BC-Duke preview

You can debate where the UConn loss ranks among bad moments in BC Football, but it doesn’t really matter in a larger sense. Hafley will either bounce back from this and we will remember the game as a low-point, or we will keep losing for the next year and a half and just group this loss with a string of frustrating and embarrassing “L”s.

After every loss I get asked if I have officially lost faith in Hafley. I keep hedging a bit because I like the guy and there are aspects of his approach which I respect and support. But each loss makes the hole that much deeper. Hafley will get another year to fix things, but who knows if he can. He can go a long way towards building trust and faith with his boss, his recruits and BC fans by starting to compete and win now.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game) Nearly every time things go bad during a game the same litany of complaints kicks in about BC. I don’t need to rehash them or add new ones. I don’t think BC is perfect and do think there are plenty of flaws and problems. But what frustrates me is when complaints or problems in one area are cited as the source in another area. For example: when BC loses to UConn it is not due to Addazio or injuries or budgets or even Father Leahy. We had more talent and were favored and played like crap. That’s on the current coaches and players. I also don’t think our history limits our long-term potential. Nor does it guarantee that we won’t be terrible for decades. But as the churn at places like Nebraska or Texas or Miami shows, having the best recruiting or most money or best history doesn’t guarantee anything. You have to find the right coach for your program and then empower that coach to get the most out of his program. BC is clearly not doing that now, but we will have moments where it all comes together again. Will that be under Hafley? It is not looking like it, but someone will figure it out.

Three Simple Keys
1. Keep Leonard in the pocket. If he starts running, Duke’s offense starts rolling.
2. Protect the ball. If we are more careful with the ball we have wins over UConn and Rutgers.
3. Keep going deep to Zay. I can’t believe we don’t do it more. It is our only game changing option.

Gambling Notes -- BC is 1-7 against the spread
-- BC leads the series 5-3
-- Duke is 2-2 as favorites this season
The current line is BC+10

Factoid
Jeff Hafley’s first game and win was against Duke.

Scoreboard Watching
Wake-NC State could be telling. Wake fell apart last week and NC State has been typical NC State – good but not great. It is probably best for us if Wake comes out and kills the Wolfpack and sets their confidence back a bit.

What I hope to see…
Morehead play and play well. The QB situation is a mess. At this point why send Jurk out there less than 100%? Time off to heal his knee and confidence might help. Plus this gives the staff a little more time to see what they have in Morehead

BC is in trouble if…
They get down early. I have no faith in this team to fight through adversity.

Bottom Line Do you think we will win? I can’t talk myself into it. The level of play on Offense is so incompetent that I don’t know how we haven’t fired the entire offensive staff. I hope that they put things together this week and keep it close, but all the signs point towards another blowout.
Final Score: BC 10, Duke 27

Great beginning

It was only one game but the Hafley era had a pretty perfect start. After scoring on their first possession, BC struggled a bit in the first half. But solid D kept them ahead. In the second half both BC units exploded and BC ran away with the game.

There will be a lot to digest and discuss in the coming days, but this was fun and promising.

Game Day: Duke

 No comments this year.

What you need to know

Weather: In the 60s with little chance of rain. Perfect football weather.

TV: This will be on your regional Sports Network. Here is the list of affiliates.

Radio: SiriusXM 382

BC-Duke preview

I am still trying to figure out if the unusual circumstances to the start of the Jeff Hafley era is a good thing or bad thing. He lost the chance to have a normal transition and season preparation and the guy who hired him left before Hafley coached his first game. However, because of COVID and this season's unique schedule and playing environment, I think expectations and pressure are minimal. BC could finish with one or two wins and I think most of us would be forgiving. Fortunately I don't think it will get that messy. I see Hafley as someone who will adapt quickly, manage the season well and bring some fun back to BC.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
I am selfishly a little disappointed to see the Big Ten and Pac 12 scramble to get back to playing. While I am happy for their players and fans, part of me already started thinking that with a limited number of Power 5 teams playing, BC might actually get into a real bowl. Now we will be back to playing in whatever bowl will have us. 

