Saint's alive and other links

I've said it before but let me say again, that if this blog had been around when Brian St. Pierre played, I probably would have vilified him for his senior season. I also never would have predicted that his NFL career would last this long. Now look, he is making his first career start this weekend for the Panthers. I wish him the best of luck except for when he plays the Falcons.

The men's soccer team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Brown.

In HD's factoid column she notes that BC has more graduates on our roster than any other school (just ignore how this undermines the whole "young" narrative that people have been using for our losing).

The BC women's soccer team hosts West Virginia tonight in their NCAA tourney.

Yes, we lost to Yale

So let me first preference this by saying that I did not see the game and won't get my first look at Steve Donahue's team Thursday. But that doesn't mean we can examine what happened in the loss to Yale and what it means for the season and for Donahue at BC.

New Coach, Same Problems
We weren't good on defense under Skinner. Donahue was hardly known as a defensive coach. We installed a system (the 1-3-1) and then switched to man-to-man. Neither really slowed Yale. The other issue is that the players admitted to coming out flat. Does that sound familiar. In the past we always blamed that sort of attitude on Skinner. Maybe the issues was more player based.

Square peg, round hole on offense
Steve Donahue's offense requires fluid ball movement and good shooting. We have no real shooters. Our best offensive players (Trapani and Jackson) are scorers but not spot up shooters. We were 3-19 from the 3-point line. That will doom us against anyone.

How do we adjust
The silver lining is that this is an early wake up call for Donahue and the team. He is going to have to tweak his schemes a bit for the players he has and they are going to have to realize they are still not that great and they need to come out prepared for every game.

I am actually not worried about the season. Donahue said the right things and seems disappointed. Transitions are never easy. I expect you will see a better performance against Holy Cross next week.

Donahue long term
It is too early to predict what this means for The Don long term. Although I think things will be different as he gets his own recruits in the system, he doesn't have the time to wait for them. He needs to teach these guys to win and he needs to figure out a way for Jackson and Elmore to score in his scheme.

BC-Virginia Preview

If last week was a plead to keep watching because boring football is better than no football, then this week is about meeting watered-down expectations. Every year I predict a best and worst case scenario. We've never even come close to the worst case until this season. Even I didn't anticipate a five-game slide. But here were are with a chance to clinch a bowl and assure a .500 regular season record. Let's keep winning and maybe exceed the worst case! (It's the little things that make the difference.)

Overlooked storyline for the game: This is Virginia's first visit to Alumni since Brad Butler's cheep shot on Kiwi. I know it is ancient history in internet years and probably means nothing to the current players and coaches. But the way he acted and the way Virginia was slow to discipline Butler still surprises and disappoints me.

Three Simple Keys
1. Throw more than 25 passes. All season I've harped that we don't have the offense or coaching to get into shootouts. This is a team we can do that with. BC shouldn't play low scoring and ball control. It will only set Virginia up to steal the game.
2. Put pressure on Verica. I fear BC will do a lot of what we did last week and drop eight into coverage and blitz very little. I don't think that is the away to go against the 'Hoos. We need to bring pressure and force Verica into bad throws.3. Clock management. It has been my issue all week and if you think back to last year's Virginia game, BC had some questionable timeouts then too. This week I think we need to be careful and strategic with the clock (if only to prove that we can be).

Gambling Notes
-- BC leads the series 4-0
-- BC has been favored in three of the four ACC home games
-- Virginia has lost four-straight ACC road games.
The current line is BC-6

Factoid
Mike London isn't the only former BC staffer coaching at UVA. Their DC Jim Reid was our DC during Henning's first season.

Scoreboard Watching
There isn't a whole lot we need to focus on outside of our game. If you are concerned or curious about bowl positioning watch Clemson-Wake and Duke-GT.

I hope to see...
Montel have some big plays. Last week was probably tough and frustrating for him. Hopefully he starts strong and puts that game behind him.

BC is in trouble if...
Rettig is bad (think of how the Miami QBs looked against Virginia). Chase has yet to have a terrible four turnover type meltdown. I don't expect one, but you never know with a freshman.

Bottom Line
I think Virginia and Duke are very similar. Like Duke I think Virginia could give us a game. But we will probably look much better this week. It is the last home game and we have something to play for. I think BC controls from the outset and never looks back.
Final Score: BC 31, Virginia 10

Herzy's final home game and other links

This week is the senior class's final home game and the last chance for Mark Herzlich to play at the Heights. Herzy's season has been part triumph and part frustration but I agree with his own assessment that he is getting better each week. I won't be there but I hope people get a good youtube clips of the Herzlich family in the Senior Day ceremonies as it will be a special moment for them and us.

BC's other star linebacker is a finalist for the Nagurski award.

BC finally released the bios of Steve Donahue's first full recruiting class. This means they all officially signed.

Rich Lapham is back practicing while a few teammates are still on the mend.

Here are the latest commitments from the division.

Mike London looks back at BC and other links

When Gene fired Jags, I wrote at the time that Gene should have hired Mike London or Al Golden before Jags even left his office. My point was either of those guys would have been good fits and liked working at BC. In this article London talks a bit about his four seasons in Boston and how he appreciated his first shot at the big time and working with BC players.

Here is more on BC's latest recruit Spencer Rositano. Although he wasn't heavily recruited, he seems like the type of guy we can plug into a few different positions.

