SB Nation - Jim Ramella

The Holy War and the Big Finish

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:05:24 -0000

More photos » by Santiago Flores - AP

3 months ago: A new billboard facing the Notre Dame campus is shown on Aug. 31, 2009 in South Bend, Ind. The billboard, offers a not-so-subtle reminder to Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis that the past two seasons have not been up to the standards of the storied Fighting Irish football program. (AP Photo/South Bend Tribune, Santiago Flores)

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Brian: Jeff is already on his way to Austin this weekend to participate in the Livestrong Challenge (good luck Jeff!) so you are left with me and my thoughts on tomorrow's Boston College-Notre Dame game. Let's take a look at the matchups on both sides of the ball ...

Boston College Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense. While we all know about BC's offensive woes on the road at Clemson and at Virginia Tech, the Eagles' offense is much further along now than they were in week 3 or even as recently as week 6. Last week you could see Dave Shinskie and the Eagles offense rebound from the poor performance in Blacksburg and expose a lifeless NC State defense, particularly in the run game. Luckily for the Eagles tomorrow, Notre Dame's defense - while not as punchless as Tom O'Brien's unit - is still not very good. The Irish rank 63rd in the country in rush defense, 96th in pass efficiency defense and 104th in total offense. Sobering numbers. I think there is something to be said for the Irish playing deep into the fourth quarter in each of their first 6 games - the defense hasn't been able to stop much of anything.

In the running game, with Josh Haden unavailable, the Irish will likely focus on Montel Harris this week and on containing him. Hopefully Rolandan Finch can fill in for the injured Haden. The onus will certainly be on Dave Shinskie and the offensive line to give Shinskie time to work. The Eagles may be facing a bit of an uphill battle on the offensive line without the services of starting left tackle Nate Richman, who was seen with a walking cast on his left foot. Jon Tenuta runs a blitz-happy 3-4 package that the offensive line will have to pick up quickly if the Eagles have any chance of moving the ball. The offensive line has played fairly poorly in both of our road games, but something tells me they will have it together more this weekend. The Eagles have a tendency to get up for this game. If the Eagles can get the ball in space past the blitzing Irish front 7, they should have success moving the ball.

In the receiving game, BC can't afford as many dropped passes as they had last week, especially with the weather forecast for tomorrow. (Seriously, what is up with the rain following me to BC games this year? Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame?!). Jordon McMichael is back in the lineup which is a good thing.

Boston College Defense vs. Notre Dame Offense. While I have a hard time trying to hold back vomit when I hear about Jimmy Clausen and his Heisman campaign, Clausen is a very good quarterback. Notre Dame is very much a pass first, run second offense, and Clausen has plenty of weapons in the receiving corps to burn the Eagles through the air. The Irish will be glad to have the services of Robby Parris, who injured his right knee, hip and ankle on Notre Dame's fake field goal attempt in the fourth quarter against USC. Thankfully, Michael Floyd - who is by far the Irish's best offensive weapon - will still be out this weekend. The go-to receiver will be Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph is also a threat at the tight end spot. While Clausen won't burn you with his legs like Tyrod Taylor or Russell Wilson, he can definitely find his spots as a more pure-pocket passer a la Riley Skinner or Christian Ponder.

While you will undoubtedly hear all about Boston College's struggles on the road this season, I think you will see the Eagles put in a much better performance on the road in South Bend this weekend. The game with Notre Dame always seems to bring the best out of BC. Also, having been to both Notre Dame Stadium, Lane Stadium and Death Valley, Notre Dame Stadium is certainly the least hostile of those three environments. With the weather forecast calling for plenty of rain and a high in the mid-40s, I expect a low-scoring, methodical (read: ugly) affair, with neither team pulling away until late in the fourth quarter.

Big Finish

Jeff: In HD's article on BC-ND today, Jim Ramella - a huge fan of the movie Rudy - is quoted as saying, "I mean, who didn’t want to go to Notre Dame as a kid?" Ramella said. "There’s no movie about Boston College." Your thoughts?

Brian: Give it some time, Ramella. I'm sure a movie could be written about The Miracle in Miami or Herzlich's story in the next few years. Besides, Rudy is overrated as a movie. That's right. I just went there.

Brian: The city of Charlotte - led by former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl - is selling Swofford and league officials on the idea of keeping the ACC Championship Game permanently in Charlotte. Your thoughts?

Jeff: It's probably the right thing to do but why not wait to commit to Charlotte until after next year's game at least. The problem is that if next year Clemson ends up playing Virginia Tech in Charlotte, of course it would sell out. We really need to see how Charlotte would do if BC played Miami or a matchup similar to that.

Jeff: HD has now jumped on the Eagles bandwagon and has BC playing in the ACC Championship Game. Some sort of reverse jinx going on here?

Brian: I don’t know. It seems like she changes her mind every week, and she’s had too many back-handed compliments about BC for me to take her seriously.

Brian: The Wake Forest blog Blogger So Dear came out with his 2009-2010 basketball preview and has the Eagles finishing 10 of 12 in the ACC regular season standings and staying home come tournament time. Really? Your thoughts?

Jeff: What happened to the Eagles finishing 3rd or 4th in the conference and perhaps being ranked nationally?

Jeff: Blue and Gold Illustrated writes that the Irish’s six game losing streak to BC is a streak on par with Notre Dame losing four straight to Northwestern (1959-62) and four straight to Air Force (1982-1985). Your thoughts?

Brian: Losing to Northwestern and Air Force four straight years is way worse than losing six (or potentially seven) to the Eagles. C'mon now.

Brian: DeLeon Gause will honor the memory of Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard, who was stabbed to death on Saturday night. This weekend Gause will wear Howard’s No. 6 instead of his normal No. 9. Gause and Howard competed against one another in high school in Miami. Straight class, no?

Jeff: Yep.

Jeff: You're heading to the game tomorrow. Are you gonna try to hang out with all the students in the RV lot? Or are you going to realize you are too old and they don't want you there and do your own tailgate?

Brian: I'm only a week older than you are dude. Are you suggesting you can't hang and tailgate with students anymore?

Brian: Last one, you’ve already sold your prediction rights to Rakes of Mallow, so no more predictions this week. In Bob Ryan’s article this week talking about the BC-Notre Dame series, he suggests that if BC loses this week, Notre Dame would be more likely to reschedule the Eagles. Agree?

Jeff: I want to say no because I would hope that they are not that shortsighted that one game result will make a difference in rescheduling the Eagles. Had they won the last six I think they would have already signed a deal.

Pick 5

Brian: Last week I knocked the cover off the ball going a perfect 5-0, while Jeff struggled and turned in a 1-4 performance. Up 9 games with half a season to go, pressure is on to keep my 9 game lead on Jeff.

Boston College (+8) at Notre Dame
Georgia Tech (-5.5) at Virginia
Wake Forest (+2.5) at Navy
Central Michigan (-8) at Bowling Green
Iowa (0) at Michigan State

Jeff:

Arkansas (+6.5) at Mississippi
Clemson at Miami (-4.5)
Penn State (-4.5) at Michigan
Louisville at Cincinnati (-18)
Oregon State (+21) at USC

The Preview: Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles

FSUncensored — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:50:44 -0000

Gametime is 3:30, on ABC or ESPN. How do you know which network to watch? I have you covered:

The TomahawkNation forecast indicates an 80% chance of a lot of rain, with temps in the upper 60's to the lower 70's. Wet.

