TLOS Preview: #18 Boston College

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

(Starting August 1st, The Love of Sports began featuring one college football program each day, breaking down their offense, defense and - most importantly - their food, beverage, cheerleaders, tailgating prowess and all-around campus life! That’s because those are the things we value here the most. College football is all about the atmosphere, and that’s exactly what we’ll give you all season long!)

Today’s Preview: Boston College Eagles

TLOS Preseason Rank: #18
TLOS Predicted Record: 9-4
2007 Record: 11-3
Returning Lettermen: 39

Boston College football is the classic case of, “What see is never what you get.”

I don’t have the word space to chronicle the ups-and-downs of the Eagles over the past decade and a half, but they certainly never fail to exhilarate or humiliate.

This year the Eagles look headed for a sub-par year, by Chestnut Hill standards. Gone are quarterback Matt Ryan (third overall pick) and offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus (17th overall). Also, the teams top running backs, Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth (2,500 career yards each), and three offensive lineman no longer get mail in Chestnut Hill. They also lost Jamie Silva, who led the team in interceptions and was the heart and soul of the defense, as well as cornerbacks DeJuan Trible (sixth round pick) and Taj Morris.

Will they finish in the lower half of the ACC, as most people think? Or will they surprise again and make a run at the top?

Offense

Five-year seniors have gone the way of the beeper in college football. Chris Crane is one of those rarities, though, and it’ll be his job to lead the Eagles offense. He has the unenviable task of taking over for the kid they called “Matty Heisman” or “Matty Ice,” for his late-game heroics. He’s played his new role to perfection in the media, dismissing the pressure of backing up one of the best the school has seen. Now comes the hard part.

The good news for Crane is that he has a trio of talented and experienced receivers. Rich Gunnell led the team with 931 yards and seven TDs last year. Brandon Robinson (14.2 YPC, 5 TD) will lineup opposite Gunnell. Robinson’s one of the top kick returners in the ACC. Tight end Ryan Purvis is a 6-foot-4, 260-pound machine and was All-ACC last year. Second on the depth chart is Billie Flutie, the nephew of former B.C. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Doug Flutie. A little Flutie Magic can never hurt.

The running game and the offensive line are full of question marks. Anthony Castonzo had a superb freshman year, but is moving from right to left tackle. He looks to be the next in line of NFL caliber linemen, but will have to adjust to the new position. The only other starter coming back is center Matt Tenant.

In the backfield, the Eagles have a potential stud in true freshman Josh Haden. He was a Top 5 recruit who was heavily pursued by Florida and others. How committed is he to staying at B.C., though? He got the Eagle logo tattooed on his chest. That’s Eagle Pride. His backup is junior Jeff Smith, who was kept off the field most of last year with concussion issues. The third back is Razzie Smith. All three runners can break big runs and are much faster than the seniors who left. The problem is the experience and whether they can hold up for a full season.

Defense

This is the unit where second-year coach Jeff Jagodzinski’s fortunes lie. The Eagles play a 4-3 and are loaded with talent and experience. They get a tremendous lift with the return of two seniors: DT B.J. Raji and LB Brian Toal. Raji was second-team All-ACC in 2006 before he missed all of last season (academic issues) and is expected to take control of the line. Toal was a medical redshirt last year and is considered one of the top backers in the ACC. In ‘06, he wasn’t only an All-ACC talent at linebacker, but doubled as the Eagles short yardage fullback and led the team with six rushing TDs. The addition of those two is akin to a major league team making a trade for two veterans at the deadline.

The secondary will be a cause of concern. Although reports are they looked good in scrimmages, the Eagles will have three new faces. Silva was a third-team All-American, and his loss can’t be understated. Now, it’s going to be up to senior safeties Paul Anderson and Marty Bowman. Bowman’s the only member of the secondary to start a game, but he’s confident he can fill Silva’s shoes. The corners will be freshman DeLeon Gause and junior Roderick Rollins.

Overall Outlook

Last year, the Eagles won the Atlantic Division and played in the ACC Championship Game. This year, expectations aren’t as high in the media, but they are for Jagodzinski. Coach Jag isn’t concerned with the players no longer on the team - just the ones on the field. He feels his team can contend for another division title and has his players believing the same thing.

The Schedule

The Eagles will face both Clemson and Virginia Tech at home. Those two are favored to win the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. Last year, they beat Va. Tech in Blacksburg in the regular season and won at Death Valley. They open the season at Kent State, then have three straight home games, against Georgia Tech, UCF and Rhode Island. A 4-0 record is a distinct possibility.