Three Simple Keys

1. BC needs to run a lot and with the QB. Cignetti will have his own style and brings a better passing system than anything Addazio tried to run. But let's not rush into it this week. Duke showed issues with run stopping last week. BC needs to keep it on the ground and pound away. Assuming Jurkovic starts, I also want to see him in the running game. Based on what we've seen of his limited prior action, his legs should be an advantage.
2. Get Brice out of the pocket. Against the Irish, Brice did not look good when he was flushed. He made some bad decisions and took a few sacks. He is not someone who is going to beat us with his legs. 
3. Manage the game well. This is Jeff Hafley's first game as a head coach. I don't expect everything to be perfect Day 1, but I hope there are no glaring issues with clocks or timeouts. 

Gambling Notes
-- BC leads the series 4-3
-- Duke won the last two games in the series
-- Our last three coaches have all won their BC debuts
The current line is BC+6.5

Factoid
This is the latest that BC has played its opener since 1981.

Scoreboard Watching
There are no divisions this year, so we have to pay attention to the entire ACC. Pitt-Syracuse is a matchup of future opponents. It might tell us something about both teams.

I hope to see...
Jurkovic starting and playing well. BC is being somewhat coy about the QB situation. I appreciate Dennis Grosel and all he did last year. But if we are going to be something special this year, I think we need a dynamic QB.

BC is in trouble if...
We don't get any pressure from the front four. Our linebackers are very good (potentially great). Our DBs are young, but given Hafley's background, I think he can coach them up. The big question is the Defensive Line. They need to be much better than they were last year.

Overall
I think we are entering a special window for BC sports. I think Hafley will be great and it all starts Saturday. This won't be a perfect game. There will be plenty of rust. But I think we pull away in the second half.
Final Score: BC 28, Duke 17

Duke win: the day after

Hoffses thinks this game can be a springboard and puts BC in the bubble talk. I hope so.  A major problem of the Christian era has been the inability to build on any significant win or moment.

The Duke media is still trying to figure out how they lost.

I don't know much about what Ky Bowman is really like off the court, but bringing up group project work as part of your Saturday night is a great media response. It is exactly what the media wants to hear and BC fans eat it up too. I hope his group gave him some leeway!

Ky Bowman finished the @BCMBB win over #1 Duke today with 30pts, 10rbs, & 9asts. What’s he going to do to celebrate the big win? “I have a group project meeting tonight for class”, he says. #STUDENTathlete

— Zack Spears (@Zacklopedia) December 9, 2017

Here is behind the scenes of Christian talking to the guys after the game. Let's hope this was a program changer.

"Thank you for giving me a memory of a lifetime." -- #HCJC #BCEagles #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/LDyU3XE5di

— BC Men's Basketball (@BCMBB) December 10, 2017

Games and atmospheres like that can be great for BC Football recruiting. BC hosted recruits this weekend.

How about @BCMBB with the win over No. 1 Duke!! Way to go fellas 👏👏#BCEagles pic.twitter.com/Ow58EXCknd

— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) December 9, 2017

Down goes Duke

A few days ago -- when the Hawkins news became official -- it seemed like BC's basketball season was over before it even started. Clearly the team wasn't ready to give up. BC upset No. 1 Duke Saturday for the biggest win of the Christian era. Bowman led BC with 30 points, while Robinson went 5-5 from downtown.

Aside from the boost of confidence and respect this win provides, I think the biggest takeaway was the environment. Conte sold out and was loud. Students stormed the court after the win and BC started trending in social media. BC Basketball has become an afterthought and dismissed by our casual fans. A few big wins and a little excitement might get those casual fans back on the bandwagon. This could be a program defining win or just a fluky upset. It will really depend and how Christian and Co. handle the rest of the season.

The lights went out as Boston College stormed the court after upsetting Duke.

This GIF is so mesmerizing: https://t.co/DvOw4ufkmg

— SB Nation CBB (@SBNationCBB) December 9, 2017

Second half surge not enough as BC loses to Duke

This team is only going to win when Bowman and Robinson are hot. And by that, I don't just mean a good game (both played well Saturday). The two pretty much need to play great every minute of they're on the court. Take Saturday's loss to Duke. Bowman started hot and gave BC an early lead. Then he went cold and Robinson wasn't getting many touches. Duke built a huge lead during this spot. However, in the second half, both played much better. They cut the Duke lead, but couldn't pull off the miracle comeback.

