1/6/12 draft: why the MNC line up stinks

As the Championship game comes around we would like to draft our top reasons for displeasure.

1M) Been there, done that

Not only has this game already been played, it¹s not like we¹rereplayingsome amazing game that had a ton of drama, fantastic plays andexcitingplay. The last time these two got together, paint drying got a 8.3sharefrom Nielsen.

2W) If you can't win your division, you shouldn't compete for the NC

I think this is where I call for a revamp of the way the NationalChampionship is played. I am not necessarily calling for a playoffsystem, but I just think you have to win your division, to play thewinner of another division. Isn't that what its all about? Being anational Champion? The SEC championship has already been settled, sonow,there is a potential that a SEC champion loses to another SEC team forthe NC, this makes no sense. Well wait it does.. $$$ and that¹s theonlytype of sense it makes.

3M) It¹s not fair to LSU

So let me get this right‹LSU beats Alabama, wins their division andconference (as Wesley pointed out) and now all Alabama has to do isclipLSU the *SECOND* time they play them to become the national champion?How in the world is that fair? Let¹s say for the sake of the argumentthat ŒBama wins. Now you have one win for each, one loss foreachŠexceptLSU played one more game (SEC title game). All others being equal,shouldn¹t the title stay with LSU even if they lost?

4W) Okie St

Really this matchup should be against OSU and LSU. Both winning theirconference. And its not exactly like OSU had a cakewalk season beatingmany teamss by 59 or greater and having one blemish against IowaState (who had a pretty decent year ) in double overtime on a Friday night.If Iwas Gundy, Id be more than just a pissed off man that's 40.. I wouldpetition the BCS for angling what they wanted all along an $EC rematch

5M) SEC SEC SEC!!

This whole conference superiority thing has gotten so entirely out ofcontrol it's not even funny. The press has brainwashed the majority offans (and themselves) into believing that only the SEC matters andonlyteams from the SEC are worthy of playing for a national championship.It's just fucking crazy. LSU should be there. I get that. They'reundefeated and deserve to be there.But let's look at Alabama. They played one ranked team in LSU, who weallknow they lost to. OOC, they scheduled North Texas, a DougMartin-lessKent State, and Georgia Southern...ALL at home.If this was a team from the Big Ten or PAC-12 people would bescreamingand stomping their feet over such a schedule.Listen, I'm not an idiot--I do think the SEC is a terrific footballconference. I just think it's the ONLY football conference.There are good teams outside of the SEC, too. I promise.

6W) Why Monday?

I think it is time for the BCS or someone to say, lets have aChampionshipSaturday so our ratings are at their highest, more people can enjoy thegame, easier to travel for etc.Don't understand the "biggest game of the year" on a Monday.

7M) The element of surprise is gone

I understand this kind of goes to the "been there, done that" point,buthere I'm talking about the lack of excitement going into the gamebecausewe already know how they match up.Will LSU's D be able to shut down the Alabama rushing attack??Yes.Will Alamaba's D shut stop the mediocre LSU rushing attack?Yes.Any offense at all?No, not really.How will they match up?Like to hefty school girls slapping each other for three hoursstraight.I don't know about you, but I am REALLY excited about this matchup! Somany surprises in store!!

8W) The fans

You paint such an awesome visual of two hefty girls slapping eachother,for some reason I think this happens in a fast food place..But I digressI hate saying this, but living in the south makes this extra hard forme.Maybe its a hint of jealousy, I am not quite sure, maybe its the abilityfor two teams to have a very short drive to their "nationalchampionship"game. Im not sure. But I just can't handle all the fans going crazy overthe potential that their team is dominant once again, and every team inthe SEC is second only to the New England Patriots .So no matter what happens, I lose.

9M) SEC Spin

I feel your pain, Wesley. Of course, you're actually *IN* Alabama so itsurely is exacerbated for you.Here in going with the spin that casual fans and SEC fans are going toput on this championship. Meaning, it will be another brick in the wallof the supposed SEC dominance in championship games, even though an SECteam has to win by default this year.An example of what I'm talking about is my former boss. He's more of acasual fan and he was talking about how Auburn dominated Oregon in theMNC Game. What? Yeah apparently Auburn just killed them. Those PAC-10 guys justcan't hang with SEC ballin', he informed me.Weird, I told him. I thought it was a field goal game that could havefor either way late in the fourth quarter.