Brian St. Pierre is hoping for a shot in Carolina.

HD gave Kuechly some much deserved attention.

Devin Mayo is another 2012 BC recruiting target.

Blogpoll ballot

Not a whole lot of movement. I didn't watch Oregon's scare so I sort of looked at it like a near miss and not a sign of things to come. The whole Auburn things is what I love and hate so much about college football. I decided to keep them there despite their pending doom. I do realize I left out Oklahoma State. I apologize and will add them back next week.

Games I watched
-- BC vs Duke 100% (twice)
-- Florida State-UNC 25%
-- Auburn vs UGA 50%
-- San Diego State-TCU 25%
-- South Carolina-Florida 25%

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 12

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	--
2	Auburn Tigers	--
3	LSU Tigers	2
4	Stanford Cardinal	--
5	TCU Horned Frogs	-2
6	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
7	Boise St. Broncos	--
8	Michigan St. Spartans	1
9	Wisconsin Badgers	-1
10	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
11	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
12	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
13	Virginia Tech Hokies	5
14	Florida St. Seminoles	--
15	Iowa Hawkeyes	-3
16	Arkansas Razorbacks	1
17	Missouri Tigers	2
18	Northwestern Wildcats	--
19	Miami Hurricanes	--
20	Utah Utes	-6
21	Oklahoma Sooners	--
22	USC Trojans	--
23	Temple Owls	1
24	Maryland Terrapins	--
25	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	-9
Dropouts: Arizona Wildcats, Oklahoma St. Cowboys, North Carolina Tar Heels, Central Florida Knights, Baylor Bears, San Diego St. Aztecs

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Women win, Cuse on TV and other links

BC beat Hartford 93-66 in Conte Monday night. The women now improve to 2-0.

Our game against Syracuse will be on national TV! Who would have thought. The noon kickoff will be on ESPN or ESPN 2. This is technically part of the Big East TV package, but it doesn't hurt that both schools are playing better.

BC added VA DB Spencer Rositano to the recruiting class.

The Packers added Robert Francois to their practice squad again.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Duke

Turnovers happen. Bad breaks happen. But letting teams back in the game instead of putting them away (especially over a two-year period) is more about strategy than luck or inexperience. That's why watching the game back was frustrating. BC was clearly the better team and got some good moments from many players. Yet there Duke was with less than a minute left with 4th and goal to win the game. That's not a good sign. If BC keeps finding themselves in those situations, the odds of them all going our way are poor.

Offense: B-

It was sort of a tale of two halfs for Rettig. He started off rough with some off throws and poor passes. Eventually he settled down and made some really nice plays. I liked his willingness to throw and his ability to place the deep balls to Momah. Even though he only completed passes to four different guys, I wouldn't say that he needs to spread it around more. We just didn't have that many different guys in the passing game (maybe he could check down to Pantale more). I thought the best throw was the lob to Momah for the TD. He really put it only where Momah could catch it.

It is a good sign when Harris's bad day still involves a decent average and a TD. He just didn't have enough big plays and didn't shed as many tackles as he normally does. The fumbles are always surprising because he normally protects the ball so well. The first was just careless (he needs to be more careful in traffic). The second was just a good hit/strip by the Dukies. McLuskey was good -- but used only as a lead blocker. Williams was good but I was a bit disappointed that he didn't convert on the third and short play late in the fourth (sometimes you got to make the other guy miss).

The WRs were good in general. Momah continues to make tough catches -- making up for his butterfingers a few weeks ago. Coleman also had a catchable pass that hit his fingers. Swigert was good. Amidon was fine and I although it didn't break open, I liked him getting the ball on the end around. It's a good change of pace. Pantale was good. Anderson also had a nice day blocking.

Duke's D isn't great but that shouldn't take away from what the offensive line did. I know they are banged up and plugging guys in but you wouldn't be able to tell. (What that says about the early season struggles is topic for another day.) Castonzo was good and some of Harris's bigger runs were off of his side. Spinney did a good job. Cleary looks good at RT (maybe better than he was at G). White was good. Claiborne was fine. I didn't see much positive or negative when Davis was in.

I have to give Tranq credit for challenging Duke downfield. We had multiple explosive plays. It also shows some faith in Rettig. Our redzone conversions were down, but that most more a measure the Harris fumbles. My bigger problem with Tranq was going too conservative too early. Following Duke's final TD, this was our play calling.
1st-10, BC26 12:05 A. Williams rushed up the middle for 5 yard gain
2nd-5, BC31 11:40 A. Williams rushed up the middle for 3 yard gain
3rd-2, BC34 11:10 A. Williams rushed to the right for no gain
4th-2, BC34 10:27 R. Quigley punt. L. Butler returned punt for no gain

1st-10, BC1 7:00 M. Harris rushed up the middle for 3 yard gain
2nd-7, BC23 6:30 M. Harris rushed up the middle for 1 yard gain
3rd-6, BC24 6:30 Boston Coll. committed 5 yard penalty
3rd-11, BC19 5:10 C. Rettig incomplete pass to the left
4th-11, BC19 5:02 R. Quigley punt.

What did we gain from all of that? Duke was still within one score. We only used three and a half minutes of the game! You can't play it safe that early. Duke was waiting for the run. No play action. One pass in the final six plays. It makes all the good play calling earlier in the game look like an accident.

