Guest Blogger: Tarheel Monthly

In the past we had Turner from Heelsblog guest blog here. Turner is now with Tarheel Monthly but still has the scoop on one of the hotter teams in the conference. Last year UNC smashed us in Chapel Hill. Will we get the same sort of team this weekend? To find out, I asked him some questions below.

1. The Virginia loss and some of the early offensive struggles, led to many writing off the Tar Heels and their season. What happened then and how are things different now?


THM: I have no idea what happened against Virginia. It was one of the most inept displays of offense I have ever seen. Carolina rushed for a grand total of 39 yards. As someone who enjoys watching football (even if I removed myself from pulling for one team or the other), I hated that game. There wasn't a touchdown scored until there were less than six minutes left.

What happened after that was the Georgia Southern game, which you can't really take anything from, and the Florida State game. The defense believed going into that game, 'If the offense just scores xx points, we'll be fine." Well, the offense did its job, putting the team up 17-6 going into halftime, but the defense simply collapsed. After that game, the defense realized it had to make plays and not just rest on 'We're pretty good.' Since then, they've really taken charge and asserted themselves (seven INTs in the past three games).

On offense (somewhat because of Shaun Draughn's injury, but even before that), Butch Davis has started to rely on Ryan Houston as more of an every-down weapon rather than simply as a short-yardage back. He's done a good job of moving the ball and moving the block. The return of Zack Pianalto has been huge in boosting T.J. Yates confidence. He knows he has a check-down with sure hands.

2. The defense has been dominant. They shut down the run and pick off a lot of passes. Is there an area where they are vulnerable?



THM: The defense is ranked No. 8 in the country, and they're on a hot streak as of late. The run defense has been remarkable the past three weeks. I'm sure some of that is due to silly play-calling by other teams, but VT's Ryan Williams is legit. Not sure Miami used Graig Cooper like they should have, but that's not Butch Davis' fault. Two suggestions to opposing offenses: 1) Double-team Robert Quinn. Otherwise, he's going to blow up your left tackle. He's one of those players who's just fun to watch. 2) Throw away from Kendric Burney (three picks last week). Strong safety Da'Norris Searcy got hurt last week and I'm not sure of his status, so Melvin Williams may start.

3. You are in Year 3 of the Butch Davis era. How would you assess his performance so far? This is probably the best collection of coaches the state of North Carolina has had in place at one time in decades. Do you think the other programs will limit the upside of what Davis can do in Chapel Hill?



THM: I think Butch Davis has done a terrific job of managing expectations and building the program. He's taken a patchwork roster, found the right spots for guys and really built a cohesive team. Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant were high school quarterbacks, and Deunta Williams came in as a wide receiver. Now they are part of one of the nation's best defenses. Davis' tenure has really followed the old Bobby Bowden, 'lose big, lose small, win small, win big' formula. He went 4-8 in 2007, but six of those losses were by a touchdown or less. I think an 8-4 regular season with a one-point bowl loss in 2008 might have exceeded expectations. Because of that, an 0-3 ACC start this season was certainly a disappointment, but I think this team is learning how to win. Losing is no longer contagious, and it really can be if a coach is in over his head. I thought this team could be better but have a worse record in 2009 because of it schedule, but they've surprised me. They've definitely lost at least one they shouldn't have, but you could make an argument that they've won one or two they weren't supposed to.

As for your second question, at first I thought you were talking about the programs at UNC (basketball, baseball and football), and I was all set to talk about the recruiting advantages those teams give each other. Oh well. I guess you're asking about Tom O'Brien, David Cutcliffe, Davis, Jim Grobe at Wake and Skip Holtz at ECU. I think whatever it takes to establish the legitimacy of college football in the state of North Carolina, it's a good thing. These programs have always recruited against each other, and they'll continue to do so even as the caliber of player increases. I think Davis has established pipelines in Florida and through his NFL connections, so I don't worry too much about another program limiting UNC's upside. I really, really like David Cutcliffe (probably because he hasn't beaten UNC), and I honestly believe that a good Duke program is good for North Carolina. That rivalry means very little if the teams aren't decent. Tom O'Brien can continue to shoot himself in the foot with his "best in the state" lines, but he's 2-0 at State against UNC, so I can't talk too much. But really I believe that increasing the quality of play around the state can only help each school. If one program gets left in the dust, it's their own fault.

4. What is your prediction for Saturday?


THM: No idea. I'm sorry, but I really haven't seen much of BC this season, mostly because y'all (there's that word) are in the other division and aren't a traditional rival. I do know that the Eagles have surprised this season. (How are you liking Gary Tranquill?) Montel Harris will be huge in this game, either stopping him for the Heels or getting him going for BC.

It would be really easy for me to say I think Carolina's on a roll (I do) and they should win, but I would think that against just about any opponent they could face this weekend. But there is another team across the field; it's not as simple as just completing a task. So just based on the last three weeks, I'll say North Carolina 24, BC 20. But really I have no idea.

Ho hum: we beat St. Francis

Another tune up went well as BC beat St. Francis tonight. I didn't see it, but I am encouraged by a few things...

Tyler Roche is locked in from 3. We made most of our free throws. We didn't let them hang around.

What I am bothered by is our poor shooting from 3 by everyone else. We will need to make those, especially against inferior teams.

Anyone who actually saw the game is welcome to leave his or her thought.

Blogpoll ballot

I bumped up every conceivable ACC but BC. Why? Have you seen the results of the The Coulter/Kos Award this year? I don't want to be responsible for cursing BC. As for the non superstitious votes, I am starting to waiver on Florida. Fortunately on the SEC side, things will be settled on the field.

Games I watched
-- BC-Virginia 100% (twice)
-- Florida-South Carolina 20%
-- Notre Dame-Pitt 50%
-- NC State-Clemson 50%
-- Auburn-UGA 20%

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Cincinnati
5	Georgia Tech
6	TCU
7	Boise State
8	Pittsburgh
9	Oklahoma State	1
10	Oregon	3
11	Virginia Tech	4
12	Ohio State	4
13	Brigham Young	4
14	Clemson	5
15	Stanford	5
16	Penn State	5
17	LSU	5
18	West Virginia	5
19	Oregon State
20	Wisconsin
21	Temple	3
22	Navy
23	North Carolina
24	Nebraska
25	Rutgers
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Houston (#9), Utah (#11), Miami (Florida) (#12), Southern Cal (#14), Auburn (#18), Idaho (#25).

What to make of Shinskie's stats?

Last year when Jags kept excusing Chris Crane's play because he was a "rookie" I felt it was a cop out. This season I am more willing to accept the "rookie" tag as an excuse for Shinskie. Crane had four years in the program and two with Logan. Shinskie was in Spring Training in Florida this March while our team was installing Tranq's offense. There is a difference. My concern with Shinskie though is that we seen progression followed by regression. I was hoping for the learning curve to be on a steep uptick by now. But let's not use eye balls to decide where Shinskie is. Instead I will dig up a chart from last year. It is not totally apples to apples since Shinskie had cameo appearances outside of his seven starts that are in his stats below but does give a good benchmark of where he is relative to our past QBs.

QB	W-L	Attempts	Comp Pct	Yards	Passing TDs	INTs	Rushing TDs
Brian St. Pierre	6-1	180	55%	1,186	15	6	0
Quinton Porter	4-3	182	59%	1,293	14	5	1
Paul Peterson	6-1	194	61%	1,496	13	6	0
Matt Ryan	6-1	246	59%	1,621	9	7	5
Chris Crane	6-1	200	57%	1,249	6	10	9
Dave Shinskie	5-2	203	53%	1,495	12	9	1

Does this confirm what many of us are "seeing?" I would say that based on the stats you can say that Shinskie's not as accurate as he needs to be. He is aggressive though and willing and capably of going long.