10W) My personal quagmire of who to root for

As most fans of football, I can always root for one over another, even ifI have no dog in the race. Well in this case, there really is no outcomethat I am happy with. At All. If both Teams could lose and forfeit theirfuture seasons I would probably be most pleased. Go Commercials?

BCDraft SPECIAL: Interview with CJ Jones

We'd like to thank the BCDraft readers for the great response we had to the most recent interview. We're also very fortunate to keep it rolling with another great BC player, this week we bring you CB/DB CJ Jones.

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BCDraft: CJ, when you were being recruited out of the State of DuPont…er, Delaware, there was a good bit of buzz surrounding you.

Why did you choose BC over schools like NC State, Louisville, and others? What schools made your final cut, and why did you pick to be an Eagle over the others?


CJ Jones: While being recruited I took the time to visit most of the schools that showed interest or have already offered me. I then sat down with my parents to discuss pros and cons of each school. I liked BC because of my chances of getting on the field as a freshman. Also, the degree value from Boston College. I also like that fact that there are plenty of other schools surrounding BC, which is great socially. Even though it’s cold, it’s only a little bit colder than where I am from [Delaware]. NC State, Louisville, and BC were my finally three. Like I said I wanted to play [early] so that was a big factor.



BCD: You had some tough luck this year when you injured your (right?) knee. Did this injury take place during the Duke or UCF game?

What happened?

How did you know you were injured?


CJJ: I got injured in the UCF game on the opening kick-off when one of my teammates rolled up on my knee when trying to make a tackle.


BCD: From all reports the surgery went well. Can you talk about your rehab and when you hope to be back on the field?


CJJ: The surgery was real good Dr. Gill, the Pats team doc did my surgery. I started pre-habbing once I got injured and I am now rehabbing everyday of the week. Just working on movement and strength. My knee has improved a lot since surgery. [I] may be [ready in the] spring if not, definitely by the summer.



BCD: There were some departures during the off-season in the secondary as well as injuries. This forced a lot of completely green true freshman into the starting lineup. Can you tell me what youngsters have impressed you and what you like about them?

Who should Eagles fans keep an especially keen eye on?


CJJ: Spencer Rositano and Manny Asprilla both played real good this year. I know they weren’t expected to play this year but they both played well. They were aggressive, mentally tough, and they showed that they had some skills out there also. They both have great athletic ability and instincts, too. The Eagles fans should be on the look out for both of them in the secondary next year.


BCD: Eagles fans assume you’ll be granted a medical redshirt waiver for the 2011 season. Is this accurate?
CJJ: Yes



BCD: Would you rather:

A) Make the game winning INT for TD play on the 50 yard line

or

B) Tackle a WR with such force that he fumbles and a team mate recovers the fumble and runs it in for the winning score?

CJJ: I would want to do both. But as corner everyone wants to make a game winning INT for TD, so if I had to choose it would be "A".




BCD: What is your view on whether or not players should get paid to play?


CJJ: I actually wrote a paper on this in favor (laughs), but there are pros and cons if there pay for play I think it would take years to even develop a system for it, but with all the problems there’s been in college football now a days I don’t think this ever happen till college football is cleaned up.

BCD: This past year was a very tough one on players, coaches, and fans alike. What signs did you see this past year (that we may have not) that should give us hope and promise for a better tomorrow in the 2012 season?

CJJ: Well we were young again this year due to injuries but that’s no excuse though. I think we developed a lot of depth for the next season and also that depth will now have experience and the good teams in college football have depth and I think we are going to have that going into the next season.



BCD: Who is the toughest BC wide-out (WR) to cover in practice, in your opinion? What makes them so difficult to cover?


CJJ: Off-Coverage I would say Swigert, he does a lot of shoulder, head, body, movement that gets your mind going (laughs) but you just got to keep your poise. Man-Coverage, I would say Larmond. Big, physical, fast, [and] hard to get a good jam on.