Defense: B-

We've all been waiting for Max Holloway to have game like this. It wasn't a dominating game changing performance but it was a sign that he's got a good motor and a good football IQ. His sacks were in part due to patience and keeping contain. The tip at the end was just reading the play and reacting. Dillon Quinn got flagged for another facemask, but he's been playing better. Ramsey was good before leaving the game. Scafe wasn't as dominant as he has been lately but was still good. Edebali was fine.

Earlier this season I wondered and worried if Kuechly's stats were being padded a bit. I know he was active but I thought he was getting credit for some half tackles that were truly his. This game wasn't the case. He was amazing. He really covers a ton of ground. Devitto had a nice game. Morrissey was good. Herzy was good. KPL was also good. All the LBs looked better in pass coverage than they have of late.

The DBs had some breakdowns and got burned a bit on play fakes. In fact, thankfully Fletcher played well and he didn't have any safety help on the early deep throw yet he still prevented the TD. Fox was fine. LeGrande was pretty active.

My feelings on the defensive scheme was similar to my feeling on the offense. We had a good game plan -- with a variety of looks up front -- for most of the game. Yet late in the game we let them march down the field. Why not mix it up? You have playmakers upfront. You have good safeties (although they didn't play great Saturday). It's frustrating. We have nothing to lose at this point but it doesn't seem to matter.

Special Teams: B-

Quigley was good. The punt coverage was good. The kick coverage -- not so much. I worry about Williams' bobbles but he was fine on the KRs.

Overall: B-

The team was ready. We won the game. The gameplans were sound enough and effective. So credit Spaz there. As I've said we went too conservative early. But my biggest complaint about Spaz was his use of timeouts during Duke's final drive. Duke got the ball back with 4:50 left. With just under three minutes left they got to our 35. You had to start thinking that IF Duke scored BC would need time on the clock to answer. Yet this is how it played out.
1st-10, BC35 2:50 S. Renfree passed to C. Vernon to the left for 8 yard gain
2nd-2, BC27 2:07 B. Connette passed to J. Thompson to the left for 19 yard gain
1st-8, BC8 2:00 B. Connette rushed up the middle for 2 yard loss
2nd-10, BC10 1:05 S. Renfree passed to J. Trezvant down the middle for 8 yard gain
3rd-2, BC2 0:55 B. Connette incomplete pass to the right
4th-2, BC2 0:49 S. Renfree incomplete pass down the middle

When did Spaz finally use his TO? On fourth down when the clock was already stopped. I am sure he rationalized it that if you get that play right the game is over, but it is still careless and very TOB-esque.

Why am I complaining about game management when we are 5-5 and nothing is at stake? Because I believe it is connected to our bigger issues. If we won't the players and the fans to believe again, we need the coaches to play to win.

Grades coming later

Sorry for the delay. I am glad I save my timeouts like Spaz.

BC beats Blue Devils and gets back to .500

After the game I retweeted my own tweet when I said "ugly but I'll take it." Nothing was easy in this game. Both teams gave the punters workouts in the first half and both teams had critical turnovers in the second half. Once agian Rettig's game was better than his stat line. Montel would have been the goat if we lost but he still had some nice moments. The D did what we expected -- gave up a lot of passing yards but not many on the ground. My big concern was how we handled the offense and the clock in the 4th quarter. Spaz did some head scratching things that probably won't get mentioned since we won.

But I am happy for the guys and happy for the win. Let's keep it up and run the table.

I will do my best to have second viewing thoughts up late Sunday night.

In-game comments post: Duke

Duke has been the source of some exciting basketball games over the years. Let's hope today provides some good memories in our first trip to Wallace Wade. Leave your comments below throughout the game.

Feel free to join in the conversation on the Eagle Insider Message Boards.

You can also follow me on twitter.

(P.S. I will have a quick post on the basketball opener later Saturday night.)

The Thomas Claiborne affair

I realize some of you avoid the rumor and innuendos that surround the program, so let me catch you up. A few weeks back our Spaz moved Thomas Claiborne out of the starting lineup. Public explanations were vague as to why the preseason All ACC player and three year starter was not starting but the word was he was being outplayed. Yet in most of those games Claiborne was quickly reinserted back into the game. His play was inconsistent but he was still effective enough. At the time there was plenty of gossip that Claiborne had spoke out against the coaching staff and was being punished.

Now, weeks later, Claiborne is playing again and he and Spaz are openly addressing their past issues and are publicly on the same page. So it seems like there was some truth to the rumors of discontent and that the benching was a subjective mix or performance and punishment. What does it all mean for BC, Spaz, Claiborne and this season?

One of the most critical roles of a head coach is managing the all the people involved in the program. The complexity of managing a unit or position is multiplied because now you have other coaches to worry about and you have final say. As with any diverse and big group, you can't manage everyone the same way. The best coaches understand that. I worry at times that Spaz has a little TOB in him in that he would hurt himself, the team and a player out of stubbornness disguised as principle. Did Claiborne mouth off? I buy it. Anyone can see that he is an emotional guy. But punishing him in a way that might hurt his career and your struggling team might not be the best message. You have to respect that player A and player B are different and respond differently to coaching and structure. If you lose a player or leader, that hurts the mood of the team and recruiting.