This weekend Shinskie will face a very good defense with a ball hawking reputation. Let's hope he has another progression and is ready for the challenge. To win the division we can't have "rookie" mistakes.

Marylad kickoff announced and other links

The Maryland game will be a 3:30 start and carried on ESPN U. I will actually be there in person and look forward to meeting some of you. This means we will not play a primetime game this season. The last time we had an all day game schedule was 1997 (TOB's first year).

The experts have been making bowl projections all season. Now, as the schedule comes to an end, the predictions become a little more accurate. That said there doesn't seem to be a consensus on BC Yet. SI says Music City again. The ESPN guys are divided between Emerald and Champs. HD says Emerald. Since we don't control our own destiny, I will predict Emerald too.

The Hockey team lost to UVM on Sunday.

Suns bloggers are growing to love Dudley.

Second viewing thougths and grade report: Virginia

It wasn't a fun game to watch live and not particularly fun to watch back. Maybe it was the awful direction of the 360 broadcast. Maybe it was the dark picture. Maybe it was the lifeless crowd. But the game lacked energy and I wish our guys had done more to change the mood. Although we weren't crisp, there were a few encouraging signs.

Offense: C

Shinskie wasn't a total disaster, but it wasn't a good road game. He is still locking in and not working his progressions. This first INT was costly but not terrible...he was just a little late on the throw. The second was a pure chuck. He also got lucky that a few others weren't picked. He needs to learn when to run as he had chances to get some cheap yards on scrambles. The good news though is that when he has time he can throw some really nice balls (like Larmond's dropped TD).

The offensive line played very well. They gave Shinskie time for most of the game and opened up holes for Harris. Aside from Lapham's penalty, the right side played really well. Outside of a getting beat once, Castonzo played well. Richman played in the first half, but Cleary played during crunch time. Both looked good. I am encouraged since UVA uses a lot of different looks and the line needs to play well if we plan to beat UNC.

Harris had another strong game. It was pretty routine for him at this point -- found good holes and always seemed to fall forward. McCluskey got involved in the passing game and showed nice hands.

Certainly a mixed day for the WRs. Painful drops from Gunnell, Jarvis and Larmond...all of which could have been big plays. Fortunately the guys bounced back and also made some big plays.

Pantale is doing a good job of finding spots and then adding yards after the catch.

I don't know what to make of the play calling from Tranq. I loved all the play action as it did catch them off guard. I also liked the aggressiveness with the deep balls. I also liked throwing to the flats to Pantale and McCluskey. Yet we still only scored twice (in part becuase of Shinskie's mistakes). Also I felt we got too conservative at the goalline on the second TD. I also didn't like the play calling under 3 minutes. But overall, Tranq had a good plan for UVA...we just didn't execute at key moments.

Defense: B-

I know Scafe is far from 100%, but he played and looked good. He wasn't particularly disruptive in their backfield but was making tackles and occupying space. Newman played well. Rossi and Giles didn't make many plays (good or bad). With everyone banged up, I don't know why were are not rotating Dlinemen more. These guys are gassed and it is not like they are all playing so well that we can't give them a rest here or there.

Kuechly was very good and probably had his best game in a couple weeks. He did a good job tracking down guys who were on the other side of the field. McLaughlin was okay but missed a few tackles again. Morrissey was good including the big play to seal the game. Morrissey also looked better in pass coverage. LeGrande also played well.

Wes Davis had a strong game. Rollins made some big plays and also did a good job supporting the run and making tackles. Not much activity near Fletcher or Gause. Bowman had some tackles.

Like the offensive plan, I thought things were good until late. We didn't generate much pass rush but contained Sewell for most of the game. There wasn't a ton of blitzing (although it worked when we did). The only gripe was the prevent on the final drive. We let them move the ball too easily considering the time left in the game.

Special Teams: B

Kickoffs were fine.

Kick returns were uneventful, but I like the LeGrande/Gause combo.

Punts were fine. I thought the Bowman penalty was bull.

Gunnell fair caught most, but still showed some aggressiveness at times.

Overall: B-

A win is what is important but I didn't feel great when it ended. As I've already hit hard, we went conservative too early. Why not pass on the final 3rd down? I did like Spaz showing a little more emotion in this game than he has on some other games. I just wish he would show a little more killer instinct.

The reality of clock management

One of the areas that I will be critical of Spaz in my write up will be his ultra conservative game management. After moving the ball out of our own end successfully with run and pass, Spaz starting killing clock once we got to midfield. The problem with that idea was that there was still way too much time left on the clock. Sure he forced Groh to burn his timeouts, but timeouts are fairly disposable in college football. Because the clock stops with a first down, you can easily drive the field with two minutes and never need a time out. Take a look at just this one example of actual elapsed time during Virginia's final drive.

After a few first downs, UVA has the ball at midfield. There is 1:38 left. The clock is stopped because of the first down. Sewall is throwing.

He checks down (which BC is giving him) and completes a pass for seven yards. Notice it only took him two seconds to complete the pass.

Virginia is in two-minute mode so they line up quickly and are ready to run the next play. The clock reads 1:22.



So let's review. By design BC wanted to force something underneath to keep the clock moving. That worked. UVA completed the pass short of first down. Just what BC wanted. Yet they only ran off 16 seconds and are now in BC territory. Is that really a winning strategy?

Spaz has seen plenty of comeback in college football. Why is he still going so conservative now that he is calling the shots? On BC's final third down, we ran off ten seconds and forced Virginia to burn its last timeout. If we had thrown on 3rd down would the game have been that different? That ten seconds and 1 TO is not what won the game.

The results of close games tends to even out over time. So far Spaz is 3-1 in close games this year. If he keeps playing so conservatively another one is going to go the wrong way.

Staying alive

It certainly is a game of inches. This had all the makings of a WTF game. We were flat against a lame duck coach. We allowed a non offensive touchdown. Consistent players kept making mistakes. Weird calls and then throw in your random chain problem. Yet we didn't let those things spoil the day and held on for the win. This keeps hope alive for the division. We now need to run the table and hope that UVA upsets Clemson next week.

I'll have my grades and second viewing thoughts up late Sunday.

In-game comments post: Virginia

Clemson won earlier, so this is now a must win. Let's hope our road woes are behind us. Go BC!

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

Busy Friday night

Basketball won despite the suspension. It was a career night for Tyler Roche.

The women's soccer team advanced in the NCAA Tournament by beating Harvard.

The men's soccer team lost to NC State. Despite the loss they should still make the NCAAs as an at large.

Starters suspended

We will be without Sanders, Raji and Dunn against Dartmouth and for the next game. No specifics are given other than the violation of team rules. I was told from unnamed folks that this is not a big deal or a sign of a bigger problem. It is more BC being BC.

Game Watches: Virginia

ESPN 360 put a little damper on the Game Watch momentum. But below are the troopers including the UNOFFICIAL Denver Watch. If you can't get 360, get yourself to one of these places.



