BC-Maine preview

A must win against Maine. Who would have thought? BC is a heavy favorite, so there is no sense of dread heading into the game. But BC can't lose. If they do, that says more than enough about this team and this coaching staff.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)

This biggest news of the week for BC football was the report that the the power football schools don't want to break away from the NCAA. Don't worry, it wasn't altruism. The report stated that the cost and infrastructure to break away would be too expensive. This means the ACC stays alive and BC conceviably has access to the playoff. However, there are still plenty of legal barriers regarding paying players as well as more conferences shuffles ahead. This is never over, but it looks like BC and the ACC will have a place at the table for another couple of years.

Three Simple Keys

1. Jurk going through his progressions. As much heat as the OLine has been getting, I am so disappointed in the Jurkovic-McNulty combination. They need to find plays they both like, that work and that Jurk can work through his options vs just forcing it in.

2. Defensive turnovers. This team needs to start ball hawking. It will help this game and hopefully set the tone for the rest of the season.

3. Better returns in the punt coverage. We are losing a lot of yards by letting the ball roll. BC needs to get more positive yards in the punt return team.

Gambling Notes

-- BC is 0-2 against the spread this season
-- BC has won six straight in the series
-- BC has not lost to an FCS team since 1978

The current line is BC-24.5

Factoid
Maine has four victories over FBS teams.

Scoreboard Watching
Not a great weekend for ACC matchups. It will be interesting to see how NC State handles Texas Tech. I am not a big fan of NC State, but this sort of win would be big for them. 

What I hope to see…
No one get hurt. The UMass game last year changed the course of the season. Let's get through this one unscathed.

BC is in trouble if…
We can’t protect against Maine. I know it is still early in the season and how the Oline plays now vs later in the season won't be the same, but on raw talent and size, we can't let Maine push us around.

Bottom Line
Despite all the hand wringing after last week, I am not worried about this week. If we can’t score on this team, then give up on the whole season.
Final: BC 35, Maine 13

Basketball handles Maine

After a strange two weeks, the BC Basketball team needed a game like this.  The team cruised against Maine and won comfortably.

Maine is not good, but the effort and efficiency was much better. Even Carter shared the ball and made better shot decisions. There were still too many turnovers, but much less confusion and better D.

The team is off for a week and then regroups to play Delaware.

Second viewing thoughts and grades: Maine

The win is nice. The game went about as well as you could expect. All the reports from Alumni talked about the great weather. Even ESPN3's production looked good. Yet I still have this feeling that the season hasn't really started. Even watching it back, it still seemed like a scrimmage. I am not trying to dismiss Maine and winning these games is better than losing them (see Kansas), but there is and was a lack of intensity. But even without the intensity there was still some positive takeaways.

Offense: B-

I thought Wade was okay live, but watching it back I realized he had a pretty good first game. His arm is good -- good touch, good placement and good strength. What concerned me was his missed opportunities on the few run plays we ran for him. He didn't exploded to holes nor show much elusiveness. Flutie's few snaps didn't tell us anything.

Hilliman's best play might have been a big block on a play for Outlow. Hilliman's catches were nice. Wofford also did a good job in the passing game. Outlow was fine and seemed to do alright in the crowds around the line. Rouse had the biggest day, but I think a lot of that was fresh legs and the line playing better.

Swigert's TD wasn't just a feel good gimme. He made a real good cut and did a good job getting open. I liked Smith's hands on the one slant he caught. Alston needs to fix those drops.

Watching live, I thought the OL just had trouble because Maine was so aggressive. In the second viewing things just looked really inconsistent. All had struggles at different parts of the game. I thought the right side played better than the left (Bowen and Baker). Taylor got better as the game went on. Williams was okay. Schmal came off the bench and played extensively as did Lindstrom, so both might be in the mix for starting spots.

I am going to forgive Fitch for BC's head scratching play calling. There wasn't much rhythm and too many drives stalled early. We also didn't call obvious counters -- zone reads or short passes -- to Maine's pressure until later in the second half. We seemed determined to overpower them in most situations instead. If we were this basic against Maine it will only be more so against Howard.

Defense: A-

The Defensive Line was the best part of the team on Saturday. Landry looked very quick and much stronger. Wujciak caused plenty of disruption and won most of his battles. Kavalec did a nice job reading the option. Abdesmad looked good.