When we look back on this year the inconsistency of the offensive line is going to be a real focal point. It is a shame that things might have been different if emotions and pride hadn't gotten in the way of things.

As for why I didn't address this when it first happened? I am in my usual tough spot. I don't know Thomas or Spaz. No one who knew what was going on could go on record, so instead of stirring things up I just let it be. It doesn't surprise me that Spaz finally addressed it in the safe harbor of the Globe and Herald and after he is feeling a little safer about his own job. I just hope he has learned from this. Sometimes the difference between a five game losing streak and say going 2-3 is how you handle the players' emotions and not just the Xs and Os.

Game Watches: Duke

The D.C. Club -- a long stalwart of Game Watches -- has postponed them for this week. I guess they are saving all their energy for the Military Bowl! I know ESPN3.com makes it harder for a bar to host and easier to stay home, but I strongly encourage regional clubs to plan for game watches for Thanksgiving weekend and around the potential bowl. Plenty of BC fans are traveling those weekends so they don't have their usual routines and spots. A local game watch can be a good time to connect with BC fans and get a break from the holiday stuff.

Chicago Game Watch
Trinity
2721 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL

Denver Game Watch
Big Game Restaurant & Lounge
1631 Wazee St
Denver, CO

New York City Game Watches
Vertigo
354 Third Avenue at 26th Street

Basketball starts Friday and other links

Basketball is about to tip off!! Let's catch up.

I loved Al Skinner but I have to give credit to Steve Donahue for how he is handling the media and marketing. I watched him the other night on ESPN U's ACC roundtable and he was on point and comfortable. I don't think his persona will be enough to fill up Conte, but you can start to see how he is going to sell himself and the program.

The players are excited about playing for Donahue. I think everyone is expecting a big year from Jackson, but look for marked improvement from Elmore.

Although they haven't all filled out their respective paperwork, these are Donahue's first recruits from the early signing day. There is still room in the class if he finds other guys he is interested.

Here is an article on our California recruits and Eddie Odio out of Florida.

BC's offensive line will be very thin vs Duke.

Here is the transcript from the Gene Chat. Nothing ground breaking. Do you think he bangs his head against the keyboard everytime someone asks about lacrosse?

BC-Duke Preview

Does anyone else sense some fan apathy around the BC football program? We are not in contention for anything yet the two straight wins have muted the anti-Spaz fervor. I hope people don't take it for granted. Even bad or boring BC football is better than no BC football. Plus we are still playing for something: pride. The bowl streak and winning season streak is certainly watered down by the bowl glut and soft scheduling, but it is still something. Regardless of how you feel about BC winning momentum is good for all. Plus this Duke game might be fun. It matches up strength vs strength.

Overlooked storyline for the game: David Cutcliffe probably would have been interested in the BC job when it went to Jags. Cutcliffe and Gene have the Tennessee connection but he never emerged as a serious candidate. My guess is Cutcliffe's heart issues and southern roots made it seem like a fish out of water. But the Duke coach is actually a converted Catholic who took an assistant job with Charlie Weis in part because he wanted to be part of a Catholic community (and didn't return to ND after his heart issues in part because there wasn't much of a faith/work/life balance during the Weis-Notre Dame years). Would Cutcliffe have been a good fit at BC? Eh, who knows. I am sure the Cutcliffe-Matt Ryan connection would have been fun to watch.

Three Simple Keys
1. Get big plays out of the run game. Duke is not good against the run and we like to run the ball. But the difference this week is to get some big gainers and TDs out of Montel. Duke has enough offensive power that we can't settle for FGs instead of TDs.
2. Sack Renfree. Accurate patient QBs can dink and dunk on us all day. Renfree won't force a bad deep throw and won't miss open guys. To have success we need to flush him out of the pocket and get some sacks.
3. Stop them in the redzone. As I mentioned earlier, I think Duke will move the ball on us. It will be up to the defense to keep them from scoring TDs.

Gambling Notes
-- Spaz has yet to win three ACC games in a row
-- BC did not cover in our last ACC game with Duke (it was a 29 point spread)
-- Cutcliffe has not won a game in November while at Duke

The current line is BC-3.5

Factoid
This will be the first time BC has played in Wallace Wade Stadium. It will be the final "first trip" on our ACC slate.

Scoreboard Watching
It doesn't impact us in any way but I am curious to see how TOB bounces back from last week. NC State controls its own destiny but I have a sneaking suspicion that TOB will do something ultra conservative when a bold move is required and miss the Pack's chance at the division title.

I hope to see...
More passes to Pantale and McCluskey. It is clear we are not going to "open it up." However there is no reason not to get the ball to our safety valve type guys. I hope the pass attempt near 20.

BC is in trouble if...
We get into a real shootout. Duke has a losing record but they've been in multiple games now where they've had to drive the ball while behind. We have yet to show we can play catch up or go score for score.

Bottom Line
I don't think this will be a gimme. Duke has the type of offense that can control tempo and move the ball on us. On the other side of the ball, it does help that they have a poor run defense but can that be enough? I think we win, but I don't think it will be comfortable nor pretty.
Final Score: BC 27, Duke 20

Why isn't Duke better at football?