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

New York City Game Watches

Still
192 3rd Ave @ 17th
Manhattan


Pat Obrien's
88st and 2ave

San Francisco Game Watch
Shanghai Kellys
2064 Polk St
San Francisco


UNOFFICIAL Denver Game Watch
Frank & Joe
1108 York Street
Denver, CO 80206
617-417-1218

BC-Virginia Preview

Like last year BC needs to run the table if they want to get to Tampa. Unlike last year though, they need a little help. (I will get to that later.). But we can't worry about what happens in Raleigh. BC just needs to get it done against Virginia.

Narrative talking point that you’ll tire of by the end of the game. "Al Groh's last days..." Groh is on the hottest of hot seats. Depending on how Virginia plays, I imagine the broadcasters will either paint it as the team rallying behind their coach or a team that is giving up. Neither is true. BC has faced enough lame duck coaches to know that the situation is very unpredictable. How the players respond is only a portion of what goes into the game or why a team loses. I often wish chaos on our opponents. Although UVA is bad, I don't see it this year. If we lose it won't be because Groh's kids played for him. If we win it won't be because they gave up. It will be that BC has better talent and execution.

Three Simple Keys
1. Use screen passes. We've been terrible at screens all year. We will need to use them this weekend. UVA still comes after the QB and they've been burned by screens all season.
2. Don't allow non-offensive touchdowns. UVA's offense is anemic. We can't help them by allowing a special teams return (which we are due for) or some sort of defensive score.
3. Stop the run. Virginia has some talent in the backfield, we can't make the game easier for them by allowing big chunks on the ground.

Gambling Notes
-- This is Spaz's first game as a road favorite
-- Groh is 6-7 against the Atlantic division
-- BC is 0-5 in their last five games on natural grass.
The current line is BC-4

Factoid
BC has played UVA, VMI, William & Mary and even a Marine team from Quantico but this is our first game in the state of Virginia not against Virginia Tech.

Scoreboard Watching
There is only one other game of any importance this weekend -- NC State vs Clemson. We need the Wolfpack to pull off the upset. Root for TOB like you never have before.

I hope to see…
Shinskie play a road game without a bunch of turnovers and mistakes. This is not Blacksburg, Clemson or even South Bend. The stadium will be empty. We are experienced. There is no reason to get road jitters in this environment.

BC is in trouble if...
Virginia has allowed a ton of sacks this season. If we can't get to their QB(s?) it is probably a sign that they are moving the ball.

Bottom Line
I don't expect this three game stretch to be easy nor do I take any game for granted, but I think Virginia is a good matchup for BC. We can score enough points and they are mistake prone on offense. That plays well to our style. I think we get the road monkey off our back and win comfortably.
Final Score: BC 28, Virginia 10

Paris's path to Boston and other links

The Globe published a great feature on Biko Paris. When outsiders predict 9th place finishes, I think they are underestimating Paris' ability to fill Rice's shoes.

BC beat Duke in the ACC Tournament and advanced to semis. The Eagles take on NC State on Friday.

The Herald published Mike Morrissey's story of going from walkon to starter.

Although I don't think it will be a big theme this weekend, this game does mark Spaz's return to Virginia. He didn't leave there on the best of terms and was one of the scapegoats of their collapse after being No. 1.

Playing New England is special for Jamie Silva.

Given what we've been discussing on the blog, it is interesting to note that on average only 37% of the Rivals 100 make it to the NFL. Also that Rivals thinks BC is one of the better programs at finding players for our system.

The offensive line feels they are getting better every week.

Former Eagle Shamari Spears is starting his UNC-C career off on the right foot.

The women's basketball team and hockey team picked up some early commitments.

A friendly debate with Brad Zak

Following my critical post on Brad Zak's ESPNBoston article, Brad reached out to me to defend himself. We took our email conversation and moved it here. I think we see things differently but at least Brad has more space to explain his position. As always you can leave your thoughts on recruiting and player development in the comments.

BZ: In an attempt to defend myself from the skewering I took last week, I'd like to clarify a few of the points I made in my ESPNBoston article on Josh Haden's transfer. First of all, I wasn't questioning BC's ability to develop talent, professionals such as Matt Ryan (3-star recruit) and B.J. Raji (2-star recruit) show that BC can prepare players for the highest level. My argument; however, was that it is troubling for BC not to get production from the four and five star recruits they are able to bring to campus. When we are only bringing in two, maybe three top recruits a year it is crucial that we are able to utilize that talent. Schools such as USC, Ohio State and Florida can afford to miss on a few when they are bringing in around 20 four to five star recruits a year, but when you are only bringing in a couple, their performance is put at a premium. I do concede that some guys such as Toal and McMichael were afflicted by injuries and that hampered their production on the field, but I would argue that regardless of injuries BC needs a top-level recruit to come to Chestnut Hill and shine in order to persuade other big-time prospects to follow suit. For BC to take the next step toward making it to the Orange Bowl or consistently being ranked in the top 15, they will need to start utilizing and then bringing in additional top-rated talent.

ATLEeagle: There are a lot of different goals and arguments in place surrounding your article. First let's table the common ground. Players are important. The team with the best players is more likely to beat the team with inferior talent. Recruiting is vital because it is the method in which a program gets better players.

My problem though with your original article and your defense of it now is still the added emphasis on the highly rated recruits. I think the recruiting systems are deeply flawed and miss as often as they get things right. Sure there is a correlation between winning programs and top recruiting classes, but I still challenge anyone to show me that there is a causation between the two. The top programs' recruits are favored by the flawed evaluators. The system never anticipates the decline of programs like Miami and Florida State just to use two ACC examples. The evaluators also failed to identify the top talent that the NFL drafted out of BC and Wake Forest of late.

Maybe Josh Haden didn't truly merit four stars. How did he get them? Because of his brother's success? Because he was strong for his size? Because he dominated on a lower-level Maryland league? Did he get them because the Rivals evalutors were tipped off of BC and Florida's early interest? I don't know but once he was put on a different playing field he showed he wasn't as good as Montel Harris. And as a BC fan we shouldn't really care as long as the team performs well. If another player comes down the trail and is turned off by Haden's experience at BC, then he isn't a player we need or want.

Recruiting is a lot about self-selecting. Our model is proven to be pretty good and has us competing for the ACC every year. That is what we should be asking for. Setting a goal to have top 5 recruiting classes annually would be a wasted effort since the system is not designed to reward teams like BC. If we want to get to the next level, we just need to get better at finding the right guys for BC, not more four stars.

BZ: I think there always has to be an emphasis on higher rated recruits for the program. Now not every highly rated recruit is going to be a big hit and national recruiting is definitely an imperfect science. Scouting is never a guarantee (just look at every NBA and NFL draft) and when dealing with 18 year old kids you have to expect some misses. You can always bash recruiting when looking at individual cases, but a Dr. Saturday article from January pointed out how team rankings can have some hand at indicating success. After a lot of calculations he concluded that the "more talented team" according to the recruiting gurus won two-thirds of the time in 2008, by a little more than a touchdown per game.

I think as BC fans it is in our nature to always feel a little slighted by the national media since year after year they pick us to finish near the bottom of the ACC, despite our success. I am not of the belief that the evaluators favor certain programs. The best athletes are attracted to the most successful football schools and that is why the same names continually pop up on the Rivals rankings lists. I don't think that BC is disrespected by evaluators; we just take a Moneyball-like approach to recruiting by valuing qualities that not every school does. For instance, the A's were able to keep up with big market clubs by valuing walks, and OBP, while BC values intangibles, character and mental toughness to keep them competitive as they lag behind in the recruiting rankings. We aren't necessarily getting the best athletes in all cases, but we are getting guys who slate very well into our system.