Milano was very active and played well. Daniels got fooled once on one of Maine's big passes, but played well. Schwab looked good in the second half. Strachan did a good job.

I thought all the DBs looked good, but I don't know how much of that was BC's pass rush or Maine's FCS talent. Simmons had a good day. McClary seemed to do well with coverage. Johnson looked good. Congrats to Harris on his first INT.

We don't know enough about Finch's play calling to tell if he was keeping it simple. We do know that Brown did. BC generated plenty of pressure without getting very exotic nor even blitzing too much. That's a good sign.

Special Teams: C

For years and years, I bemoaned all our punt returners signalling for fair catch. So in the big picture, I love Alston's confidence and aggressiveness. It will pay off. Saturday though had me taking deep breathes for the wrong reasons. He needs to be more careful, especially when he is dealing with a bouncing ball. His kick returns were fine.

Howell's place kicking was not great. The miss was very wide and even the extra points looked low. Let's hope they have someone else lined up in case this remains an issue.

Howell's punts were better. I thought most of the coverage units looked good.

Overall: B-

The final score was about what I expected. How we got there wasn't what I expected. But on a whole this was a good first game. I am hoping the offensive issues are a mix of first game sloppiness, wanting to keep things simple and Maine selling out at the line. With the Defense and Special Teams playing to expectations, I'm still very optimistic.

Considering all the unknowns, I still feel like Addazio had the team prepared, motivated and had just enough adjustments. Let's hope it is a sign of things to come.

BC makes progress against Maine

It wasn't pretty or particularly smooth, but BC did what it had to do and beat Maine 24-3. I thought Wade looked decent. He was more poised than I expected, but still needs to work on his timing and decisions. But the timing issues are the reason we scheduled Maine and Howard early. The D played well and really carried the team.

Overall this went about as planned. Now they just need to keep getting better.

I am on the road but plan on having second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Maine

Addazio has a new theme for this year. No more "dudes." It is now about the "Power of Unity." Here he talks about it.


That "Unity" starts today. Let's see how our new OC, QB and Oline unite against Maine. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

BC-Maine preview

Another season is finally here. The third year in any college program is usually a good indicator of the coach's potential. This is now Addazio's roster and his schedule...and his quarterback. The team is young, but I think this weekend is the first look into their upside. I don't expect championships this year, but I do expect a likable, fun and competitive season.


What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
The calendar just turned to September and still no specifics on BC's Master Plan nor the indoor practice facility. BC internal politics, the usual Boston-Newton stuff and fundraising challenges are all part of the delay, but at some point Brad Bates has got to take control of this thing. We don't need a boat rocker like Gene, but we do need to get the athletic components of this Master Plan out of endless limbo. That's on Bates. If BC doesn't announce and break ground on something soon, it is just going to cost us. First recruits and then a few extra bucks to keep Addazio happy.

Three Simple Keys
1. Sound run blocking. This BC's chance to work the kinks out. The listed starters have not worked together in a scrimmage, so there could be some timing issues. Hopefully nothing that hurts a drive. If BC can just overpower their front four, it can create things for the RBs and build Wades' confidence.
2. Early scoring. I don't think this will be close. But my fear with a young team is letting Maine get up early and then watching panic and doubt creep in to the sidelines. Every year a FCS team beats a FBS team. Let's not be the one this year.
3. Simple defense. Ideally we win without giving Maine a lot of unique looks on defense. I want all our blitzes and tendencies to be new to Florida State in two weeks.

Gambling Notes
-- Addazio is 4-0 vs FCS teams
-- Addazio is 2-0 in season openers at BC
-- BC is 21-1 all-time against FCS teams
There is currently no line for this game on the major betting sites.

Factoid
Maine has 15 Massachusetts players on their roster.

Scoreboard Watching
Louisville-Auburn has my attention. The Cards are one of our toughest games, yet are a double-digit underdog in their opener. A Louisville win is a win for the conference. If they get crushed, it might give us some hope for beating them later in the year.

I hope to see...
Wade look sharp. Everyone loves the back-up QB (I already have my Smith for Heisman t-shirts ready), but it is best for all if things go according to plan. And that plan is for Darius Wade to lead a passing offense for BC.

BC is in trouble if...
The D can't shutdown Maine. Maybe not in trouble for this game, but surely in trouble for this season.