Be here for the Tomahawk Nation livegamethread!

The preview awaits you. It is here to consume the rest of your day.

This summer, I wrote a preview of BC's defense. Unless you've been reading us for a while, you probably don't understand just how good BC's defense was last season. So read it.

Here's the part I want to highlight, my prediction.

BC plays a read and react defense under defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani (now the head coach), which means they rarely blitz. Spaziani is highly thought of as a defensive coordinator and is very detail oriented. He has always done a nice job of adapting his scheme to his personnel. And this year he has quite the task on his hands with the loss of his 3 best players (by far). BC returns only 5 starters on defense, and none of those 5 are projected NFL selections. To say that the talent has dropped off would be a huge understatement. It's highly doubtful that BC's defense will come close to what it did last season. Let's see what they bring back...

Defensive Line & Linebackers (The "Front 7")

Gone are the big boys we discussed above. BC doesn't have the ability to replace them. The best of this group is tackle Damik Scafe (6-3, 293, Jr.). He played a bit last year and will probably play in the NFL eventually, though he's an obvious dropoff from last year. The other tackle is tackle Kaleb Ramsey (6-3, 256, Soph.) Young and obviously not very strong, he's a major liability and most teams will be able to run on him.

While BC has major questions at tackle, they are considerable better off at defensive end. Austin Giles (6-3, 283, Sr.) will battle Alex Albright 6'2" 250 could also get the nod. At the other end, Jim Ramella (6-4, 243, Sr.) is a very solid player. These guys are good, but not great, and won't come close to having the impact that the two interior guys had last year. In fact, they could regress as teams focus on them and not the interior guys.

At linebacker, the Eagles are a mess. They lost Herzlich and he obviously isn't replacable. They also lost Robert Francois (6'2" 255), and Middle Linebacker Mike McLaughlin (6'0" 252) will try to return from tearing his Achilles back in March, but even if he does come back, he'll be quite rusty. Trying to replace Herzlich is sophomore Dominick LeGrande 6'2" 200 (yes, 200). He's not ready, but has to play anyways because of Herzlich's absence. LeGrande played safety last year. Sophomore Will Thompson (6'1" 235) will replace McLaughlin if he can't go. He has impressed people but is not as good as the guy he will be asked to replace. At the other position will be one of two redshirt freshmen in 6'3" 217lb Nick Clancy or 6'3" 222lb Alexander Disanzo.

These guys are much smaller, much less experienced, much less talented, and much younger. There's a huge dropoff for BC's defensive line and linebackers.

So BC's front-7 did weigh 1902lbs. This year, they will weigh in at 1711bs. That's a huge dropoff of 191lbs! No team in the country that I could find had this significant a dropoff, and nobody else was even close. That's to say nothing of the talent they lost (regardless of size), which they can't replace this season.

So 1711lbs combined in their front 7. Why does this matter? FSU's run game destroys small front 7's.

So, I was close, but I need to make a few changes. Giles is starting at DT, not Ramsey. McLaughlin is back and starting, though I was not impressed with him against Wake. He pressed too much. FSU also needs to make sure to exploit him in coverage, because he is not agile to put it mildly. LeGrande is their best linebacker, but he missed the Wake game with a concussion and is expected to return.

In any case, 1743lbs is their new weight, which is still 159lbs lighter than they were last year. Frequent readers will remember that I thought FSU could run on BYU because of their diminutive front-7 (under 1750lbs), and run the Noles did. USF's front-7 was decently sized at 1818lbs , but very very talented, and paired with a poor performance from FSU's line, the run game wasn't there. I won't say that BC's front-7 is as bad as BYU's, but they are nowhere close to USF's, or Miami's for that matter.

But so far this year, they have done a nice job stopping the run. Most of that work was done with the extra safety, however, and that comes with some consequences. BC's defense is really well coached. Spaziani is a great defensive coach. BC's guys know they have to take chances, but that comes at a cost. BC plays a lot of zone defense, with 8 in the box, and that leaves them exposed to big plays when their guys jump routes. As I discuss a bit below, Wake did exploit them some. Clemson, however, could not because their wide receivers are wildly undisciplined, dropped balls, and most importantly, because their offensive line is pretty bad and BC didn't really need 8 in the box to stop them. Wake's run game has been terrible for almost half a decade, and they still loaded the box and allowed 1st down passing.

Here's some notes from the Wake game:

Dr. Saturday Wrote:

B.C. controlled the vast majority of this game, moving ahead 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.

The Deacons could have been there, though, if not for a few of the usual blown opportunities, specifically a fumble in Eagle territory and a missed field goal in the first half. With its back against the wall, Wake drove for two long touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie, using a grand total of three minutes to go 67 and 80 yards, respectively, to put the game into overtime on a Riley Skinner throw into the end zone with 11 seconds left; from there, following a B.C. field goal on its turn with the ball, the Deacons proceeded to move to the Eagle three-yard line with a chance to score for the win. Cue crushing fumble on first-and-goal, an Eagle recovery and a hard ending to one of the best comeback efforts of the day.

The desperately-needed B.C. win takes a lot of sting out of the Eagles' late defensive collapse, which couldn't get a stop at the end of regulation (and nearly failed in overtime, too) and gave up five passes longer than 20 yards, most in the second half.

But how much of those last two drives were because of BC's Prevent Defense as BC fans contend? What about the turnovers? Was Wake's run game all one play?

Deacons Make Good 1st Down Choices

Wake had less than ideal success with 1st down running, having success only only 4 of 14 1st down runs (defined as 50% of necessary yardage). 4 of them went for a "stuff" (less than 10% of necessary remaining yardage). The other 5 were somewhere between 11 and 49% of necessary yardage.

But part of that had to do with BC's decision to take away the run by using an extra defender down in the box (typically a very aggressive safety). So Wake countered by throwing on 1st down (this is similar to what Miami did to the Noles). Wake threw on 17 1st downs. Only three of those passes were incomplete. Of the 14 that were complete, 11 were successful, and of those 11, 8 went for 1st downs. That's 9.4 yards per pass, 11.4 per completion. But on the issue of the prevent defense, there is some merit to that. 6 of the 11 successful 1st down pass plays were on the last two drives, and BC was definitely playing off coverage. They also didn't play it that well, as some of the completions were rather short.

It is worth noting that two of the turnovers for Wake wasn't really turnovers at all. One was simply a fumble on 4th and 25. Another was an interception on 4th and 6 from midfield, intercepted at the goal line. Both plays were better or similar to the what would have happened if the pass just fell incomplete or the runner was simply tackled.

Situation	Plays	Yards	Yards/Play	Points/ Play
1st 10 Drives	45	328	7.3	0.222
Last 2 Drives ("Prevent")	16	147	9.2	0.875
Overtime	5	17	3.4	0 (Obvious)

Okay, so there was something to the prevent argument.

Long Distance Down Struggles Signal Lack of Pass Rush

Wake faced 21 2nd or 3rd down and long situations. They passed on 13 of those. These are known as high leverage situations for the defense. They were successful on 5 of those. 5 of 13 is very good for an offense in long downs, particularly when you consider what some of those plays were. On 3rd and long, Wake hit passes of 58, 26, and 38 yards. They got no pass rush, and some of the linebackers and safeties really looked awkward in coverage. When BC blitzed, they did not get to Skinner (no sacks and very little pressure).