While I've been a BC fan since Flutie, my true memories from following the team only reach back to the Coughlin days. Since that time with every losing streak, every coaching change, every conference shakeup, there are some BC fans who immediately turn to gloom and doom and think we will never be good in football again. I've always been of the half full philosophy, because ultimately it is hard to be bad at football forever. Which is what makes Duke's situation so curious. Since 1990 (their first year after Spurrier) they have had only one winning season. That is shocking to me. How can a school with so many resources and such a great brand not produce winning football? Could this ever happen to BC? Let's look at the reasons for Duke's ills.

Hiring the wrong coaches
This is Duke's list of coaches in order since Spurrier left. Barry Wilson, Fred Goldsmith, Carl Franks, Ted Roof, and David Cutcliffe. It is a mix of Spurrier assistants, a guy from lower conferences, and promoted assistant and Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe might prove to be the right guy but I think most weren't from the start. Take Wilson and Franks. Both were hired with the idea that they -- as former Spurrier guys -- would recapture the Spurrier magic. But that was very naive on Duke's part. Spurrier didn't win at Duke because he onlocked some hidden potential in the program that could be duplicated. He won at Duke because he was Steve Spurrier and 20 years ahead of everyone offensively in college football. Cutcliffe I think makes sense because he understands building a program. He's not winning solely because he is a good play caller. Now at BC's we've hired two TOB assistants to be our head coach. Where this differs from Duke is that TOB was more of a CEO style coach. His Xs and Os weren't the reason we won most of our games. It was TOB's structure and consistency that helped build our program. Plugging in Jags or Spaz wasn't like promoting a Spurrier assistant because we kept the foundation for the success.

Keep said coaches too long.
Goldsmith, Roof and Frank all got five seasons. Wilson got four. BC let Henning go after two losing season and a scandal. Jags lost a game of chicken after two winning seasons. Things are different in Durham. Goldsmith got three seasons after his scandal. Roof was brought back after 1-10 after 0-12 seasons. Do you ever think BC would put up with that?

They just don't care
Some basketball schools make the effort in football. Some just don't. Despite having a good football tradition up until the '60s, there is no Duke contingency pushing for elite football. Winning at private, academic schools can be tough, but Northwestern, Stanford, Wake Forest and BC all show that it can be done. If there was real donor pressure Duke would have put more pressure on their coaches, been more aggressive in their recruiting and admissions, and done more to change the atmosphere around Wallace Wade Stadium. I whine about our passive fan base, but I can't ever see us allowing long losing streaks without making changes in our approach.

What is Duke's true upside?
That really depends on how far they are willing to go. But realistically I think they should be competitive every year and have good runs like Northwestern and Stanford do every few years. I just hope they are not competitive when we play them again in four years.

Tailgating at Duke, LSU and other links

Tailgating is on my mind with the recent news out of Duke. The school, which has permitted a student tailgate since 2003, canceled the event just in time for the BC game. The reason for the shutdown was a incident of underage drinking prior to last week's Virginia game. BC's never had any sort of sanctioned student tailgate, but the Mods served as the defacto substitute. I have not been on campus the past two years, but I've been told the pregame scene at the Mods has been subdued because of the fences, more IDing and apathy around the football program.

The converse of the BC/Duke experience is life in SEC country and no game day is more infamous than LSU games in Baton Rouge. To get a great feel of what it is like read this account from BC's own Andrew Sharp. Andrew captures the sort of awe any BC fan might have the first time he or she experiences the intensity of an SEC tailgate. I know we are not about to allow Winnebagos and huge grill/smoker combos on Lower Campus, but the lesson is that BC can do more to embrace the tailgate scene.

Former Eagle Robert Ziminski died in a car accident over the weekend. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

David Glenn looks at our basketball team but starts with a discussion of Al Skinner. I think he is right that Al Skinner wouldn't have been fired under the same circumstances 12 years ago. But in college basketball's new environment the head coach needs to be a marketer and a coach.

BC has interest in Florida prospect Juwan Caesar.

NC State has followed BC in offering a scholarship to Worcester WR Canaan Severin.

BC target Colin Thompson is also picking up more offers.

Blogpoll ballot

Every once in a while I will get some comment or email on my dislike and disrespect for Boise State. I think they are a quality program, but I don't believe they are in the same class as some of the other powers. I know they've won Bowl games and beat Virginia Tech. But that doesn't finalize anything in my mind. I am in the group that feels Boise doesn't get tested enough on a weekly basis. That's why I have LSU and Stanford so high. Both have multiple "good wins" and their only losses came at the hands of the two best team's in the country.

Games I watched
BC vs Wake Forest 100% (twice)
Michigan-Illinois (just the OT)
Florida State-UNC 25%
Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech 75%
Rutgers-South Florida 25%
USC-Arizona State 25%

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 11

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	--
2	Auburn Tigers	--
3	TCU Horned Frogs	1
4	Stanford Cardinal	11
5	LSU Tigers	11
6	Nebraska Cornhuskers	1
7	Boise St. Broncos	-2
8	Wisconsin Badgers	2
9	Michigan St. Spartans	4
10	Ohio St. Buckeyes	1
11	Arizona Wildcats	--
12	Iowa Hawkeyes	--
13	Alabama Crimson Tide	-7
14	Utah Utes	-11
15	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	-1
16	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	1
17	Arkansas Razorbacks	6
18	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
19	Missouri Tigers	-11
20	North Carolina Tar Heels	--
21	Oklahoma Sooners	-12
22	Central Florida Knights	--
23	Baylor Bears	-1
24	Temple Owls	--
25	San Diego St. Aztecs	--
Dropouts: N.C. State Wolfpack, Florida St. Seminoles, South Carolina Gamecocks, Syracuse Orange

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Get your questions ready for Gene and other links

Gene is holding a chat this Thursday. I beg you, please don't ask anything about tailgating, improving the football schedule or adding men's lacrosse. He has answered all possible variations on those topics. Instead I recommend asking about 2011 ticket sales, his opinion of the coaching staff and our TV coverage.