The other challenges were BC's turnovers and defensive issues. The turnovers led to easy Duke baskets. When BC did get set in the first half, they were still letting Duke get too many good looks. The D tightened during the comeback. BC also didn't convert nearly enough 3s.

The good news was that the foul shooting was improved. Jeffers also did a good job on the boards. Chatman had one of his better games.

This wasn't a discouraging loss. Our best two players looked like the best players on the court for long stretches of the game. We just need more of that to compete with the elite ACC teams on a consistent basis.

Grayson Allen can't help himself

Maybe the kid is just clumsy...

Duke is still Duke and BC is still BC (for now)

All things considered...I am okay with how BC played against Duke. After Duke's run, it was never close again. And a loss is still a loss. But this gave me a little hope. More hope than I had after Lowell. Here are some other thoughts:

-- The refs killed BC. We joked about Duke getting all the calls, but they got a lot of them. Carter getting in foul trouble hurt his defense when BC was trying to make a late comeback.
-- BC still doesn't have the instincts to adjust. Duke ran basically the same play over and over and our guys never anticipated the movement or the passes. It was a little frustrating that Christian didn't make an adjustment, but the players have to respond too.
-- BC needs to be more careful. Too many turnovers led to Duke points.

BC will still be an underdog in most ACC games, but if they play like this and slightly improve, they can still be competitive. The next chance is against Notre Dame this week.

Links: Duke prep, Addazio criticism, Bowl ratings

The real part of the basketball season starts on Saturday against Duke. Here is a quick overview of the game and Blue Devils.

Addazio made the dubious list of worst coaching in 2015. The writers certainly noted how hard it to go winless in conference with the best defense in the nation.

Finally, the ratings for the New Year's Eve Playoff games were way down. This won't change things overnight, but is still a good thing for BC. BC will always be an outsider in the bowl format (even with the Playoff element). It is best for us to watch this unravel and transform into a true eight-team, home-game, earned playoff.

Second viewing thoughts and grades:Duke

That was brutal to watch back. So much went wrong and we still could have won. So many people and units played well...really well in a losing effort. Usually I find the close calls reassuring. Now I am starting to worry. How are the players going to hold up? They feel the frustration too. You can lose teams in situations like this. We've seen it happen to BC and we've seen other teams go through it. If we just fix a few things, this team could be so, so much better.

Offense: D

Neither Flutie or Smith is a good passer. They both miss open guys and both hold on to the ball too long. Flutie's TD showed he can sit in the pocket and let one go, but the pass was still wobbly. Neither have great awareness of the clock. Flutie might be able to "run more of the offense" but he's still not making good decisions or good plays in the offense. Smith had some nice runs, but made some questionable decisions on handing the ball off in the sweeps (unless he didn't have the green light). The running game is better with Smith.

Outlow was pretty good. I am not sure why he didn't get more touches. Rouse played pretty well. Wofford made a nice catch.

I thought Smith made a nice catch on the TD they called incomplete. His real TD was nice. Alston looked good running but couldn't pull a pass in. Swigert missed one too. Callinan was fine. As a group they did not block well.

The OLine is not the problem. They actually played well this week. There is only so much you can do when the other team is that aggressive loading the box and at the line. Most of the blocking breakdowns came from the Tight Ends and WRs (Sweeney had some issues).

The time to throw stuff against the wall isn't the game. Fitch and Addazio have the luxury of practicing against an elite D. Do that in practice. I know you don't want to be installing new offense at this point in the season, but this playbook was all over the place...especially with Smith. We used basically the Wildcat with the sweeps (but it didn't seem like Smith had the green light to keep it). We used pistol with Smith. How can he be expected to learn anything when we are asking him to do all this other stuff? I think simple would be better for this kid now. And give him more one look rollouts, then he can take off if nothing is there (like the near first down on the 1st and 20). They are not doing Flutie any favors either. While this wasn't a shutout, it was another series of scoreless quarters. This is wholesale failure and not bad luck or young talent. How they are handling the QBs, their shoot from the hip rotation and the overall approach is a failure. But I fear they (Addazio and the Offensive staff) are drowning in so many issues, that they don't recognize the way out. It felt like Smith finally gave it to them as he moved the ball, but then Flutie connected on some passes. So my fear is it will be more of the same.

