Montel Harris continued to do what he does, totaling 172 all-purpose yards against a pretty porous Maryland defense.  These numbers are a little gaudy, considering he did run the ball 41 (41!) times.  But I liked the conservative gameplan that I had predicted Tranquil would call.  Maryland had given up ridiculous rushing numbers all year long, so we went with what they would give us.  Now, this never translated into something huge, as Montel’s longest run was only 15 yards, but it wore the Terrapins out and allowed Steve Aponavicius to see a lot of action.

The receiving corps had a pretty solid game.  The highlight was obviously our lone touchdown of the day, when Shinskie found Colin Larmond on a short crossing route over the middle, and he took it 66 yards to the house.  Rich Gunnell also had a solid final regular season game, amassing 42 yards on five catches.  While I am a little apprehensive about next year’s receiving unit with Gunnell and Jarvis departing, having Larmond will make things a bit easier.  His deep-play ability is always a weapon.

Keeping in mind that this was Maryland, our defense played very well.  The Terrapin quarterback duo of Chris Turner and Jamarr Robinson passed for only 216 yards and a touchdown, and that TD came late in the game with 1:34 left.  Our defense stuck to what they’ve done all year, containing and controlling.  Hobbled Maryland running back Da’Rel Scott only gained 45 yards as our defensive line had a good day controlling the trenches.  And again, Luke Kuechly capped off his stellar year with another fine game, flying around and filling the gaps all day long.  Kuechly garnered another ACC defensive back of the week award for his efforts.

It was already known before the game, but Clemson will represent that Atlantic next weekend in the ACC Championship Game in Tampa Bay.  While it is unfortunate that we won’t be returning, Clemson is the most deserving team from the Atlantic, and I wish them good luck.  And although finishing second is a disappointment, it’s drastically better than what we were predicted to finish.  Yet another year gone by, and yet another year we proved the critics wrong.  But this year may be the most impressive in my opinion because of the unbelievable uncertainty that we entered the season with.  Spaz was a rookie coach, we had a QB who hadn’t played football in 7 years, our best player was out for the year, and lots of other things.  But we hung tough and battled it out for second place in the division.  I am extremely proud of what we accomplished this season, and I think that we should improve next season.

At the beginning of the year I predicted a 7-5 finish for BC, so while I even had the hometown bias, the Eagles still proved me wrong.  8-4 is nothing to be ashamed of, and save for a few too many interceptions at Notre Dame, that could have easily been 9-3.  All reports and indications seem to have us heading out to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl later in December, but I will wait to report until I hear the final word.  Until then, here’s to a successful regular season for our Eagles and hopefully a win in our upcoming bowl game.

A Look at the Opponent

Not much has gone right for the unfortunate Terrapins this season.  While they weren’t predicted to be worldbeaters in the ACC, they certainly also weren’t expecting to lose games to teams like Middle Tennessee State.  After opening up the year a disappointing 1-3, the Terps pulled off the sort of win that could get a season back on track, upsetting this year’s Atlantic champion Clemson, 24-21.  But they found no momentum, having lost 6 in a row after that October 3rd victory.  They enter this game with a staggering 2-9 record and a coach on the hot seat.  There has been much discussion over whether Ralph Friedgen will still be head coach in 2010, but first Maryland has to finish this year’s schedule.

Offensively, injuries have hampered the Terps’ attack as of late.  Quarterback Chris Turner hasn’t had the senior season he had hoped for, throwing for only 10 touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions.  He has sat out the previous two games with injury, and is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game.  Backup Jamarr Robinson is also iffy with an injury, so Maryland could be sending out their 3rd string QB tomorrow, and that’s never promising.  Running back Da’Rel Scott, a player I considered a darkhorse for ACC player of the year, has disappointed as well.  Topping 100 yards just once through his first five games, he sat out the next five with an injury.  Scott finally returned last week against Florida State, and he will be looking to end the year on a high note.  At receiver, Torrey Smith is a dangerous weapon there as well as in the return game.  Our secondary will need to key in on him to limit any big plays.

As far as defense, the Terrapins have struggled since their opening game, when they were blasted by California 52-13.  Giving up 32.4 yards a game, they haven’t kept Maryland within striking distance too often this year.  Establishing the run and allowing Dave Shinskie to find a comfort zone should be enough to chip away at their soft defense.  With this being the final game of a long and painful season, the Terps are probably going to want this one to just end.