Also, I don't think Rivals is suited for predicting lulls for programs such as Miami and Florida State because their troubles are also attributed to factors such as coaching and poor character. Miami has had 9 first or second round picks in the past four years. They were hurt by the coaching turnover and poor off the field conduct (see: 7th Floor Crew). Florida State has had six first and second round picks in the past four years. Florida State's problems have been centered around coaching as many around the program wonder if Bobby Bowden's still alive. They might not have lived up to their lofty standards, but there is still high level talent coming out of these programs. On the other hand a Rivals systems can help show teams that are on the upswing because their is increased talent coming into the program. Alabama was not in the Top 25 for recruiting in 2003, 2004, were 18th in 2005, 11th in 2006, 10th in 2007, and 1st in 2008. The increase in recruiting has mirrored their resurgence in the SEC and on the national stage.

BC has had a lot of trouble with very athletic players these past few years. We've seen C.J. Spiller and Tyrod Taylor run circles around us as we continually have trouble bottling these explosive players up. We need better athletes to be able to handle guys like this, scheming can only go so far. Losing out on Haden and other top recruits hurts us because our reputation follows us to every recruit. We need to bring in top level athletes to reach the next level, and when a previously highly touted prospect transfers, it can only hurt the BC recruiting pitch.

ATLEagle: I understand Doc Saturday's findings, but the once again the whole system is designed to empower the top programs. Big deal that the higher rated ranked class beat the lower ranked program 2/3s of the time. It doesn't take a genius from Rivals to say Florida has a better recruiting class and then look smart when Florida beats Vandy 2 out of 3 times (or more). Florida has natural advantages over Vandy and the gurus tend to reinforce those advantages by favorably ranking the players that are drawn to Florida or Alabama etc.

You also mentioned Alabama. Do you think their current position in the college football landscape has to do with the 2006 recruiting class or with bringing in a world class coach? Also, I think their "recruiting rise" is misleading since they were coming off probation and disruptive coaching changes. The gurus aren't dummies. They aren't going to put a team in transition with limited scholarships in the top 10 of their prediction.

But instead of debating the rankings, let's go back to the main premise again: that BC fans should be concerned with how we deal and develop four stars. I have made it clear I disagree with that focus and want to offer a counter to the Haden anecdotal situation. My situation shows a missed opportunity for BC but one that flew under the radar for most BC fans because the geniuses at the ranking services didn't put the same four star tag on Kyle Koehne. For those of you who don't follow recruiting as closely, Koehne was a 3-star offensive lineman from Indianapolis that BC thought very highly of last year. We ended up losing him to Florida. There was disappointment among those who follow recruiting but not the hand wringing you see when BC loses on a four star. Why? Because he was not a skill player and was only a 3 star. Yet I think his ranking was yet another indictment of the system. If BC -- a school with a great history of evaluating Oline talent -- has the kid at the top of their board and Florida -- which doesn't recruit just anyone out of Indiana -- thinks the kid is going to be a star, why is he only a 3 star? I don't know. Maybe the Midwest evaluators from Rivals didn't anticipate that he would get national interest. Maybe they thought he was too skinny to play Oline at the SEC level. Maybe since he was ignored by Notre Dame and Ohio State they didn't worry. Regardless, if BC wants to break our ceiling we need to bring in more Koehnes and not worry about recruiting rankings. If we identify a player for the top of our board we need to put all our effort into landing him regardless of his rankings. And once we get everyone on campus you play the best players and don't worry about egos or stars or anything else. Worry about winning.

BZ: As far as Alabama goes obviously the hire of Coach Saban helped bring them to back into the national spotlight, but arguably his biggest contribution was his ability to attract high level talent such as Andre Smith, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones. Without these highly-ranked players Alabama would just be another middle of the road SEC school with a world class coach. If you need proof look at how Steve Spurrier has struggled in South Carolina.

When I look at the Kyle Koehne situation I think it works against your theory that the gurus try to reinforce the rankings by bumping up players looking at Florida or Alabama. It seems by looking at his profiles, scouts thought he was very technically sound but his athleticism was questioned and most thought he would have to move to guard in college. If Rivals had gone back and changed his ranking from a three to a four star just because Florida began showing interest, wouldn't that show they weren't sticking to their assessment and favoring the top schools?

I'm encouraged by our ability to bring in a player like Shakim Phillips who has the potential to be a gamebreaking wideout for us. Look at the teams we've played and around the ACC and you'll find guys like Spiller, Taylor, Golden Tate, Ryan Williams, and Jonathan Dwyer who always have the ability to hit a big play. It should be no surprise that all those guys listed were at least 4 star prospects (Taylor and Spiller 5 stars), and that they had a big hand in either beating BC or in Dwyer's case most likely leading his team to the ACC championship game. From what we saw of Haden he probably wasn't the answer and would never have an effect like any of these guys. We can still be a very good team without Josh Haden or many four and five star recruits, but if we are looking to be a great team then I believe we'll have to start bringing in these top-rated guys.

ATLEagle: I agree that greatness is dependent upon great players. I just don't think we should trust the recruiting system to find and identify all those great players. If BC never gets another five-star recruit, you won't hear a complaint out of me. I will care once we stop competing on the field and will be alarmed when we stop seeing BC guys playing in the NFL.

Guest Blogger: The Good Ol Blog

The Sabre has a great model for UVA sports. They've got good, active message boards, unique content and they are independent of the major networks like Rivals or Scout. One of the other cool things they have is a blog called the The Good Ol Blog. In preparation for our game in Virginia, I've asked Kris from The Sabre a few questions. His answers are below.

1. You changed offensive coordinators in the offseason to a spread specialist but have been using a variety of looks this year. Do you think scheme has been the reason for the inconsistency or is it a talent issue? What do you think we will see this weekend?


The Good Ol Blog: The offseason hopes of a new, explosive spread offense disappeared in less than a month. After two horrid outings against William & Mary and TCU, the Cavaliers scrapped the spread and went back to more pro-style sets. Is there some spread still sprinkled in? A little, but even then it's been modified from what Gregg Brandon used in the past. Other than an impressive outing at Southern Miss, though, the offense has been awful regardless of the scheme being used.

So that gets to the next part of the question - is it scheme or talent? Honestly, it's probably a little bit of both. The spread scheme didn't suit the personnel since the line can't block in space, the receivers can't get open, and the quarterbacks are inconsistent. Of course, that sounds a lot like talent issues too doesn't it? Ultimately, the offensive line's struggles are the biggest problem because there are times the rest of the players don't even get a chance to do their job. UVa is ranked among the worst teams nationally in Tackles For Loss allowed (112th, 7.5 per game) and sacks allowed (115th, 3.44 per game) - those are some telling stats for the play of the O-Line.

2. After getting things back on track the defense has broken down the past few weeks. What happened?



The Good Ol Blog: The defense can't stop the run consistently and it gives up too many big plays. One quarter, the Hoos will look good and slow teams down. The next, teams march up and down the field with no problems. A lot of UVa fans still blame the offense for the defense's issues; the offense goes three-and-out frequently so the D is on the field way too much. It's the fatigue argument. Late in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, I guess that's an acceptable argument. The problem to me is that the defense struggles at times before the fatigue factor can even set in. Bottom line: poor tackling and inconsistent run defense is killing this group.

3. Is there anything Groh can do to save his job? It is interesting that many of the potential candidates were tossed around for the BC job last year (London, Golden, Holtz) are on the UVA radar. Who do you think will get the job? Who do you want to get the job?