Bottom Line
I don't think this will be close. I think we overpower them and win in the trenches. Wade doesn't look like the second coming but he does the job and Addazio gets the backups in during the second half.
Final Score: BC 31, Maine 6

Previews of Howard and Maine

Here is a preview of Howard. They are replacing much of their offensive talent. As a bad FCS team, I don't think all their new talent will make them suddenly better.

The Maine game wasn't really close last year. Should this year be any different? Maine's QB situation remains uncertain. Against our Defense that could be a huge problem.

Guess the attendance for BC-Maine

Everyone complains about the Labor Day Weekend game. Often students are not back. Many ticket holders are out of town or planning one last getaway. And of late, it has also been the dumping ground for some of our less desirable opponents. As optimistic as I am about this season, I don't expect a big turnout for the opener against Maine. While the Black Bears might bring some local support, I don't think it will make a big difference. Take a look at our last five home games held on Labor Day Weekend.

2009 -- Northeastern: 33,262
2010 -- Weber State (Herzy's return): 34,168
2011 -- Northwestern: 37,561
2012 -- Miami: 39,262
2013 -- Villanova: 30,922

Geography doesn't seem to be the driving force in ticket sales. Weber State outsold Northeastern. Miami and Northwestern also show that a Power 5 opponent can impact demand.

I understand playing an easy home game early. It builds confidence and allows the team to grow. We've been through so much change recently, that smart scheduling can make a big difference. But building a team through a cream puff schedule doesn't always generate immediate fan interest. My guess is BC will announce a total attendance of 32,000 for the Maine game.

Predictable TV times and other links

Since it is a Friday game, we knew BC-Florida State would be on ESPN. Friday the school announced the kickoff times and TV coverage for Maine and Howard. Predictably both will be on ESPN3. Both games start at 1 pm. At this point, the ESPN3 things shouldn't bother me. The production values have improved and you can stream it on a big screen, but the whole aspect still feels small time. The other kick times will be announced two weeks prior to the game. 

Now that Croke Park is off the table, Aviva Stadium is the likely host of a potential BC-Georgia Tech game in Ireland.

Hanlan generated good buzz at the NBA Combine. 

Baseball split their final games with Notre Dame and finished the season 27-27 (10-19 in ACC play). That buys Gambino another season and hopefully gives Bates enough momentum to get the much needed baseball facilities and funding moving.

BC will play Penn State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. 

 

Thoughts on the Maine win

In the final minutes of the ESPN3 broadcast, Malcolm Huckaby talked about how style points against Maine don't count. The team won. But that doesn't make it less frustrating. But if you're going to sleep walk through a game, doing it against Maine and holding on to win is better than losing. Here are some other thoughts:

-- Having trouble with the weave!! I know Christian put a lot of emphasis on defense, but there were still too many breakdowns and open shots. Later you could here the guys calling out the switches (in part because Conte was so empty). I am glad they are communicating, but that doesn't excuse the open shots.
-- A big night from Clifford. He scored a career high and played nearly 30 minutes. I just wish his D was a little better.
-- Finding a rotation. It seems like Christian is going to let the best players play close to 30 minutes. The only bench guys that got real run were Magarity and Owens. I don't know what happens once Jackson and Odio are back, but for now playing the starters is our best chance to win. These guys haven't played four years together, so giving them big minutes now will hopefully pay off come ACC season.

Hanlan had an off night but the other guys filled in for him. I won't worry about his recent inconsistency until it proves to be an issue against lesser teams.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Maine

I apologize for the delay in reviewing the game. In a way it wasn't really a second viewing yet wasn't a first time viewing. My ESPN3 was really delayed and out of sync Saturday. I would see an update on the blog or twitter and then see it unfold in the game a few minutes later. It has a bit of a numbing effect. Like when Murphy threw the INT, I couldn't believe it. But 30 seconds or so later when I finally saw it, I was able to process it and watch it in a different manner. I was less angry but more anxious that the game would slip away. Fortunately things settled down and BC took control.

Offense: B+

In the other games I blamed the passing issues on the Wide Receivers more than Murphy. I cannot do that this week. Even when he's not rushed or under pressure some of his passes and decisions are off...like the INT. I think getting him moving is a solution though since it might get him thinking less about mechanics and fundamentals and just getting the ball to the receiver in a catchable spot. The first TD was once again a matter of him making one guy miss and then taking off. He made good reads on the zone reads all day. I was glad Wade got some playing time. Given the circumstances I don't know if you can read much more into it than what we saw with the Spring Game, but his passing motion looked a little tighter.