Name	Rush	Yards	Avg
QB Rushing	7	3	0.4
WR Rushing	6	-7	-1.2
RB Running (w/o 76 yard run)	17	70	4.1
RB 76 Yard Rush	1	76	76

The point of this chart, is to show that Wake Forest ran almost 10% of their plays as runs to the wideouts, with poor results. The run game, for most of the day, wasn't special, and definitely inflated by the one long run (which of course, does count, so we can't dismiss it. When a defense loads the box, it increases the chance they stop the run, but also increases the chance of allowing a big run, because of the angles.

So back to their secondary. Here's what I wrote before.

Secondary

Remember all those interceptions? Kiss them goodbye. BC's secondary was allowed to play pass first, second, and last. Now? They'll have to use one of the secondary members (a safety) in run support. The burden on the secondary should be significantly increased. Were those defensive backs really that good? Or were they the beneficiaries of a great front-7 that put opposing offenses in tough situations? I think it's the latter. None of the BC secondary guys are likely all-conference candidates or NFL players (none are projected to go in the 2010 or 2011 draft). Let's have a look:

At Safety, BC should be okay with Free Safety Wes Davis and Strong Safety Marcellus Bowman. Davis is a 6'2" 215 Junior who produced 60 tackles, 3 tfl, 2 INT, 6 pass breakups last year. He's a decent player in coverage and in run suppot, but as with most of these guys, I expect him to get exposed because he now has to play run and pass (can't play 25 yards off the ball). Davis will be hung out to dry all by himself because Bowman, a 6'2" 217lb Senior will be called upon to help stop the run. Again, the loss of the great front-7 guys (both expected and unexpected) is going to put tremendous pressure on this secondary.

At corner, BC has similar problems. They return the experienced Roderick Rollins, a 6-0, 188-pound senior. Rollins has had the benefit of a lot of help from his safeties in his career and that help won't be there this year. He's decently physical, but can he turn and run after the initial bump coverage? We shall see. At the other corner spot is rising sophomore Donnie Fletcher (6'1" 188lbs). Fletcher is another big corner. They also have the experienced Deleon Gause 5'11" 174lb, a Junior who has good physical skills, but is inconsistent.

BC's secondary plays extremely physical, which is great when they have the help of safeties who aren't pre-occupied with stopping the run. But without safety help, if the corners can't run and run, they will be burned for long TD's. Wes Davis will have to prove that he can cover the deep middle instead of a deep half (now that Bowman will play down in the box).t

I am pretty impressed with Rollins, he's a quality corner. **Update** Rollins is apparently doubtful with some sort of leg injury. Fletcher, however, has been burnt on some double moves. Despite their decent showing so far, I stand by my summer evaluation. This secondary was a product of a really good front-7, which is just no longer there. It's very important for FSU to stay in manageable down and distance. If they can, it will be like the BYU game, putting BC in tough situations and forcing their hand. If the Noles cannot, it will be much tougher for them. Spaziani is the master of the 3-5-3 defense (not 3-3-5, but 3-5-3). Here's an excerpt, but check out Dr. B's great article on the subject (lots of video as well). That should kill an hour of work for you, at least.

The basic package appears as a variation on the 33 Stackset with an extra OLB/Nickelback playing, with the SS being the 5th guy in the underneath zone. BC's base is still a 4-3. WILL and SS take the flats underneath, with the two interior LBs playing hook/curl zone and the SAM taking a slot/TE (curl) zone up the seam (note that it could also appear as a shifted 4-3, with the Sam playing in a 3pt stance). The two CBs and the FS are playing the usual 3-deep zone coverage. In the figure above, W, S, and B are LB's (Will/Sam/Bandit), and the SS's are called "Dogs" on the callside, "Rover" on the weakside. One of them will most likely be a OLB or backup Safety/Nickel. Its just terminology.

Read the explanation (Long)

As that article indicates, hitting the 4-verticals play will be key. Wake did it to them. We saw FSU use this against Jax State (Caz Piurowski), and once against BYU.

BC's defense was the ACC's best and easily top 5 nationally. They beat FSU up last year. FSU had the youngest offensive line in the country and were destroyed by an ultra-talented and experienced set of defensive linemen and linebackers. I have full confidence that Frank Spaziani will come up with good game plan after good game plan, but his ability to get creative will be severely hampered because his defense will face far fewer obvious passing situations. He's also never been a blitz guy, and he'll definitely need to blitz FSU to get pressure, because FSU's offensive line can handle BC's 3 or 4 man rush. When BC blitzes, can their secondary handle the single coverage responsibilities against FSU's wideouts? Though they will run a lot of cover-3, I do expect to see some man at times, particularly when blitzing. I expect FSU to run the ball on BC, even without a 100% Christian Ponder, force BC to make adjustments that they really don't want to do, and then FSU will exploit them down the field. This game could look very different from a big plays standpoint. BYU was content to sit back, but BC will not. If FSU starts to run on them, or picks them apart underneath, Spaziani will blitz. Their blitz wasn't good against Wake Forest, but I suspect it will be better Saturday, if needed.

For Florida State, a lot of this game comes down to not beating themselves. They have to get DT Scafe blocked. Other than that, I would not be worried about BC's defensive players more so than I would about FSU beating themselves. FSU needs to throw when BC has predictable run personnel in the game, be it via play-action or a regular dropback. McGlaughlin is 30lbs bigger than any other linebacker BC has, and FSU needs to make BC pay for having him on the field, specifically because he isn't particularly mobile at this point. And if they remove him, run the ball. Jermaine Thomas is back this week as the starting running back, which should be good. I could See Easterling having a big day from the slot.

Of course, the major X-Factor is the rain, and there will be lots and lots of cold rain. I am not sure what that means for a team like FSU, and this game is played on turf. So far this year I predicted a very high scoring Miami game, a high scoring Win at BYU, and had a very uneasy feeling about the USF game, predicting FSU to win by less than a touchdown when everyone else saw a blowout. I don't have the same grasp on this game. I'll say FSU runs for 180 yards on 36 carries, and throws for 240 yards on 30 pass plays (28 throws, 2 sacks). It'll be good for 28 points in some nasty conditions.

I watched the Clemson and Wake Forest games in their entirety. I don't feel much can be learned from the Clemson game in terms of defending BC. Clemson has one of the top 3 defenses in the country. I can think of at least 35 teams I would trade defenses with. Clemson was able to do things to the Eagle's offense that FSU simply cannot do, because literally, Clemson has a definitively better player at 9 of the 11 defensive positions. Also, Clemson is much better coached. But we can still break down BC's Offense, which again, will probably look like what we saw against Wake and not Clemson.

In the off-season, I wrote this on BC's Offense. There have been some changes, so I'll quickly run through them.

