BC continues to mourn Russert

A statement from the Athletic Department.

Father Leahy's statement on behalf of the BC family.

More on his relationship with BC.

Finally, the perfect example that Tim was a good sport: his participation in "The BC"

Tim Russert, 1950-2008

Huge BC fan and BC dad Tim Russert died Friday after a sudden heart attack. Terrible news. Thoughts and prayers go out to Luke Russert '08 and to the whole Russert family.

Florida recruits and other links

This article lists the summer camp activities for a bunch of south Florida's top recruits. Included are updates on BC targets Eugene Smith, Nico Flores and Rodney Smith.

We've also offered Florida athlete Victor Marc. It seems like he has high interest in South Carolina.

Future Eagle Eric Reynolds is taking part in the Pennsylvania Big 33 game.

The Cowboys are moving James Marten to guard.

Phil Steele’s Cliffs Notes: Kent State

While the national media expects very little from Kent State, Phil Steele is somewhat bullish on the Golden Flashes. College Football’s contrarian expects them to finish third in their division and bounce back from their lousy 2007.

Since Steele specializes in his own formulas, facts and figures and skips some of the narrative fluff that fills the other preview magazines, I thought I would share the data that stood out to me.


Nuggets and notes of interest
-- Kent State has decent experience: eight offensive starters return and eight defensive starters return. They also have 43 other lettermen returning.
-- They had a -11 turnover margin last year meaning they were somewhat unlucky last year and potentially better than their 2007 record.
-- They’ve been awful in odd numbered years (3-9 in 2007, 1-10 in 2005) and decent in even numbered years (6-6 in 2006 and 5-6 in 2004).
-- The Golden Flashes return their top three rushers, their top three receivers and three of their four leading tacklers.
-- The MAC school is 1-7 vs BCS teams
-- They haven’t played a neutral site game in eight years
-- Steele projects KSU to be among the most improved in points scored (15th in his ranking)
-- Steele’s strength of schedule formula has them at 111th nationally
-- They are 82nd in his power rankings
-- They were 82nd in his 2007 special teams rating


BC connections: Their Head Coach Doug Martin coached with Jags and Logan at East Carolina. Their backup Quarterback is Anthony Magazu – brother of current BC wide receiver Dom Magazu and son of former BC offensive line coach Dave Magazu.

SI's frustrating Top 10 and other links

Reader Sunjit passed on this list and photo gallery of the Top 10 athletes in BC history. These sorts of things drive me nuts due to their lack of perspective and context. In all the years of BC sports five of the ten best are from the last ten years? Come on. Only one two hockey players? [NOTE: Thanks to Shawn and DG for pointing out that Emma was a hockey player. SI has him listed with basketball.] Also, does SI rate them on college accomplishments, pure athleticism, or overall athletic career? I would hope it would be just college, but they list many of the wrong guys (and girl). Other than No. 1 and No. 2, the list is full of holes.

Tyrelle Blair took part in this Q&A on his workouts and plans for the future.

Former Eagle Michael Cotton took an assistant job with Bucknell.

Current Eagle Ayla Brown talks more about her summer theatre plans.

Blog Hey Jenny Slater compiled all the preseason rankings and no surprise, we don't crack anyone's list. The ACC is slightly underrepresented with only three teams consistently getting ranked.

This is only tangentially related to BC, but I thought this quote from a Syracuse blogger regarding the state of the Orange was candid, sad and effective in capturing how quickly the landscape can change in college sports:

The 14th winningest program of all time (yep, look it up). A National Championship (1959). A Heisman Trophy winner (Ernie Davis). Home of Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Joe Morris, Art Monk, Dwight Freeney and Donovan McNabb. Four-time Big East champion.

And yet, in a matter of just three years, none of that matters anymore. Cause all anyone can see is the failure pile currently residing at the bottom of the resurgent© Big East. The only team not pulling their weight. The House That Greg Robinson Built…Shoddily And Without Adequate Plumbing. There are actually kids living in the Northeast right who only know Rutgers as a football power and Syracuse as a basement-dweller. That’s insane.

Think what could have been for Syracuse. They should serve as a reminder to us how important facilities, an engaged AD and coaching can be in success of a program.

Two looks at Central Florida and other links

Central Florida is our latest opponent to get the New York Times treatment.

SMQ provided his look at Central Florida. He doesn't expect them to beat us.

BC recruit Dillon Quinn is now in the Rivals 250 ranking.

2008 Position Previews: Running Backs

This is the second part of my position by position breakdown of the 2008 roster.


