How to ruin the best OLine in the ACC part 1

We have four returning offensive lineman. Three of those four earned all ACC honors last season. Coming into today's game they had a combined 63 starts. They looked lost today and I am afraid they don't know what to do. That's coaching. Now our coaches have plenty of experience and should be able to turn things around. My fear though is there is too much going on and we are doing nothing well. I am also a bit concerned about things like spacing and execution. This stuff should not be happening three games into the season with a mostly experienced group. The execution is probably due to too many varied schemes (part Tranq, part Logan) and four different QBs splitting time. Here are a few of the issues. (I may add more as I continue to go through the rewatch).

First Quarter. 3rd and 17. BC calls a draw that gets blown up.
This was the first real cowardly call of the game. But I can understand why we did it. The draw is low risk. It should be easy to execute and it plays to your strengths: the line and Harris. However, we failed to execute. Here are some issues:
-- Doesn't Harris seem awfully deep? This might make it seem like he is staying into block and sell the draw, but it also means he has to cover a lot of ground just to get to the line of scrimmage.

-- Anderson releases downfield and takes a defender with him. Now Clemson only has five guys in the box!! Although this doesn't guarantee a first down, it should at least mean a decent gain. But you can already see problems. Lapham (on the right side) is drawing his man downfield away from the play. That's good. However, the rest of the line is clustered at the line of scrimmage? This is a draw. These guys have runs thousands of draws. What are they doing? They should also being drawing/driving their men downfield too. There should be a big hole. Yet Clemson -- with only five in the box -- is ready to gobble up the runner.

-- Castonzo won his matchup. But the three interior guys (two of who were all ACC) shuffled around and left three defenders ready to crush Harris. Ugh.


1st and 10. Basic run play. Offensive line is asked to do something (pull I think? but it is so sloppy you can't be sure) and leave Haden out to dry.
Pulling and trapping is a staple of many offenses. Gary Tranquill might have multiple plays that call on it. One problem though...our guys have not been drilling in this for two years. Should we have these plays in our playbook? Can you do this and still mix in zone? Does anyone have clue what is going on? Take a look:
-- Clemson has five men on the line. That is problem No. 1. Do we audible? Have any counters? If so we didn't use them.

-- The play starts off ok. Richman, Claiborne and Pantale all block down and win their battles. Castonzo doubles the End with Anderson. I don't love the decision but you can live with it (I would prefer if one of them went to the second level). The real problem is that Lapham and Tennant are supposed to pull and clear the way. Yet Tennant doesn't disengage quickly enough and Lapham is a big dude who is probably never going to cover that much land quickly enough.

-- So now Haden is heading towards a hole with two Clemson guys waiting for him. Tennant and Lapham are never going to get there. Haden decided to kick it out and go around the end but was tackled for a loss.



1st and 10. Shinskie's first drive. 1st use of one of Logan's staples: the zone option read.
We are struggling. We haven't moved the ball. Someone (Tranq?) decides to go and use one of the plays that worked well for BC last year. Only we use it with the one guy who wasn't around in the Logan days in Shinskie!?!? But once again I think these guys have so much going on in their heads, they are screwing up basic things like spacing. Take a look:
-- Look how big the space is between Tennant and Claiborne! What's going on? Both are smart and experienced. Why is this happening? It screams lack of repetition or confusion. The Clemson DT picks up on it and gets right in the gap.

-- At the snap he is already by Claiborne. But the play is not totally lost. A good QB who knows this play might be able to make something out of nothing. But instead we have a relief pitcher who hasn't played football since 2002. Now if Tuggle had been in there, he might have done something...after all he saw film of Crane and Tuggle dealing with this same situation last year.

-- Claiborne is beat. Lapham is blocking air. Haden is about to be lunch. Since the end is starting to crash though a running QB who knew the offense might have kept it himself and tried to make positive yards.

-- Yet Shinskie gives it to Haden and we have another negative play.


I may have more of this, but you get the point. There is too much going on with the team and our experienced guys are lost. There is more talent than we saw today, but we need the staff to quickly put together a plan that plays to their strengths!

When the coaching staff has their come to Jesus meeting Sunday, it is on Spaz, Day and Sirmans to speak up and get us back on track. They know what can work with these guys. They know what drills will work. They are the carryovers. They have to help bridge the gap. If they don't we will have serious issues.

"It may get real ugly"

The above quote is from Spaz to Mike Hogwood at the beginning of the first half. It's already beginning to take on a life of its own. I just watched it myself and feel sick. I don't expect to win every game. I know there will be bad days. Even the best coaches in the country have them. But I want a coach who believes he is going to win every game. I want a guy who, when down only 16 at the half, still carries himself like there is a game to be won.

I haven't watched everything back. I certainly haven't given up on this team. I haven't given up on Spaz. But I hope he hasn't shifted into the play not to lose mode three games into the season.

Long, long loss

What a weird, frustrating and long day. I am finally home but still soaked. A pat on the back to those BC fans who braved the elements, the lightning and the long, long, long delays. A big pat on the back to the BC defense. It was probably one of the better defensive performances you'll see in such a lopsided loss. I will watch the game back but I am very concerned and upset about the offense. The line looked lost and the play calling raised a million questions.

