Marketing gimmicks can't save BC's attendance issues

When I saw this morning that USF was the latest college football team to enlist help from Groupon, I thought it was time to discuss BC's annual struggle to sell out all our home games. (Note: BC has been using Groupon for a few weeks.)

Despite Groupon and giving away multiple tickets to season ticket holders, it is very unlikely that BC will sell out the Weber State game or Kent State game. This isn't very surprising but given that Weber State will be Herzlich's return, it is very disappointing. More disappointing is that we have Notre Dame, Clemson and Virginia Tech on the home schedule this year. In the past, demand for those games would be enough to lift sales for the entire season.

The soft ticket sales are not all BC or its fans fault. There remains a softness nationwide due to the economy. You can even get Red Sox tickets at face value, which was unheard of five years ago. I also think game fatigue has set in too. BC used to play five or six home games a year. The diehards love the idea of an extra game and an extra tailgate. But for the casual fans, it doesn't mean much.

Despite all the built in excuses for the empty seats, there are two obvious mistakes that BC should avoid going forward.


1. Never schedule a home game Labor Day weekend. As long as BC starts classes after Labor Day, having a home game is a mistake. Students are drifting in and the campus and school are not in their regular routines. Plus it is the last weekend of the summer for many fans. They don't want to be sitting in Alumni watching a cupcake game. They want to be at the beach. Add in Boston's PGA event and you have a drag on demand. I know BC doesn't want to start the season on the road every year, but the trade off is a buzz-killing home opener.

2. Always put the FCS game on Parent's Weekend. This used to be one of BC's smartest moves. They would squeeze in a cupcake game on a weekend where you have 10,000+ extra ticket buyers. However, they've gotten away from it the past few years as they had to reshuffle schedules due to coaching changes and Hofstra dropping football. That resulted in Virginia Tech being a home game this year (and likely a night game). A VT night game would be a major draw anytime. It is a wasted opportunity. Plus I think most parents would rather have a day game and go out to dinner with their kids on Saturday night.

I didn't even touch on donor-based seating, or tailgating or style of play. Those remain issues where BC has less flexibility. What they can control is marketing and scheduling and right now they are making obvious mistakes and in turn creating a lot of empty seats.

Last scrimmage and other links

BC played its final scrimmage. The big takeaway is that the QBs are pretty even. Despite the parity it still looks like Shinskie's job. My guess is that they will both play against Weber State and Kent State. From there it will be Shinskie's job until/if he starts regressing again.

The other news -- first reported by WZBC -- was that Herzy might practice this weekend. If he is on the field this Saturday, he will likely play in the home opener.

Gene gave Christopher Iacoi and David Ayer internal promotions.

HD is now on the BC under the radar bandwagon. She is wrong though about an undefeated BC team getting left out of the National Championship. The Harris and coaches poll voters would be enough to over come any sort of computer poll issue. The only way we don't get in is if there are multiple undefeated teams.

Future Eagle Christian Suntrup is considered one of the top pro-style passers in the country.

NJ WR Anthony Gaffney loves BC. It sounds like he would commit if offered.

Castonzo is a nominee for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

Cherilus is fighting to hold onto his starting position in Detroit.

Weber State is ready for the opener and doesn't seem bothered by all the hype surrounding BC's opener and Herzy's return.

A recruiting Q&A and position preview

The BC Draft guys held a nice interview with BC recruit Sean Duggan. He is the latest St. Xavier kid who seems like the perfect fit at the Heights.

I posted the latest WR position preview. As you probably guessed, I think we will fill the void left by Larmond.

Some respect and stats

Stewart Mandel sees us as a sleeper for the BCS. See people who aren't fans can be optimistic about this year too! I will make my predictions next week, but these will probably be my most optimistic since I've been blogging.

Brian is actually using some stats and history to conclude that BC is one of the least respected teams in AP polling history. I think the AP situation is easy to explain -- not enough voters in the New England. Even those in New England who have a vote don't take BC seriously.

Rumored now official: Larmond out for the year

BC finally confirmed that Larmond will miss the 2010 season with what is being termed just a "knee injury."

Supposedly there are some ligament issues, but no one has confirmed if it is MCL or ACL. The second opinion I keep hearing about is probably less about if he needs surgery and more about when he will have it and who will perform it. (Players often like to have a home town doctor do the work.) This is such a tough break for a talented and reportedly good kid. You would have to assume he redshirts and rehabs the leg for the next 12 months.

Since the news broke, I've been coming around to what it means for the team. It is certainly a loss, but not a crushing blow. He is a talent -- no doubt -- but even our inexperienced and depleted WR group is still more talented than many of the groups we had in the TOB days. Plus we have a good group of Tight Ends. Injuries happen, but we should be okay.