BCD: Every player creates bonds with other players on the team, can you talk about that? Are there particular players that you are close with?


CJJ: I really look up to Colin [Larmond, Jr.] and Montel [Harris], as big brothers, but my room suite are the main guys that I have been around with since freshman year: [Alex] Amidon, [Tahj] Kimble, [Dominic] Appiah, Dom. Williams, Andre Williams, and the new edition, Al Louis-Jean.

BCD: How do you get in the zone to prepare for the game, what music is on your Ipod?


CJJ: I put on my Beats by Dre headphone and play my #Beastmode playlist, it has Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Lil Jon, etc...just music with hard beats to get in that angry mode. I’m a nice, laid back guy--but when it’s game time its time to transform into another person.



BCD: When you first stepped on campus at BC was it what you were expecting? What class have you enjoyed most?

CJJ: Somewhat, there were some surprises along the way but, you know it is the quiet Hills of [Chestnut] Hill. [As far as favorite classes] ,well this year none of my classes were favorites but last year I had this business class called Portico and we did a lot of group business projects and just learn the fundamentals of business.


BCD: Can you talk about your relationship with the Coaches? Is there any particular coach that you are close with?


CJJ: I have a relationship with the coaches where I think they think a lot of me and sometimes, especially this season, I would come by to talk with the coaches--mainly the defensive ones--on what I saw and give my thoughts and opinions and I think that is a little nice relationship to have with the coaches



BCD: What do you do to blow off steam? Play Madden...listen to music?


CJJ: Xbox 360, Call of Duty, 2K11 Basketball, NCAA Football, any game, I became a gamer once I got [the] injury, but I also like to draw and listen to music.



BCD: Who do you model your style of play to? What professional football player do you look up to?


CJJ: Well when I watch a game I watch all corners, try to take a little something from everybody that I like, even some college corners on the other teams. But I like Nnamdi Asomugha; I like what he brings to the game as corner.



BCD: We asked Spiffy Evans this question and got a big kick out of it—so pardon our lack of creativity with this one, but let’s see if you have a fun response as well…

When traveling to away venues, often times players (and coaches) can hear a good deal more from the stands than most lead on.

What is the most funny and most memorable thing or things you have heard while traveling to away games (PG rated, please)?


CJJ: Well all the ones that I heard were pretty bad, so I don’t know if I could say those... (laughs) I tried not to be close to the crowd for they get me.


BCD: What does "CJ" really stand for?


CJJ: "CJ" stands for [the] middle and last initial [of my name], Cornel Jones. People have been calling me CJ since forever, so it makes no sense to call CJ Jones, but that started in high school with the newspapers giving me that name so I just stuck with it. My real name is William.



BCD: Where did the nickname "Cadillac Jones" come from?


WCJ: One of my trainers back at home came up with the name "Cadillac". One day he just randomly called me that while working out cause he said I do everything so smooth and it has stuck with since then.



BCDraft would like to sincerely thank CJ Jones for his time and participation in this great interview. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to cheering him on in the 2012 season.

BCDraft SPECIAL: Interview with Spiffy Evans

Well Eagle fans, the tough season ended on an uptick with BC defeating Miami for the first time *IN* Miami since Doug Flutie did it in ’84. Seriously? Seriously. Almost sad to have such an accomplishment cap off a tough and weird year, but we’ll certainly take it.

Moving on to the off-season, we’ll start doing some more player interviews. Our first for the “2012” season is true freshman who recently completed his first year of college football, Wide Receiver and Return man Mr. Spiffy Evans.

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Spiffy, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us today. Let’s get started with the most obvious question that most BC folks want to know about Spiffy…

BCD: Where in the world did the awesome nickname “Spiffy” come from?”

SE: My grandfather gave it to me a while back. And it's stuck with me since

BCD: I [Wesley] got to meet a lot of your family in Miami, Great People, even with some custom BC/Spiffy gear, how is it living this far away?