By the Numbers

7 Number of games that Maryland has allowed over 30 points to an opponent this season

55 Number of days since Maryland’s last victory

35-37 Maryland’s record in Ralph Friedgen’s last six seasons

Did You Know? Maryland is currently in the “Bottom 10″ on espn.com for being one of the worst ten teams in college football

Three Things to Look For

1. Intensity Neither team has much to play for, with Maryland out of bowl contention and BC most likely going to the Emerald Bowl.  Sounds simple, but whichever team wants this game more should probably win it.
2. Shaky Shinskie Dave Shinskie has been anything but good lately, but he will definitely want to give the coaches a performance to look back upon fondly.  A good game could do a lot for his depth chart position in 2010.
3. Farewell, Ralph? This could be Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen’s final home game, and it will be interesting to see how the Terrapin faithful receive him tomorrow.  My hope is they applaud him for his faithful service to Maryland.

Outlook

If you’re looking for an exciting football game tomorrow, this probably won’t be the one you want to watch.  Nevertheless, for us, 8-4 sounds a whole lot better than 7-5.  We are a better team than Maryland, and with their current quarterback calamity, we should be able to take advantage of the injuries.  The Terps’ porous defense will allow us plenty of opportunities to rack  up points, and as long as Shinskie doesn’t hand them the ball every posession, I like our chances.  I think Gary Tranquil will call a fairly conservative game and look to lock up this should-win game.

As mentioned earlier, it is looking like the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco is where we will spend our Christmas break.  While it’s no ACC title game or Orange Bowl, on this Thanksgiving weekend, let us be thankful that we are at least returning to a bowl with the tumultuous offseason we experienced.  I think we will take care of business tomorrow, and we can then rest and see who our bowl matchup will be. 

Prediction BC 31, Maryland 17

The rest of our offense played well enough to give us a chance.  Yet again, Montel Harris turned out a ho-hum, 132-yard performance.  Harris’ 1,213 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season won’t garner him the player of the year award (probably will go to CJ Spiller), but they can’t be overlooked.  Harris has been the one constant on an inconsistent offense this year.  And coupled with the transfer of no. 2 running back Josh Haden, he has shouldered an even bigger load.  With receivers Rich Gunnell and Justin Jarvis departing at the end of the season, Harris’ responsibility will increase even more in 2010, but let’s hope the reinforcements show promise.

The receivers weren’t given much to work with from Shinskie’s performance, but they played well enough.  Gunnell made due with what he had, and hauled in six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.  His production was about as reliable as Harris’ was this season, and his leadership will definitely be missed.  I was also impressed with tight end Chris Pantale again, who continues to find the seams in opponent’s defense.

As I said, our defensive effort deserves definite praise.  Shinskie dug them into a 21-0 hole in the first quarter, but they gave us every chance to get back in it.  Every layer of the defense showed up to play, but unfortunately, they couldn’t control the outcome.  On the defensive line, Austin Giles and Damik Scafe had solid games.  Our D-line hasn’t shown much in terms of pass rush this year, evident again on Saturday, but they do enough to upset the timing of the opposing quarterback.  TJ Yates’ three interceptions were a testimony to our defense confusing him.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly wrapped up his home-game freshman campaign with a ridiculous 19 tackles, earning himself ACC Freshman of the Week Honors.  Mike McLaughlin also had his best game in awhile, especially in the run game.  It was almost a passing of the torch, as McLaughlin bid farewell to his Eagles faithful while Kuechly continued to shine.  We can feel good about Kuechly’s development this year, and he appears to be on a path to stardom.  Whatever happens with Herzlich, we know that Kuechly is capable of filling his shoes should he not find the strength to return. 

And finally, I thought our secondary played one of their best games of the season.  Marcellus Bowman and Roderick Rollins both had huge interceptions, and Wes Davis looked outstanding also.  They capitalized on the defensive line’s disruptions and made Yates’ day a tough one.  Although we’ll lose a lot in the secondary next year, Fletcher and Gause are a good starting point from which to build.

As painful as it is to admit, BC will not be returning to Tampa Bay for our 3rd straight ACC title appearance.  Our loss to North Carolina was rendered useless anyway, as Clemson’s victory over Virginia wrapped up their trip to Tampa.  For how we played this year, we probably didn’t deserve to have a shot at the title.  But credit must be given to Spaz and the rest of the coaches for having us right there at the end.  Talent-wise, we were nowhere near the 2007 or 2008 squads, but we battled hard and gave ourselves a shot.  Congratulations to Clemson.

Sorry for the farewell tone of this post, but with the UNC game being our final home game, it seemed right.  We must not forget about Maryland next week, though.  Next week’s game will have bowl game implications, so we will want that 8th win to put us in good standing with the bowl selection committees.  Stay tuned this week…

A Look at the Opponent

UNC entered the year with extremely high expectations as head coach Butch Davis looked primed to lead the Heels to the brink of the Coastal Division.  While a 3-2 start, with a loss against Virginia, wasn’t what they hoped for, they have been on a tear recently.  They followed up a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to FSU with three straight wins against Virginia Tech, Duke, and Miami.  Other than Georgia Tech, the Heels are arguably the hottest team in the ACC.