The Good Ol Blog: No. At this point, one more loss locks in the third losing season in four years at Virginia. That will lead to a new coach anywhere really. Winning out won't happen, but even if it did, the fans have already moved on and that lost revenue/support will make the decision easy. As for potential candidates, there are plenty of names thrown around including Mike London and Al Golden as you've mentioned. Guys like Troy Calhoun at Air Force are also on the fans' wish list. I won't pick a favorite candidate at this time, but I will tell you two things I'm hopeful for with the new coach: 1. Media friendly and 2. Wins.

4. What is your prediction for the game?



The Good Ol Blog: Virginia is far too inconsistent on defense and special teams to make up for a putrid offense. So really, this seems pretty simple to me. If the Eagles score 17 or 20 points, they'll probably win. If they score more than that, they'll probably win easily. At least basketball season starts Friday!

Blogpoll ballot

Even though I didn't have the commitment of watching BC twice, I actually didn't watch all that much football this weekend so most of this is based on record. I finally included Clemson. Maybe that will be a jinx to the Tigers. I have Georgia Tech high but I don't trust their defense. But as for what I did below, I'll give you my normal internet shoulder shrug.

Games I watched
Florida State-Clemson 75%
Notre Dame-Navy 25%
Georgia Tech-Wake Forest 25%
Oklahoma-Nebraska 20%
East Carolina-Virginia Tech 50%

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Cincinnati
5	Georgia Tech
6	TCU
7	Boise State	2
8	Pittsburgh	4
9	Houston	4
10	Oklahoma State	4
11	Utah	4
12	Miami (Florida)	4
13	Oregon	3
14	Southern Cal	7
15	Virginia Tech	7
16	Ohio State	3
17	Brigham Young	6
18	Auburn
19	Clemson
20	Stanford
21	Penn State	10
22	LSU	15
23	West Virginia
24	Temple
25	Idaho
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Iowa (#8), Arizona (#17), Troy (#18), Oklahoma (#20).

More recruiting news and other links

Bobby Swigert is the latest prospect to join Spaz's staff. What's interesting about him is that he's been injured most of the year, yet still earned a scholarship AND he plans to play baseball for BC too. Swigert had a decent list of offers from schools like Michigan, Stanford and Nebraska.

SI.com predicts we will be in Charlotte for bowl season. I would be shocked if they had us back for the third time in six years. If we don't luck into the ACCCG, we are going out to San Francisco for bowl season.

BC guy Brian Leetch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday.

BC will host first and second round games of the NCAA women's soccer tournament. The Eagles take on Harvard on Friday. Get out there and make some noise.

Brian Gibbons earned Hockey East Co-Player of the Week honors.

The changing face of BC new media

When I started this blog there was very little out there in terms of BC media. The Globe and Herald had extension of their print arms. Rivals and to a lessor extent Scout had BC sites focused on recruiting. Even BCeagles.com was limited in its content.

Fortunately that has changed. BCeagles.com is constantly improving and adding more content and features. But that is the tip of the iceberg. The University, some key members of the staff and some alumni are also reaching out in new ways.

Jared Dudley is using Twitter to show off his humor and video skills. With his improved play and comfort with the camera, is there any doubt Jared will be on TV when his career is over?

In this post, Basketball assistant Pat Duquette talks about the early signing period.

If you follow BC on Facebook you would know that the critically acclaimed TV drama "Friday Night Lights" filmed on campus recently. FNL goes for realism, so I hope they mention BC by name. Here is a shot of Connie Britton on campus.

New recruit and other weekend news

Jarrett Darmstatter is the latest high school player to commit to Spaz. He is listed as a TE/DE. Check out his recruiting profile here.

After starting slow the Basketball team pulled away from St. Mike's en route to a win. It was only an exhibition but you have to like the the balance.

BC bounced back from Friday night's disappointment to beat Northeastern Saturday.

Here is a nice article on Rich Lapham. The Herald also covered BC's bye weekend.

With the way things shook out this weekend, HD sees us bowling in San Fran. I actually agree with her. The only way we will be a better bowl is to win the ACC.

Future opponent UNC just lost their leading rusher to injury.

Friday to forget and other links

The women's soccer team took a game into OT again. This time they were on the wrong end of the game that ended with BC scoring an "own goal."

The men's hockey team also had a rough Friday. Up 4-1 in the 3rd period, the let the game slip away and had to settle for a tie.

Skinner picked up his latest commitment in Papa Samba Ndao. Ndao is a 6'8 wing player who is expected to contribute right away.

Anthony Castonzo made ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 1 First Team. Is it too early to start thinking Rhodes Scholarship?

With a 2-0 win over Virginia Tech, the men's soccer team concluded their regular season and finished 3rd in the ACC.

Here is a Q&A with former BC catcher Tony Sanchez.

Basketball Cheat Sheet

The highlight of last year's basketball season was the win over North Carolina at the Dean Dome. Yet it was all overshadowed as that night all hell broke loose between Gene and Jags. Unfortunately since then we've been bombarded with football drama since then and basketball hasn't been given its due. I am just as guilty. I never even finished my hoops grades. Now we are in November and the team opens their season with an exhibition against St. Michael's this weekend. So let's get to it and catch up with the basketball team...

What's new
Nothing really. It is the same staff and nearly the same team. Rice is gone but there are no new recruits or transfers. With other programs this might be a big deal. I actually think it is a bonus for BC. There is more than enough talent to go around and everyone is on the same page.

How will we replace Rice?
There is no one replacement for Rice. Most of his point duties will go to Biko Paris and Reggie Jackson, but those guys saw the floor last year. The beneficiary in minutes will probably be the big men like Ravenel and Dunn (assuming that Trapani and Raji get more time at the wings instead of the 4 spot this year).

As Paris has said, he'll be more of a distributor that Rice so I expect more efficiency on offense and probably more tight flex.

Rice does leave a gap though. He could be counted on to make big free throws down the stretch. No one on the current team has proven as consistent or clutch yet. Rice could also get his shot off against anyone. Sanders and Jackson showed that ability last year, but neither has done it as often as Rice and neither have his handle.

Who is going to step up?
Ravenenl was the subject of the positive summer whisper campaign. Hopefully he comes through. My bet though is Reggie Jackson. I think he can and will take his game to the next level.

With the six juniors it is harder to predict a break out season. Outside of some general maturity, what you see by the end of second year is often what you get. Of the six though, I think Sanders is most likely to make another leap and become an all conference type player. He was still so raw last year that I think better ball handling and more focus on defense can make him very dangerous.

When will we know about this team?
Skinner's team often leave you guessing. Just after the UNC win, we dropped a game to Harvard. The media picked us 9th in the ACC. I like most BC fans don't think things will be that bad. But we won't know for sure until Providence-Michigan-Miami stretch after Thanksgiving. Those three games will be good indicator if this is a team that will challenge for the top spot in the conference or sit on the bubble all season.

What is a concern?
Aside from the depth of the ACC, I am concerned about this team's defense. Individually none of the guys are great defenders and as a group they weren't very good last year. We didn't force many turnovers last year. That may change with Paris, but we don't know. We are also a bad defensive rebounding team. If we go big more often, that will hopefully improve.

Suggestion to help enjoy the season
If you like BC basketball but are not on twitter, I suggest you join so you can follow BC assistant Mo Cassara. Coach Cassara might be the biggest BC sports fan in the Athletic Department and I look forward to his updates on the team once play begins.

(Also, if you are going to join twitter you can follow me and whole bunch of other BC folks.)