SE: I have my days when I just hate it and there are days when I wouldn't want to be any where else. It sucks being away from family and friends but I try to remindmyself each day that I'm doing this for a greater cause.

BCD: What brought you to Boston College over other schools? Can you tell us how the recruiting process went?

SE: The recruiting process was crazy. I had over 30 offers but my mom felt stronglyabout BC. My dream school was always Alabama but when I had to consider my future, Boston College was a better fit academically.

BCD: Other than Football, what all do you want to get out of College.

SE: I want to get my degree. That's what I will need in order to have a successful future as well as make my family proud.

BCD: I [Wesley] know you are a fan of quotes, what are some personal favorites to you that help motivate?

SE: Well I make a lot of quotes daily so which ever one fits my mood I roll with. Here is aquote off the top of my mind, "I find motivation in my family because I'm an inspiration to them all. Guess its interdependent relationship." My favorite of all may be “Patience is a virtue”.

BCD: After a fairly hard season this year, what are your expectations for the team in 2012?

SE: [The] sky is the limit for us in 2012. I feel with a good winter and summer we will grow stronger as a unit and get the results we train for in the season to come.

BCD: Spiffy, what was your first year at school like? Was it like you had anticipated?

SE: My freshman year has been a learning as well as a growing experience. This long stay away from family has called for me to grow up and cherish everything more. I’ve become more responsible. I didn't anticipate it being this way. All of the other schools which I considered had huge fan base and large campuses so the smaller more education focused BC is the bigger difference. All in all I'm enjoying The Heights, good people decent food and I'm in Boston.

(this makes us sad we didn’t ask the Presto’s vs. Pino’s question…)

BCD: Can you tell us about your relationship with the coaching staff? Do you have a close bond with any of them?

SE: All the coaches are great guys. I don't have any close connection with any of them as I had in high school. But Coach Ben Johnson is cool.

BCD: You didn’t start off the year returning kicks. What happened that made the coaching staff give you a chance back there as atrue freshman?

SE: In high school that was my thing—kick returns, as well as punt returns. I started out on scout team helping the kick of coverage get work. Once my redshirt was burned during UCF week coach Dawson decided to give me a shot, which I appreciate so much. It's given me some game experience which I wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

BCD: While overall the year was a tough one looking at wins and losses, what was your favorite memory or memories from your first year as an Eagle?

SE: Going toNorte Dame and walking onto the field with my brothers to the left and right of me was crazy. As well as returning kicks there I dreamed of that. Can't forget going to Clemson and V-Tech. But nothin’ beats playing at home in front of friends and family and on my first kick return running the kicker over. It was great.

BCD: Do you have any personal goals in football? Any personal goals in life you can share?

SE: Well from a football stand point I want to be an All-American, also to break all the receiving records, TD records, and return records. In my life I want to continue being a role model for people—especially kids, as well as making my family proud and starting a family. Above all staying grounded in faith.

BCD: Any team goals that you hope to help the team accomplish in 2012 and beyond?

SE: Win the first game and everyone that follows as a unit, as one. All our othergoals will fall in place if we can be one.

BCD: A lot of times players can hear many of the things opposing fans yell or shout. What’s the most memorable or funny one (PG rated version, please) you heard this past season?

SE: Well I’ve heard a lot of vulgar as well as pleasant things. But the most memorable isafter Clemson’s game when all the fans were on the field a guy snatches my towel and said: "I'll take that, Skippy!"…too funny. Also, vs. V-Tech the chant of "Number 7 gonna die" as I fielded every kickoff return.

BCD: Well, despite my [Mike’s] wife being a Hokie, there’s a reason why I’ll never go and see another game in Blacksburg. I feel ya there.

If you could say one thing to the BC Eagle diehards out there, what would it be?

SE: Keep faith, because WE ARE BC!

BCDraft would like to thank Spiffy Evans for this time for this interview as well as his service to Boston College on and off the field. We can’t wait to cheer you on as well as the rest of the boys next season.