The Eagles lost up and coming star coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired after flirting with the NFL. That's a smart move for Boston College, because Jags is a very hot commodity and would have left soon anyways. He got a lot out of his players and his team outperformed the expectations of everyone. The Eagles also lost highly respected Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Steve Logan. Both are not with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Replacing Jagodzinski is longtime defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani. More on him later. Replacing Logan is Gary Tranquil, who was born in 1940. At one time, he was a decent offensive coach, but he's been out of the college game for 4 years. Where Logan was excellent and really took advantage of his player's talents and opposing defenses, Tranquil is not highly thought of. He runs a pro-style offense, does not spread teams out, and does not utilize his quarterback in the run game at all. His schemes are simple and from a purely schematic standpoint, Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews should own him. They are also abandoning their zone blocking scheme. Tranquil's offense is literally what Mickey Andrew's defense is designed to stop.

Unfortunately, there have been some changes here. I still don't think Tranquil is any good, but after their anemic showing against Clemson, they scrapped a lot of the new stuff and went back to the zone scheme that was successful for them last season. BC is running a lot of two-tight end sets, which scares me. I will say I was right in that they are trying to be more of a power run team. In an ideal world, they man-block a power run game. The next best thing for FSU would be power running w/ no QB threat from a zone scheme. The worst possible scenario would be spread run with a mobile QB. So it's not all bad, but it's definitely not ideal.

Boston College has a great offensive line. We talk a lot about how good FSU's O-Line can be, but I am here to tell you that BC's line is every bit as good. This is one of the best offensive lines in the country. They return all 5 starters. This is an excellent group. People make a big deal about his "big" these guys are, but they really aren't huge.

LT Anthony Castonzo (6-7, 287, Jr.)
RT Rich Lapham (6-8, 322, Jr.)
LG Thomas Claiborne (6-3, 323, Jr.)
RG Emmett Cleary (6-7, 270, R-Fr.)
C Matt Tennant (6-4, 294, Sr.)

Castonzo is a likely NFL 1st day pick (2nd rounder, maybe 1st, probably 2011 draft). He is an excellent pass blocker and is pretty quick. FSU's defensive end will have a tough time doing much against him. Lapham is obviously huge at right tackle. He is a very good run blocker but has bad feet and is a liability in pass protection. Not an NFL player. At Left Guard, Claiborne is an ex-defensive tackle who was excellent last year. He was 3rd team ALL-ACC and should be even better this year. Claiborne is an NFL player provided he keeps his weight in check. At Left Guard, Cleary is the newcomer to the group. He could be good eventually and was a tackle coming out of high school, but he's quite raw and will need to work on his back and knee bend to be any good. At Center, Tennant should be first team ACC. He's better than FSU's Ryan McMahon, though obviously less known. Don't get mad, FSU fans, I'm just giving it to you straight. BC has at least three NFL linemen who are probably 1st day (top 4 round) selections on their line. They return 4 starters and the line has 4 upperclassmen. This is an excellent offensive line and will make BC's skill position players look much better than they are. This isn't the most heralded unit in the country, but unless you judge offensive lines on things other than performance, talent, or experience, they should be considered one of the better groups. FSU will have one heckuva time against this unit.

Not much change here. Important to note that they were terrible against an all-time great Clemson defensive line, which was partially due to the Tiger's dominance, and partially due to the confusion. How disciplined to the scheme will BC stay? Will Tranquil try to throw some of his new stuff in there and risk confusing his own group? BC has a huge advantage here. They should be conservative and pound the rock until FSU clearly says "we're devoting extra people against the run, throw on us." FSU's DLine is now as bad as I thought they would be- they are worse.

At Quarterback, BC has Dave Shinskie, who is a 25 year-old Pocket passer and he also played minor league baseball. He hasn't played football in 6 years. More on him here. He's a good passer, because he was a decent prospect coming out of high school. He's not a run threat, however, and that's really what the 'Noles care about. They also have a kid named Tuggle, son of former NFL All-Pro Jessie Tuggle. He's an athletic freak but a really erratic passer.

If I were BC, I'd use Tuggle in the shotgun all day and run zone read down FSU's throat 55 times for about 350 yards. I think we'll see some Wildcat with him, but not as the base package, and that's a good thing.

The Eagles look good at running back. Montel Harris is their big back at 5' 10" 200. He had one heckuva game last year against the 'Noles as a freshman. He's not a home run threat, and this author thinks he's more of a product of BC's offensive line, but he does what is asked of him and grinds out tough yards. Last year he gained 900 yards on 179 carries (5 YPC), and caught 20 balls for 160 yards. The other back is Josh Haden, a scatback who gained 479 yards on 120 carries (4 YPC). He's 5'8" 182lbs, but should catch a few more balls this year. Blocking for these two is Senior James McClusky. He's 6'2" 250lbs and a mauler. He did hurt his Achilles in spring, however, and the Eagles desperately need him to be healthy this year as they utilize a 2-back attack. I fully expect Harris to get 200 carries this year, and also expect his average to drop a bit as other teams key on him more.

McCluskey is doubtful with an Achilles injury. So BC is running more two tight end sets, as I mentioned. Haden is still inconsistent, but he is very skilled and could break a long run. So about those wideouts and tight ends...

The Eagles do return WR Rich Gunnell, who was basically Robinson's equal in production, though far less explosive. Florida State's Patrick Robinson can easily handle him one on one without help (Robinson is CBS' #1 Draft Eligible Corner), and he'll be asked to as the 'Noles focus on stopping the run. They also have Justin Jarvis, who is 6'5" and was decently productive this year. Can Jarvis handle the increased role? That remains to be seen, but the Eagles are counting on him. The remaining guys are relatively unheralded wild cards. Junior Ifeanyi Momah is 6'6" 230 and caught 11 for 149 and 3TD's last season. He's their Greg Carr, except bulkier and about as fast as your average tight end. RsFr Clyde Lee had a decent spring I am told and could play some in the slot (though I suspect BC will not use many 3-wide sets). Finally, can Senior Clarence Megwa (6'1" 190) come back from a thought to be career-ending leg injury? If he can, BC will need him, because he started for them last year. Update: Megwa's leg is apparently healed, he's dealing with a hand injury and they expect him to be ready for the FSU game.

At tight end, 6'3" 250lb Soph Lars Anderson has a chance to be a very good pass catcher. Last year he snagged 9 balls for 85 yards. They also have Jordan McMichael, who was a very nice recruit in 2006 (I think), but has done nothing to date to impress anyone.

I don't think any of the draft eligible guys will get drafted. They really don't seem all that special. They aren't bad, but rather are just good college players.

Some notes. First, Gunnell has struggled, which almost certainly means he will have a big day against FSU, but Robinson should lock him down easily. Momah is definitely out. BC is using a tight end by the name of Chris Pantale, and he's been good for them. The McMichael kid is very good. Again, two tight end sets.

For FSU, most of the defensive line will play, but that is not to say they are healthy. Freshman JaJuan Harley, back from injury problems, will start at Rover over much maligned Senior Korey Mangum. Think of it as a mercy killing. Harley is the best athlete on the team and maybe in the ACC, but expect maddening inconsistency, busts, and also some highlight plays from the true freshman making his first ever start.

I expect BC to stay in two-tight end sets, with 1 back and two wideouts. They should be able to run the ball on the Noles, particularly with counters and traps, in addition to their zone run game, which is already good. I'm not re-inventing the wheel here. This is the same stuff you've seen since Chuck Amato replaced Kevin Steele as FSU's linebacker coach. Oh, they have a little speed-option they run as well. BC runs a ton of play-action passes, and I expect them to do well with those to their two impressive tight ends because FSU's players just aren't taught well on the defensive side. The defensive acuity just hasn't been instilled in these guys. It's not their fault. I'll take BC to have 200 yards rushing and 180 throwing, and 24 points.