Larmond 'done' and other links

I tweeted the rumors last night but according to Colin Larmond Jr's own Facebook status, he is "Out for da season...". This could be premature since I was also told he will get a second opinion and Spaz remains evasive on the topic. Regardless, he showed up at Sunday's scrimmage walking with crutches while wearing a thigh-to-ankle brace. Fortunately for Colin, he is still eligible for a redshirt. As for the team, it is a serious blow. The only other position where we are more dependent upon one player is probably Harris at running back. Larmond is our only WR with significant experience and he is our best deep threat. Let's hope some of the unproven guys see this as an opportunity and step up to fill the void. Because of the depth issues, I think you'll see a few true freshmen WRs play this fall.

As for what actually happened at the scrimmage, Adam Rose was at it again with his coverage at WZBC. The Heights and BCeagles.com both had coverage too. The consensus seems to be the QBs and kicking both look solid. Because Marscovetra has played well, I expect he will get multiple series in the Weber State and Kent State games. Beyond that will depend on how he and Shinskie are playing.

Because he is not practicing, Herzy's return for Weber State is also looking less likely. I still have a gut feeling he'll be on the field. I don't think any rust or problems with the game plan will be an issue. Plus, if Spaz sits a healthy Herzy because he didn't practice enough, he would be on a national "hot seat." I say keep the faith.

Here is Scout.com's first interview with new commit Graham Stewart.

Colin Thompson raved about his visit to BC.

No respect part 2 (the AP poll)

The BC news of the day was the release of the AP poll. Like the Coaches edition, BC was unranked and only received one vote. Having voted in a similar poll for many years now, I am unmoved by the lack of respect that BC gets. Not much thought goes into this with many voters and until we break our current ceiling, voters will just view us as a nice team. Fortunately voters don't determine who wins the ACC. That is always in our control and should be our ultimate goal each year.

Big tie for women's soccer and other links

How often does a top 10 team start their season as a home underdog? That's what happened to the women's soccer team as they took on No. 2 Stanford on Friday night. The Eagles came away with a hard-fought tie.

Football Outsiders is digging deeper into college football analytics and like our chances in 2010.

CT linebacker Graham Stewart is the latest addition to the recruiting class. On his Scout.com page you can see his junior year highlights.

Oline recruit Pat Flavin had a good time at Cal yet still has very good things to say about BC. It doesn't sound like he is any closer to a decision.

Cool poster and other links

I am usually not a fan of the annual BC Marketing poster, but I have to say that this year's is pretty bad ass.

BC will be one of the first schools to use Under Armour's new basketball shoes.

Thursday was photo day which meant no practices. On this bceagles.com link you can see the photo gallery of their session.

Ryan Purvis is fighting for a roster spot in Tampa Bay.

BJ Raji is ready to become a full-time player for the Packers.

Scrimmage notes and other links

Wednesday night was the team's second scrimmage. WZBC's blog and the Heights had good coverage both from Adam Rose. I always caution into reading too much into this stuff, but the good news was Nate Freese went three for three on field-goal attempts. Maybe we will finally have a kicking threat. The QBs also played well -- completing a high percentage of passes. The biggest area for concern -- Center. New Center Nate Richman sat out and was replaced by Mark Spinney who struggled with some exchanges. I think our line is very good but doesn't have the great depth we've had in some years. If Richman's injury lingers I wouldn't be surprised to see Claiborne move to center. This is bceagles.com's recap of the scrimmage.

Former Eagle Stephen Boyd was honored by his hometown.

Here is a nice feature on Herzy from this past weekend on Philly.com. The Herald News thinks Herzy is the key to the season.

The BC Women's Soccer team is entering the season as one of the top teams in the country.

BC continues to get the jump on recruiting future QBs.

Xaverian star Joe Colton has an offer from Duke but would like to go to BC.

Blogpoll 2010

Below is my preseason Top 25 for the blogpoll. The poll is now hosted by SBnation. As for my votes: I am very suspect of Boise State. I don't like the lack of depth in the Big 10 and therefore think Ohio State will go undefeated in conference. I was tempted to put BC higher, but I don't want to jinx things. Things will get reshuffled once the games begin. Leave your thoughts below.

Eagle in Atlanta Ballot - Week 1

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
3	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
4	Oregon Ducks	--
5	Texas Longhorns	--
6	Penn St. Nittany Lions	--
7	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
8	Florida Gators	--
9	Arkansas Razorbacks	--
10	TCU Horned Frogs	--
11	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	--
12	Auburn Tigers	--
13	Georgia Bulldogs	--
14	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
15	Iowa Hawkeyes	--
16	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
17	Wisconsin Badgers	--
18	Pittsburgh Panthers	--
19	Boise St. Broncos	--
20	Utah Utes	--
21	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	--
22	Florida St. Seminoles	--
23	Miami Hurricanes	--
24	Stanford Cardinal	--
25	Boston College Eagles	--

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Position preview: quarterbacks

My latest preview is up over on Eagle Insider. The good news is that I am feeling better about Dave Shinskie than I ever have. While I didn't get into too much speculation and gossip in the Scout.com piece, there was a real worry around the program that Shinskie might crash and burn. Now it seems like he's found his sea legs, knows what he has to do and is ready. If his play matures too, we could be in for a special year. Plus, everyone also likes Marscovetra. BC is almost in a can't lose position (now I've jinxed us).