Keys to the Game vs. Miami

Keys to the Game


1W) Don't allow the big play

BC did a good job of stopping the big play last week against Notre Lame,
but Miami lives and dies by it. If we are going to win, Miami is going to
not be able to convert these


2M) Leave it all on the field

It¹s be a frustrating season for all involved from the true freshman to
the fifth year senior(s?). Point is this take it out on Miami. Leave it
on the field. Allow it to fuel you. Make sure that this final game of
this season is done with every ounce of everything you have and you
walkaway knowing you left every little bit of it out there.


3W) Scoring over 24

I am sticking with this. The D is going to be able to do some things, but
if the Offense isn't able to put up over 24 points, its going to make it
happen in Coral Gables. If Brock can show he can get a gameplan for over
24 points, it may leave us all on a high note for next year. If not, its
going to be a longer and colder offseason.


4M) Force Jacory to make the throws

Harris has my respect as an athlete and he can be a good QB, however if
we force him to be a pocket passer downfield and play back, we'll be in a
good position to force some turnovers.


5W) Defensive TD, LB

Mike I agree completely with your assessment of Harris, and if force him
to make the throws we will be in a good position.
Going off my last pick of scoring over 24, I think that the Offense is
going to need some help from the D. I am not going to say Kuechly needs to
do it , but our strongest corp is the LB crew, I think and hope that one
of them is able to do a pick 6


6M) o-line wearing down D-line

It might not pay immediate dividends, but we need our O-line to grind out a drive or two on the ground to beat up the Miami D-line and keep them from pinning their ears back and coming after Chase when we do pass.


7W) Max Homecoming

Holloway will be able to play in front of friends and family this week, as
we play in Florida. As Max has had nothing short of a very hot hand on
Defense lately, we will need him to continue that streak and show everyone
that it is actually more than just a streak, it is his style of play that
we can look forward to enjoying for another year! And what a great place
to do it!


8M) Punt coverage

We had an outstanding week last week with Quigs and the punt team. This week we'll kick to Benjamin and possibly others with breakaway speed that can make a big difference in field position. We need to contain the returns and have another great day by Quigs.


9W) ALJ

As ALJ has progressed as a true freshman, we were able to see him slowly
grow on a field, when we needed players in the worst of ways. Coming in
as a highly touted four star CB that we were able to get after he
de-committed from the U, expectations are high, and will continue to be. I
hope for ALJ to show the U what they missed when he changed his mind, and
for us Eagle fans a glimpse into the future


10M) Chase, set your feet

We touched on this earlier with the O-line protecting the QB but the other half is Chase finding space to set up and get his feet set. If his footwork is down he can throw a terrific ball--we need Chase to make sure he puts himself in a position to be able to have His feet set.

Worst of the Worst vs. Notre Dame

1M) 0-3 vs. Notre Dame

It used to be us making fun of this game saying that a rivalry is a game where the other team wins occasionally. Now, and for the entirety of this season, we’re the punchline. We’re 0-3 in our last three games to ND. Yes, this one was closer, but they don’t give you “you lost, but hey at least it was close” awards. Spaz has never beaten Notre Dame, and has given us precious reason to believe he’s ever capable of doing so.


2W) The BC Tease

Wow Mike , that is definitely a gut check first round pick, I unfortunately agree.
On my second pick , I am going to go with something close to that. As the gameprogressed, I honestly thought we could get a W.. Maybe it was my own will but I was really thinking it would happen. But we just couldn’t produce the points to make it happen.


3M) The dropped D-Fletch INT

I’m as big of a D-Fletch fan as you’ll find, but he had a game to forget on a couple of really key plays. I’m only going to address one here: the dropped INT on the goal line. ND only wound up getting three out of it, but as it turns out—those three points could have made quite the difference and certainly would have moved momentum in our direction much earlier in the ballgame. For a player like Asprilla orALJ, or any other of the green D-backs this drop would have been borderlineexcusable. First game at ND, big rivalry game, not a lot ofexperience, etc., but D-Fletch has had all of those things and is a very good CB. That drop really hurt us early on…and sadly correctly set the tone for how the game would go.