Hopefully things will be more reassuring under a second review. Grades and second viewing thoughts will be up late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Clemson

Test day! After this game we should know much more about our team, our coach and our quarterback. The weather is terrible so it will probably be sloppy. (I hope it negates Clemson's speed!)

I will be at the game so I will not be online. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

Hoops captains and other links

Thursday BC named Tyler Roche and Biko Paris team captains. What I found interesting is that Paris and Roche were only 6th and 7th in minutes played last year. Too often the team goes with the best player. Glad to see BC went with the guys who can be leaders and representatives of the team and the school.

Good night for BC soccer as the men and women both won cross-town matchups.

New recruit Shakim Phillips sounds like a guy who will fit right in at BC.

Former Eagle David Spina is trying to break in with his hometown team in Phoenix.

Jared Dudley is winning over teammates with the Suns. (Thanks to Jim for the link.)

BC-Clemson Game Watches

Finally we have a real game on real TV. It is a Raycom game so many of you have to go to a sports bar so you might as well watch with other BC fans. Note to Chapter leaders, if your Chapter is doing something special (see San Fran) just let me know. Also, if I missed any chapters, send me an email or post in the comments.

Atlanta Game Watch
STATS
300 Marietta Street NW
Atlanta, GA

Boston Game Watch
Atlantic Beer Garden
146 Northern Avenue

Charlotte Game Watch
The Beantown Tavern at Ardrey Kell
8155 Ardrey Kell Rd. (South Charlotte)
The Fountains Shopping Center
Corner Ardrey Kell Rd./Tom Shoals Rd.

Chicago Game Watch
Trinity Bar
2721 N. Halsted (Diversey & Halsted)
on the border of Lincoln Park and Lakeview

Dallas Game Watch
Christie’s Sports Bar
2811 McKinney Avenue
Suite 22
Dallas, TX

Denver Game Watch
Three Dogs Tavern (Highlands neighborhood)
3390 W 32nd Ave
Denver, CO 80211

Los Angeles Game Watch
Sonny McLean's
2615 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica

Milwaukee Game Watch
Zim's Bar
770 N. Milwaukee St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

New York City Game Watch
Still
192 3rd Ave @ 17th
Manhattan

Orange County, CA Game Watch
Sharkeez - Huntington Beach
211 Main St
Huntington Beach, CA 92648-8136

Phoenix Game Watch
Gallagher's Sports Grill
7575 N. 16th Street, Phoenix

San Diego Game Watch
Yogi’s Beach Bar and Restaurant
Cardiff by the Sea
2633 South Coast Highway
Cardiff, CA 92007

San Juan Game Watch
Shannan's
96 Acuarela St.
Guaynabo, PR

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kellys
2064 Polk St
San Francisco
**The NorCal Chapter is giving away free beer from 10 AM to 11 AM!!! I think the gauntlet is officially thrown down to the other chapters across the country.

Sarasota Game Watch
Gecko's Grill & Pub
5585 Palmer Crossing Cir.(Clark Road & Honore Ave.)
Sarasota, FL

Washington, D.C. Game Watch
Porter's Dining Saloon
1207 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

BC-Clemson preview

Any BC fan who has made the trip to Clemson will tell you how great their gameday experience is. It probably didn’t hurt our fans' reflections that BC won both games at Death Valley in dramatic fashion. Since we’ve joined the ACC, all four BC-Clemson games have been classics. The teams have been evenly matched and there has been back and forth. Hopefully we will see that again (with BC winning of course).

Narrative talking point that you’ll tire of by the end of the game.
“BC doesn’t have the speed to keep up with Clemson.” This theme has been bantered about on the message boards, the video clip of Herbstreit and Fowler, and even HD pulled out the old "speed" cliche in her picks today. I will acknowledge that some of Clemson’s playmakers have blazing speed. But this isn’t a track meet. BC can scheme around the speed. If Spiller doesn’t get in space or Ford is chucked at the line at every snap, their 40 times become less relevant. Speed is secondary after scheme. Just look at Jeff Smith. He’ll probably be the fastest guy in pads Saturday yet has never repeated the impact he had in his first Clemson game.

Three Simple Keys
1. BC’s interior linemen containing Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson. Clemson’s DE Ricky Sapp tends to get more attention from the media, but the two big DTs were the ones who finally slowed down Georgia Tech. Richman, Tennant and Claiborne will need to control these guys if we expect to run the ball effectively.
2. Contain Spiller. I know this is easier said than done. I think the key is having LeGrande shadow him throughout. LeGrande has the size and speed to at least slow him especially if he gets help from the safeties.
3. Stretch the defense. Kent State loaded the box to stop the run. I expect Clemson will do the same. Whoever is our QB needs to hit the long passes in order to open up the run game and move the ball.

Gambling Notes
--Since this series became a conference game, the underdog has won outright each year.
-- Swinney is 3-0 as a home favorite
-- BC is 3-1 in its ACC road openers
The current line is BC+7


Factoid
In the last four meetings BC has scored 91 points. Clemson has scored 90.