Then comes the heart of the ACC schedule, which kicks in to gear hardcore. First is a game at N.C. State against old coach Tom O’Brien, then the battle with the Hokies and a date at Chapel Hill. The Eagles could be 3-1 in the ACC when Clemson comes calling in what could be the biggest game of the year. They hit the home stretch with Notre Dame heading to Alumni Stadium. Tough games at FSU and Wake will follow. The Eagles end the season at home against Maryland, who was picked to finish fifth in the ACC.

Boston College has made nine straight bowl games and have the nation’s longest bowl winning streak, with eight. I fully expect them to make it to another bowl this season, but can they make it to a BCS game? Highly unlikely. But they should finish better than fourth, which is where they are in preseason rankings.

I’m calling for eight or nine wins and another December 30th bowl.

Bold Prediction

The Eagles beat Clemson at home November 1st.

School Atmosphere

Pregaming: Students of B.C., or people who know campus dwellers, love the atmosphere at Chestnut Hill. It’s a picturesque dream. The city sits in a residential area of a beautiful Boston suburb dripping with fall scenery.

OK, enough of that crap! This is about eating, drinking and partying! Sadly, B.C.’s woefully average when it comes to this department. For starters, tailgating is only allowed in the Flynn Fund Parking Lot, a seven-tier garage on campus. I’m not knocking a scholarship fund here, but come on. The lot’s open to only those who have donated $500 to the fund in the last year AND have season tickets in their name. That means no students, unless, of course, your pops is laying down some serious dough.

Even in that lot, the tailgating’s regulated. For one, all grills must be turned off 30 minutes before the game, and it’s widely known Eagle fans have a terrible case of being on Dodger Time.

Things have gotten better in recent years, and the word around town is that the Flynn Fund tailgaters are usually friendly and gracious, but it certainly isn’t for everyone. Exclusion among fans gets a big thumbs down.

For those that are planning on hitting up a game - and aren’t alumni or students - it can be a challenge. You can’t park at the stadium, which means you have to park a town or two away and take a shuttle to the game. Your other choice is to take a cab or the “T” - which is a public transportation system. It’s not a bad way to go, and it’s relatively cheap, but it eliminates the tailgating aspect.

After the Game: There are also a few bars that can be hit up before or during the game.  Marry Ann’s is your classic college dive bar. Not a bad place to watch the game and mingle with the collegians, especially the ladies.

For the hungry folks, I strongly suggest the Eagle Deli. If you think you can put down food with the best, then put your money where your stomach is. This place, just minutes from Alumni Stadium, has the Eagle-Deli Challenge.

Ten half-pound hamburger patties (five pounds total) loaded with 20 slices of American cheese and 20 slices of bacon comfortably sitting between two buns. Add five pounds of fries and wash it all down with a tasty soda. If you can finish it in one sitting, the meal’s free. Not only that, but you’ll enter the Eagle’s Deli Hall of Fame. What’s not to love!?!

The Stadium

Now for the good. Alumni Stadium sits right in the middle of campus, so the students can hang around the dorms and grill up some burgers and dogs and have a few thirst quenchers before, during and after, if the situation calls for it. The students are a blast and give the place a great vibe. These are “Superfans” after all.

Alumni Stadium has been around since 1957 and currently holds 44,000 people at its peak. It was opened with the help of John F. Kennedy, who would come back to the stadium several times after that, including a Convocation Address in1963, just months before his death.

The NFL’s Boston Patriots also played one season there, in 1969.

Shameless Chearleader Pics

Famous Alumni

--John Kerry, Former Democratic Presidential Nominee
--Doug Flutie, 1984 Heisman Trophy quarterback
--Leonard Nimoy, Spock from Star Trek
--Chris O’Donnell, Actor (Batman & Robin, Scent of a Woman, etc.)
--Amy Poehler, Actor/Comedian (Saturday Night Live, Blades of Glory, Baby Mama)
--Patrick Stokes, President of Anheiser-Busch (nice!)
--Tip O’Neill, Former U.S. Speaker of the House
--Mike Lupica, Sportswriter & ESPN personality
--Bob Ryan, Sportswriter for Boston Globe
--Leslie Visser, Sports broadcaster
--Dorothy Bush Koch, sister of President George W. Bush

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(The thing we like to do most while watching college football is drink an ice cold beer! If you like to do the same, then check out our sister site, The Love of Beer, to see what we’re drinking today.)