What should the expectations be?
No one thinks we are a 9th place team. This team should be competitive and should be a tournament team again. If they land on the wrong side of the bubble, I at least expect a deep NIT run.

What is my prediction?
I think the team will start strong, hit some rough spots once they hit the meat of the ACC schedule. I think they finish well and make a run in the ACC tournament. That gets them off any bubble. I think they make the tourney as a 6ish seed, and make a nice run to the Sweet 16.

Regardless of how well it plays out, this should be a fun team to watch. Let's hope we get to watch them deep into March.

Haden speaks and other links

Josh Haden did the media rounds yesterday to explain his decision to transfer. He had nothing bad to say about BC, just that he felt it wasn't the right fit. I hope he finds what he is looking for at his next stop.

Huge win for the women's soccer team. They went to Penalty Kicks in the quarterfinal game.

Rich Gunnell also got some media attention Wednesday. First with this ESPNBoston piece and then with this feature on Pete Mitchell visiting Rich in practice. Gunnell is nearing Mitchell's yardage record.

Although it is an off week, Bob Ryan felt it was time to give Spaz a little attention.

BC came in at 59 in this preseason basketball ranking.

Andy Katz gets us ready for hoops and other links

Andy Katz is back with a profile of the basketball team. As usual Katz gets candid quotes from the staff and takes a very positive outlook on the team. Clearly no one around BC is concerned about the depth or lack of new recruits. Katz sees BC as a tournament team but doubts we will challenge for a title. I don't think we win a National Championship this season, but I do think we can make a run in the ACC Tourney.

Slam is not nearly as optimistic about our upcoming season.

The men's soccer team is one of the hottest in the country.

The ACC named Victoria DiMartino Freshman of the Year award in soccer.

ESPNBoston profiled Luke Kuechly.

Guest Blogger: Observer College

With no opponent this week, I thought is was time to evaluate BC sports. Yet most of you know how I feel. What we needed to read is an informed expert opinion on who we are and where we belong. For that I invited Observer College to guest blog this week. You may know OC from his enlightened responses on this blog and other message boards. He truly has his finger on BC sports and the world at large and I thank him for taking the time out of his hectic schedule to educate us all on BC. Consider it noblesse oblige. Below is his state of the union on BC sports.


OC: Your school's fanbase suffers from a dearth of expertise as far as understanding the world of intercollegiate athletics. This saddens me, particularly as many of you don't seem to recognize your ceiling. Your Eagle in Atlanta must feel the same way, as he asked me to share my views on BC as you prepare for the stretch run in football and the start of the basketball & hockey seasons. Although I am very busy right now in the midst of the academic year, I have graciously taken time from my work so that you people may learn about your rightful place in the world of NCAA sports.

Hockey

First, I'll note that I really don't pay much attention to hockey. Go to the most basic issue: Where on Earth do you get your recruiting ratings? You're stuck piecing together high school stats, equalizing them with Tier II juniors, ignoring Major Junior hockey because they're ineligible, yet they compete with NCAA teams for players, blah blah blah. It's all just too confusing for me. You don't have summertime tournaments in Las Vegas or combines in Piscataway where you can just see everyone at once (or read Farrell or Lemming to get the same info for a very reasonable price--email me for subscription details). Plus, if something called "Bemidji State" has the nerve to make it to hockey's Final Four, then there's something deeply wrong with the sport. No thanks, I'll pass.

Basketball (for the NOW types amongst you, yes, obviously I mean "men's" B-ball)

Have to say that I was pleased for you to see that the ACC Media ranked your men's basketball team #9 in the preseason ACC poll. That's quite a step up for your players, most of whom competed in the outdoor parking lots on the AAU circuit and never caught a whiff of the royalty of college basketball (Boeheim, Calhoun, Fraschilla, Lavin, Phelps). I will say, however, that you have cost a lot of people a lot of money over the years, going off and "beating" North Carolina and Duke and silly things like that. I have no idea if Tim Donaghy's allegations about Dick Bavetta and Tommy Nunez are true, but any MBA can tell you that you can glean great business lessons from nonfiction or fiction.

The smartest thing the ACC could do would be to install an officiating scheme applying the lessons taught in the Donaghy allegations. Is the ACC not the most powerful when Duke and North Carolina are dominant at the top of the league? Does not the ACC benefit most when a team with hot underclassmen like a Georgia Tech lurks right behind, with kids we've been reading about since 6th grade? So why wouldn't the ACC apply the lessons Donaghy describes above and laugh all the way to the bank? Remember the ACC has revenue sharing. It would seem like the universities that comprise the ACC have a fiduciary duty to do so, on behalf of those who pay tuition to these institutions.

One of the things I don't like about Skinner is that he doesn't seem to have much for the things you need to do if you're going to be touted as a great basketball coach. Perhaps it's not innate to him, but I don't see him jumping up and down on the sidelines, carrying on about what his boys need to do on the floor so that commentators can discuss what a great job he does. I don't hear him appearing on sports talk radio shows the way you need to if you're going to build up your reputation as a phenomenal coach. Finally, I don't see the passion you get from a Calipari or a Pitino or a Krzyzewski. Coach K in particular instills in his team a quest for success, a collective drive to utilize their skills to the fullest, to trust themselves and their teammates to leave not one dollar from a shoe contract or an endorsement deal on the floor at the end of the day, season or tournament. All for one, etc etc.

With Skinner, I see someone who trusts his players too much, who lets them compete and then reap the glory when they win. Without seeking out credit for himself, without even appearing on the ESPN Monday Night March Madness preview show with John Saunders in Chicago! I mean, can you imagine!??? He worked in the same building as Tom O'Brien for ten years, and he never learned how to work with the media??? Couldn't he at least have placed a daughter or niece or someone in Bristol to start her career, to hang out with Steve Phillips or someone? Egads.

People talk about Smith, Dudley, Bell, et. al. as great players. I have to say, that leaves me cold. These were non-entities on the AAU circuit, so they didn't have a preexisting following when entering college. Furthermore, players leave but coaches stay. Skinner doesn't have much business sense, as in not promoting himself very much he really withholds promotion from CBS and ESPN. That's rather selfish, and obviously disappointing for someone who as an employee at a Jesuit university should actually try promoting "Jesuit values" like giving of oneself to a higher cause.

Football

Now this has been a very interesting autumn. Over the past two years you have cost the ACC by showing up twice in the ACC Championship Game. You have had no respect for preseason expectations, harming the reputation of those like Andre Ware who generate jobs in Bristol. Indeed, as one prominent expert noted, in 2007 you "held hostage" the #2 ranking in the polls. You have had an awful nerve to act as if your record should determine your place in the ACCCG or in a Chick-fil-a Bowl, causing heartburn, consternation and speechlessness in Waffle House locations from Spartanburg to Atlanta to Jacksonville.
• You were rated poorly in the preseason.
• You had a terrible recruiting class.
• You lost your Head Coach, The Successor.
• You lost Herzlich, of course.

Yet you're 6-3, which on the surface of things should be upsetting. Yet I actually have a warm place in my heart when it comes to what has happened this football season. After much reflection, I think I can place my finger on it:

You finally seem to "know your place".


Don't get me wrong, it's a process. Coach Spaziani does the best he can in talking down expectations, and he has worked really hard to rebuild relationships with the people who matter: Dienhart, Blaudschun, Dinich, etc. And Spaz has made progress too, as Lou Holtz called for Spaziani to be considered for Coach of the Year. Nevertheless, it's a work in progress. To paraphrase Coach Spaziani's esteemed mentor Tom O'Brien: "You know, sometimes it's not the coach, sometimes it's the arrows in his quiver that need to improve."