Our final home game of the year will be a noon kickoff and on ESPNU.

Although we stand at 4-5, the talking heads consider us a bowl team. Most predict we will return to San Francisco for what is now called the
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. I think the DC Bowl would be a better fit and get a better crowd, but playing in front of our Northern California fans again is not a bad default. Plus the game is played on January 9 which means we would be the final game before the National Championship.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Wake Forest

I am sticking to my initial reaction that this was a weird game. Watching it back confirmed that the timing was off on both sides and it wasn't filled with great plays. But the win was important. Good teams -- well-coached teams -- manage through off days and beat weaker opponents. Does that mean we are good and well-coached? Our 4-5 record says not yet, but there is hope.


Offense: C+

In the preview I said I wanted Chase to throw more and open it up more. We didn't do that. But the limited passing wasn't all dink and dunk. I liked the growing aggressiveness and Chase threw some better deep balls. There were still a few that had too much air, but overall good stuff. He had some bad throws -- including that last INT -- but in general I thought he played well. Our WRs had plenty of space and Chase was able to complete those open passes without the WRs breaking stride. We also saw him stumble early in the pocket, yet keep his feet and complete his passes downfield. That was the second time it has happened in two weeks. I don't know why he keeps stumbling, but you have to like the composure. On some of our bad drives he made the smart decision to run rather than force a bad pass. Still very early to tell what he will be, but another encouraging effort.

As he ascends up the record book, accolades are starting to roll in for Montel. He's a very good back, but what you have to like are the things that are tough to measure -- like his ability to shake tackles. Twice on Saturday, he basically ducked under and shook off a tackler for big gains. Most of his runs were pretty simple. We did the stretch and the traps and he hit the openings for nice gains. I also appreciate that when we needed to keep the ball and shift field position we could depend on him and the OLine to pick up those needed first downs. McCluskey had another good day as a lead blocker and as a pass catcher. He even got a good burst on his dive carry. (It is a shame we haven't used him more on offense.) Williams was okay (I'll get to his special teams play later).

After his day, the narrative on Coleman was that he "broke out" after a few games without a catch. That really doesn't capture his or any of our WRs issues. We just don't throw it enough for any of them to be real impact players. But Johnathan is showing good speed and runs hard after the catch. Swigert didn't fill up the stat sheet but I thought the biggest plus in his column was narrowly avoiding a huge hit from a safety. Those instinctive plays give hope that he can make the most of his time in the slot. Pantale was good and both TEs blocked well (mostly sealing off on Montel's runs). Amidon's one catch was a big play. Momah was fine and is doing a better job holding on. (Momah has been great on special teams BTW.)

The offensive line epitomized the offense's day in Winston-Salem. They dominated most of their matchups and did things they've been striving to do all year. Yet they also had enough mistake and mental errors to kill a few different drives. Castonzo was good and probably had his best all around game in a few weeks. White was good in relief as was Cleary. In fact the right side of the line might have played better than the usual starters Spinney was good but had a costly bad snap.

Before I get into Tranq's day, let's revisit this drive following Fletcher's INT:
-- 1st-10, WAKE18 9:59 M. Harris rushed to the right for 1 yard gain
-- 2nd-9, WAKE17 9:59 Boston Coll. committed 10 yard penalty
-- 2nd-19, WAKE27 9:08 C. Rettig sacked by M. Woodlief
-- 3rd-29, WAKE37 9:08 Boston Coll. committed 5 yard penalty
-- 3rd-34, WAKE42 8:00 Boston Coll. committed 5 yard penalty
-- 3rd-39, WAKE47 7:30 C. Rettig rushed up the middle for 8 yard gain
-- 4th-31, WAKE39 6:55 R. Quigley punt. L. Jackson returned punt for no gain
At the time I asked on twitter if this was the worst drive of the Tranq era. The run on first down followed by a few mistakes by the line, then a QB running for his life sort of sums up a lot. I know it was only one drive, but this doesn't happen to great offenses. You turn a redzone trip after an INT into some points, preferably 7. Overall I respect that Tranq kept running traps and stretches with Harris since Wake really couldn't do much with it. I just wish that we were a little more aggressive. And where was all the shifting we used against Clemson? The points improved but I still think there was more the O could have done.

Defense: B

It is too bad Scafe's career has been slowed by nagging injuries and his back. He's shown that he can be a real game changer inside. Ramsey was disruptive too. Holloway and Edebali were good. Newman was a little more limited. Williams saw a few snaps too. Quinn was quiet.

It is interesting that Kuechly attributed his INT as being in the right place at the right time. After that first series it seemed like he wasn't in the right place at the right time since he took a bad angle on one of Harris's early runs. He settled in and had another good day. KPL played well. Herzy played well, but didn't seem to get as many snaps as recent weeks. Morrissey seemed to be the beneficiary of those extra snaps.

