Category Archives: Football

A glimpse of times past

Posted on by

On senior day, on a day when BC honored football icon Matt Ryan, the Eagles performed in a manner reminiscent of seasons gone by — they dominated an FBS foe, shutting out UConn 30-0 yesterday in Alumni Stadium.

Smiles for Alma Mater

Smiles for Alma Mater

UConn this season is a borderline competent team, with a 3-8 record, 1-6 in the American Athletic Conference. But the Huskies were the perfect foil for a BC team suffering its own bouts with competence in recent years.

The Eagles dominated the game in all respects. BC doubled UConn in first downs, 16-8, gaining 337 yards to 121 yards for the Huskies. On the ground, BC held UConn to -6 yards overall and gained 157 yards. QB Patrick Towles was 14-19 passing, for 183 yards and a touchdown. In terms of ball possession, BC doubled UConn again, holding the field for just over 40 minutes.

The pattern this season is that BC has dominated lesser opponents — their out-of-conference schedule — while being dominated by all ACC opponents but one. The Eagles are 4-0 against teams from minor conferences or the FCS division, outscoring them by 113 points (28 points per game). In 7 ACC games, the Eagles are 1-6 and have been outscored by a total of 182 points (26 points per game).

The Eagles finish the regular season Saturday against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Kickoff is noon PT. If BC wins, they will be bowl-eligible. If they finish 5-7, they may still qualify for a bowl. How? There may not be a sufficient number of teams reaching the criterion of 6 wins to fill the _40_ bowl and championship games. Teams with 5 wins and a high Academic Performance Rating, which BC would be, may then be considered.

ryan_uconnAt halftime, BC honored Matt Ryan ’07 by retiring his jersey. Ryan led the Eagles to one of their most successful seasons in 2007. BC won its first 8 games that season, achieving a #2 national rank. They finished 11-3, losing to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship and defeating Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl. Ryan threw for 4,500 yards and 31 touchdowns, was named ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-America. In his three years as a starter for BC, the Eagles won bowl games each season.

Ryan has been the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback for the past nine seasons. He is considered a candidate this season for most valuable player in the NFL. Ironically perhaps, commentator for the telecast of yesterday’s game was the man who recruited Ryan and coached him until 2007 — Tom O’Brien. BC fans gave the former coach a standing ovation when he joined Ryan for the ceremonies.

Highlights

Other sports update

BC men’s soccer finished its run in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, losing to Albany, 3-0. The Eagles had beaten the Great Danes early in the season, 5-3, but since that game Albany allowed only 7 goals through the remainder of their season.

 

Gap between BC and ACC ‘monstrous’

Posted on by

Following BC’s 45-7 loss to Florida State Friday night, the Boston Globe said the “the monstrous gap between the Eagles and their competition in the ACC couldn’t be more apparent.”

This was BC’s 6th loss in 7 games against ACC opponents this season and 14th loss out of the last 15 games against ACC opponents. Due to the presence of teams like UMass, Wagner, and Buffalo on the schedule earlier, the Eagles have a 4-6 record and, with wins in the final games against UConn and Wake Forest, would qualify for a post-season bowl.

From 1999 through 2015, BC lost 4 games by 30 points or more. The Florida State loss was the team’s 4th such loss this season. The Eagles have been shut out 4 times in the last two season. They had 60 games 2010-14 in which they were not held scoreless.

bcflad_fsuAs for the game itself, the highlight for BC might have been just running out into the stadium in front of 74,000 fans and thinking out great it would be to upset the Seminoles on national television. Alas, when Richard Wilson scored a touchdown for BC with just over 3 minutes left in the game, Florida State had 45 points on the board. It was 21-0 at halftime.

The Eagles gained a total of 146 yards in the game. They rushed for 96 yards, 39 of which came on a 39-yard run by Myles Willis in the first quarter. Quarterback Patrick Towles was 3 of 11 for 29 yards. Florida State had 24 first downs to BC’s 8, and gained 416 yards overall.

Game video (It is all Florida State. Duh.)

Basketball/Hockey roundup

Last year, the BC men’s basketball team matched the football team in going winless in conference play. With 10 more chances than the football team to win (18 games vs. 8), the could be considered even more egregiously bad.

But it’s a new season, right? BC opened its season yesterday at home against Nicholls State (that’s that school in Thibodaux, Louisiana). Never behind, Nicholls State beat BC 79-73. Details unbecoming.

Women’s basketball traveled to Connecticut for its opener and lost 65-56 to Hartford.

Women’s hockey swept UNH this weekend, after splitting with BU the previous weekend. BC is 9-3-2 overall and 8-2-0 in Hockey East. As of November 7, they were ranked #6 nationally. The men’s hockey team, meanwhile, moved up to #3 in the country, as of November 7, and have compiled a record of 9-2-1, 5-0-1 in Hockey East.

Can’t compare

Posted on by

Louisville continued to add to BC’s undistinguished record against better teams in the ACC this season, beating the Eagles 52-7 Saturday in Alumni Stadium. Against teams in the ACC with winning records, BC’s football team is now 0-3, giving up 157 points and scoring 17 in those games.

Carlsbad's own Ray Smith (96) takes aim at Louisville QB Lamar Jackson

Carlsbad’s own Ray Smith (96) takes aim at Louisville QB Lamar Jackson

Indeed, Saturday’s loss was the Eagles’ 7th straight to a ranked team, and 19th out of 20, since 2009. The sole win in this run was against USC in 2014.

Saturday’s game was a résumé-builder for Louisville’s freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson in his bid for the Heisman Trophy. He accounted for 7 touchdowns, 4 passing and 3 rushing, covering 416 total yards. Personally, he had 15 carries for 185 yards. The Cardinals gained 515 yards in total offense.

On the game’s 3rd play, Jackson ran up the middle and past BC defenders for 69 yards and a touchdown. He looked back a couple of times in the last 20 yards or so to find himself alone. “I was surprised when I looked back,” he said in the Boston Globe.

Louisville led 38-0 at halftime. BC scored early in the 3rd period on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Towles to Tyler Rouse. BC overall gained 207 yards, 150 on the ground, and had 9 first downs. Towles was 13-of-21 for 147 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

The Eagles have 3 games left — Florida State, UConn, and Wake Forest — needing to win 2 to reach the 6-win criterion for bowl eligibility.

A small, but hardy, crew at Saturday's gamewatch. Front, l-r: Pat Ahern '11, Chris Lamb MS'08, and Julia Leone '11. Rear, l-r: Adrienne Lamb, Meryl Evangelista, Lissa Tsu '00, Bill McDonald '68, and Brian Tsu '00.

A small, but hardy, crew at Saturday’s gamewatch. Front, l-r: Pat Ahern ’11, Chris Lamb MS’08, and Julia Leone ’11. Rear, l-r: Adrienne Lamb, Meryl Evangelista, Lissa Tsu ’00, Bill McDonald ’68, and Brian Tsu ’00.

Game video