Noles 28, BC 24.

Note: the heavy, heavy rain here is keeping my score prediction down. If it were higher, I'd predict a higher number.

The Conversation- Talking Boston College with BC Interruption

FSUncensored — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:08:58 -0000

More photos » by Lisa Poole - AP

Boston College head football coach Frank Spaziani, single-handedly bringing back the 'stache.

Browse more photos »

Each week we sit down with an expert from the opposing team. This week, our guests are Brian and Jeff of BC interruption.com. They're new to SBNation, but maintained a great site elsewhere before under the same name. Sometimes I enjoy doing these and sometimes I just do them because you the reader are interested. Brian and Jeff are squarely in the first category. I read their site every day.

Before we get to their answers, they asked me some questions and I hit them back with some answers over on their site. Check it out. On to the main event...

How much of a drop off has there been on the defensive side of the ball as a whole? Last year your defense was one of the 4 or 5 best in the country. How do you feel the seemingly brand new front 7 has held up thus far and will hold up as the season progresses? Can we get a starting front-7? I know that LB's Domonique LeGrande and Will Thompson have battled injuries. Will they play? Finally, how have the non-scafe DT's looked?

There hasn’t been much drop off on the defensive side of the ball as a whole this year. The unfortunate outcome of the lopsided Clemson loss was that the BC defense actually played really, really well. The Eagles offense gave the explosive Tigers offense great field position all day, and the defense was able to keep C.J. Spiller and the Tigers out of the end zone.

There seemed to be a bit of a drop off last week vs. Wake Forest when the BC defense coughed up a 14 point fourth quarter lead, but I think that was more the byproduct of being completely gassed. BC’s offensive playcalling with the lead was very conservative and the defense was on the field quite a bit in the fourth.

The one area of improvement I would like to see is in the pass rush. We hardly got any pressure on Riley Skinner last Saturday. I think we ended up getting to him only 3 times. The pass rush and getting pressure on the QB hasn’t been quite as good as it has been in the past. This is likely due to all the youth in the front 7.

As for the starting front 7, Alex Albright and Jim Ramella will start at defensive end, Scafe and Giles at the tackle positions, and Dominique LeGrande, Mike McLaughlin and Alex DiSanzo are your starting linebackers. Freshman Luke Kuechly has been moved from backup middle linebacker to backup weakside linebacker. The true freshman, along with sophomore Dominique LeGrande have played very well through four games.

Coaching changes- Several years ago we saw some major overhauls on our coaching staff. We may be coming up on some more coaching changes after this season. Because of the coaching changes, I think it’s relevant to ask some opponents how they (fans and team) are dealing with similar circumstances. When you answer this, we understand the context: you have suffered huge losses next to last year’s team due both to the NFL draft and some very unfortunate off field circumstances. If anyone in D-1 football is seeing a rebuilding/down/ transition year, it’s BC. So… Jags left and Spaziani took over. Hard times aside, what is Spaziani doing differently than Jags so far, 1) that you (as fans) like 2) that you dislike, and 3) how is the team responding?

It has certainly been a tough offseason for Boston College. That’s an understatement. As for Spaziani, I think the team is responding as well as it can be given the circumstances. I like Spaz’s hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to coaching and the media. He won’t be shy to tell you what he thinks and definitely exudes a hard-working, blue-collar approach to the team. This approach really mirrors the play of his outstanding defenses at BC over the years.

The dislikes … one, he isn’t very quick to name a starting quarterback as there is still no clear winner in the quarterback competition (although it appears as though Shinskie will get the majority of the snaps on Saturday). There’s also some questions as to what exactly his offensive philosophy is as his coaching staff (Tranquill in particular) is still very unproven. Spaz also burned a few redshirts this season, an approach that is somewhere in the middle of the Tom O’Brien and Jeff Jagodzinski approach. TOB tended to burn redshirts as the exception rather than the rule, while Jags’ philosophy was to play the best 11 guys no matter what class. I did raise an eyebrow when we burned a few redshirts (namely freshman QB Michael Marscovetra and running back Rolandan Finch), but at the end of the day, the coaching staff better knows the talent that this team has than I do.

How is Mark Herzlich doing? What are the realistic expectations that he will ever see the field again?

One of the requests of the Herzlich family when Mark was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma was a respect for privacy in this matter and with Mark’s treatments. Not to completely cop out on this answer but we certainly want to honor the Herzlich family’s wishes and not speak on his behalf as to how things are going, how he is holding up with his treatments, etc. That being said, we were both fortunate to speak to Mark’s father and his family before the Clemson game and news was certainly encouraging.

ESPN’s College GameDay is also filming a segment on Mark and his battle with cancer so we’d also ask that you tune in to hear more about his story. The kid is an absolute competitor and we certainly hope he sees the field again next year. We are rooting hard for Mark and he and his family are in our thoughts.

I noticed that BC is going to hold off on naming their starting QB. I assume this means you will use Tuggle and have him run the zone-read play which BC ran to such great success last year, despite having a statuesque quarterback? How much of Jags/Logan's scheme is still around? Does Tranquil have the smarts to commit to running the zone-read stuff for an entire game, or do you think he is stubborn and will want to implement his own stuff?

True, the zone-read was very successful for the Eagles last season in Tallahassee. Spaziani has named David Shinskie the starter this week. This is the first week there isn’t an OR next to both the first, second and third string quarterbacks. My guess is we’ll also see Tuggle for a few plays. But if Shinskie establishes himself early, plays well and the game is close, the opportunity to throw Tuggle under center might not present itself. If the Eagles offense struggles early a la the Clemson game, expect to see Justin Tuggle or even Michael Marscovetra under center for BC.

Last week Josh Haden had a great game rushing the ball on playcalls that seem to be holdovers from the Jags/Logan days. I hope Tranquil will continue to call many of those plays Saturday. But, the season is still young and we don't know much about Tranquil yet. Remember, we beat two cupcakes the first two weeks of the season and then at Clemson, no one on offense, including Traquill it seemed, showed up. We also can't look to recent history for answers because the man came out of retirement to come coach at Boston College. We'll be finding out more Saturday I'm sure.

I’m going to Boston for the first time ever this weekend. A bunch of friends and I have rented some hotel rooms and hope to really enjoy the city (and a win). What are somethings I need to check out while in Boston? *Keep in mind I am a 23 yr old with a college student’s mentality, even though I am technically a "young professional" (yeah right). Thanks!

ESPN beat us to the punch here and actually produced a thorough Boston GameDay guide. This guide isn’t bad for visitors to Chestnut Hill. Some revisions for the 23 year-old crowd:

·         Skip Johnny’s Luncheonette in Newton Center and grab a burger and fries at Eagles’ Deli in Cleveland Circle before the game. If you are up for the challenge, try the Godzilla Burger (featured on Man v. Food!). It’s one delicious pound of beef, 4 slices of cheese, and 1 pound of fries. Successful challengers get their Polaroid picture displayed on the wall.

·         If you want to experience it, you can check out MaryAnn’s, the quintessential BC dive bar. But I can’t imagine that would be too much fun for Seminoles fans. There are two really good alternatives in Cleveland Circle though in CitySide and Roggies. You can grab a drink and some decent food.

