Cal-BC preview

I tweeted this after Tuesday’s press conference, but Billy O was a little annoyed with the media this week. He also showed frustration and anger after the Stanford loss. Because we are all still new to following his highs and lows, I don’t know how to read his emotions or what they mean for BC Football. I am hoping that the frustration is more of the “how did we lose that game" type of anger vs “what have I got myself into” feeling. In the end, his feelings or moods don’t really matter. What matters is BC winning this weekend. I don’t think Billy O is a bad coach, but if he is going to be special at BC, he needs to show he can win the “stop the bleeding” games like this.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
I went to the Army-North Texas game last week. It is always good to see other teams and other stadiums and helps provide some perspective on BC and being a BC fan. All the things we worry about: NIL issues, the portal, recruiting, game management, keeping up with the Jones. It is not unique to BC. Every school faces it in some form or another. And most fanbases feel tortured in one form or another. Even with that renewed perspective, I really want BC to win this weekend.

Three Simple Keys
1. Hold onto the ball. Sometimes it is that simple. If we don't turn the ball over at the goaline against MSU and Stanford, we are undefeated right now.
2. Better tackling. I am surprised this is an issue. Billy O got the guys to cut down on penalties. Solid tackling seems like another fundemental skill that he would perfect. It seems like our guys are constantly diving at ankles. That's got to stop.
3. Contain explosive plays. We need to force Cal to dink and dunk and make mistakes.

Gambling notes
-- BC is 2-1 against the spread this year
-- Billy O is 7-1 in Alumni
-- Cal is 1-3 in ACC road games
The current line is BC-6.5

Factoid
BC has only played Cal once. We beat them at Alumni in 1986

Scoreboard Watching
Louisville-Pitt. Both are on our schedule and I don’t have a good feel for either team. Because of our losses we will probably need to beat both.

BC is in trouble if…the Oline is bad. Last week they moved guys around a bit mid-game and it didn’t help. We need to dominate upfront or else Lonergan will not have a clean pocket and we won’t be able to run the ball.

I hope to see…a good crowd. Last week was such a killer to mood and mometum. There is still a lot of football left. I hope the fans show up and are into it.

What ChatGPT Thinks: "No one can predict with certainty, but based on recent stats and expert models, **Boston College** is slightly favored."

Bottom Line
I am talking myself into a bounce back game. O’Brien is correct. We’ve given these games away. I think it gets cleaned up against a Cal team trying to fix their own situation. I think we score a lot early again but this time hold on in the second half.
Final Score: BC 38, Cal 21