The Tar Heels lost perhaps the best receiving corps in the nation to graduation this year.  No longer flying around the field were Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, and Brooks Foster.  While quarterback TJ Yates doesn’t have those weapons at receiver anymore, he has found capable targets in Greg Little, Eric Highsmith, and Zack Pianalto.  Unfortunately, the receivers inherit even bigger responsibility now after the Heels’ starting running back Shaun Draughn went down with a season-ending injury two weeks ago.  Yates can be very good, but pretty shaky as well.  His 10 touchdowns and 10 INTs are a testament to that, so hopefully our secondary can pick a few off tomorrow.

The Tar Heels have as much talent as anyone on the defensive side of the ball.  They are led by linebacker Quan Sturdivant and his team-leading 64 tackles.  Dave Shinskie is really going to want to keep an eye out for the secondary, though, as the Heels boast a unit that has hauled in 14 interceptions this season.  Kendrick Burney leads that group with 4 picks of his own, one for a touchdown.  But the Heels can be broken, as Florida State showed when putting up 30 against them. 

By the Numbers

16.2 Average points per game given up by North Carolina

2-1 North Carolina’s record on the road this year

7 Number of home wins we will have if we win, a perfect home record

Did You Know? The Tar Heels are perfect against ranked opponents this year.

Three Things to Look For

1. So Long, Seniors  This will be the last hurrah for our seniors, and you can count on them showing up to play.  Expect big days from Gunnell and McLaughlin.
2. Front Lines North Carolina will no doubt be looking to rattle Shinskie during this game.  Luckily, Shinskie always seems to play better at home.  A big game from our steady offensive line is necessary to keep the athletic Heels defense on their heels (pun intended).
3. Can we do our part?  As mentioned, any shot at an ACC title berth relies on Clemson.  But before we start scoreboard watching, we have to take care of our own business.  This game is not a sure thing by any means, so let’s get the job done and worry about Clemson later.

Outlook

I expect this game to be a defensive battle.  I think that both squads rely on the talent and athletic ability of their defenses, and that will surely be the case come tomorrow.  It has been a long season, with lots of success and some frustration.  But here we are, with a 25-year old rookie quarterback and a still learning head coach, and we have a shot at heading to a 3rd straight ACC title game.  Whether we head to Tampa or not, this team has shown resilience and growth this year.  Spaz will have the guys ready, and I expect the emotions of Senior Day to aid the effort.  I do expect that this game will come down to defense and limiting mistakes, and I like the Eagles to take it home. 

Prediction     BC 21, UNC 17

Anyway, back to the game.  Montel Harris turned in another likely performance, taking the ball 38 times for 151 yards.  Coach Spaziani had clearly paid attention to the absurd rushing numbers that UVa had allowed this season, and he used Harris to exploit it.  While Harris didn’t score, he left his mark on the game with a grind-it-out effort that must have frustrated the Cavs defense.  It was a frustrating day for our receivers, though.  Jarvis had a touchdown, and I really liked seeing TE Chris Pantale get involved more, but there were some key drops in this game.  Larmond dropped a touchdown, and Gunnell slipped up on a few.  Luckily these mistakes didn’t come back to haunt us, but our guys need to improve their play so that Shinskie remains confident throwing it to them.

Credit needs to be given to the offensive line for the job they did on Saturday.  While Shinskie’s stats don’t tell the story, he was given good time and had the opportunity to hit his receivers.  And Harris had plenty of room to make some plays.  It will be unfortunate to lose C Matt Tennant after this year, but returning the other 4 is comforting as we look ahead to next season.

As mentioned before, this game lacked any significant excitment until Virginia’s final drive was stalled.  But boring or not, the defensive effort kept the Cavaliers’ from handing us a disappointing loss.  While not spectacular, our patchwork defensive line put together a solid game.  Injuries have been a major issue all season for the D-Line, but they played well enough.  Damik Scafe looked good, and Austin Giles and Nick Rossi were fine.  While Virginia isn’t known for a scary offense, they do have talent at running back and it was nice to limit them in that department.

Defensively, there were a few standouts.  Youngster Luke Kuechly again had himself a game, flying all over the field as he always does.  Morrissey also impressed with a good game, and a huge stop at the end.  In the secondary, Wes Davis and Roderick Rollins stuck out.  Normally Marty Bowman dominates back there, so it was nice to see the other guys feed off of him. 

