Boston College Football Team Preview

It was quite an interesting and unexpected 2009 season for the Eagles. Before the season, there was a questionable coaching change, and Jeff Jagodzinski was let go, and replaced with Frank Spaziani. And like in years previous, the Eagles were a contender in the Atlantic, finishing in second place, one game behind Clemson. The Eagles were rewarded with a trip to the Emerald Bowl, where they lost a tough fought game against the University of Stupid Cheaters, or USC for short.

 

The engine to the offense was running back Montel Harris, who as a sophomore ran for 1457 yards and 14 touchdowns on 308 carries. The next most only had 58 carries. Expect Harris to be the engine again this season. Should this engine sputter, the Eagles will rely on sophomore Rolandan Finch, whose 28 carries are second most among returning players.

The quarterback will be Dave Shinskie, who is a sophomore at 26 years old, and is basically a grandfather among these kids. He spent six years pitching in the Minnesota Twins minor league system before going back to college and throwing fastballs and changeups of a different variety. His first season was mediocre, as he completed less than 52 percent of his passes, with a 15-14 touchdown-interception ratio.

The receivers are relatively inexperienced, as the leading returning receiver, Colin Larmond, caught only 29 passes last season, but did average over 20 ypc. He will see more of a role in the offense this year, as will TE Chris Pantale, who caught 25 passes as a freshman. Look for Billy Flutie to be in the mix as well, along with sophomores Clyde Lee and Donte Elliott.

The offensive line returns four starters, led by Outland and Lombardi award contender Anthony Castonzo at left tackle. Castonzo has been a starter since day one on campus, and has started 41 games for the Eagles. Also returning on the line are Rich Lapham at right tackle, Thomas Claiborne at right guard, along with Nathan Richman, who moves over from left guard to play center. The left guard spot will be filled by either Emmett Cleary or Mark Spinney.

 

There will be an emotional return on the defensive side of the ball, as Mark Herzlich returns after spending last season on the sidelines recovering from cancer. He will return to his outside linebacker position and team up with sophomore Luke Kuechly to form a formidable duo. Not very often will there be a tackle where you don’t see Kuechly and Herzlich near it. Kuechly had 158 tackles last season, and earned first team Freshman All America honors.

The defense didn’t sack the quarterback much last season, as the Eagles defense sacked opposing quarterbacks only 18 times last season, but that same defense only allowed 3.0 yards per carry last season, and a lot of it had to do with a stout defensive line that returns half of last season’s starters, led by seniors Alex Albright and Damik Scafe.  Albright was second on the team in tackle for loss with eight, and Scafe was among the team’s leaders in sacks with two. Senior Brad Newman and Sophomore Max Holloway are in the mix to start along the line as well.

The secondary is anchored by two seniors in cornerback DeLeon Gause and safety Wes Davis.  Gause ranks third among returnees in tackles, and also serves as the team’s punt and kick returner. The spot opposite Gause is up for grabs, as juniors Isaac Johnson and Donnie Fletcher will be in the mix. Davis led the team in interceptions, and will likely be paired up with junior Dominick LeGrande in the back end.

 

Punter Ryan Quigley is regarded as one of the best punters in the conference. Quigley averaged 40.8 yards per punt, and had a net of 36.9. Quigley also put 23 of his 77 punts inside the 20.

The Eagles will have to replace a fan favorite in kicker Steve Aponavicius. Aponavicius was very reliable last season, missing only one field goal. Quigley could be asked to handle both the kicking and punting duties, but if not, redshirt freshman Ryan Freese will handle the kicking duties.

The returning duties will mostly be handled by DeLeon Gause. Gause did return seven kickoffs last season, with a 20.6 return average. But don’t be surprised to see Montel Harris handling kickoffs from time to time.

 

The Eagles will start off the season with a couple of cupcake games, as they host Weber State and Kent State before an off week in advance of a crucial pair of games against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame before travelling to NC state for their first road game of the year. The Eagles do face some of their weaker teams in the ACC on the road, and that could be an advantage.

 

There is only one person to look at on Boston College, and it is running back Montel Harris. He will probably see 300 carries again, and with an improved offensive line in front of him, a 1500 yard season is not out of the question.

 

If you like sleeper teams, look no further. They easily surpassed most everyone’s expectations (including me, who thought they would only win three games last year), and there is little reason for me to believe they can’t be as good as last year. The running game could be among the best in the conference, and the defense gets its heart and soul back. Throw in a schedule that is really in the Eagles favor, and repeating last season’s eight win season is very likely.