RUNNING BACKS
The move to the zone blocking scheme was supposed to re-energize BC’s once mighty rushing attack. Though the scheme changed, the productivity didn’t. BC averaged 3.4 yards a game in TOB’s last year. We averaged 3.4 yards per carry last season. This year the running game becomes that much more important…just as BC is nearly replacing its whole backfield.

Overview
I would be more concerned about our lack of experience in the backfield if we hadn’t gone through this just a few seasons ago. Think back to 2004. Our most experienced running back that season was Jeff (a.k.a. Survival) Ross, who entered 2004 with a whopping seven carries for 33 yards. A trio of freshmen (Callender, Brooks and Whitworth) filled the void adequately. This year BC will rely on a pack of freshmen again.

Although it is just a glorified scrimmage, the Spring Game did provide a glimpse into how BC will run this year. First, I think you’ll see more rushing attempts. Last season we passed 61% of the time. (As a reference point we passed 51% of the time in TOB’s final year.) I imagine the staple play will be the draw/spread read from the shotgun (you’ve seen it as part of West Virginia and Florida’s offense). But I also think you’ll see a variety of plays that emphasize the varied talents of the freshmen and take advantage of the stretch plays available in the zone scheme.

Replacing our departed’s yards per carry shouldn’t be hard. The challenge will be who can fill the void left in the passing game. Callender was a game-changer out of the backfield. I expect the swings and screens will remain part of the offense, I just don’t know which one of these newbies will step up.


The Players
FB – James McCluskey, SO, 6’2, 231lbs
TB – Dan Mulrooney, SO, 6’1, 197lbs
TB – Josh Haden, FR, 5’8, 190lbs
TB – Montel Harris, FR, 5’9, 195lbs
TB – Eric Reynolds, FR, 5’10, 195lbs
TB – Jerry Kelly, FR, 6’0, 220lbs


McCluskey returns as the leading rusher from last season. He carried the ball eight times for 14 yards and three touchdowns. I think he’ll get more carries this year, but will not be a feature back. Don’t be surprised if he is occasionally used as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Dan Mulrooney spent time on special teams and defense last year. He moved to the offensive side for depth reasons and looked decent in the spring. If the freshmen step up, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mulrooney flip back to defense eventually. Haden was the prized recruit of his class and has been on campus since January. That should give him a leg up vs. his fellow freshmen. He is a bit undersized, but small backs have thrived in this type of scheme before. If he is the primary back, will he hold up? Jerry Kelly is another signee likely to play as a true freshmen. The largest of the recent commits, he can provide a nice change of pace to the smaller guys in the mix. Reynolds and Harris were well regarded recruits with similar frames. I imagine one will get regular playing time. I wonder where the other would fit in. I don’t think Jags wants to play all four freshmen. Redshirting one would help depth and recruiting in future seasons.

Outlook
I think the rushing game will improve beyond the 3.4 yards per carry. I also think at least one of the frosh will break out and become a big play threat. My biggest concern? Pass protection. Last year Callender was very important in blitz pickup. Can an untested played do the same?

Though unproven and raw, this group should excite most BC fans. I think there is enough diversity and talent to be effective. I also think the progression to Logan’s preferred offense will provide more balance.

If the running backs are decent, we’ll be okay. If any of them are great, we’ll be one of the surprise teams in college football.

Infomercial: Last minute BC-themed Father's Day gifts

If you're looking for last minute gift ideas, the guys at who had the vintage BC calenders are back with vintage BC stationary/Notecards. I know many people skip the formal Thank You note these days, but the BC angle is a nice touch. (I hope the Athletic Department knows about these.) If you buy through this link you get a 10% discount. [Full disclosure: I get a piece of every sale I send their way.]

NC State scouting report and other links

The New York Times continues their excellent preseason work with this capsule on our opponent NC State.

Lomas Brown has taken Gos under his wing in Detroit.

A healthy Kiwi may be moving back to the defensive line.

Because of the new eagle on the way, the Mrs. and I missed our 10th reunion. Seems like members of the class of 2003 enjoyed themselves.

Ryan's sweet swing and other links

If Matt's football career doesn't work out, he may have a future on the golf course or in front of the camera. (Thanks to Willis for the link.)

BC Law grad Shannon Miller was just inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Tyrelle Blair was one of the many players the Sonics worked out. He may catch on with someone, but I doubt a team will use a draft pick on Blair.

Three BC baseball players were selected in MLB draft.

Replacing rebounders

One of my hypotheses regarding next year's basketball team was that Blair, Oates and Spears were highly replaceable. To reinforce my hunch, I ran some numbers and was surprised by what I had previously overlooked.