Welcome to the party, Marcus Outlow! But like Wade, I don't know if we can read as much into his numbers since it was in the second half and while the game was out of reach. I did like getting him involved in the passing game. We need more of that with all the RBs. Hilliman was good. Willis is getting the touches but not the explosive plays. I think he is close to breaking one though. Wolford got a catch. He can be a bigger factor in the passing game if we do more play action.

Alston is considered a WR, but considering how we use him on the jet sweep, it is almost like he's a running back. I would love to see a play fake on the sweep and then a deep pass to him on a wheel route. I am impressed by Bordner's ability to weave and catch the ball in traffic off the shovel pass. He also had a nice run after the catch on the TD. Despite the early drops I think the transition to WR is going well. Dudeck finally got some balls his way. He's not explosive or a big blocker, but at least he's sure handed.

The OLine was good. Our early sluggish issues were not upfront. The Vardaro injury is what you fear in a game like this, but I assume he'll be back shortly. I thought Gallik had another solid game. Rarely do our breakdowns occur in his area.

I felt Day called a good game. There was no new wrinkles and nothing exotic. Our early issues were more about execution than trying to get too cute against Maine. When we needed to take control in the score and the tempo, he went to our bread and butter plays. There was some chirping on the message boards and twitter that we should have passed more, but together we passed more than 20 times in a blowout. I still don't know if he has a good feel for how to use Murphy's arm, but they are getting there.

Defense: B-

I thought the Defensive Line was the most consistent unit of the D. They were ready from the start and didn't make many mistakes. They got good push and stopped the run. Wujciak dominated his matchups. Moore did well. Mihalik was fine.

I don't what happened during the Pitt game, but Keyes has been much better since. He was active and better tackling. Duggan played well in his return. I was glad to see Strachan get extended time. He looked good.

Johnson got more time than usual and made the most of it. Asprilla was fine early.Williams was good. Jones was ok.

Like the offensive scheme, the defense was hardly exotic. We didn't dial up nearly as many looks and blitzes as normal. After Maine's early success and big play, they showed Brown talking to the guys on the sideline. Obviously I don't know what he said, but he wasn't going nuts. Perhaps the calm helped and guys just did their respective jobs. As the game wore on we forced more short series without doing much. The B- is really due to allowing a guy to get that open that early in the game, but other than that and few penalties, it was a solid performance.

Special Teams: B

The kick coverage was just okay. It wasn't as if a bunch of tackles were missed or we had breakdowns like the USC game. But the returns all went a little longer than I would have hoped. I don't know if it is an airtime issue. It is hard to tell from the stream. The punts were fine.

Willis looked strong on our returns. I think he will break one soon as he's getting good speed and making the first guy miss. A bit better blocking and he'll make more miss. Alston didn't get to do much on the punt returns.

The PAT issues continue. I think this is all an after effect of having two kickers (yanks, low kicks, etc). Howell was fine on the FGs.

Overall: B

The biggest takeaway is the win. Did the team come out fired up? No. Did we work out the kinks in the passing game? No. Did the defense avoid mental mistakes? No. But none of that really matters. These games vs FCS teams are pretty useless. Avoid enough mistakes to win. Addazio kept his cool and kept it vanilla on both sides of the ball and that was enough. He also got some extended playing time for the second teamers. Now the key is to turn the sloppy play into a solid week of prep for Colorado State.

BC gets win despite sloppy start

It was almost cliche watching BC make a few mistakes that allowed Maine to hang around into the second quarter. Fortunately we finally established the run and the defense tightened up and BC ran away with the game 40-10. At this point I am just glad our young team picked up another win. This will give the coaches plenty to focus on.

I will have second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Maine

Don't take this game lightly! Maine beat a FBS team last year (ok, it was only UMass). But this will be a good test for our team's focus and maturity. Are they ready to compete every week? Can they handle the comedown off of the USC win? Let's hope so. Leave your thoughts and comments on the game below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Game Watches: Maine

It will be hard to match last week's excitement, but hanging with a few BC friends always makes a game more fun. Here are the regional Game Watches. If your Chapter's is not listed, post the information in the comments section.