Scoreboard watching
I am interested to see how Florida State fares against BYU. Although it is not a conference game, how the ‘Noles play will be a good indicator of their chances within the division. If BYU pushes them around, it could send the ‘Noles into a tailspin.

I hope to see…
The defense looks as good as it did against the JV squads we just faced. The front seven remains the question mark. The LBs are young but have looked good. The DLine has experience but looked sluggish early. We need it all to come together Saturday.

BC is in trouble if…
We cannot run the ball. I expect mistakes from the QBs. He need Harris and Haden to offset that by grinding out first downs. If we cannot run, it could be a very long afternoon.

Bottom Line
The forecast calls for rain. I hope it pours. A soggy, wet day with a hushed crowd will help our young guys hang in there. I think Tuggle plays well enough, the defense steps up and we squeak out another win at Death Valley.
Final Score: BC 20, Clemson 14

Does ESPNBoston mean more BC coverage? and other links

Below is ESPN Boston's preview of the Clemson game. Nothing all that interesting but I appreciate the unique content. ESPN Boston is clearly going to focus on the Sox and Pats. I hope when they do cover BC, it is more than stuff from the BC beat. We have that covered with the Globe/Herald/HD's coverage. Give us more video ESPN Boston or at least interview some of the lessor know players.

The Globe updated the QB situation and nothing is new. We still have two QBs.

The field hockey team has a huge game this Saturday against Maryland. Both teams are in the top 10.

Guest Blogger: Tiger Illustrated

Now that we are playing a team that actually has bloggers, I can break out the guest blogger posts! Answering my questions will be Larry from Tiger Illustrated. Like BC, Clemson is still trying to figure out what they have. Although they have great talent in certain areas, they also have a young QB and a newish Head Coach. Here are my questions and Larry's answers. Go to Tiger Illustrated for more on Clemson.

1. Obviously you can't read too much into the defensive performance against Georgia Tech because of the Jackets' unique scheme. What has your new DC Kevin Steele implemented and how different will the scheme and attack be from the Koenning defenses?


Tiger Illustrated: I think it will be a good bit different because Steele is more aggressive, whereas Koenning preferred to be more conservative while using zone coverage that generally kept the Tigers from getting beat by the big play. Boston College's game-winning touchdown pass against Clemson in 2007 was one of the few times under Koenning that the Tigers surrendered a lengthy, back-breaking touchdown pass near the end of a game.

Dabo Swinney wants to be more aggressive, and he made that clear late last season by forcing Koenning to play more man coverage while sending guys to pressure the quarterback. Steele appears a perfect fit for Swinney because he has that aggressive mindset. He's not going to blitz every down, but he will bring the heat a good bit -- and from all kinds of angles and fronts. The Tigers have two proven veteran cornerbacks in Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler, so it makes sense to let them cover guys one-on-one. But like any coordinator, Steele will be perfectly content to drop seven if his talented, deep defensive line is inflicting havoc on its own.

2. The Tigers obviously have big play capability but struggled at other times. Is it really as simple as getting to Parker before he can get it Spiller or Ford?



Tiger Illustrated: In some ways it is that simple. Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan was a terror in the first half last week in Atlanta, and that really disrupted both the running game and the passing game. Clemson had just 146 yards of offense at halftime, and 63 of those yards came on one play (Parker to Spiller on a wheel route).

Clemson made a nice adjustment at halftime, putting left tackle Chris Hairston at right tackle to match up against Morgan. That gave Parker enough time to hit for some big plays.

Clemson's biggest problem last year was its offensive line, and that remains the case now. The difference this year is Parker has better pocket presence than Cullen Harper. Parker is mobile and crafty on the run, whereas Harper seemed to have a poor feel for pressure (or lack thereof).


3. I still don't understand the hiring of Swinney and think that Clemson could have and should have hired a more established coach. What is your take on the guy now that he has been in this spot for a while?



Tiger Illustrated: Hiring Swinney was a gamble because he's 39 and he's never been a coordinator (let alone a head coach). You have to think there will be some issues with learning on the job. In fact, there probably were some instances of that in the Georgia Tech game.

That said, Swinney really has a good feel for what Clemson fans want in a coach. He's the antithesis of Tommy Bowden, who was a nice guy but wasn't particularly warm or lovable. Swinney has reached out to the fans, and he's further endeared himself to them by trying to get this program back to its roots of being tough and hard-nosed.

The good thing for Swinney is that he's not taking over a program in shambles. This bunch is not far away from an ACC title, and he'll be a savior if he gives the school its first conference crown since 1991.

Heck, he'd probably be considered a success this year if he merely won his division.

But getting back to your question, I think it's fair to question why they didn't go with a more established coach. Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips will either end up looking like a genius for making this hire, or he'll end up looking for work elsewhere.

4. What is your prediction for the game?



Tiger Illustrated: I think Boston College could give Clemson some problems up front. That was really the story when the Eagles took three straight from the Tigers in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Clemson simply got pushed around up front on defense and wasn't able to run the ball consistently on offense.

Last year, I think you really saw Clemson's speed advantage as the Tigers hit for a bunch of big plays while limiting Boston College to less than 250 yards.

The Eagles could keep this game close if they control things up front, but Clemson's speed on defense should give those freshman quarterbacks some real problems. And I think Spiller could have another big day going against those green linebackers.

Clemson 24, Boston College 13

A new recruit and other links

Spaz and company landed their highest profile recruit to date in New Jersey WR Shakim Phillips. It's a good sign that we were able to close on a high profile New Jersey recruit. Hopefully this will build momentum for the rest of the recruiting class.

Kent State Eugene Jarvis injured his kidney against BC and will miss the remainder of the season.

The BC Draft guys held a Q&A with Steve Conroy.

Here is the latest video from bceagles.com.

A note about message boards

By writing about this I am making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be, but someone used my profile on one of the BC message boards to write something I would not write. Thanks for those who made me aware of it. It's been removed and there is "nothing to see here." Just know that anything I write on the boards would and should have the same tone you'd find here.

The downside of ESPN360

As most of you know by now, the Wake Forest game will be on ESPN360 at 2 PM. Regardless of the spin, this is a step back. Since joining the ACC, every conference game has been on some form of television. Now ESPN U or Raycom meant many BC fans could not see the games, but those games still received full television production. The last BC conference game not on television was Pitt in 2003! We are in an age of unlimited channels. This shouldn't be happening.

ESPN360 is great advancement for the Kent State or Northeastern type games. I'd much rather watch an internet feed than listen to the radio stream (no offense Meter). The technology, consistency and quality of 360 is greatly improved than past years. The problem is that 360 has limited carriage and the transfer to full screens is not as good as a true TV broadcast.

Why are we relegated to 360? It is all about ESPN. Because of their expanded relationship with other conferences (Pac 10, SEC, and some of the lower levels) there are only so many TV slots to go around. The ACC doesn't have another alternate like the Big 10's network. BC is not the only ones subject to this situation. Clemson and Maryland both have attractive home dates that same Saturday that will also be on 360 too.

At this time the ACC really has no alternatives. I am sure an outlet like NESN would love to produce and broadcast the game, but that won't happen. ESPN won't release the games to anyone else. Since future weekends won't be so crowded, things will improve a bit as the season wears on. Coverage will also improve if BC keeps winning. They better keep winning or BC fans will keep whining.

Blogpoll ballot

It is still very early in the season, so I have a hard time figuring out who belongs where. This upcoming weekend should provide more shake out and might finally provide justification to rank BC.

Games I watched
BC-Kent State 100% (twice)
Michigan-Notre Dame 50%
USC-Ohio State 75%
Wake Forest-Stanford 25%
UConn-UNC 25%
Georgia Tech-Clemson 75%
Toledo-Colorado 25%

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Southern Cal
3	Texas
4	Penn State
5	LSU	1
6	Miami (Florida)	1
7	Alabama	1
8	Mississippi	1
9	TCU	1
10	Georgia Tech	1
11	California	1
12	Cincinnati	3
13	Brigham Young	3
14	Utah	3
15	North Carolina	3
16	Texas Tech	3
17	Oregon State	3
18	Boise State	3
19	Michigan	6
20	Nebraska	3
21	Auburn
22	Colorado State
23	Houston
24	West Virginia
25	Wisconsin
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Oklahoma State (#5), Ohio State (#13), Michigan State (#14), Notre Dame (#22), Missouri (#24).

Second viewing thougths and grade report: Kent State

Hindsight is why I watch these games back. Initially I thought the offensive line was terrible. Watching back showed the game to be a subpar performance for the big guys, but not as hopeless as it felt watching it live. The QB review was similar as one of our guys did emerge (in my mind). Like Northeastern, this was a limited opponent that was a perfect way to start the season, but we can’t infer too much. We’ll know more next week, but this is what I thought watching back a second time.


Offense: B-

Tuggle’s first two passes were terrible. Once was in the wrong zip code and one was nearly picked. From then on, he settled down and started to look very promising. He distributed the ball well. He made good decisions on running. His long passes were a mixed bag as far as timing, but he showed he has more than enough arm for this level. His stat line wasn’t dominating, but I felt he had the better day and I think he has the better sense of the pocket and a better football IQ. Shinskie on the other was not as good in my opinion. He has a good enough arm and is probably more athletic than you would expect, but his decisions were not great. He also has a tendency to lock in on one target. That will get him burned against better competition. For example on his INT he put up too much air, under threw it and threw into double coverage. A Clemson DB would have picked it off and probably stayed on his feet. Marscovetra’s looked fine in his limited action. In my mind the job should now be Tuggle’s until he does something to lose it.

I said before the season the WRs are very talented. Gunnell showed great hands and great route adjustments. Larmond obviously has real raw speed, but is also doing well in space and in pulling in tough throws. I was glad Megwa got back in the flow of things.

Pantale had a few nice catches. My bigger concern with the FBacks/HBacks/TEs was the blocking. They did not open many holes, did not get to the second level quickly or effectively, and they got plain beat/blown up several times. It wasn’t pretty and is a definite area to work on.

Harris earned every yard yesterday. Other than one long run where he wasn’t touched until he was 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, he got hit early and didn’t have much to work with. Haden had a few decent runs, but was also dealing with poor blocking up front. Haden also blew two blitz picks ups by my count. I liked Finch’s combination or balance and power, but most of his yards were in garbage time.

Although not as bad as I initially thought, the offensive line was not good. Castonzo did not dominate the guys across from him and totally blew his assignment that got Shinskie planted into the turf. Cleary struggled in the run packages (both zone and man). He shared snaps with Richman who looked ok. Tennant was pretty good but did have few unfocused moments in the pass blocking. He also didn’t look great when pulling during our running game. Last year many of the holes came from Tennant’s area. Not so against KSU. Claiborne had some rough moments early in the game. Admittedly he got better later in the game and did a great job picking up oncoming Safeties when KSU delayed blitz. Lapham, in his first game of the year, was the most consistent of the starters. The second teamers got in and looked adequate. As I said, the mistakes weren’t as plentiful as they felt watching live. However, they were going up against a small Kent State front seven. We should have dominated but didn’t. The grab bag approach (some zone, some man) doesn’t seem to be working as the traps didn’t open much and the zone stretches didn’t create much. This group had four guys return and were great last year. They shouldn’t struggle this much, even when the other team is crowding the line. If they don’t get things together against Clemson, we will have real tough time going forward.

So far I have no problem with Tranquill’s play calling. It has been conservative but with a good mix of run pass. He’s also been taking what the defense’s give him. Kent State loaded the box, so we threw. The QBs are further along than I predicted at this point. The WRs look great. The only issue so far has been the blocking (by everyone). The line has underachieved so far, the RBs look like it is not an emphasis for them any more, and the HBacks/TEs have been liabilities. If Tranq is going to have a big year, the blocking needs to improve soon.

Defense: A-


The defensive line has raised some of the same concerns I have about the offensive line. They haven’t been terrible…just not as dominant as I think they should be. Albright has played real smart and covered a lot of ground...yet didn’t get to the QB. Giles is proving to be good at DT and is creating a lot of penetration…yet didn’t make a big play. Scafe was productive…yet many of his tackles came off the line of scrimmage. Holloway got his first sack...yet also had a dumb personal foul. Newman covered a lot of ground but no big plays. Ramella lost contain a few times.

The linebackers were nearly perfect. Kuechly is getting a lot of attention, but let’s talk for a minute about the other guys (who’ve been very, very good). LeGrande is making a great adjustment to replacing Herzy. He’s looked good in the run game. His tackling has been solid and he’s done a great job in the passing game including his INT. DiSanzo has also been very good. The stats only credited him with one tackle, but he was more involved than that. The long lost Darius Bagan had the best game of his BC career. He was also very active. Morrissey looked good and seems to have a good feel for this defense and positioning. He made a few key tackles and tipped the ball on Clancy’s INT. Clancy looked good. Kuechly was very good, but my main criticism is that he bit on play fakes hard. It’s not a surprise since I think he is trying to tackle everything he sees. That aggressiveness is good but good teams will pick up on that. We also allowed a few big passing plays over the middle that caught Morrissey and Kuechly out of position or in mismatches.

The DBs didn’t get to do much. Rollins was active but mostly in snuffing out run plays. Fletcher and Johnson also had big days just coming up to stop the run or close out on short passes. Bowman had another one of his kill-shot tackles (he’s going to be very intimidating as the season wears on). Davis did most of his work in special teams. Noel looked good for a freshman.

Defensively our scheme was pretty vanilla. We only blitzed five times. In fact we rushed three and dropped eight more often than sent pressure. This is to be expected since we didn’t need to do anything special and you want to save wrinkles for Clemson. We shut down their two biggest weapons in Jarvis and Morgan. The only sustained drive and the only scoring came in garbage time. No complaints from me.

Special Teams: B

Other than his one kick out of bounds, Quigley was the star of the game. His kickoffs were solid and deep. His punting was fantastic as he managed to pin Kent State repeatedly.

Gunnell and Lee weren’t able to do much with the punt returns.

The kick coverage was solid and as I mentioned, Wes Davis was really hustling on Special Teams.

Jeff Smith returned a kick for the first time in eons and looked good doing so.

Overall: A-

As I said yesterday, Spaz had the team ready and the game was never in doubt. That shouldn’t mean much against a low-level MAC team but a look at college football scoreboards shows that you should take nothing for granted. We need to play better in the trenches once ACC play begins, but this was undoubtedly a good start to the season.

Another win, a few answers and remaining questions

After seeing other teams struggle with DIAA and MAC teams, I will not complain about a win. In fact, winning in this fashion provided relief and hope. The defense looked impressive again and there were some bright spots on offense and special teams. However, through the live viewing I don't think the offensive line played all that well. The QBs also had some rough moments too. We will need to see real improvement from both groups if we expect to win at Clemson.

But at the end of the day, we were mentally, physically and schematically ready and Spaz remains "Mr. Perfect." So far, so good.

Second viewing thoughts and grades late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Kent State

With weather like this, I don't mind being in Atlanta watching on the laptop. Let's hope Spaz continues his perfection.

I will be online during the game but will probably not be making comments. Leave your thoughts and reactions below.

The Herzlich family speaks

A very nice interview with Mark and his family.

BC-Kent State Game Watches

Another 360 Game means fewer opportunities for Game Watches. But there were some successes last week and more chapters are hosting them this week. If I failed to include your local chapter, send me an email or leave a note in the comments.

Atlanta Game Watch
STATS
300 Marietta Street NW
Atlanta, GA
**NOTE: BC Mike assures me the technical difficulties have been resolved!

New York City Game Watch
Still NYC
192 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10003

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kelly's
2064 Polk St
San Francisco's Russian Hill district (cross street is Broadway)

Sarasota Game Watch
Gecko's Grill & Pub
5585 Palmer Crossing Cir.(Clark Road & Honore Ave.)
Sarasota, FL

Finally -- in what I hope becomes a growing movement -- the coolest crowd in Colorado will be at Frank and Joe's place.

Unofficial Denver Game Watch
The home of two BC guys in Denver (Joe and Frank)
1108 York St
Denver, CO 80206
Phone: 617-417-1218

Red Bandanna reminder

Just a reminder that the Red Bandana walk/run is next Saturday, September 19. It's a great cause and helps us honor a BC guy who died eight years ago.

BC-Kent State preview

In retrospect Northeastern was a scrimmage that counts in the win total. Kent State, while overmatched, still represents a challenge and a test to see what we have. I expect the opponent's tackling to be better, the speed to be better, the schemes to be better, but the end result should still be a BC victory.

Narrative talking point that you’ll tire of by the end of the game.
“After last week where the ACC saw two teams lose to FCS schools, you never know what you’ll get…” Although I am guilty of it at times, I am always bothered by the media narrative to attach flaws of a few conference schools to all of the conference. Duke and Virginia suffered embarrassing losses last week. If Kent State pulls off the upset it won’t be because we are an ACC school and ACC schools are somehow more susceptible to upsets. If BC loses this weekend, it will be due to bad football.

Three Simple Keys
1. Get to Georgio Morgan. The KSU QB threw two picks last week against Coastal Carolina. BC needs to put pressure on him and force more mistakes and incompletions.
2. Take advantage of the short and intermediate passing opportunities. Given how last year’s Kent State game played out, I expect them to try to stop the run. This will force us to throw more than last week. Whoever is the QB will have to hit those short routes that are in the soft spots of the zone.
3. Contain Kent State's big plays. Kent State is not going to light up the scoreboard. If we keep them from breaking two big scoring plays we should be okay…regardless of what our offense does.

Gambling notes

-- While at Kent State Doug Martin is 1-9 vs BCS teams
-- While at Kent State Doug Martin is 9-23 on the road
-- BC has not lost to a MAC team at home in 43 seasons
The current line is BC -20

Factiod
Akron and Miami (OH) are the only two FBS schools in Ohio that BC has yet to play.

Scoreboard Watching
The most important game for us is actually being played Thursday night in Atlanta. Clemson is our next opponent, the first real test of the season and Spaz’s first conference game. Ideally they would come into our game next week defeated and uncertain about their new staff. Let’s hope the struggle against the Jackets.

I hope to see…
More passing. Last week was fine, but not really a test or indicator of what we have at QB. Let’s open it up a bit this week and see what each truly has to offer.

BC is in trouble if…
Kent State moves the ball with ease. The defense looked great last week. Kent State has more weapons than the Huskies could ever think of having. If we cannot contain them, it doesn’t bode well for the season to come.

Bottom Line
Little did we know that last year’s Kent State game would prove to be a good template for the remainder of the season. Crane looked off but the offense did enough to win and the defense was outstanding. I think we will have a similar result this weekend and hopefully it will be another sign of good things ahead.
Final Score: BC 28, Kent State 10

McLaughlin practices and other links

Team captain Mike McLaughlin returned to practice. The added depth is important but so is the leadership. I know he won't be 100% but hopefully he will be on the field at Clemson.

BC hockey released their schedule. The highlights and games of note include playing at Notre Dame the night before BC-ND in football, a tournament in Denver and of course, the game at Fenway against BU.

Here is a sad and touching story about a special member of the BC sports community.

The voice of BC basketball Ted Sarandis will be enshrined in the the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Four other contributors with BC connections will also be part of the class.

Here is your chance to learn more about Kent State. BC remains a heavy favorite.

Another great post from Smart Football on what makes a good offense.

BC Commercial 2009

Here is this year's version of the BC commercial that will play during every televised sporting event during the 2009-2010 school year. It continues the theme of the past few years of personal anecdotes from members of the BC community. Take a look and tell me what you think.
I teach at Boston College"

I understand the importance of sharing all the unique things there are to Boston College, but sometimes I think we take ourselves too seriously in these spots. Would it kill our marketing momentum to go with a more general ad on occasion that showed quick glimpses of BC in a compelling and inviting spot?

Blogosphere posts and other links

EDSBS parody post of ND student Tommy Kilborn.

If you like play breakdown, I think you'll appreciate Smart Football's look at the FSU-Miami game.

Here is a great article on new offensive line coach Sean Devine.(Thanks to Tony for the link.)

The Band goes Herzy

Cool jesture by the band this weekend. Take a look at the facepaint.

Blogpoll Ballot

Isn't it great to have college football back? I shook up the ballot a bit this week. The biggest mover was Miami. Coming into the season, I had serious doubts about Shannon turning the Canes around. They showed me a lot tonight. As for BC, I liked what I saw but don't want to jinx us yet with one of my blogpoll votes.

Games I watched
Northeastern-BC 100%
South Carolina-NC State 100%
Tulsa-Tulane 50%
Navy-Ohio State 50%
Minnesota-Syracuse 50%
Georgia-Ok State 50%
BYU-Oklahoma 25%
Virginia Tech-Alabama 75%
LSU-Washington 25%
CSU-Colorado 25%
Ole Miss-Memphis 25%

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Southern Cal
3	Texas
4	Penn State	3
5	Oklahoma State	3
6	LSU	3
7	Miami (Florida)
8	Alabama	3
9	Mississippi	3
10	TCU	3
11	Georgia Tech	3
12	California	3
13	Ohio State	8
14	Michigan State	2
15	Cincinnati	8
16	Brigham Young	1
17	Utah	2
18	North Carolina	2
19	Texas Tech	2
20	Oregon State	2
21	Boise State
22	Notre Dame
23	Nebraska
24	Missouri
25	Michigan
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (#4), Virginia Tech (#10), Oregon (#12), Georgia (#18), Wake Forest (#24), Central Michigan (#25).

Northeastern pictures

Thanks to Brian, Sean and Adam for these shots.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: Northeastern

Thanks to some readers I was able to access ESPN 360 (remotely) last night. Watching the replay actually dampered my perception a bit. Yes it was still a dominant performance, but Northeastern was not much of a test. Shinskie even said in the Sunday articles that the pace and speed of the game was not as fast as a BC practice. At the end of the day, we got just what we needed out of the game: confidence and experience. One other note, I only watched this one time.

Offense: B+

Despite the statistical difference, I think Tuggle had the best day. He showed more than enough arm strength, good touch and a good understanding of when to run. The big mistake, that the announcers noted, was his hesitation on the bootleg in the redzone. Regardless, I like what I saw and felt he made better decisions than Shinskie. The good news on Shinskie is that he's got a big arm and can put it in a tight spot. He also looked much better than a guy who hasn't played football in seven years should. That said, I was concerned about his decisions. He forced a few passes that he is less likely to get away with against an ACC team. Hopefully that will change as he gets used to the offense and watches more film. Marscovetra looked fine, but I can't read too much into what he did. His passes were easy reads and all the throws were in garbage time. Boek's limited snaps were also hard to judge or grade due to the third stringers he was surrounded by.

Harris picked up just where he left off. Most impressive, obviously, is his ability to shed the first contact. He showed no problem with the new blocking scheme in front of him. Haden actually may excel more in this scheme than the zone. Now instead of waiting for something to develop, he can burst into where the hole should be. He looked good. Finch was obviously the pleasant surprise. Now that his redshirt is burned, I hope they use him regularly. He looks like he can pound it a bit more than the other two guys. Smith saw garbage time. He still has a burst but I am not going to get my hopes up.

The wide receivers didn't get much of a test. Larmond's grab was nice and it was nice to see Megwa back (although he dinged his hand). Glad to see Flutie catch a TD. His elevation on Shinskie's long throw showed good athleticism and timing. Not much else to say aside from I liked the WRs' downfield blocking.

Pantale showed nice hands and blocked well. The other Hback/TEs were not factors.

In the preseason we heard that the offensive line would be using a mix of schemes. I saw more of the trapping and pulling then we've seen in years. The guys seemed comfortable in the new style. We’ll know more when they face ACC size and speed. Castonzo and Cleary looked fine with a few big plays coming from their area. Tennant dominated and Claiborne looked good. Goodman was the lone lineman who struggled. He’s a freshman so that is to be expected, however, the mistakes (getting beat on the edge, wrong assignments) will kill us against a real opponent.

I am comfortable with what we saw from Tranq on Saturday. The offense was perfectly conventional. There were a few player combos that were unique (Harris and Haden on the field together). We didn’t do anything embarrassing or questionable. The switch in line scheme didn’t hurt our productivity. All four QBs looked well coached. There will be plenty of times where I will question Tranquill…Saturday won’t be one of them.

Defense: B+

The defensive line was actually a bit of a letdown. Sure they clogged up NU’s ground game, but I was actually surprised they didn’t generate more pressure on passing downs. Scafe looked fine. I was glad to see Albright back and he was near the ball throughout. Giles was fine...as was Ramella. Neither did anything to stand out. It seemed like Rossi was near the action but he only logged one tackle. I am not worried about this group, but I expected more dominance considering the opponent.

If the defensive line played like they were in a bit of a fog, the linebackers were flying around and certainly exceeding expectations. Kuechly was the star of the game -- active and productive. He seems like the perfect MLB for this sort of defense. LeGrande didn’t get as much attention from the broadcasters, but he was also very good and covered a lot of ground. DiSanzo showed no signs of shoulder issues and was very instinctive. The second teamers like Morrissey and Clancy both looked good too. The best part this unit was that all of these guys seemed to understand where to be and seemed to be good tacklers.

It was harder to judge the DBs since they were rarely tested. Fletcher made plenty of tacklers from his corner spot. Gause did too. Bowman leveled the Northeastern QB. True freshman Jim Noel made a few nice plays.

It was pretty standard defense for McGovern’s first outing as DC. I am sure that most of that was due to the Huskies. Why break out the twists or new looks against a DIAA team? You save those for the conference games. McGovern does deserve credit as he had a lot of guys playing for the first time and they all seemed to know where they needed to be and made good plays.

Special Teams: A-

Gunnell looked great on his returns. I hope he remains aggressive on the returns.

Not much to say about our one kick return.

Quigley’s punts were fine.

The only concern were the kickoffs. We gave Northeastern decent field position throughout. Let’s get that corrected quickly.

Overall: A-
This is one of those games where the sum of the parts was greater than the individual. We weren’t perfect in any aspect, but it was a “perfect” start. The guys seemed focused, happy to be playing and played smart. If Spaz can do that every game, he will be wildly successful.

That felt good

That was just what we needed. Regardless of the opponent, you have to like such a dominant effort. Plenty of programs got scares this weekend. Our game was never in doubt.

I don't know if we resolved anything on the QB front. I guess Shinskie is ahead of the pack, but Tuggle played well enough to stay in the rotation.

On a more personal note, I have no idea how I will grade this game since I didn't see one down! (ESPN 360 1, ATLeagle 0.)

Leave your thoughts below.

In-game comments post: Northeastern

It is only Northeastern and it is only online, but this is still BC football! Let's hope the Spaz era begins with a bang.


Since this is a ESPN360 game, I will be online during the game but probably not posting. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts below.

A new message board for BC fans

A few enterprising BC guys have put together a new BC Sports message board -- Eagle Outsider. The founding posters are some of the funniest and best BC guys around. I think it will be a welcome destination for those who have grown frustrated with Eagle Action and Eagle Insider's message boards. Warning to those who are unfamiliar with BC boards, this location will probably be free wheeling and uncensored. My advice to newbies is don't take things too seriously and if you don't like the environment, just don't return. You will find me there under the ATLeagle ID.

The last thing on Spaz before the season starts

Before the season starts I want to go on record with where I stand on Spaz. Other than wanting BC to win, there are no agendas on this blog. In 2006 we had a coaching search and Spaz was a candidate. At the time, I stated my preference for other options. In 2009 we had another coaching search. The circumstances were very different and necessitated a different type of choice. At the time I stated my preference for other options besides Spaz. Just because I didn’t think Spaz was the right choice doesn’t mean I don’t want him to win.

My short-term expectations are low. We should be a bowl team this year, but I don’t think we can win the conference. Long term I have the same expectations I had for Jags and TOB -- I want to win consistently and be in the mix for the conference every few years and eventually break through.

I will call it as I see it and hope to bring the thoroughness and fairness to my game reviews and stats that I’ve had in the past. I also don’t plan on letting this blog become a sounding board for the excuse makers. I hate when a new coach comes in and all the problems are blamed on the previous regime. Spaz knew what he was getting into. Now he has to play his cards. Blaming TOB or Jags is lame. We laugh at Notre Dame fans when they blame Ty for Weis’ failing or NC State fans when they blame Amato for TOB’s troubles. Let’s not do that here. Spaz’s record will be Spaz’s record.

Spaz is a good guy. Hopefully he will be the right guy for this job at this time. Let’s go Spaz! Let’s go Eagles!

Preseason breakdown: Quarterbacks

IX of the previews. I waited to write this hoping that time would provide added insight. No such luck.

Consensus
To paraphrase Bill Parcells, when you have four quarterbacks, you don’t have one.

Roster Reminders
Returning Starters
None
Backups and Hopefuls
Codi Boek
Justin Tuggle
Dave Shinskie
Mike Marscovetra

Chatter
Although Shinskie is not the simple solution we hoped for and none of the others distinguished themselves, there is hope. I’ve heard enough chatter that all the guys are playing better than Crane and Davis did in August of last year.

The Real Question
If one QB emerges early in the season, how long does he get to hold the job? How long will we use two QBs? Think back to past QB controversies and the frustration we felt when the change was made too late. If we have something to play for (bowl games, divisions, etc), I hope we are quick with the hook when any of the guys struggle.

My Bold Prediction
Justin Tuggle will start all 12 games. This is not scientific. Just a wild hunch.

What keeps me up at night?
That nothing is solved this season and we go through the controversy all over again next fall.

Outlook
Crane and Davis were turnover machines last season and we still won the division. If any of these guys can be true “game managers” we will be fine.