Defense: B+

Kavalec is back. He made some huge tackles during the goal line stand. Landry looked good and is also making some big plays stopping the run. Abdesmad played well. Gutapfel had one of his better games. Wujciak didn't cram the stat sheet, but played well.

I read a few criticisms of Daniels on the board, but watching it back, I didn't see any issues. He was good in coverage. He made a lot of tackles and had a sack. Milano was good. Strachan and Schwab weren't as productive but didn't have any glaring mistakes.

The stats for the DBs were somewhat deceiving. Most of the Duke yards came against one guy: Johnson. He's big and not as quick, so by putting some of their little guys in the slot, he got a bit exposed. He also got blown up on some tackles. Yiadom had a very good game. They rarely even threw his way and he made some nice plays. Moore was called for PI, but overall played well. Simmons was good.


I want to credit Brown for an adjustment that worked. In the first half Duke had pretty good success with passes over the middle against the safeties and linebackers and we weren't blitzing. Instead of adding more DBs to help pass coverage, Brown used the LBs for more pressure. The extra men and hint of pressure forced Duke into more rushed and in effective passes. The Defense is really the bright spot of the short season so far.

Special Teams: D

Alston is one of our most unique and potentially explosive players. But I am starting to wonder if we need to take him off punt returns. The fumble was brutal.

Lichtenberg's miss wasn't terrible. It was not a gimme. The early screw up was due to a bad snap.

Lichtenberg's kickoffs were fairly short. Was that on purpose or is leg just that short?

Howell's punts were good and so was the punt coverage.

Overall: C-

I am so frustrated with the Offense, the same game issues reoccurring (use of timeouts, clock management, etc) and Special Teams, that I want to give it all an "F," but I can't. We lost, on the road, to a pretty good Duke team by two points. Was there bad coaching? Plenty. Was there some bad luck? Yes. But luck tends to even out and bad coaching is usually punished with a L. I don't think Addazio is a bad coach. But what we are going through now and how he is dealing with it, has me questioning his upside again. It is the first time since he started coaching actual games that I am starting to believe that his challenges will limit what he can do at BC. The good news is that there is still plenty of time and plenty of big games to work this out. Let's hope he starts with Wake Forest.

Feeling blue in Durham

I do think Duke is decent but BC could have and probably should have won that game. Even with QB confusion, really bad Special Teams and bad ref calls, BC had chances to win in the 4th. I am very frustrated.

I will have my grades and second thoughts late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Duke

Throw your real predictions out the window. They've been washed away by the weather. I don't know what to expect from either team except that it will be wet. I will keep telling myself that helps BC...until something doesn't go our way.

Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

BC-Duke preview

All seasons have a broken record aspect to them. I feel like this great defense covering the mistakes of an awkward QB rotation will be the theme for weeks to come. Is there any other way it can play out? Take this week for example. Flutie will start and probably get most of the snaps. But is he going to do anything remarkable to win the job permanently in really wet weather? Unlikely. While Smith will get snaps, his limited time also gives him fewer opportunities to show he can do more than run. My fear is that neither will ever play enough to shine and instead it will become which guy makes bigger mistakes.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
Addazio talked patience in his media appearances this week and there is also plenty of fan chatter about lowering expectations. I find all of it premature and a little disconcerting. Injuries happen. Having to play young QBs happens. Collectively we had low expectations for Addazio's first two seasons and his teams performed well. Now, in Year 3, why can't we expect him to do well again? We are already have three wins and have one of the best defenses in the country. Even with sloppy QB play, we should compete with every team on our schedule and still finish at .500 or better.

Three Simple Keys
1. Connect on at least three play actions passes. There were so many open WRs last week biting on our runs. Those plays should be there this week. Whoever is QB needs to hit the open men (in stride). It will lead to some huge plays.
2. Let them have the short stuff. In order to avoid our pressure, I think Duke will try to dink and dunk it down the field. I have no problem with that. It makes big plays less likely. Field goals will be iffy in this weather. And I think we are very capable of forcing turnovers on short passes.
3. Redzone scoring. Kicking is always an issue. Heavy wind and rain won't make it easier. BC needs to capitalize with touchdowns any time we get near the endzone.