·         Check out Shea Field for the tailgating scene. Again, not sure if you would have much fun venturing into the Mods wearing garnet and gold.

Thanks again Brian and Jeff! Good luck this weekend!

'Nole Your Enemy- The Shrinking Boston College Defense

FSUncensored — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:57:36 -0000

We continue our " 'Nole Your Enemy" Series with Boston College. We started with South Florida (Offense, Defense) and continued with BYU's Offense and Defense. Yesterday we previewed BC's Offense. Today we'll look at their defense, and particularly how they will defend the Seminole Offense

Boston College's defense was excellent last year, not just in the ACC, but on a national level. They were easily one of the top 5 defenses in the country, and one of the best in the latter part of this decade. BC was loaded with experienced, smart, very talented players and they were very well coached. Let's take a look at where they ranked against other ACC teams:

Obviously, the lower the number, the better. Florida had the Nation's best defense, and they posted a -0.567. BC had a -0.547, which by this measure, placed them as the 2nd best defensive unit in the nation.

So BC's defense was really, really good. But why was Boston College so good on defense? How did they do it? And more importantly, can they do it again this year against the 'Noles? Let's find out...

Boston College stopped the run and the pass...

As you can see, BC had the conference's best defense and the best run defense. But they also led the nation in interceptions with 26!

Boston College's defense was huge. Literally.

Most elite defenses had a front 7 (4 defensive linemen and three linebackers, or three defensive linemen and four linebackers) weighing in at over 1830lbs last year. BC was one of only two teams to come in at over 1900lbs! (BC was 1902lbs, 'Bama was 1920). Basically, dominated 1st and 2nd down with their huge defensive line and linebacking corps, which allowed their secondary to focus almost solely on the pass. The created 2nd and 8+ and 3rd and 5+ situations more consistent than almost anybody else, and of course, interceptions come in those situations because the defense knows what the offense will do (pass). If you're interested in reading 5,000 words on why defensive size matters, Click Here.

And when BC got teams into those highly favorable (for the defense) situations, Defensive Coordinator Frank Spaziani went to work. This is an excellent article explaining how: http://clempsonfootball.blogspot.com/2009/07/bc-spazianis-3-5-3-defense.html And they produced excellent results (see above, or watch any game).

But BC's defense wasn't only huge and physically mature, they were very talented... We're talking about multiple elite NFL prospects at the most important positions. Let's go to the tape!

B.J. Raji- Defensive Tackle

B.J. Raji Inside Look (via gridironvids)

DT BJ Raji Highlights Boston College 2008 (via DraftParty)

Raji is one of the most impressive defensive tackle prospects to come out of college in a while. At 335lbs+ and cat quick, he destroyed everyone in his path. Raji made FSU's All-American Guard Rodney Hudson look terrible, to say nothing of what he did to The 'Nole's highly regarded (by some, not by us) Center Ryan McMahon. He was selected 9th overall in the NFL draft. Yes, BC had a top 10 pick playing defensive tackle. If Raji had played in the 2007 season (missed a lot because of Academics and other stuff), he might have been a top 5 overall selection. But that's not the only guy Boston College had in the middle...

Ron Brace- Nose Guard

DT Ron Brace Highlights BC vs Vandy 2008 (via DraftParty)

Brace was bigger and slower, but he was a load at 340lbs. You can see the problems he caused from his video. He was selected in the 2nd round of the NFL draft, #40 overall, by the New England Patriots- who have a great track record drafting defensive linemen (if you had any doubts as to his skill level, that should help to assuage them).

So Boston College had two excellent NFL prospects, who were seniors, playing defensive tackle, weighing at least a combined 670lbs (and possibly more). How rare is that? It hasn't happened in over half a decade:

Teams with 2 defensive tackles taken in 1st and 2nd round (or 2 1st rounders) of same draft:

2001 Georgia Richard Seymour (1st) and Marcus Stroud (1st)
2001 Texas Casey Hampton (1st) and Shaun Rogers (2nd)
2002 Tennessee John Henderson (1st) and Albert Haynesworth (1st)
2003 Penn State Jimmy Kennedy (1st) and Tony Adams (2nd)

So I think we can all agree that this is a pretty rare pairing. What did this pairing do for BC schematically?

It allowed them to shrink the field. College offensive lines couldn't handle the interior of BC's defensive line. As you can see on the videos, these two not only effectively held their ground, but they literally drove their offensive counterpart several yards into the backfield. Running against the middle of BC's defense was not an option, so teams were forced to run wider. Boston College wasn't dumb, however, and they knew teams would try to run wide on them. What did they do to compensate? Align wider, of course, with their linebackers and ends. BC knew they some of their players weren't that fast (not all- some were very fast), but they were very strong and big. By aligning them wider, they were able to minimize any disadvantage their lack of speed posed. Their defensive ends and linebackers were strong enough to fight through blocks to get back to and help out with the interior runs. So it worked very well.

BC's DT duo was also devastatingly effective because of their duplicity. Against one good defensive tackle, it's fairly common practice to handle him by double-teaming. But that didn't work against BC because you can't effectively double team two defensive tackles (4 guys blocking two means that there are only 6 blockers left to block the other 9 defenders- assuming the QB is not a blocker). And if teams did not try to double both, the non-double teamed defensive tackle would simply blow the play up in the backfield.

And despite their size, they were also very good against the pass. Because of their sheer power, Raji and Brace pushed the opposing pass protectors back into the quarterback. There was no pocket against BC. It simply did not exist. BC's ends weren't great, but they looked pretty good because the opposing quarterback could not step up. "The worse place for a pass rusher is behind the quarterback"_ Bill Belicheck. BC's guys were never behind the quarterback. It was impossible to over-run the play because the QB had to backpedal so far. We saw great examples of this last year against Notre Dame and of course, the FSU game. BC's defensive tackles allowed BC to defend only half the field, because the QB would inevitably leave the non-existent pocket and scramble to one side of the field or another. BC would simply defend that side of the field. And it wasn't if the escape routes were sharp or direct- no, they were long and loopy because of the pressure asserted up the middle. That long, loopy pocket escape allowed BC's defense time to re-position. If the QB could make a throw across his body, to the opposite side of the field while on the run, BC would let him have it. They knew that a play like that more often ends in disaster for the offense than a bust by the defense.

Okay,s o you get the point that BC had NFL players at the two most important defensive positions, but a lot of people will tell you that those two weren't even BC's best defensive player. Linebacker Mark Herzlich actually won the ACC's defensive player of the year award. Video? Absolutely:

Mark Herzlich vs. Virginia Tech (via AloDraft)

DraftParty: LB Mark Herzlich Highlights Boston College vs Vanderbilt 2008 (via DraftParty)

Mark Herzlich vs. Wake Forest (via AloDraft)

Herzlich was 6'4" 245lbs and he could move. He played like he had stolen Barry Bonds' roids and taken them all at once, and he was arguably the best linebacker in the country, though he didn't get as much praise as the USC or Florida guys. His draft evaluation was really, really high, easily a top 20 pick. Herzlich being a stand up guy, however, decided to come back and play out his senior season as defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani took over the head coaching position. Tragically, he came down with Ewing's Sarcoma (Cancer) this off-season. He can't play football this year and I won't speculate on his ability to ever play again. The important thing for Mark is that he gets better. Currently undergoing Chemo, he's said to be in good spirits.