4W) Freese onsides kick

Rightwhen you knew this was going to be what gave us another opportunity to win, or be the nail on the coffin. We all witnessed what may have been the worst onsides kick in BC history.
I like Freese, I really do he is a very talented player, but that onsides kick gave us no opportunity to recover


5M) Wasting Quigley’s Day

Oh man…Wesley, I couldn’t agree with you more. What a fantastic kick in the junk that was. I stilllike Freese and think that while this year has been tough for him, he’s a good kicker overall—but man oh man was that onsides kick a thing of legend (in as bad of a way as possible). If Ididn’t know better, I’d think this was a secret Spaz strategy to catch them off guard 30 yards down the field. Brutal way to end the game.

I’m going to flip the coin theother way and talk about the wasted efforts of the silver lining that was Ryan Quigley’s day Saturday. Simply put, he kept us in the game. If you look at the total offense numbers, it’s a blowout on paper. It was only due to Twig’s amazing punting day that we even stayed close. This is not to forget the awesome day the punt coverage team had as well—certainly not a one man show and together they were simply terrific. Truly a shame that such a performance was wasted on a loss. Had we won, this likely would have been a top 3 best of the best call-out.

Lastly, let’s take a moment toappreciate how GOOD our punters have been recently. Much of the talk recently has been about how spoiled we’ve been as fans/alums for the QB play we had prior to / including Crane (this is where most split). While that’s a fair topic, let’s not forget Johnny Ayers and his outstanding four years and now the three plus that we’re getting out of Quigley. You only really notice them, generally speaking, when they do something bad. We haven’t paid attention to the punting game inalmost a decade. We need to appreciate this fact.


6W) Not getting over 14

Really the Defense had a good gameplan and executed it. Holding ND to 16 points is what it needed to do to obtain a win, so I would say that the defense did their part. The offense on the other hand was nothing short of offensive. After being put in repetitive good position with the ball, the offense reminded me of groundhog day as it was uber predictable. Not enough shots down field, when tosses toPantale were working they didn’t continue to go there. You need to play to win, and I have to say our Offensive game plan seemed to play not to make mistakes.


7M) O-LinePassProtection

Agreed on the point line, Wesley. It’s a little sad when you look at this year—and Spaz’s tenure for that matter—and you realize we’ve only scored over 20 points something like four times in two years against FBS competition (Duke, Wake, Kent State, and Maryland. I won’t even bother at that collective winning percentage; you can make a healthy guess). That’s not even addressing the 13.33 (13, 13, 14) pts/game average in the three recent bowl games—not that we’ll have to worry about that this year.

Sigh.

Here with my 4th pick, 7th overall I’m going with the O-Line pass protection. Yes, I know they’ve been beaten up all year, but now folks are getting after Rettig more and more. I’m not. When Chase has time to throw and sets his feet (this happens maybe 1/5, 1/6 plays), he throws a tight, accurate ball. When the line breaks down, Chase admittedly gets happy feet and when that happens he’s as accurate as a drunk throwing beads at Mardi Gras—except it looks like he’s not having nearly as much fun.

So yes, I agree Chase needs to calm down those happy feet—but look to the cause…the lack of protection from the O-line.


8W) Hearing the ND band play our song

Now Granted I like hearing Shipping up to Boston over and over, and the Notre Dame band did about as well as any French bandcould do. But let me set them straight real quick.
That song is associated to Boston College, Irish and tradition. All things that Notre Dame has tried to be attached to for years, but has failed miserably.


9M) Jonas Gray injury

No kidding. It’s not like the name of the City of Boston isn’t right in the song title or anything for “Shipping up to BOSTON”. Sheesh. ….and these are the kids who like to pretend like they’re wicked smaht. What a bunch of retahds.

For number nine I’m going with the Jonas Gray injury. I know it wasn’t a BC player but the announcers did talk at length at how the young man has turned his life around and had worked so hard at becoming a better football player and person—and that it was all finally paying off for him and he was now looking like a strong candidate to be drafted into the NFL. It was very sad to see the knee injury occur and all you can do is wish this young man the best and tell him if he needs a roadmap for how to overcome adversity and make your way into the NFL, check out #58 for Big Blue on Sunday Night Football.