National Champions? and other links

Can BC win a national championship? ESPN thinks the pieces are there: friendly schedule, returning talent, luck. This is a classic ESPN filler article but I like the spirit of it all. 2007 though should be a lesson to us all. If we remain undefeated we will climb in the rankings. However, 2007 was also rare in that so many heavy weights dropped games early, clearing any logjams. If BC were to go undefeated, we would need some help getting into the national championship game. An extra win from the ACC Championship game would help our BCS standings and the Herzy story would get some humans to vote. We would also need the traditional powers to lose a game or two. I am not buying my plane tickets yet, but this is a reminder that we shouldn't lower expectations. We are a better team than the team our staff is poor mouthing in the press (TOB style).

Here is Part II of BC Draft's interview with Weber State's coach.

Tough break for Jamie Silva. Let's hope he makes a full comeback next year.

Virginia Tech fans respect our team.

BCD's interview and other links

In case you missed it, here part 1 of BC Draft's interview with Weber State head coach Ron McBride. Part 2 will be up Monday afternoon on Eagle Insider.

The New York Times wonders if our easy schedule would diminish a 10-win season. That would be a nice problem to have.

Ron Brace passed his physical and is finally practicing with the Pats.

Billy Flutie wants to take Gene D's job one day (I am fighting every urge I have from making a joke).

Finally, I didn't want to highlight this nonsense since Bob Hohler's BC work is always about grabbing attention, it is hard not to say something. I don't begrudge anyone's salaries. Life is clearly not fair and very few things are a true meritocracy. But at the same time market forces work pretty well and correct imbalances. College athletics is a demanding, high profile profession. These jobs have a certain value in the market place. BC pays what is has to in order to stay relevant. Having successful coaches has been a blessing for the school. If fans think Gene is paid too much or paid Skinner and Jags too much, they can make their opinions known by not giving. There is really not much news in any of this, but that never really stops Hohler.

Scrimmage, media day and more

Since TOB left there has been one pattern to our summer scrimmages -- the defense dominates. Even with Matt Ryan, the D got out early and brought a lot of pressure. Part of it was talent and part was design. The idea was to test the offense early so that they could progress and learn. With that in mind, I think the early results of our first scrimmage were encouraging. Shinskie and Marscovetra both put up solid numbers as did potential RB threat Andre Lawrence.

Friday was Media Day. This year there was obviously added interest because of the Herzlich storyline, but the event is usually a low key affair. What I find interesting are the little details, like this notebook that talks about how Harris' backups are developing. The mix of players is always a bit telling too as they put the seniors and they guys the coaches have high expectations for at the tables.

ESPNBoston was at media day too and filed this article on Castonzo. Let's hope they have consistent and meaningful BC coverage this year.

Captain Alex Albright was pretty candid at Media Day talking about Herzlich.

WZBC has stepped up their coverage of Media Day too.

Shinskie's comfort level remains an ongoing theme within the media. Yet HD still remains somewhat skeptical.

The Hockey team will be honored at the White House.

Although he sounds like he wants to stay out west, BC is recruiting Chase Rettig's younger brother.

Rivals thinks we have one of the better Olines in the country.

Here is the Montel Harris video from the most recent episode of Saturday's in the South.

What to make of Herzy's foot injury

More info came out today regarding Mark Herzlich's foot injury. He officially has a broken bone in his right foot (his tumor was in his left left). Originally rumored to be a stress fracture, we still don't know the exact diagnosis of the break nor which bone is broken. Mark claims to be pain free and ready to play. Most of us are asking the same questions: will he play and when?

I am really not worried about any of this. There are a few ways this could play out.


1. It is a minor fracture and will heal before Weber State.
2. It is a minor fracture that will take longer to heal but still in time to take on Virginia Tech.
3. It never really heals and Mark plays through it all season while resting during the week.

Regardless, Mark will play this season.

If this injury is nagging and Mark never reaches his full potential, it will be sad and frustrating but not a reason to doubt this team's upside. We are deep at LB and can shuffle the depth chart if Mark is limited. Also remember that Matt Ryan played most of 2006 on a broken foot. Now the demands and mobility of a QB ad LB are entirely different, but Matt showed that once the adrenaline gets pumping you can play through the pain.

