live in the area. If you plan on going to the game, please buy your tickets from BC! It will make all the difference in improving our travel reputation. We are also still recruiting New Jersey and New York players for the 2015 and 2016 classes. Being in the area for the week raises awareness and creates more opportunities to visit with players.

We need to win this game. The difference in perception between eight and seven wins is huge. It would also be a nice conclusion to a surprising second year. While I will keep hoping for a big bowl, this is better than most circumstances.

Start spreading the news...

BC is headed to New York and Yankee Stadium to face Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. All things considered, it is a good result. More to come Sunday night.