10M) The rest of the BC programs getting losses as well

Mike I agree, Gray was absolutely destroying us as well, he is just a huge back to bring down. Hope nothing but the best for the guy.
It wasn't just a rough weekend for the football team. Hockey, Basketball, and pretty much every other team that was fielded over the weekend came back with a loss.. A'int that a kick in the pants.

Keys to the game vs. Notre Dame

Keys to the Game.

1W) Keep the foot on the Gas

28 pts or bust
Ok, Boston College has shown that it can go for 30 mins on offense.. I
hate to say it , but 14points isn't going to win against ND. It will take
twice of that to win.
28 points is what it takes, which really isn't much. But If we are able
to hit the 28 point water mark. I think there will be a W.


2M) It¹s the Holy War

What I mean by that is this: don¹t worry about the records. Don¹t worry
about the point spread. Don¹t worry about the expectations. Don¹t worry
about what the media is saying. This is the Holy War. These are the
only two FBS Catholic Schools playing football. Both with proud Irish
roots. Ours, of course, are real‹my ancestor¹s ship didn¹t dock in
Indiana. I digress

This is a rivalry game. Get up for it. Soak in the ambiance that is
Notre Dame Stadium. Know that despite what some of their lesser fans
might argue, this is a rivalry game and one which has never paid
attention to rankings or spreads. This is a rivalry game, and anything
can happen.


3W) Chase Rettig Rollouts

You know one thing that I saw in the first couple of games that seemed to
die off as of late? The Roll outs from Chase. Although I have seen a
marginal improvement from the O Line, I still like when Chase Rolls out,
and buys some more time for himself and the receivers. And I kinda think
he is even more accurate when doing this , as he focuses less on the
Defense coming after him and more about the throw


4M) no Redzone fumbles

We are simply not good enough to get away with fumbling the ball in our
own red zone nor can we afford to miss an opportunity to put up points
while in theirs.

If we are going to pull this upset, we need to limit the turnovers but
specifically we can't have the killer ones like we did vs. FSU.

We do that, this game gets quickly out of hand.


5W) Keuchly out tackling Teo.

Although I really don't think this is going to be much of a competition,
I don't think that I am going to be the only one counting and matching
these at home.
As both players we be competing for the overall win, I do think the
individual competition of who is a better LB will be an interesting one.,
and I already know who I would pick.


6M) team leaders providing the spark

we know the team isn't going to rally around Spaz or his incoherent
mumblings, do we need our guys to self-motivate and inspire each other.

Early in the season when searching for excuses and we and creative ways
to throw out players under the bus, Spaz said we lacked leadership.

Prove him wrong, step up and be a leader of yourself and your teammates.

7W) Trick play.

I don't know if it's a flea-flicker or what, but I want to see something
that makes me realize that they are willing to try something different.
No this doesn't include the Bordner option. I want to win the game, and
play that way


8M) Holloway making 'em howl

Last week Max had a breakout performance where he consistently dominated
the opposing tackle and harassed Glennon all game long.

If Max can keep this mean streak going and put the same sort of pressure
on Rees (or whomever else they decide to throw back there) that allows us
to play that soft opportunistic zone that Spaz / Govs love to run.

He was THE game changer last week, of we see it happen again this week it
could be the start of something special.


9W) Chase Completion % over 60

Now let me put the disclaimer that he needs to throw the ball over 20
times, but a completion rate over 60% is all that I think he needs to
achieve.
Chase has had some happy feet understandably, those happy feet have a hard
time being consistent, possibly utilizing draft pick 3 he can help improve
his % to 60, but by doing that, I believe we win. And 60% isn't an insane
number.


10M) Asprilla / Sylvia taking chances

Listen, we're 24.5 point underdogs. If we play back and just hope turnovers come our way, we might be waiting a very long time.

We need to take chances and be aggressive on D in the passing game and try to get interceptions and big returns.

I understand the risk on being aggressive here, but I think it's a risk we need to take to win.

Best of the Best vs. NC State

Hooray! We won the Ginger Bowl!