Although he wasn't tested much, Fletcher looked good. Fox played well but he doesn't seem to come up as quickly as Gause does on running plays. Noel made a nice play. Okoroha got whistled for a dumb late hit. It was shame that the DBs as a group got burned on that last TD. Wake has scored on us four or five times in the past decade with some variation of that yet we are still caught off guard.

The defense kept things simple. Unlike last week's various zones and dropping eight and nine into coverage, this week we played our usual base. My only real compliant though was the previously mentioned reverse pass TD. How are we still falling for that after all this time?

Special teams: C-

The special teams' grade might seem overly harsh but it is primarily based on the missed kicks and the bobbled returns. I like Williams, but we need someone sure handed back there. The punting was very good.

Overall: B-

I liked the keep it simple gameplan. I liked the do something until they stop it mentality. My problem with the game though was we really outplayed them and didn't have much to show for it. In fact they made it interesting in the 4th quarter. In college football you really need to have a killer instinct as a game manager. If you let teams hang around they will steal games from you.

Spaz has us nearing .500 and keeping bowl hopes alive. But we our final few games are not gimmes. He needs to keep the team focused and prepared for three different types of offenses.

Weird (feeling) win at Wake

BC dominated but didn't play well. We controlled the pace of the game and scoring yet got a scare in the 4th quarter. I guess you just have to toss it up to another weird day in BC sports. I am happy with the win though and glad we are keeping hope alive for a bowl game. Harris really set the tone early and the defense was opportunistic.

I'll have my second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday (which has been slipping into Monday morning lately).

In-game comments post: Wake Forest

BC-Wake Forest games always come down to the last minute. Let's hope this year's ending is in our favor. Leave your thoughts and comments on the game below.

You can also post on the Eagle Insider Message Boards.

I will have the occasional tweet too.

Game Watches: Wake Forest

Another ESPN3.com game, but there is hope as some BC bars will still be streaming the game. If your local chapter has a watch and I did not list it, please do so in the comments.

Chicago Game Watch
Trinity
2721 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL


New York City Game Watches
Vertigo
354 Third Avenue at 26th Street


San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's
2064 Polk Street
(between Broadway St & Pacific Ave)
San Francisco, CA


Washington, D.C. Game Watch
The Rookery
2519 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

BC-Wake Forest Preview

For such a bland location and Stadium environment, Winston-Salem has been host to some very interesting BC-Wake Forest games. In 2004 (preACC) Wake handed us our first loss of the season with a late TD. In 2006 Matt Ryan threw 57 times in a game we really dominated but still ended up losing. Then in 2008 Chris Crane broke his collar bone and we nearly wasted one of the best defensive efforts of Herzy's career. But amazingly Dominique Davis connected with Brandon Robinson late in the game for us to steal the win. Neither team is as good as their respective predecessors from this series, but it should still make for a competitive game.

Overlooked storyline for the game: Although this isn't a must win for bowl eligibility, Spaz does need to win this (and the remaining ACC games) to avoid our worst conference winning percentage performance since 1996. That year, Dan Henning only won two ACC games.

Three Simple Keys
1. Avoid turnovers. In general I agree with the football sabremetrics crowd that turnovers are not a big stat. But I do think that against a team like Wake -- which hasn't been very opportunistic via turnovers -- protecting the ball becomes more important. We don't want to give them hope nor good field position.
2. Fewer slants more Go routes. The timing is obviously off on Rettig's slants so why not be a little more aggressive with the deep routes? Wake will probably try to bring the safeties up to stop Montel. A few deep balls could be winnable battles for Momah or Lee.
3. Keep contain. Grobe used to kill Spaz's defenses with misdirection. We let a reverse give FSU the lead. I expect Grobe to challenge our patience again and try to get a big play. Everyone has to hold their positions and keep the big plays from happening.

Gambling Notes
-- BC has gone 0-9 against the spread in our last nine road games.
-- Spaz is 2-5 on the road.
-- Grobe is 27-24 coming off a loss at Wake Forest.
The current line is BC-3

Factoid
The last Wake Forest coach to lose six games in a row was current Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell.

Scoreboard Watching
We are well beyond the scoreboard watching phase, but do pay attention to Duke vs Virginia. They are our next two opponents and both are showing signs of life after terrible starts.

I hope to see...
Rettig throw it 25 or more times. The space and points are there. We just need to give him more opportunities. I think it will be good for his development and will certainly help our offensive numbers.

BC is in trouble if...
They shut down the run. Everything we do is based off of the run. I predict that Wake will make that their focus (especially with how they were gashed by some other running teams).

Bottom Line
I know I keep saying this, but I do think this is a good matchup for BC. I think their defense is so bad that we will be able to move the ball. I also think we will pray on their green QB and force them into mistakes. The biggest unknown remains our redzone conversions. If we can get TDs instead of FGs it won't be close.
Final Score: BC 28, Wake Forest 13

Woe is Wake

I've often used Wake Forest's 2006 ACC Championship as a model for what BC can do. But the Wake straw man is a bit undone by their losing season in 2009 and their struggles this year. Was their run of a few years ago a fluke? Has Grobe lost his touch? Or is this a rebuilding year/transition year? To get you up to speed on the Deacons, I thought I would look at the reasons behind their struggles and how it relates to BC.