Gambling Notes
-- Cutcliffe is 1-1 against BC
-- Addazio is 3-3 in October as BC's coach
-- Addazio is 4-4 in ACC road games
The current line is BC+6.5

Factoid
BC won its only game in Wallace Wade Stadium.

Scoreboard Watching
Notre Dame at Clemson is probably the biggest ACC game of the week and are arguably the two best teams left on our schedule. I am hoping one team exposes the other and gives us hope for our contest later in the season.

I hope to see...
A big Jeff Smith TD run. I know there are plenty of Flutie fans out there. I don't dislike the kid, but I just think Smith is a better fit for everything we are trying to do. If he makes a big play, I think Addazio will roll with him and the offense will finally have some identity. Flutie feels like a square peg in a round hole.

BC is in trouble if...
They give up another non-offensive touchdown. This defense can cover a lot of mistakes but they can't stop points given away on a turnover or Special Teams screw up. If it happens against Duke, it will cost us the game.

Bottom Line
I started off with the broken record analogy...well maybe it applies to bloggers too. I just feel this is the week where we figure it out on offense. I think the OL blocks well, Smith and Rouse cross Duke up on the option stuff and BC controls the tempo and score.
Final Score: BC 17, Duke 9

Hoping for Hurricane Joaquin

BC hasn't been so lucky lately. First Darius Wade broke his ankle and now Jon Hilliman is hurt. We are headed into the Duke game as a touchdown underdog and no idea what either of our QBs can do. But there is hope from an unexpected place: the weather forecast.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the forecast for Durham, North Carolina for Saturday is terrible. There is 100% chance of rain and winds in the teens. If Hurricane Joaquin turns right into North Carolina, the winds could be even worse. I don't take hurricanes lightly, but as long as the players and few fans are safe, I don't mind both teams playing in a downpour.

The weather works both ways. It will be just as tough for BC to move the ball as Duke, but we have less to lose. Our D is tough under normal conditions. In bad weather, we can shut any team down.

The weather can also invite fluky things to happen. If we were the better, more efficient team that would be an issue. But our offense is at the point where something odd might give us a chance.

There is always the chance that the hurricane could turn and not impact North Carolina at all. If that happens, then BC will have to hope for some type of luck.

A baseball sweep!

Maybe we should move all of BC's home games to Delaware!? While being the "home" team in the First State, BC Baseball swept Duke over the weekend. BC now stands at 4-7 in ACC play. The team has now won five in a row and face UConn and UMass this week. If they keep the hot streak going, they can reach .500 before the play another ACC team next week.

The Delaware solution was only temporary, however, I don't think this is the end of BC's barnstorming. Weather and Shea Field will always make early season games precarious. For now let's just hope they keep making the best of the circumstances and keep on winning.

Still not ready for Duke

Winning at Cameron Indoor is tough under the best of circumstances. In a coach's first year with a hodge podge roster, it is even tougher. No one was expecting an upset Saturday, but BC did not play well in their 85-62 loss to Duke. Here are some thoughts:

-- I thought Magarity and Clifford played well defensively against Okafor. It was only after they both got in foul trouble that the game got away from BC. It didn't determine the final outcome, but the foul on the Clifford elbow was pretty lame. It was clear from the later replays that it wasn't intentional and that Okafor walked into it.
-- We need Batten and Brown to play well if we are going to pull off any upsets. I've been impressed with both this season and loved Batten's attitude, but both left their shots in Chestnut Hill. If they are off, we don't have enough other scorers to win big games.
-- Hanlan did mostly what we thought he could do. He didn't dominate the game, but he still made some great baskets. In our half court offense he needs to be a little more careful with the ball and clock, but this was an encouraging start to ACC play for our best player.

We now have to regroup for the Pitt game. That is home and winnable and should tell us a lot about the team.

Duke dominates second half

The only thing more predictable than the loss was BC fans' mood during the game. On the message boards and social media, there was a sense of detachment over the first half. BC played well and hung with the Dukies, but everyone was just waiting for things to fall apart. And they did. Duke made a run to start the second half and never looked back. 