Rebounds per minute of the departed
Blair -- 0.21
Spears -- 0.23
Oates -- 0.17

Rebounds per minute of the returning
Raji -- 0.21
Sanders -- 0.17
Trapiani -- 0.20*
Southern -- 0.22
(* Trapiani's numbers from his year with Vermont.)

As you can see, the four players expected to fill many of the departed's minutes rebounded at a rate that was very similar to Spears, Oates and Blair.

What does it mean?
We probably won't be a significantly better rebounding team next year. However, the hope is that the replacements are much better all-around players and make BC more effecient in other areas.

First reaction to Phil Steele's BC prediction

I bought Phil Steele's preview last night. (I've sworn off all the other preview magazines.) I will spend a lot more time writing about Steele this summer, but thought I'd share the basics first.
-- He predicts BC to finish 5th in the Atlantic.
-- He forecasts BC to play Boise in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Given his track record, I am not worried.

Chris Crane then

Four years into his BC career, we are still not sure what we have in Chris Crane. We know his size and his stats. We know he is cut from the same mold as our last batch of QBs (tall, white, from the northeast, product of the Dana Bible summer camps). Expectations for him this season are relatively low. No one thinks he'll be Matt Ryan. My hope is that he is steady and keeps the team in games.

Crane coming out of high school
Low expectations aren't a new thing. As a prospect, not much was expected of Crane.

Rivals gave Crane 3 stars and ranked him as the 17th overall QB prospect in 2004.

Scout gave Crane 2 stars and ranked him as the 62nd best QB prospect in 2004.

BC's own press release on signing day focused on Brian Toal and Marquise Liverpool.

In this article Crane explains that the decision came down to BC, Clemson, Stanford and Virginia. Not a bad group from which to choose, but it is not as if BC won a recruiting battle over national powers for Crane's services. (Also of note in that article: Crane talks about Peterson and Porter but doesn't mention Ryan. Shows how things pan out.)

20/20 hindsight on 2004
Regardless of how Crane does, I think it is safe to say he was the best prospect we focused on in his class. Take a look at the other QBs BC recruited in 2004. (And it wasn't just BC...looking back 2004 will prove to be a poor year for QB prospects. Here are the pro style and dual threats from that year. Not many all conference players.)

Kent State scouting reports and other links

Here is a pretty comprehensive look at Kent State from the New York Times. I did not realize their head coach Doug Martin worked under Steve Logan at ECU. Should make game planning a little easier.

Like last season, Rivals is ranking all the teams in college football. Kent State comes in at 113.

Explain how this works: Logan is considered a Top 20 offensive coordinator. Spaz is considered a Top 20 defensive coordinator. Jags is nowhere to be found on this list.

Sailing came up just a little short in their bid to win three titles in one week.

One house keeping note: someone sent me an email today with a subject line regarding BC tickets. Unfortunately it went to my Span folder and I deleted it before I had the chance to open. Sorry. If it was important, please send it again.

2008 Position Previews: Linebackers

This is the first part of my position by position breakdown of the 2008 roster.


LINEBACKERS

Once again the strength of the defense will be the linebackers. Despite losing two starters to graduation, the unit should be our deepest and most talented.


Overview
The cliché regarding Spaz’s defenses is that he uses the same scheme regardless of personnel, opponent or game situation. That’s not true. Increasingly he’s used more variety in his front seven packages and sent blitzers from various positions. The old dog has been able to add new tricks due to the talented and diverse group of linebackers. This year is no exception. In fact, BC has one of the most experienced units in college football. Take a look:

Toal – 36 games played, 25 games started
Akins – 39 games played, 5 games started
Herzlich – 27 games played, 16 games started
Francois – 38 games played, 7 started
McLaughlin – 23 games played, 3 started

Those five are just the LBs who have started. We are also adding some younger players into the mix. The depth and talent should allow Spaz to continue to tinker and keep BC competitive as our offense transitions.