Terrible on one side of the ball. Wake: Defense. BC: Offense. You know all those categories and ratings of our offense? Wake is in a similar boat on defense. They are at the bottom of the ACC in points per game and yards allowed. They are also at the bottom of turnovers created. They are 117 in total defense. During their best times Wake was never dominant on defense but they had plenty of skill and a solid enough scheme. The difference between BC's offensive decline and Wake's defensive decline is that BC's is more easy to explain. We have a new OC and have had freshman QBs. Wake...is more confounding. While there is a talent decline, they still had plenty of experienced starters. I would point the finger at their DC Brad Lambert but he has been with Grobe a long time. He was also DC during 2008 (Wake's best defensive year of the Grobe era).

Young QBs After Riley Skinner moved on Wake was left without a game tested QB. Wake has played four different QBs this year, none of whom have been that effective. Tanner Price and Skylar Jones have received the most reps. Neither have been in Skinner's league. It also doesn't help that Grobe is transitioning the offense back to a more option/misdirection scheme and away from the passing/spread focus he used with Mauck and Skinner.

Front Loaded Schedule Wake's strength of schedule is 36th nationally. Six of their eight opponents have winning records. Their non conference schedule included Stanford and Navy. While they've been blown out a few times, they also lost close games to Georgia Tech and Navy. Unlike BC though, their schedule doesn't ease up. They still have to play NC State and Clemson.

Those are the similarities. The biggest difference to me is the head coach. Grobe has accomplished more at Wake than any of the ten coaches who preceded him in Winston-Salem. That good will won't last forever, but it has earned him enough breathing room to ride out a disastrous season. Spaz's obviously doesn't have that track record as head coach. Does that make one situation better than the other? Not this year. I actually think we will finish strong. Wake looks like they will bottom out. We will find out more Saturday.

Women's soccer readies for ACC Tourney and other links

The BC women's soccer team got some press from ESPN of all places.

BC has interest in Illinois WR Jordan Westerkamp.

Jim Unis' brother is putting together a strong season for Gloucester.

Our rowing teams keep improving and finished strong this weekend.

Finally, Mike W. sent along this pic, I am calling Spazoween. Were there any other Spaz's this past weekend?

Blogpoll ballot

I constantly prove how little I know about college football, but my preseason take on Oregon is looking better and better. The past two weeks I've been able to see big chunks of their game and I am constantly impressed by their aggressiveness. Hopefully that will start to rub off once our UNH crew has a bigger influence on our play calling.

Games I watched
BC-Clemson 100% (twice)
NC State-Florida State 75%
Notre Dame-Tulsa 25%
Michigan-Penn State 25%
Florida-Georgia 25%
UConn-West Virginia 50%
Auburn-Ole Miss 20%
USC-Oregon 50%

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 10

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oregon Ducks	--
2	Auburn Tigers	--
3	Utah Utes	2
4	TCU Horned Frogs	2
5	Boise St. Broncos	2
6	Alabama Crimson Tide	2
7	Nebraska Cornhuskers	5
8	Missouri Tigers	-5
9	Oklahoma Sooners	5
10	Wisconsin Badgers	--
11	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
12	Iowa Hawkeyes	--
13	Michigan St. Spartans	-9
14	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	-1
15	Stanford Cardinal	1
16	LSU Tigers	-1
17	Mississippi St. Bulldogs	1
18	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
19	N.C. State Wolfpack	--
20	Florida St. Seminoles	-11
21	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
22	Baylor Bears	--
23	Arkansas Razorbacks	-3
24	Temple Owls	--
25	Syracuse Orange	--
Dropouts: Arizona Wildcats, Miami Hurricanes, Hawaii Warriors, San Diego St. Aztecs, Kansas St. Wildcats

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Duke gametime announcement and other links

The Duke game will be on ESPN3.com at noon. Both teams have a losing record so this is not a surprise. Syracuse might be our last TV game of the year.

Todd McShay is already talking up Montel. I hope he doesn't do something rash like enter the draft early.

Sean Duggan decided to commit to BC after his weekend visiting the campus for the Clemson game. I am glad we are keeping the Cincy pipeline open.

Kelli Stack was named Hockey East player of the week.

HD gave Montel one of her helmet stickers for his work against Clemson.

Wes Davis's bright future

As BC fans we tend to project ideal qualities onto our players, even when we don't know them and they might not be deserving. That wasn't necessary with Wes Davis. He's the real deal. He's the type of man who makes BC football what it is.

Last year when the team decided to hold an Uplifting Athletes fundraiser in honor of Mark Herzlich, Wes Davis took the time to write me. He didn't need to. I am just another jerk on the internet (often ripping his coaches and teammates). But Wes decided that getting the message out about the event was more important than who the messenger might be. Having a strong showing for his teammate was more important. Fighting cancer -- in anyway they could -- was important.

His email to me was clear and heartfelt. I was glad to pass along the message. But Wes and the other team leaders behind the Uplifting Athletes showed that they are more than just jocks. They are thoughtful men, mature beyond their years. It was no surprise when Wes was named Captain this season. He's been leading this team long before he had the title.

I am sorry the Wes's career ended prematurely. He was a very good player for four seasons. I am sure he could have made a go of a pro career in the CFL or UFL. But I don't think that really matters. I think Wes has much bigger things ahead of him. The qualities he carries with him translate far beyond the football field.