As you all know, Coach O'Brien first said this after the embarrassment of the Boston College player desecrating the hallowed turf that Rockne the Great traversed. We saw the same viewpoint when his quarterback, Matt Ryan, failed completely in the Syracuse game, ruining Spaziani's brilliant 15-yard umbrella cushion and desecrating Coach Bible's bubble screen offense. Luckily, O' Brien had a future starting CFL quarterback coming off redshirt, so he didn't have to go down that road again. And you know, when you have people like 2-star receiver Rich Gunnell acting as if he has some sort of right to even step on the same FIELD as Recruit of the Year Jimmy Clausen, never mind mouthing off to him(!), you're so embarrassed that your program is set back another two steps in public perception.

Yet you really seem to have learned your place in college football. I like what your Coach Spaziani did at Clemson, conceding that Death Valley is really intimidating and that you would be fortunate to avoid a blowout. Plus, he said that on television in the halftime interview, declaring to the powers that be in Bristol, New York, and Charlotte that there is a new sheriff in town, one who gets it.

Later, you played Lane Stadium. Now, you caused a lot of heartburn a couple of years ago when you won down there, as that probably clinched your place in a bowl outside of Boise. I was glad to see, though, that the lessons regarding your place appeared to begin sinking in. Note your quarterback Dave Shinskie's statement after the VT loss:

“They’re Virginia Tech, they’re the No. 5 team in the nation. They’re quick, they’re agile and they’re going to get to you."

Finally, you told us loud and clear at Notre Dame that you finally recognize your ceiling. I have to admit, I was getting a little nervous after your goal line stand to preserve your 3-point lead. I thought: What's with Bowman, Kuechly et. al., going rogue (credit Palin, Sarah) with this "never surrender" nonsense. But then Coach Tranquill reasserted control masterfully:
• First Down: QB Sneak.
• Second Down: Dive play.
• Third Down: Off-tackle run.
• Fourth Down: Punt.
Punted from your own six, ND takes over at midfield, swoops down the field, and there you go.

What I liked about this is that you didn't pull this "You know who else we're tough for, the people we play" silliness. No Brent Musberger exclaiming: "You don't do this to Penn State in Happy Valley" after Coughlin threw the ball down the field to score before halftime in the 1992 BC-PSU game. No sense that, you know what, we can throw the ball, take a safety if we have to, and free-kick from the 20 still up one.

Instead, you said: 'You're Notre Dame. We respect you. We honor your pedigree, your success at the Signing Table, and all that you do for college football by giving us a platform on NBC. We're thankful for Coach Weis's graciousness to us, and certainly nobody wants to see him fired." And understand, in these difficult times for the NBC-Universal (see Show, the Jay Leno), that your gesture was most appreciated.

Going Forward

At this point, you are tied for first in the Atlantic Division, but Clemson holds the tiebreaker. If you win out, I suppose you'd belong in the DC Bank Bowl given your likely record. Faculty at your school insert their business into your program far too much, so the least you could do would be to tell them you're going someplace where you can do some learning: Congress, World Bank, ESPN Zone, etc.

However, you never know with Clemson. They do all the right things, particularly the way they promise their top running back recruit the first carry of the coming season (you know, the guy who started ahead of Montel Harris, Jamie Harper). But then the kid fumbles and they lose to Alabama, they lose their confidence, drop a game to someone like Duke, and you people wind up ruining urban economies all over the South.

So, the best thing going forward would be for you to drop one of the coming games. There's an argument for you to lose to any combo of UVa, UNC and/or Maryland. But to just lose games won't get your Coach Spaziani the Coach of the Year trophy.

The lesson, of course, is in what happened with 4-star recruits Haden and now Okoroha. Quite simply, you just don't know how to treat esteemed college football players with an extensive high school pedigree. PC-types get all hyped up with the University's reputation, that they put the cart before the horse. They forget Coach Barry Switzer's famous paean to integrity:

"I want a university that our football team can be proud of."

So here you are, with one 4-star recruit transferring and another suspended. When these guys should have been playing the vast majority of the time based on their work in high school. As College Football Expert Brad Zak so eloquently implied: How are 4-stars supposed to respond when you can't figure out how to treat them?

The best thing to do would have been to give out starting positions based on recruiting status and seniority. No more starting a 2-star like Castonzo as a true freshman and such nonsense. You win the UVa and UNC games, building your case as the surprise in college football.

Then you suspend Haden, since he's transferring anyway. Plus you suspend Okoroha. Couple these moves with the Prevent Offense/Defense, and you get a narrow loss on the road to a desperate Maryland team. Have Blaudschun throw out some rumors of food poisoning to imply you lacked, that's right, the arrows in your quiver (you're learning, little Eaglets--good for you!). As Chris Fowler would say, "Frank Spaziani fought so hard to overcome his players' lack of talent and the inherent obstacles at Boston College which is why you should attend Florida if you want to work on Wall Street. Despite all this, nobody could have expected they'd have a chance to win a title going into their last game of the season!"

What's the response to all this?
1. John Swofford invites you down for an all-you-can-eat buffet at the Sonic Drive-In in appreciation for all your hard work.
2. Lou Holtz introduces you to the crowd as you receive your Coach of the Year title in Orlando—a détente moment if there ever were one, and
3. Leeman Bennett generously picks up your tab at the Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookie outlet in San Francisco.

Really, that is what would make us all smile. You stay away from games that matter, you preserve the hierarchy of college football, and your head coach who gets it winds up #1 in Dienhart's book.

And I have warm memories to carry me through the dark days between Signing Day and the release of Phil Steele's football yearbook in the summertime.

Cheers and best to all of you!

OC

Blogpoll ballot

This is the point of the season where my ballot is a total, hot mess. I like rewarding based on record, but should I punish teams like USC or Oklahoma who lost to other good teams? I considered Clemson in my Top 25 but have they really done anything yet. Am I unfairly snubbing Notre Dame? I don't know. My only consistency is keeping BC out due to superstition. Ultimately I think my Top 10 is solid and based on record and resume. Everything else...eh.

Games I watched
BC-Central Michigan 100% (twice)
NC State-Florida State 50%
Wake Forest-Miami 10%
West Virginia-South Florida 50%
South Carolina-Tennessee 25%

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Cincinnati
5	Georgia Tech
6	TCU
7	LSU	1
8	Iowa	1
9	Boise State	1
10	Oregon	1
11	Penn State	1
12	Pittsburgh	1
13	Houston	2
14	Oklahoma State	2
15	Utah	2
16	Miami (Florida)	4
17	Arizona	6
18	Troy	6
19	Ohio State	6
20	Oklahoma
21	Southern Cal	14
22	Virginia Tech	4
23	Brigham Young
24	Temple
25	Idaho
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Central Michigan (#14), South Carolina (#19), West Virginia (#21), Mississippi (#22).

Where to begin with attendance?

photos courtesy of Andrew K


Editor's Preface: First let me state that I am not a season ticket holder. I haven’t been one since I was a student. If you transported my current life and situation to Boston, I would probably be a season ticket holder but wouldn’t attend all the games because of the kids.