I feel for Mark, but don't blame BC for dragging their feet. If this leads to a 100% healthy Herzy then it will all be worth it. We obviously know that Mark is tough and a survivor. He showed great faith and intelligence during this whole process. Now let's hope that the patience pays off.

Heights Twitter with the scoop and other links

When I was a student and on campus, we always knew more news and gossip than the traditional media. Even though I was involved in WZBC, we rarely took what we knew and broke news. It was a different era -- we only had gameday broadcasts and a Monday night show. The Heights schedule also meant they rarely broke news. The internet has obviously changed that and no more so than with the Heights being the first to report Kaleb Ramsey's return via twitter. (Once again, if you are not on twitter, you should get on it before the season starts.) Other internet reports followed that said Ramsey was at practice but worked off to the side with the S&C staff. I guess they are testing his fitness. As for what his impact means, I am not expecting much. It will be nice to have depth and it will be gravy if he becomes an impact player. I am just leery of guys playing in these sorts of circumstances. If your heart or head is not in it, the odds are you won't make a difference on the field.

It is nice to keep reading about Shinskie's maturity and comfort with football. I'll have more on Shinskie's adjustment in my QB preview due this weekend.

Brad Newman's time at the Heights has flown by. Think of it this way, Newman along with Castonzo and Gause were some last minute recruits pulled together by Jags' transition team in 2007. All played as true freshman and all are set to play their final season.

Like the NFL.com, I was at the Falcons Camp today. Like the NFL.com, I think Matt will have a break out, get to the next level, type of season. Now I wasn't there to see practice, but the vibe in the building is that they and Matt are ready.

Finally, congrats to BCI for making the Twitter 200. (Yet another reason to get on twitter.)

Who has the best Oline? and other links

Why is everyone so excited about Florida State's offensive line? I don't think their talent is that much better than ours and they were just as inconsistent as BC last year. Hopefully our guys will use this sort of stuff for motivation. The anchor of the line -- Anthony Castonzo -- will have a unique fall as he prepares for the Rhodes interviews. I know this might seem silly to some but I think he should skip the interviews if it conflicts with the UVA game. Not that we can't win without him, but he is set to break the total starts and consecutive starts record at BC. That is a big deal in the football sense.

BC lost out on Ohio Lineman Chase Hounshell. BC target Darius Jennings seems set on visiting a lot of targets. Jack Tabb is still looking at BC but talking up other schools.

One of Montel's fans in Jacksonville asked SI why Harris doesn't get more publicity.

With the Saints in town to take on the Patriots, JoLonn Dunbar and Matt Tennant were able to stop by practice. Herzlich still could not practice.

Bookmark this link for College Football Sports References. It has deep links for player and teams.

Even among ESPN's rankings, we are in the "others" category.

New captains, Herzy news and other links

The football team elected Alex Albright, Anthony Castonzo, Wes Davis and James McCluskey as captains for the 2010 season. I am curious how they arrived at four, since we've had two, three and four at different times over the past decade. All guys are what you want in Captains and should serve the team well. A few people were surprised that Mark Herzlich was not also elected. Don't read too much into it (health of personality related). Herzlich missed practice again today and according to the Herald has a stress fracture in his right foot (his left leg had the tumor). If it is a stress fracture, this will be a lingering story and injury. The only thing that heals stress fractures is time and low impact stuff. I am sure he can play through it...let's hope it doesn't slow him down or progress.

[Pushy Eagle Insider links coming ahead!] In addition to getting content from me and others, the cool thing about becoming a member at Eagle Insider is that you get recruiting scoop from across the network. For example BC is already targeting 2012 QBs and 2013(!?) QBs. The 2013 kid isn't even a the fulltime starter at his high school but already has an offer from BC. That's got to be a good feeling.

Here is one of the better previews on the team.

This analytical look at the ACC predicts that BC will finish fourth in the division. HD has us 7th overall.

As expected Josh Haden will be joining his younger brother at Florida. No idea if a good tattoo artist will be able to make the BC logo look like the Gator logo.

BC just offered Massachusetts athlete Manny Asprilla.

The BC Draft guys go through their wish list.

Herzy's foot and other links

No one was more frustrated Monday than Mark Herzlich as his first official day back was postponed due to a nagging foot injury. All the reports say it is unrelated to the cancer and he could play through it if needed. But I do agree with the doctor's orders to get him to 100%.

In cooler news, BCeagles.com's photo gallery gives us our first glimpse of the new Under Armour practice jerseys.

Assuming he stays healthy Montel Harris could pass Derrick Knight on the all-time rushing list this season.

In his notes section Blaudschun mentions Momah playing both ways.

BC was one of the first to offer Worcester WR Canaan Severin.

This is what HD is following at our camp.