The Players
LB – Brian Toal, SR, 6’0, 252lbs
LB – Mark Herzlich, JR, 6’4, 238lbs
LB – Kevin Akins, SR, 6’2, 220lbs
LB – Robert Francois, SR, 6’2, 245lbs
LB – Mike McLaughlin, JR, 6’0, 250lbs
LB – Darius Bagan, SO, 6’2, 233lbs
LB – Dan Williams, FR, 6’2, 224lbs
LB – Will Thompson, FR, 6’1, 233lbs
LB – Mike Morrissey, SO, 6’2, 210lbs
LB – Nick Clancy, FR, 6’2, 215lbs
LB – Alex DiSanzo, FR, 6’2, 220lbs

I am hoping a healthy rejuvenated Toal comes back and has a huge year. When fit and focused he is probably our best linebacker in pass coverage and just as capable as running a QB down. Herzlich is a beast and also very savvy. I expect him to have an all ACC season. Akins struggled early last year but played very well down the stretch. His effectiveness as a late blitzer was somewhat neutered last season…teams just expected and protected against it. This year – with an even better front four – should allow Akins to run at QBs again. Francois is always a steady performer. At this point I don’t expect a leap in his performance, but his consistency will be an asset this season. McLaughlin is a decent tackler. In all his playing time, he has not yet had a game changing moment, but he is a serviceable player. Morrissey got on the field on a regular basis last season. I don’t know where he fits into the mix this year. The real unknowns are Williams, Bagan and Thompson. All were highly touted recruits. Hopefully they will all get regular playing time this season as they will be critical to filling voids in 2009. Clancy and DiSanzo are true freshmen. Because of the depth we don’t need to play them this year. If they are capable, one or both might play this season.

Outlook
Even if you exclude the true freshmen, there is more than enough talent at linebacker this year. It is to the point where guys like Morrissey and McLaughlin might have fewer snaps than they played last year (a good problem to have).

Overlooked in all of this is that LB is one of our best coached positions. Credit goes to Bill McGovern for their performance.

The preseason magazines are filled with the “best this” and the “best that.” You won’t read much nationally about of our guys in the middle. That’s too bad as they will be what holds this team together in 2008.

More TV stuff and other links

Here is ESPN's tentative schedule for next season. Don't read too much into this as it can and will change. The only looming coverage gaps are Central Florida and URI. At worst, both will be available on the Internet. If we win our first two, I imagine the Central Florida game will get picked up on real TV.

Kevin Challenger is getting more coverage in Canada then he ever got here.

This guy has a theory on why Fontaine bolted and how we can prevent it.

Stuck behind a desk? Wishing you could be by the water watching some sailing with a cool drink in your hand? Sorry. I can't help. But I can provide a link to some pictures of BC's races here.

Former Eagle Patrick Eaves signed a nice deal with the Hurricanes. (Thanks to Joe F. for the tip.)

Kent State game will be televised!

Fear not those who cannot get to Cleveland for Labor Day weekend, the Kent State game will be on TV. The game is set for prime time on ESPN U.

I know some die hard sports fans hoped to create their own baseball/football double header by going to the Indians game too. The Tribe plays Seattle at 3:55 PM. You could probably catch seven innings before having to walk over to the Browns stadium in time for kickoff.

One more observation...with all the talk of conferences creating their own networks, there hasn't been much speculation about the ACC. At this point I don't think it is needed. We have the ACC network -- it's called ESPN U. They seemingly pick up any ACC football or basketball game they can get their hands on.

Parsing a random recruiting article

This article on recruiting athletes vs position players mentions BC recruiting coordinator Mike Siravo. There are two things about this particular article that caught my attention and show a definite culture shift in BC football.

1. The move to athletes. Jags spoke of this from the outset, but now the philosophy is attached to our program. Shane Beamer was the other coach mentioned with Siravo. Despite being with South Carolina now, Beamer is a product of the Virginia Tech system which always placed an emphasis on athletes.
2. Geographic shift. A offensive line prospect from Hilton Head dropped our recruiting coordinator's name. I have no idea how good this kid is (he's not even profiled by the major scouting services), but it shows that BC is beating the bushes looking for kids anywhere.

I have no idea what will come of Anderson or this year's recruiting class, but I think this staff's methods will prove themselves over time.

Underappreciated: Troy Bell

This article on the difficulty of averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in college included a little factoid about former Eagle Troy Bell:

Troy Bell is the only player from any of the Big Six conferences to average 20-plus points in three seasons since 1999. Bell averaged 20.4 in 2000-01, 21.6 in 2001-02 and 25.2 in 2002-03.

With all that has happened since he left (Smith, Dudley, the ACC move) I feel like many BC fans have already lost perspective on how good Troy Bell was. Little nuggets like this serve as nice reminders.

More Sailing Championships and other links

Quite a spring for the Sailing team. They won another championship over the weekend.

Arthur Lynch-Fontaine explained his 180 on the Eagles to a local paper. Does it sound like he is BC-bound to you?

KSK continues their deeper look at Matt Ryan.

Here is video of Orpik's legendary shift in the Stanley Cup Finals. (Thanks to Tim E. and Jon M. for sending it.)