Atlanta Game Watch
The McCunney House
4210 N Mountain Rd NE
Marietta, GA 30066

Chicago Game Watch
Nic and Dino's Tripoli Tap
1147 W Armitage (Armitage Brown/Purple Line L)
Chicago

Dallas Game Watch
Corner Bar
4830 McKinney Ave
Dallas

Denver Game Watch
The Whittier Pub
2000 E 28th Ave
Denver

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

American Whiskey
30th Street between 7th and 8th Ave

Brazen Fox
13th and 3rd

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

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

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

BC-Maine preview

This is probably the perfect opponent to follow USC. Even with Mr. Motivation as Head Coach, a comedown is only natural. But if the team starts slow, we have enough talent and size that controlling this game should not be an issue. Like every FCS matchup, you just hope for a nice win and to avoid any injuries or issues.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game) 
The Boston City Council keeps moving forward with their new rules for college athletics. Because Marty Walsh has yet to see the Bill, this is all still grandstanding, but at what point does BC need to get involved to curtail this nonsense? Exploitation and college athletics go hand in hand and that needs to change. However, these local legislators don't have a clue and are not the ones to fix it. I hope it doesn't go much further because then BC and any team we play in Boston will be impacted.

Three Simple Keys
1. Win without trying anything unique. There are plenty of twists BC can use in our offense, especially now that every team will key on the run. Don't use any of those this week. Just beat Maine with a simple vanilla package. 
2. Work out the kinks in the kicking game. I don't want to settle for field goals, but I do hope that whoever is kicking PATs and FGs starts making them.
3. Take control early. Think of how Villanova surprised BC last year or how the drives against UMass stalled out this year. That shouldn't happen this week. BC needs to set the tone early and control throughout.

Gambling Notes
-- Addazio is 6-2 at Alumni
-- Maine was 1-1 vs FBS last season
-- Addazio is 3-0 vs FCS teams
The is no point spread on the major betting sites.

Factoid
The first three games of the series were played in Maine. Since then all the games have been played in Chestnut Hill.

Scoreboard Watching
Even before the Winston half-game suspension, the FSU-Clemson showdown was critical to our division. How the 'Noles play without Winston will be a decent barometer of how good they are and how good Clemson is.

I hope to see...
The backup Offensive Line play for long stretches. Not only will this mean BC is in control of the game, it will also be a chance for BC to test next year's starters in live game conditions.

BC is in trouble if...
Murphy gets hurt. I don't think losing Murphy would mean we lose the game, but it would be disastrous for the remainder of the season.

Bottom Line
There is always a risk to taking an opponent lightly (just ask USC). But I don't see it this week. It would be one thing if this were even a great Maine team, but this is a Black Bear squad coming off a loss. I think like the UMass game, BC's lines should dominate enough that the contest is never really in doubt. Maybe Maine gets a late garbage TD, but otherwise it is BC all day.
Final Score: BC 35, Maine 10

Kickoff time set for Maine and other links

BC announced that the Maine game will start at 1 p.m. This should come as no surprise since our ESPN3 games seem to default to that time. From what I gather, it works well for tailgating and gives ESPN a bit of a content stager in their ESPN3 offerings.

Florida shooting guard Matt Milon committed to Jim Christian over the weekend. This might seem like a back-handed compliment, but Milon seems more like a Donahue recruit in that he's a shooter and a wing player and a middle of the pack recruit. But is a nice piece and will hopefully build some momentum for the 2015 class.

The Golf team won the CCSU Blue Devils Fall Invitational.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Maine

I didn't get the warm fuzzies watching this game back. There was a lack of crispness and no sense of urgency in the team's play. I know we won comfortably, but it shouldn't have been so sluggish. Many of the big plays weren't about our guys dominating but about their guys making mistakes.

Offense: B-

Rettig wasn't as crisp as last week, but I thought he still played well. The completion percentage doesn't tell the story either. Many of the incomplete passes were long, downfield stuff that is hard to complete Plus there were some drops. I liked his touch on some plays and his decision to gun it on others. He's the best thing about our offense right now. Bordner played but didn't drop back to pass once. I don't advocate running up the score, but it would have been nice to give him some meaningful snaps once the game was in hand.

The running backs were rightfully slammed for their play on the message boards. They all had big issues or mistakes. Kimble looked good early but didn't get much action after the fumble. I know what he was trying to do at the goalline but at this point he needs it drilled into his head to hold onto the ball. The same could be said of Finch. He did respond and looked fine after. Williams was ok. He still didn't get out into space much and had hands of steel on the pass that came his way. Sinkovec was blocking well until he got hurt.