Since I've moved into "next year" mode, I do think there were some positives from this game. Hanlan showed that he can score on any team. Duke is much more talented and he was able to get space and drive throughout the game. When we think of selling points to a new coach, taking over a team led by Olivier Hanlan is a clear plus. Conte was also full and into the game for long stretches (more so than those of us watching on TV). BC's Basketball account tweeted out that this was only the second sellout of the season. In my opinion, I think this just shows how starved BC fans are for any game with some juice. This was Duke on a Saturday night. If we had a competitive team, attendance would be much better for all games. 

When we talk about what's wrong this year and why we lost Saturday, ultimately we don't have the same level of talent or coaching as Duke. We should be better than we are, but we weren't going to be upper echelon this year. However, we can catch a good team off guard this year. The clock is ticking. I don't think it will save Donahue, but it would help the players and fans going into next year. 

Hockey takes away the sting of bad basketball loss

One Sunday, two games. The first was painful and the second could have been but had a happy ending.

At this point I don't think any of us know which version of the basketball team will show up. Each iteration of the team has its own challenges, but sometimes they compete and look ready. The other times it is like they are playing in slow motion and overwhelmed by the situation. Sunday's loss to Duke falls into the overwhelmed category. The team started okay, but one Duke run was all it took for the wheels to fall off. Turnovers were an issue in the first half. We also couldn't even get good shots off. The refs didn't help, but they weren't the reason we lost. I could list multiple gripes about what went wrong, but the thing that is still gnawing hours later is the tempo in the second half. We were down 20+ and the team was still working the possessions and passing the ball around the perimeter. I didn't expect a furious comeback but it would have been nice to try it. Or chuck more 3s! Or do something! Part of "teaching these guys to win" is about playing for 40 minutes. If we are down 30 and there is still 15 minutes left, the guys have to play with a sense of urgency. To fight for everything. That sort of intensity will carry over to other games and pay dividends down the road. It is the sort of killer instinct we might be missing.

That intensity is part of the Hockey team's culture. They kept the pressure on in OT and scored the game winner with minutes left. The win left BC in fourth first place [My mistake. Thanks for the heads up] within Hockey East, which will be critical come playoff time. The team's next game is Tuesday.

Yet another close Conte loss

It seems like I am constantly revisiting the "moral victory" aspect of this basketball season, but what else can you do when the team keeps losing close game? Sunday night's loss to Duke was fun and pulled me in, yet even in the final moments, I had real doubts about our chance to win. Does that invalidate the previous 39 minutes of fun basketball? Does it make it any less fun to watch Odio dunk it or Hanlan intercept a pass while running in a full sprint? No. But that doesn't mean we should feel good about coming close in another loss. There are eight regular season games left. This team needs to win at least three of them. The close games are proof enough that they can. Other thoughts:

Likes

-- Odio dunk! and everything else. In a season full of empty moments and lack of progress, Odio has been one of the standouts. He's not even a space filler anymore. He's bringing legitimate energy and defense when he is on the floor. We are better with him than without. He doesn't need to shoot much. He doesn't need to handle the ball. He just needs to play smart, don't make any turnovers and be aggressive near the basket. It was a good showing. 

-- The Defensive game plan. I am not sure which assistant was responsible for tonight's prep but it was well done. Even as Duke adjusted in the second half, we countered with more ball pressure and trying to cut off Plumlee's passing lanes.

-- Hanlan's driving. I will get to the final shot below, but thank goodness Hanlan is willing and able to drive to the basket. So many of the guys are passive under the slightest pressure and we waste so much time passing around the perimeter. Hanlan might miss FGs, but good things are happening when he drives.

Dislikes

-- The final possessions. Rahon's clanker was terrible. It was a good look but bad, bad shot. That's on him. The Hanlan possession was as frustrating but for different reasons. I would have liked for him to shoot earlier in the shot clock. Why did Donahue have him wait so long? Anderson got the rebound (and was fouled). If Hanlan shoots earlier in the possession we might get another shot. The risk is Duke answers, but when you are down a point, that is very secondary. First get the lead! Then worry about protecting it.

-- Abandoning the 3. We were cold and were keeping it close regardless, but that doesn't excuse not attempting more. 

-- Officiating. It is cliches to argue that Duke gets all the calls, but they do. Cook knew he fouled Anderson on the last play. You could see how he reacted. But there were about ten different times that they could have whistled Cook earlier. Duke's guards were very aggressive with their hands. It is not the reason why we lost and is not new, but needs to be mentioned when it is egregious.