I hate to be cold about this, but losing Herzlich is absolutely huge for Boston College. Think about this, Boston College basically lost three elite NFL prospects off its defense in a single season. No team lost more on the defensive side (except arguably USC).

BC plays a read and react defense under defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani (now the head coach), which means they rarely blitz. Spaziani is highly thought of as a defensive coordinator and is very detail oriented. He has always done a nice job of adapting his scheme to his personnel. And this year he has quite the task on his hands with the loss of his 3 best players (by far). BC returns only 5 starters on defense, and none of those 5 are projected NFL selections. To say that the talent has dropped off would be a huge understatement. It's highly doubtful that BC's defense will come close to what it did last season. Let's see what they bring back...

Defensive Line & Linebackers (The "Front 7")

Gone are the big boys we discussed above. BC doesn't have the ability to replace them. The best of this group is tackle Damik Scafe (6-3, 293, Jr.). He played a bit last year and will probably play in the NFL eventually, though he's an obvious dropoff from last year. The other tackle is tackle Kaleb Ramsey (6-3, 256, Soph.) Young and obviously not very strong, he's a major liability and most teams will be able to run on him.

While BC has major questions at tackle, they are considerable better off at defensive end. Austin Giles (6-3, 283, Sr.) will battle Alex Albright 6'2" 250 could also get the nod. At the other end, Jim Ramella (6-4, 243, Sr.) is a very solid player. These guys are good, but not great, and won't come close to having the impact that the two interior guys had last year. In fact, they could regress as teams focus on them and not the interior guys.

At linebacker, the Eagles are a mess. They lost Herzlich and he obviously isn't replacable. They also lost Robert Francois (6'2" 255), and Middle Linebacker Mike McLaughlin (6'0" 252) will try to return from tearing his Achilles back in March, but even if he does come back, he'll be quite rusty. Trying to replace Herzlich is sophomore Dominick LeGrande 6'2" 200 (yes, 200). He's not ready, but has to play anyways because of Herzlich's absence. LeGrande played safety last year. Sophomore Will Thompson (6'1" 235) will replace McLaughlin if he can't go. He has impressed people but is not as good as the guy he will be asked to replace. At the other position will be one of two redshirt freshmen in 6'3" 217lb Nick Clancy or 6'3" 222lb Alexander Disanzo.

These guys are much smaller, much less experienced, much less talented, and much younger. There's a huge dropoff for BC's defensive line and linebackers.

So BC's front-7 did weigh 1902lbs. This year, they will weigh in at 1711bs. That's a huge dropoff of 191lbs! No team in the country that I could find had this significant a dropoff, and nobody else was even close. That's to say nothing of the talent they lost (regardless of size), which they can't replace this season.

So 1711lbs combined in their front 7. Why does this matter? FSU's run game destroys small front 7's.

There are two ways to stop FSU's running game and not get burned by the bubble screen (a pass FSU throws exceptionally well) Essentially, the bubble screen is a tool to make sure that the offense plays 7 in the box and not 8. If the defense cheats and brings extra men against the run, we throw the bubble to keep them honest. :

The first is to have a huge, disciplined front 7, that is difficult to cut block. One that takes good angles and doesn't allow cutbacks. This allows teams to play straight upon the receivers, also maintaining deep coverage. Or...
Play 8 in the box and play zero coverage-press man against each receiver. Virginia Tech did this and they were eventually burned deep. This requires excellent athletes in the secondary,

As we'll see in a second, BC does not have the option to play number two. They have to hope their front-7 can stop the run. What did other front 7's do against FSU's run game?

Wake 1838lbs, 27 rushes for 103 yards. Wake was very big.They were able to play the bubble straight up, which worked very well. They also had 4 seniors on defense drafted in the first 4 rounds.

Florida 1835lbs, 29 rushes for 137 Big and supremely talented, our rushing success came primarily in garbage time.

Miami 1785lbs, 54 rushes, 281 yards. There is a pretty big drop off from UF to Miami (55lbs). Remember here that our rushing success came primarily on reverses and Ponder running, most of which was a result of Miami's idiotic plan to defense our attack. We bubbled them to death when they went 8 or 9 in the box.

Georgia Tech 1772lbs (I think they were lighter because of major injuries, correct?). 31 rushes, 228 yards. Remember that GTech was missing 2 key linebackers and a safety. Still, this is a big drop in weight from the 3 schools over 1835lbs.

Virginia Tech 1766lbs, 34 rushes, 123 yards. Poor numbers. Explanation? Yes. VT played 8 in the box and manned up on the wide receivers. If you're puzzled, remember what happened: the only thing open was the deep ball. They saturated the running lanes and pressed FSU's wideouts. Eventually, FSU burned them deep.

Clemson 1760lbs, 34 rushes, 281 yards Light front 7? Check. Depending solely on speed to stop the run? Check. Cutbacks? Check.

NC State 1757lbs, 42 rushes, 162 yards These numbers aren't amazing, but much of this game was us trying to control the clock while battling holding penalties. They also include lost sack yardage (which isn't a run play). Light front 7? Check. Depending solely on speed to stop the run? Check. Cutbacks? Check.

Maryland 1755lbs, 41 rushes, 172 yards Maryland struggled all game in choosing to defend the bubble or the run.

Colorado 1755lbs, 45 rushes, 259 yards The smallest front we played AND they decided to stop the bubble. Running wild was the obvious result.

BC is 44lbs lighter than any front-7 FSU played last season. From the Biggest to the Smallest.Every offensive linemen is back for FSU, and three are All-America candidates (even if 'Nole fans know their center is overrated). The 'Nole line is extremely quick and very intelligent. They will not struggle to block BC's tiny front -7. FSU is great against small quick teams because their linemen are athletes, not maulers. They are excellent blockers on the 2nd level (where the linebackers are).

Suffice to say, BC will not be able to widen everyone out this year like they did last season. I'm not trying to be mean here, but these guys went from the best front-7 FSU played, to one of the worst.

Secondary

Remember all those interceptions? Kiss them goodbye. BC's secondary was allowed to play pass first, second, and last. Now? They'll have to use one of the secondary members (a safety) in run support. The burden on the secondary should be significantly increased. Were those defensive backs really that good? Or were they the beneficiaries of a great front-7 that put opposing offenses in tough situations? I think it's the latter. None of the BC secondary guys are likely all-conference candidates or NFL players (none are projected to go in the 2010 or 2011 draft). Let's have a look:

At Safety, BC should be okay with Free Safety Wes Davis and Strong Safety Marcellus Bowman. Davis is a 6'2" 215 Junior who produced 60 tackles, 3 tfl, 2 INT, 6 pass breakups last year. He's a decent player in coverage and in run suppot, but as with most of these guys, I expect him to get exposed because he now has to play run and pass (can't play 25 yards off the ball). Davis will be hung out to dry all by himself because Bowman, a 6'2" 217lb Senior will be called upon to help stop the run. Again, the loss of the great front-7 guys (both expected and unexpected) is going to put tremendous pressure on this secondary.