I liked how Coleman played. He made some catches in traffic and showed good hands. I didn't love his throw. They've clearly been working on it, but the pass was way off. Amidon was fine. Evans looked decent.  Other than Parsons, none of the other TEs were even thrown to.

The offensive line was not as crisp. We were solid in pass protection (although the sacks allowed seemed like blown assignments). I was surprised we didn't dominate the run more. Clearly that was the gameplan but we didn't get the push we needed or open up some of the huge holes you would expect against an FCS team. The left side was better than the right side.

I loved the game Martin called last week. This game wasn't as pretty. I understand keeping it vanilla against an undermatched opponent, but I felt BC should have opened it up much earlier. I also think we should've given Bordner more to do.


Defense: B-

I'm really disappointed in the defensive line so far this season. I predicted big things and thought they would surprise, but other than Ramsey, they are all regressing from how they finished 2011. Ramsey made some nice plays again. Appiah got more playing time but didn't make a big impact. Quinn was fine. Rudolph was fine. Abdesmad looked better. Edebali was ok. I liked the activity from Wujciak. Mihalik needs to get more pressure on the QB.

A few people are criticizing Clancy but in my opinion his only crime is not being Luechly. I thought he played well Saturday in coverage and tackling. Teams keep attacking Divitto's side. He played better though. KPL had a quiet game.

ESPN was critical of Asprilla on Maine's missed bomb, but I think they were wrong. He wasn't beat. I think he was expecting Safety help, but the safeties bit on the play action. He got better throughout the game too. I liked what I saw from Richardson. Jones struggled (to put it lightly). Corners in our defense need to make lots of tackles and hopefully he will improve. Sylvia was fine but not involved in as many plays. Noel was also away from a lot of the action.

McGovern used a lot of basic, base defense. Unlike my critique of Martin, I don't have a problem with him not mixing it up more or bringing more pressure. Maine never sustained much and their only threats were early. In the second half it was clear that we were in control, so there was no need to do anything unusual or tip your hand for future opponents.

Special Teams: B

Evans' punt return was great. He got under it, controlled and then took off into daylight. It made up for some of his kick return. I'll take the questionable kick returns if he keeps breaking others. The aggressiveness has been missing from BC special teams for a few years.

Levano was fine and really only had one clankish punt.

Freese was solid.

One other note about Special Teams...McCaffery has been all over the place on Special Teams through two games. Since I've been doing these rewatches, that's been a great sign of things to come from that player. I don't know if the pattern will hold or if he'll earn more playing time, but keep a note of it.


Overall: B-

A win always earns a decent grade. So does a blowout. But as I stated in the introduction, this was as lifeless a 31 point win as I remember. That lack of intensity and letting Maine hang around for 20 minutes is on Spaz. The fumbles and drops keep happening. That's on Spaz too. I do appreciate that he finally used his timeouts correctly and got a score before the half. I also appreciate that the special teams are improving. But overall it wasn't a shining example of BC Football.

I guess we won't know what any of this means until next week.

BC blows by the Black Bears

We are 1-1 and I still don't know how good we actually are. The stats in our win over Maine don't tell the whole story. We were sluggish and missed opportunities early. Our defense seemed slow and didn't do enough in the first half. The second half was a different story and saw us make big plays on defense, offense and special teams. Rettig's stats were not impressive, but I thought he played well too .

But a win is still a win...and when you trail a FCS team after one quarter, you just have to appreciate the W.

I will have second viewing thoughts and grades up late Sunday night.

In-game comments post: Maine

BC gets its chance to bounce back from last week's loss and Maine gets a chance to make national headlines. Let's hope it is a boring game (in a good way) and BC controls. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Game Watchs: BC vs Maine UPDATED

This game is on ESPN3, so for many of you the best place to catch it on a big screen is at a BC game watch. If your local chapter is having an event and isn't listed below, email me or add the chapter info in the comments section.

Chicago Game Watch
Tripoli Tap 1147 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 477-4400

New York City Game Watch
Joshua Tree (on 3rd Avenue btw 34th and 35th Streets).

San Diego Game Watch
The Beer Company
602 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's in San Francisco
2064 Polk Street (corner of Polk and Broadway)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Washington, DC Game Watch
Irish Whiskey Public House (formerly Porter's)
1207 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC