What is so disappointing about this season is that the BC Eagles defense is probably the best it has been in years. Brian Toal is coming off his neck injury and heads up a linebacking core that is both experienced and quick. And yes, if you are curious, Francois is back! It seems like he has been at BC forever but I assure you this his last season. Not to mention my favorite player on BC, Mark Herzlich. One word, stud.
The defense line is another story. The ends are good but a tad inexperienced, but BC has the two biggest men in the middle, BJ Raji and Ron Brace, and they are athletic as well. These two gentlemen will go to town on a buffet and then smash unexpecting running backs.
The secondary is very inexperienced, but still shows some promise despite losing DeJuan Tribble and Jamie "Mad Dog" Silva.
Overall I gave the BC defense an A-.
I can always tell how an offense is going to do by who the impact players are in the new NCAA 2009 game. This year it is just one person: Ryan Purvis. I laughed out loud. Purvis is a great tight end in the BC system. He has sure hands and runs well with the ball after the catch, but a tight end can only get you so far.
Chris Crane has waited behind Matt Ryan and now he finally has his chance. Although he has nowhere near the arm strength that Matt Ryan possesses, he is more athletic, and this gives Jags something to work with at the QB position. Expect to see a lot roll out passes so they get Crane out of the pocket and into more open space to make throws.
The running back situation is a work in progress. Josh Haden is BC's prize recruit for 2007 and Jeff Smith is recovering from a series of concussions that kept him out all of last year. There was a possibility that he would never play again. Haden is supposed to be a play maker and is good catching the ball out of the backfield, so look for him to improve this year, but I am looking for him to reach his prime next year.
BC's offense is not going to be able to produce as much as they did last year, which may get them into trouble and they will lose some close games as Crane, aside from Purvis, does not have a solid target at wideout. Brandon Robinson and Rich Gunnel are their primary targets, but dropped a lot of balls last season, which cannot happen this season.
Overall I rated BC's offense with a generous C+.
Special teams, two words: Steve Aponavicious. Nuff' said.
This year started out against a cupcake opponent in the Kent State Golden Flash. BC pitched a shutout against their MAC 10 opponent to start the year on a good note.
The next game was a big one: Georgia Tech. This was a must win for BC. GT was predicted to be about middle of the road in the ACC and in order for BC to establish some kind of momentum this year a win on the road against GT would be HUGE.
I couldn't watch the game because I go to school in Florida, and of course ESPN wasn't covering so I couldn't watch it on 360 and was thoroughly upset. I watched the game on game channel, so that was bad luck from the start.
BC was in the lead for most of the game, but could not capitalize in the red zone, which resulted in Aponavicius field goals from 36, 34, and 26.
BC at least showed that they could move the ball on GT, but if they turned one of those FGs into points they would have won (John Madden moment).
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