While we lacked any serious pass rush, our Achilles’ Heel all year long, we did enough to contain the Cavs’ offense.  Our defense has been very bend-but-don’t break this year, and while that may bother some fans, you can’t ignore the fact that they keep us in games (minus Virginia Tech).  Defensive Coordinator Bill McGovern deserves praise for the job he’s done with a group that has dealt with injuries all year, not to mention the absence of Herzlich.  The grooming of Shinskie has been much easier because of the D’s ability to keep the opponent’s scoring down.

All in all, we got the win, and that’s all that matters.  Sure, it wasn’t pretty, but it’s a testament to our coaches and staff that they stuck to the game plan and got a hard-fought victory.  Unfortunately, circumstances not under our control haven’t gone the way we hoped.  Clemson continues to roll, as they slaughtered NC State this past weekend, and now only have to beat Virginia to lock up the Atlantic title.  We can’t worry about that, though.  Our focus now shifts to North Carolina and beating the Heels to go perfect at home for the year.  Whatever happens with Clemson will sort itself out, but none of it matters unless we win out anyway.  Stay tuned…

A Look at the Opponent

The Cavaliers’ have had an oddly peculiar trend to their 2009 season.  After beginning the year a disappointing 0-3, they rattled off three straight wins against North Carolina, Indiana, and Maryland.  Even more impressive is that the UNC and Maryland wins were on the road.  However, the past three weeks have brought three more losses to Georgia Tech, Duke, and Miami.  Sitting at 3-6, the Cavaliers are right where I thought they would be.  Head coach Al Groh continues to sit on a hot seat that seems to have been simmering for seasons now.  If UVa doesn’t win out (and they won’t with us, Clemson, and V. Tech left), I find it hard to believe Groh will be back next year.

Offensively, the Cavaliers don’t have a ton to offer.  This is a team that has scored more than 17 points only three times all season.  Quarterback Jameel Sewell is a decent signal-caller, but his six touchdowns and six interceptions are nothing to brag about.  Marc Verica has also seen some time behind center, but he hasn’t been too good either.  Running backs Rashawn Jackson and Mikell Simpson have seen about equal duty this season, with Jackson performing slightly better.  And at receiver, Kris Burd’s 281 receiving yards is the highest output of any Cavalier.  To make a long story short, UVa simply doesn’t have enough offensive weapons to have a consistent attack.  They definitely have some raw talent, but it hasn’t translated well.

On defense, it doesn’t get much prettier.  The Cavs give up an average of 350 yards a game, and that number is 366 when playing at home.  Moreover, they have surrendered 200+ rushing yards in four of their nine games, so look for Montel Harris to see the ball plenty of times this weekend.  But quarterback Dave Shinskie will want to pay close attention when going to the air, as Virginia has plenty of talent in their secondary with Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook.  If we give them a heavy dose of our running attack, we should be able to move the ball with relative ease.  We can’t make the same mistakes on the road that we have in the past, but the environment in Charlottesville should be pretty tame.  

By the Numbers

10-11-12 The ACC ranks of our remaining opponents.  UNC-10th, UVa-11th, Maryland-12th.

-4.2 Virginia’s scoring margin this season

10 As in young Luke Kuechly is the 10th best linebacker in the nation, according to ESPN’s Bruce Feldman

Did You Know? The Eagles landed two recruits in the past week, including the 32-ranked tight end Jarrett Darmstatter.

Three Things to Look For

1. Ground Game As mentioned before, Virginia gives up tons of yards on the ground.  Harris, Finch, and McCluskey should all have wide eyes on Saturday.
2. Win No. 1?  We are still in search of our first road victory, but I think that we will finally get it in Charlottesville.  They struggle to fill the stadium, so noise shouldn’t be an issue.  Furthermore, they just aren’t that good.  We can’t blow this one.
3. NCSU vs. Clemson I know this doesn’t have anything to do with our game, but this game means just as much.  We need to take care of business and not scoreboard watch, but I will be quietly rooting for Tom O’ Brien to pull off the upset.  Our hopes of an ACC title rest on it.

Outlook

I think that our team will be gearing up to go because of all the time off.  If we can establish the run early, and contain the anemic UVa offense, we should have no problem running up the score.  However, if we let our typical road woes (turnovers, penalties) take over then it could be bad news.  Virginia has shown the ability to stick around if teams let them (first half against Miami), so we need to put an end to this game quickly.  Every one of our final three games is a must-win, and just because this one is UVa doesn’t mean it can be overlooked.  I think Shinskie keeps his cool and finally tallies that first road win.