-------------------------------------
1) Max's Motor

I don't know what or who possessed Max Holloway on Saturday, but I
sure
hope he comes back often. The last time I recall a DE position
playing
for BC that was as dominant as Max was on Saturday, he wore 94.
That's
Mathias Kiwanuka for those of you who thought Herzy was the only
great
Eagle ever to dawn the numberŠ Truly an outstanding performance,
multiple pressures, sacks, forced fumblefor
more out of Max. Just a truly tremendous game by Holloway.


2w) Rettig to Larmond
Mike I couldn't agree more, are we seeing the max that we hear so
much
about in doing camp?

The pass from Rettig to Larmond was as good as they come, perfect
touch,
great route running, and a TD what more do you want haha.. Oh top
that
off with mamas boy written on his towel that he displayed after the
td,i'm guessing this could be a recurring thing

3m) Bordner read-option TD

I absolutely agree with this one, Wesley--you took my pick out from
under
me. Chase has been beaten up--both by the press of recent and by
the
D-linemen coming after him this year--and this play showed all of
the
haters what he can do. Just a perfectly thrown ball with supreme
accuracy and just enough air under it so that a great move by
Larmond
off
the line of scrimmage was rewarded with six. Great call.

For my second pick, third overall, I'll go with the Border
read-option
on the goal-line. Just like we called for in the keys to the game
(link), Bordner caught
the NC State a little off guard and walked into the endzone for the
first
BC touchdown.

It was used again with not as much success (as it turned into a
reliable
QB sneak with little threat of a pitch/handoff and zero threat of a
pass), but this was a great play call and execution close to the
goal
line.

4W) Luke getting 18
Now you just read the number, 18 right? That's what most
statisticians
will read and say, another day at the office for Luke.. But then you
would
only know about 1/10th of the story. Luke had 9 going into the 4th
quarter, and injured his shoulder. I think a lot of us BC fans were
concerned about Luke's health, and sad about the potential of not
hitting
the 10 or greater streak he has been on.. But Luke came back and
made
9
tackles in the 4th quarter alone.
Like I said , you look at the stats of 18, and although those are
impressive, understanding that Luke went out with an injury, and
then
came
back in possessed is the real story.



5M) Chase to Amidon bomb

If you had the misfortune of watching the Florida State / BC game,
then
you know we rarely ever took shots downfield (or had the time to
throw
them, for that matter). This time, the line held up enough to give
Chase
time to move laterally and see that Amidon had beaten his man on a
"go"
route. The ball was actually beautifully placed in a space that
ONLY
Amidon could have caught it, there was zero chance of an INT on that
pass.

Amidon made a terrific adjustment with his body from where he was
towards
the sidelines, secured the ball and got one foot in bounds all
before
the
NC State Corner had an idea of what was going on. This huge chunk
of
yardage set up the Bordner TD run and put BC out in front--where we
would
never look back (strange to type that this year).

6W)Quinn Sack

Yes, Quinn had a penalty, but I was very impressed with the amount of
pressure that Quinn put on NC State, and really got the opportunity
to
demonstrate his strength when he was able to keep his pads low.

7M) Kickoff / Punt return coverage

It may sound faint, but TJ Graham is a game-breaker. The fact that we
were able to keep him under wraps and not allow him to hurt us at all.

8W) First half offensive play calling

Honestly , the first half of offensive play calling was hands down the
best play calling we have seen all year. There was plenty of different
sets, good change of pace, and was pretty successful ( would have been
more successful without some drops etc) with that said, the second half
was atrocious.
Dave Brock, when scripting a game plan, do the whole game next time, we
need it.


9M) Sylvia blitz

One of our biggest problems with bringing pressure has been when we have
blitzed, we've telegraphed it well ahead of time.

On this play, Sylvia walked up to the line and got a great jump, pursued
into the backfield and --this is the great part--leapt at the running
back and brought him down before he had a chance.


10W) Duggan
You know as Duggan is a true freshman, stepping in the starting role for
an injured KPL, he has done nothing short of an awesome job.
Duggan was able to grab a handful of tackles, and overall is outplaying
his experience. Has he made some mistakes, sure, but he is a very pleasant
surprise.