BC has a real attendance problem and I am not sure if there is a simple explanation or a simple solution. First let’s recognize that the economy is a major issue everywhere. College teams all across the country are falling well short of sellouts. Just look at TCU. They are a Top 10 private school with a nice history in a major metropolitan area and cannot fill their small stadium. I also think the growing and improving TV options dampens ticket demand? 10 years ago, the BC-CMU game wouldn’t have been on TV. If you wanted to see it, you would have to go to Alumni. Now there is ESPN U to cover the game. But even with the economy, the lackluster schedule, the weather issues, Halloween, a better TV experience, and all the other excuses that contribute to the attendance issues, there are two major factors that BC must address this offseason. Those issues are:

1. The fans that no longer attend games due to donor-based seating
2. The fans that no longer attend due to the diminished tailgating experience


Donor-based seating. BC hasn’t released stats around donor-based seating and its impact on sales. I’ve heard varied reports on the effect from as few as 500 tickets that were not renewed in some capacity to as many as 3,000 tickets that were not transferred in some capacity. Regardless of the true total, BC needs to spend some time this offseason and reach out to the people who gave up their tickets. Even if it is only 10 people, those are 10 people that BC could still use. At one point the previous ticket holders cared enough about BC football to have season tickets. We can get them back. We are still producing good football and have likable guys. It is an easier sell to say sorry and we want you back to a previous ticket holder than getting Boston-area fans to experience BC sports for the first time. You need as many season ticket holders as possible so that there is consistent demand regardless of the opponent. The shrunken season ticket holder base leaves more to the general public and allows more fans to pick and choose which games they will buy and attend.

Game day experience. BC has done a lot in things to make Saturdays more fun. There is the Eagle Walk. There are things for kids. There is are new bookstore and places to eat and shop. But the recurring comment I hear is that the tailgating policies are so restrictive and enforced with such cold and uncompromising zeal that it is a turn off to new and old fans. I am sure BC has good reasons for what they are doing and how they enforce policies, but they need to work on execution. And they need to spend offseason time reaching out to tailgaters. Listen to their complaints and explain why things are the way they are. Emails and letters are great communication tools to the masses but tone and touch can get lost in the delivery. Getting all the tailgaters on campus during the offseason in a "thank you" environment will help. It may also lead to some new ideas and solutions to tailgating policies.

I am disappointed that BC doesn't fill Alumni for any and all opponents. I don't think it makes a difference in the results on the field, but I do think the kids deserve a full stadium and I do think getting more people passionate about BC football is a good thing for the university. When there are so many factors, you need to start with one and work on it and for the Athletic Department it is not about commercials or promotions or any other gimmick. This offseason should be about thanking their current and former loyal customers and asking "how can we do it better."

More good Herzy news and other links

In news that tops all others, Herzy finished his chemo and remains cancer free. Let's hope the surgery to strengthen his leg goes well. Mark will also receive an honorary Lott Trophy for his work raising funds for the fight against cancer. Pat Tillman is the only other athlete to win the honorary award.

It will be back to the internet for the UVA game. The ACC announced the game will be a 3:30 start on ESPN 360. So Central Michigan gets on TV, but conference games don't? There is little sense to it all.

Kuechly won his first, of what I assume will be many, ACC player of the week honors.

Incoming QB Chase Rettig had another good outing last week.

Dominique Davis will continue his college career at East Carolina. In his comments to ESPN he still has good things to say about BC.

There are some good Ryan Day quotes in this article on Chip Kelly. Now that Kelly is the toast of the town and BC is playing well, look for more "Day is a the hot assistant" blurbs in the coming weeks.

BC women's soccer earned a 2 seed in the ACC Tournament.

The economy is keeping the band homebound for now. Le's hope a late season rally gets them to Tampa again.

Second viewing thougths and grade report: Central Michigan

I missed watching the 4th quarter live while trick-or-treating. I watched the whole second half back after the kids went to sleep and then the whole game back after the wife went to bed. Through all the viewings I couldn’t put my finger on why the second half was so much better than the first. It was a series of little things that clicked, that didn’t click in the first. You can chalk it up to being “flat”, but that's sort of subjective. Ultimately I think we stopped trying to force things and took what they gave us. Hopefully any "flatness" doesn't come out in the final three games.

Offense: B

Shinskie had trouble with the long ball yesterday. Maybe it was the wind but for whatever reason, his deep passes, which have been pretty good, were missing their targets. What I liked about Shinskie’s day though was his improving feel for the pocket. One time he stood through the rush and then took off on a short run. Other times including the bootlegs, he got rid of the ball at just the right time. He seems comfortable on the crossing and slant patterns. And he made the most of a few broken plays – like the pass to Anderson. We hoped for a bounce back performance after last week and we got one.

Harris didn’t bust a series of big plays, but put together a solid, even day. He also got in the passing game for the first time in a while. McCluskey relieved him on our thin depth chart and looked fine. We should really make an effort to get him into the passing game since he looked good as a pass catcher last year.

Gunnell out of the slot might be the biggest no brainer in football. The past two weeks he has shown the ability to burn the safeties or LBs covering him and he is finding the spots in the zone on crossing routes. Larmond stretched the field, Shinskie just didn’t connect with him enough. Jarvis made a big play. Nice to see Flutie get the ball, but he’s got to get to the first down marker on those third and shorts.

With things shuffled a bit, the offensive line did not miss a beat. There was trouble running the ball early, but that was more due to CMU crowding the line. Claiborne got a lot of attention for his pulling but Cleary had his best game of the year. Richman was fine. Tennant was solid. Castanzo looked good.

Pantale looks good in the passing game but yesterday he impressed me with his blocking. He did a good job getting to the second level and helping Harris extend some of his runs. Anderson had a big play for the first time in a while.

I can’t confirm that we do, but I assume that we are scripting our first few series (everyone does). What bothers me is that our scripted plays seemed to struggle so much. For example, yesterday, CMU seemed ready for our running and crowded the line. Our counter were some deep balls, but the wind probably made connecting on those more difficult. Later, when we were probably off the script, we started killing them with short passes. I was glad we made the adjustment. I just wish we showed a little more flexibility early. But I do want to give the offensive staff for getting more guys involved and for not limiting anything based our limited running back group.

Defense: B

It was nice to have Scafe back. He’s not 100% but looked very good. Although the Dline didn’t get to LeFevour all that much they were able to flush him out. Much of that pressure came up the middle from Scafe. Giles and Rossi were fine. O’Neal looked okay. Newman had a solid game. Ramella was good.

At times this year, Kuechly has probably been a bit overpraised. Not yesterday. He was everywhere and made some big plays, including the INT. Morrissey was a bit more helter skelter. He had some great plays and then some that weren’t so great. And it wasn’t a case of him looking good in the pass game but not in the run or vice versa. He just was a bit inconsistent, but overall he was solid. LeGrande was good. DiSanzo was ok. Thompson and Clancy got on the field late and were okay.

Although Central Michigan completed 24 passes, it wasn’t because the DBs had a bad day. Much of the Chipps success was due to dump offs and check downs. Bowman looked good. Davis was active. Rollins played well as did Fletcher. Gause was fine.

Special Teams: B

Quigley is doing a great job of pinning back the other team on punts. He's really developing well.

The kick offs were good too.

I am frustrated by the continued fair catches on punts. Hopefully we get aggressive soon.

Not much to go on via the kick returns. They were fine but we only had two.

Overall: B

I had a bit of concern when we did not look sharp early and let CMU hang around most of the first half. Then to the staff’s credit, we made adjustments and pulled away. There were no distractions. There was no sense of malaise. We put Notre Dame and the transfers behind us and won. We have now achieved our first benchmark for success. There is still so much to play for. Let's hope Spaz gets the guys peaking at the right time.