Prediction BC 31, UVa 13

On the warmest Halloween that I’ve ever experienced in Chestnut Hill, the story behind this win looked identical to our other wins this year.  A lot of Montel Harris, a lot of Rich Gunnell, some steady play by Dave Shinskie, and a stubborn defense that forced turnovers.  Harris and Gunnell once again did the heavy lifting for the offense, accounting for all three offensive scores.  But I was again impressed with fullback James McCluskey’s ability to step in and spell Harris for a stretch of plays.  And while Gunnell caught almost everything thrown his way, Justin Jarvis and Colin Larmond helped stretch the field and open it up for Shinskie.

This game started slowly and monotonously.  Neither team could establish a consistent offensive effort, and the halftime tally was a pedestrian 7-3.  Finally, the third quarter brought some consistency, and Shinskie began to connect with Gunnell and his other options.  To open the second half, we cruised downfield and capitalized with a 41-yard TD strike to Gunnell, making it 14-3.  From then on, our offense seemed to find traction and Harris took over.  It was nice to see us put up so many points a few days after learning that backup RB Josh Haden was transferring, lessening our depth. 

Our defense held the Chippewas in check pretty much all day.  Their quarterback Dan Lefevour entered the game ranked 5th in completion percentage, and we held him to 152 yards passing and an interception.  While we did give up 218 passing yards in total, attribute that more to a bend-don’t-break mentality on defense.  The Chippewas never seriously threatened a comeback, and that is a testament to the defense’s solid play.  Some other quick notes on the game…

• No offense without the O-Line  The offensive line showed again that they are the engine to our (mostly) well-oiled machine.  While Harris and Gunnell have the flashy stats, the front five grind it out all day to make life easier for our skill players.  Center Matt Tennant has taken it upon himself to anchor this line, and he looked great again on Saturday.  I am starting to come around on Shinskie, and if he can have great O-lines like these in the coming years, he’ll only benefit more.
• Congratulations Sid Vicius The consistent but often overlooked Steve Aponavicius made history on Saturday.  With four PATs and a field goal, he passed Brian Lowe’s all-time BC scoring record of 262 points.  Aponavicius represents one of the all-time feel-good stories at BC, walking on with no scholarship and turning into our leading scorer. 
• Kuechly, back again After firing out of the gates to begin the year, you hadn’t heard Luke Kuechly’s name quite as frequently these past few games.  Well, he dominated again in this game.  He was hitting his gaps perfectly and looked great in run defense.  And to top it off, he hauled in an interception and took it 28 yards to the house.  The “boy-wonder” had himself a day.
• Anyone check that prediction?  In a shameless moment of self-gloating, I invite you to read my Central Michigan preview.  The last line of the preview holds my prediction for the game, in which I predicted a 31-10 BC victory.  The final score?  31-10, BC.  Please, hold the applause.

We enter our bye week on a good note after that victory, and in two weeks we head to UVA to face a struggling Virginia team.  But our bye week will be filled with intrigue and lots of scoreboard watching, as Clemson faces Florida State in what appears to be their best chance to lose a remaining ACC game (other two are NC State and UVA).  If the ‘Noles can upset Clemson, then we are back on track to win our division.  But if Clemson wins, they are one step closer to halting our defense of two straight Atlantic titles.  Enjoy the week off, Eagles fans, but let your allegiances lay with Florida State next weekend.

Let me touch on the Haden-Tuggle transfer before I get to my preview.  For those of you who haven’t already heard, running back Josh Haden and quarterback Justin Tuggle both have decided to transfer.  While neither were starters, both were viable no. 2’s at their respective positions, and their depth will surely be missed.  Tuggle’s departure is understandable because he was recruited to play under Jeff Jagodzinski’s system, and it seemed clear that Dave Shinskie is our starter for the near future.  Tuggle might as well look for an opportunity to play while he still has time.  Haden’s decision is a little more puzzling, and definitely more disappointing.  Hailed as our prize prospect of the ‘08 class, Haden enrolled in the winter so that he could be ready for his freshman season.  Whether it was his injuries or just inconsistency, Haden never found his groove as Montel Harris quickly assumed the starting role.  Nonetheless, Haden was a valuable backup who helped us throw off defenses with multi-RB packages.  They will both be missed, and I hope they find success wherever they land next.

On that note, we enter the CMU game with a little less offensive depth.  The most noticeable change should be the increased carries for freshman RB Rolandan Finch, but rumors that he has mono mean that he will sit out this week.  Montel Harris needs to stay healthy this weekend or things could get bad.  Central Michigan is no pushover, so we need to make sure our losing streak doesn’t move to two before we enter our bye week.  Let’s get to the preview…

A Look at the Opponent

Central Michigan boasts a 7-1 record overall, with a flawless 5-0 in the MAC.  After dropping their season opener 19-6 at Arizona, they rattled off seven straight wins to take a commanding lead in their division.  Their most impressive win came in week 2 at Michigan State, when they stole a close one 29-27.

Since their Week 1 loss, the Chippewas have averaged 37 points a game, albeit most of those games have been against mediocre competition.  Nonetheless, they boast a very talented quarterback in Dan Lefevour.  The senior from Illinois has started all four years and has thrown at least 20 touchdowns in each of them.  This year has been no different, as Lefevour has already racked up 1696 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

Luckily, Lefevour should be the only main threat on Saturday.  He is the Chippewas’ leading rusher, and their second leading rusher is wide receiver Antonio Brown.  So long as our defensive gameplan focuses heavily on shutting down Lefevour, we should be just fine.  The aforementioned Brown is a solid player at receiver (544 yds, 7 TDs), but for whatever reason our defense plays better at home, so I expect our secondary to lock him down.

The Chippewas have had a great season, as they usually do in the MAC.  Before the year began, I worried about this game as one we could potentially overlook and lose.  However, given the disappointing loss to Notre Dame last week, and our affinity for playing at home, I think this game is the perfect recipe for a win.

By the Numbers

3 Number of times Central Michigan has scored 48 or more points in a game this year

1 Number of touchdowns Josh Haden scored this season, his final as an Eagle.

5.5 Current gambling line of Saturday’s game; BC favored

Did You Know? Montel Harris currently leads the ACC in total scoring

3 Things to Look For

1. And Then There was 1 It will definitely be different not seeing #1 (Haden) out there in the backfield with #2 (Harris) on Saturday.  The 1-2 punch is no longer, and Montel Harris will assume an even greater role in the offense, especially this game with Finch out.  It should be interesting to see it play out, though.  My hope is that we don’t wear Harris out by giving him too big of a load.
2. Mr. Do-it-All As I mentioned, Central Michigan’s quarterback Dan Lefevour is not only prolific through the air, but he also leads the Chippewas in rushing with 522 yards and 9 touchdowns.  That pretty much defines dual threat.  We have faced two other quarterbacks this season that are known for their rushing ability, Tyrod Taylor and Russell Wilson.  Taylor dominated us, but we kept Wilson in check all day.  We must do the same to Lefevour.
3. Pass Rush I feel like I say this every week, but we really need to establish a consistent stream of pressure on the quarterback as our season comes to a close.  Our final three games are against ACC opponents, and they are make-or-break in terms of our hopes for another ACC title game.  With one last tune-up before those three conference games, we need to make some progress on our pass rush.

Outlook

While this game isn’t necessarily “meaningful”, it is a must win in my mind.  We enter our bye week next weekend, and building momentum for our last phase of the schedule is key.  Dave Shinskie needs to show that his decision making isn’t as poor as it was at Notre Dame, and I expect he will.  A convincing effort from the defense would also help our confidence before traveling to Maryland in a few weeks.

While Central Michigan is no pushover, I don’t see them pulling off the upset here.  Lefevour is a definite talent, and he has carried the load this year, but they are going to need somebody else to step it up on Saturday.  Our defense is more than capable of shutting down a one-man show.  This Halloween should be a happy one for the Eagles.

Prediction BC 31, CMU 10

Dave Shinskie did a lot of good things in this game, but he also did some things that made you remember he is still only a freshman.  I was impressed with his performance in the first half, as he seemed much more relaxed while amassing 148 first half passing yards.  He also showed an ability to scramble away from pressure when the pocket collapses.  While he was anything but spectacular, he at least held us in the game as we were only down 13-9 at halftime.  Unfortunately, the second half was a completely different story.  After stringing together a 6-play, 56 yard drive for a touchdown to open the 3rd quarter, everything unraveled quickly.  Montel Harris’ fumble on the 2-yard line on the next drive was certainly not Shinskie’s fault, but that game-changing cough up was on omen for the rest of the day.  Shinskie suddenly turned into the bad version of Brett Favre, the kind when he believes any throw is possible and begins launching balls into double and triple coverage.  And not to take anything away from Rich Gunnell’s phenomenal day, but at times it looked like Shinskie thought Gunnell was his only receiver on the field.  So many throws to Gunnell isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it indicates that Shinskie may not be going through his progressions completely.  And eventually, defenses will notice this and clamp down on Shinskie’s go-to guy. 

Defensively, it was a decent effort, definitely enough for us to win.  I thought our linebackers played well, especially Mike Morrissey who has been turning heads lately.  Mike McLaughlin played alright, but his personal foul in the second half was unnecessary.  Kuechly looked good for the most part.  The biggest concern entering this game, and exiting this game, is our lack of a pass rush.  We looked better against NC State two weeks ago, but it disappeared again at Notre Dame.  Any time you let a Heisman candidate like Jimmy Clausen sit around in the pocket, you’re asking for trouble.  While his 246 yards weren’t spectacular, he really never dealt with any pressure and could locate his receivers all day.  The secondary’s play is hard to assess because of how much time Clausen had.  They can’t be blamed for all the time Clausen had to throw, but even so, I thought they played well enough.  Marcellus Bowman in particular had a big game, highlighted by his huge goal line stuff in the second half.

There are positives and negatives to take from this game.  The offense looked capable of moving the ball on offense, Rich Gunnell had a huge day, and our defense kept us in it.  But we also made tons of mistakes, Shinskie was shaky, and our pass rush was again nowhere to be found.  So goes the inconsistent year of Boston College.  Here are some other things I noticed…

• Bye-bye Bazooka  Our version of the wildcat offense fooled no one on Saturday, as Notre Dame made a conscious effort to take Montel Harris out of the game.  They loaded up the box with defenders and limited his first half rushing yards to eight.  While Shinskie opened up the passing game for awhile in the first half, his poor decision making killed us at the end of the game.  Which leads us to…
• Shinskie’s Decision Making  I understand he is just a freshman and hasn’t played football in seven years, but Shinskie seemed to regress rather than progress in this game.  He’s still early in his football career, but some of the throws he made were just terrible Saturday.  He needs to start recognizing the value of throwing the ball away rather than into double coverage.  And as I said before, his chemistry with Gunnell is almost getting to the point where it’s over the top.  I am well aware of the development that Shinskie needs to undergo, but some of his decisions at South Bend were worrisome.
• Husky McCluskey James McCluskey, the fullback that fought his way back from an offseason injury, surfaced in this game and broke off a huge 13 yard run that got us a crucial first down in the second half.  While his contributions weren’t huge, it was nice to see that O-Coordinator Gary Tranquill could work in some plays for McCluskey and throw off the defense a little bit.  Hope to see more of him.
• Gunnell vs. Clausen I’m sure many of you have heard of the postgame sparring between Rich and Jimmy, but it seems like it was just a bunch of hot air.  Gunnell thought Clausen was a phony, and wanted nothing to do with the congratulations Clausen attempted to offer him after the game.  Gunnell also claimed that Clausen pushed fellow receiver Justin Jarvis prior to the game.  This situation really didn’t escalate, just added a little fire to this one-sided rivalry.

Well, even though this loss didn’t affect our trip to Tampa Bay in December, another game did.  Clemson pulled off a huge upset of Miami in Coral Gables on Saturday night, meaning that in all likelihood, we need to run the table on our remaining ACC schedule and hope that Clemson loses one more game.  I think that they could lose to Florida State despite the inconsistent year the ‘Noles have had, and I also think NC State could give them some issues.  But we can’t focus on Clemson right now.  Spaziani needs to rebound from the Notre Dame loss in time for a tuneup this weekend against Central Michigan.  With our bye week to follow the CMU game, we then close out the year with our final three ACC games.  Much like last year, the rest of our season is pretty much in our hands.  We’ll just see how it turns out…

Saturday’s game marks the last trip we make to South Bend for the foreseeable future, as our contract runs out after next season’s game here in Chestnut Hill.  While there have been talks about renewing the contract and continuing the rivalry, it will at least stop for a few years post-2010.  So you can bet that Frank Spaziani, in maybe his only chance at Notre Dame Stadium, will want to win this one badly.  He’ll have plenty of support, as today and tomorrow flocks of BC students will play hookie and hop on an RV caravan to the Golden Dome.  Sure, we may take this way more seriously than they do, but so what?

While Saturday’s game means nothing for our ACC record or championship game implications, it means a lot for this team.  In two road games this season, we have been manhandled and embarrassed.  The games at Clemson and Virginia Tech seemed to be over before they even began.  Our boys will get yet another chance to redeem themselves and prove they can play on the road this weekend.  I’d like to see some first downs, maybe even a touchdown or two (not much to ask, right?)  What I don’t want to see is the mistake-prone, confused team that showed up to Death Valley and Blacksburg earlier in the year.  Let’s take a look at the matchup.

A Look at the Opponent

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis entered the year on the hottest of the hot seats for head coaches in college football.  He has the Irish sitting at 4-2, but that record could easily be different in either direction.  Three of Notre Dame’s games have been decided by 4 points or less, and their win against Washington was in overtime.  While Weis could do without so much drama, he’ll take the four wins.  The Irish play this weekend with the bad taste of a failed comeback attempt against USC still in their mouths.  Trailing 27-14 heading into the final quarter, Jimmy Clausen led ND back, but the final touchdown was out of reach as they fell 34-27.  The Fighting Irish will undoubtedly be looking to avenge that loss against BC.

For Notre Dame, as the offense goes, so goes the team.  Their offense is loaded with NFL-caliber players, beginning with Heisman candidate Jimmy Clausen.  Clausen has already amassed 1804 passing yard and 14 touchdowns through six games.  He has matured into a frighteningly talented quarterback with great decision-making and a powerful arm.  While Clausen is the backbone of the offense, he is certainly not alone.  There are weapons all over the offensive side of the ball, beginning with receiver Golden Tate.  Tate has already put up 719 receiving yards and scored six times, and that big play ability could cause issues for our inconsistent secondary.  Luckily, wide receiver Michael Floyd isn’t completely healthy yet and Robby Parris is questionable, so our defensive backs can key in on Tate.  Stud tight end Kyle Rudolph gives the Irish passing attack yet another weapon.  While limiting Clausen’s attack will be the focus, the Eagles must also contain running back Armando Allen, whose 416 yards and three touchdowns aren’t incredible, but he is a consistent producer.

Defense is another story.  The Irish rank 104th in the NCAA in total defense, allowing 419.5 yards a game.  This has to be a relief for the Eagles, as both of our losses have come against stifling defenses on the road.  A serious area of concern is a defensive line that has struggled to stop the run or put substantial pressure on the quarterback all season.  Games against Michigan State and Purdue have gone down to the wire because the Irish defense couldn’t hold a late lead (hmm… sounds familiar to me). 

 It will be a battle of strengths and weaknesses Saturday, as the high-flying Irish offense goes toe-to-toe with the Eagles’ improving defense.  And when we have the ball, our still fledgling offensive attack will try to poke through that mediocre ND defense.  If we can avoid the quick 3-and-outs that have killed us on the road and put together some substantial drives, at least we’ll keep their offense off the field.

By the Numbers

9-9   The overall record of the BC-ND series(BC has won the last six)

12   Notre Dame’s national rank for total offense

11/11/00  The date of the last time Notre Dame has beaten Boston College, a 28-16 win in South Bend

Did You Know?  The Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl trophy is awarded to the winner of this game each year, named after Frank Leahy, who head coached both schools.

3 Things to Look For

Bazooka!  The Bazooka offense, our version of the Wildcat, exposed North Carolina State last weekend and allowed running back Montel Harris to explode for a career day.  As Harris describes it, “it’s read and react”.  Hopefully, he’ll be doing a lot of reading and reacting Saturday.  Notre Dame’s defensive line is weak, and quarterback Dave Shinskie hasn’t looked comfortable throwing the ball on the road.  While we need to establish some semblance of a passing attack, I hope to see Montel touch the ball quite a lot.

Cloudy with a Chance of Football?  The weather forecast calls for showers on Saturday and a temperature around 43.  The soggy conditions should slow the game down, and I think that could play to our advantage.  Storms will dampen Clausen’s ability to spread it around, and ND will have to incorporate a more conservative plan.  If we continue to run as often as we have the past few weeks, a rainy game will play to our advantage.

First Half Yards In our losses at Clemson and Virginia Tech this season, our combined total yards at halftime in those games was -1.  That’s no typo.  Notre Dame Stadium is another hostile environment.  Will we see a more composed offense, or the same nervous squad that keeps creeping back?  I’d like to think that Notre Dame’s below average defense would help our confidence, but I have to wait and see.

Outlook

So many factors play into this game, making it a difficult one to assess.  We’ve played terribly on the road, but this is the Notre Dame game, and we always seem to show up for it.  Clausen is an absolute stud, but two of his top targets are either out or questionable, so that plays to our advantage.  I think the difference in this game will be defensive coordinator Bill McGovern’s gameplan.  He finally broke through last weekend against NC State with some great blitz packages, and our pass rush paid dividends.  If we can give Russell Wilson fits, we can give Jimmy Clausen fits, we just have to pick our opportunities.  Allowing Clausen to camp out back in the pocket will be suicide for our defense.  He is easily the most accurate quarterback we’ll face all year, and that’s saying a lot.  If we rely on our running attack and can keep the Irish offense off the field, we should have a legitimate shot.  While I originally pegged ND for the win on Saturday, something tells me that our last trip to South Bend will be a good one.  I’ll be there on Saturday, and hey, the Eagles haven’t lost a game I’ve been to yet this year.  Gotta count for something, right?  Come on God, be on our side…

Prediction BC 31, ND 28