At corner, BC has similar problems. They return the experienced Roderick Rollins, a 6-0, 188-pound senior. Rollins has had the benefit of a lot of help from his safeties in his career and that help won't be there this year. He's decently physical, but can he turn and run after the initial bump coverage? We shall see. At the other corner spot is rising sophomore Donnie Fletcher (6'1" 188lbs). Fletcher is another big corner. They also have the experienced Deleon Gause 5'11" 174lb, a Junior who has good physical skills, but is inconsistent.

BC's secondary plays extremely physical, which is great when they have the help of safeties who aren't pre-occupied with stopping the run. But without safety help, if the corners can't run and run, they will be burned for long TD's. Wes Davis will have to prove that he can cover the deep middle instead of a deep half (now that Bowman will play down in the box).

So, some Final Thoughts? BC's defense was the ACC's best and easily top 5 nationally. They beat FSU up last year. FSU had the youngest offensive line in the country and were destroyed by an ultra-talented and experienced set of defensive linemen and linebackers. But BC lost more talent in one off-season to graduation, injuries, and tragic diseases, than they've had come through their program in the previous decade. No team can simply replace what BC lost, but some could come close. BC isn't one of those programs. I feel bad for these guys because their off-season was truly very unlucky. I expect BC's defense to go from the tops in the conference to the bottom 3rd. There's simply not much depth and little talent. Neither team should be more distracted than the other for this game, as they both have good opponents before and after. I have full confidence that Frank Spaziani will come up with good game plan after good game plan, but his ability to get creative will be severely hampered because his defense will face far fewer obvious passing situations. He's also never been a blitz guy, and he'll definitely need to blitz FSU to get pressure, because FSU's offensive line can handle BC's 3 or 4 man rush. When he blitzes, can their secondary handle the single coverage responsibilities against FSU's wideouts? I doubt it. I expect FSU to run the ball very well on BC, force BC to make adjustments that they really don't want to do, and then FSU will exploit them down the field. This isn't a slam dunk game for FSU by any means, and I'd be shocked to see FSU as a double digit favorite, but researching this piece made me realize just how good BC's defense was last season, and just how much talent they lost.

For more on BC, see: BC Interruption or Eagle in Atlanta

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Florida State Seminoles Left Tackle Andrew Datko to face an NFL schedule

FSUncensored — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:58:40 -0000

As a member of the youngest offensive line in the country (3 freshmen, 2 sophomores), Andrew Datko wildly exceeded expectations and earned Freshman All-America honors. Competing at a slight 267lbs, with a dislocated elbow and various shoulder ailments, Datko surprised everyone playing 852 snaps over 13 games, more than any freshman on the line. He also had a top-two overall grade three times received either the top grade or the second-best grade in run or pass blocking seven times. Datko also recorded 20 knockdowns. Was named the top offensive newcomer and won the freshman academic award. And he did so while playing in the best defensive conference in the country (no conference sends more top defensive players than the NFL than the ACC) and against UF. With Datko's help, the 'Noles led the ACC in scoring and Florida State head coach in waiting/ offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher won ACC offensive coordinator of the year.

This year Datko will face an even tougher challenge- the most difficult gauntlet of pass rushers in recent college football memory.

Miami

The Hurricanes were one of the youngest teams in college football last year, and they got even younger when their senior defensive end Eric Moncur went down with an injury in the 3rd game of the season. Moncur was a 4* recruit, the #10 overall defensive end in the country. He's projected to be a 1st day NFL draft choice (2nd or 3rd round) This year, he's back at 6'2" 260lbs and with 16 starts and 105 total tackles in his three years, should continue to be a quality player for the canes.

On the other side, Marcus Robinson started 5 games after making the switch from OLB to DE and had 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks while earning 3rd team Frosh All-America honors. No matter which lines up over Datko, Florida State's left tackle will sure have a challenge on his hands.

BYU

While the BYU Cougars aren't known for their defensive talent, they do have an excellent defensive end in Jan Jorgenson. At 6-3 262lbs, Jorgensen plays the "5" technique end in BYU's 3-4 defensive scheme.

Jorgensen projects as a late 1st or early 2nd round draft choice. The senior has had quite the career. Jorgensen has been named 1st team All-Mountain West Defense for two years in a row. He is the conference's career leader in sacks already. He's a Lombardi and Hendricks award finalist. Oh, and he is 26 years old after serving a three year Mormon mission and redshirting his freshman year. The recent word is that he dropped 15lbs down to 245 in order to be quicker.

USF

If you were alive in 2007, you probably heard of USF's sackmaster George Selvie.

Selvie burst onto the scene in 2007 in a huge way, registering an incredible 31.5 tackles for loss and earning not only all-conference offers, but 1st team All-America status!

Selvie continued to play well in 2008, though not quite as well as he did in 2007. Why? It was a combination of nagging lower leg injuries and playing from behind (hard to get sacks when the other team is running out the clock). Despite the injuries, the 6'4" 255lb Selvie still made 1st Team Big East. He is back for his senior season and has said that he expects to be the top defensive end selected in the upcoming NFL draft. He's also been named to the 1st Team Pre-season All-America Squad. Florida State must stay out of 3rd and long in this game and give Datko help in the form of a tight end or a back. Asking Andrew to single Selvie all game could be disastrous and unfair to the true sophomore.

Boston College

While the Eagles are one of the teams on the schedule without a likely 1st day NFL pick at defensive end, they do boast three seniors with a combined 58 starts in Jim Ramella, Alex Albright, and Austin Giles. These guys have been there forever and really know how to play the game (that's a cop-out, I know, but they aren't great athletes or pro prospects).

Georgia Tech

If you don't already know Derrick Morgan, you should. I knew Georgia Tech had a good defensive line last year (one of the best in the country) featuring Michael Johnson Vance Walker, and Darryl Richard (all All-American or All-Conference). What really surprised me, however, was FSU offensive line coach Rick Trickett calling sophomore Derrick Morgan the best player on Tech's defense. You can bet I watched # 91 then and he did not disappoint. At 6'4" and 270lbs, Morgan started all 13 games as a sophomore, registering 51 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss (7.5 sacks) and even three pass breakups. Only a Junior, Morgan looks to be a surefire 1st rounder after his senior year, and with his size, athleticism, and production, is a virtual lock to be a 1st day selection if he elects to leave school early.

North Carolina

While not draft eligible, Sophomore Robert Quinn has shown a lot of promise after coming back from brain cancer.

Quinn started 12 games for the Tarheels and should have a monster season for the baby blue, particularly since he'll be able to workout fully for the first time in a while.

NC State

The Wolfpack feature another edge rushing terror on this list in Willie Young Jr. Last year, Young destroyed the 'Noles, with 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and drawing at least one holding penalty.

At 6'4 and 251lbs, Young is extra quick and as a senior will have a variety of pass moves. Last year he started 11 games (injured other 2), registering 55 tackles (13 for loss), with 6 1/2 sacks. Young was named to Phil Steele's 2nd Team Pre-Season ACC defense. Like many of these edge rushers, the key will be to run right at Young as he was especially good on 3rd and long last year (as most defensive ends should be).

Clemson

The Tigers boast two of the best defensive ends in the conference in Ricky Sapp and Da'Quan Bowers. Both were elite Five-star recruits coming out of high school and both have continued to perform at the next level.

Last year, Sapp and Bowers had their collective way with the young 'Nole offensive tackles, registering two sacks and numerous pressures. It got to a point where FSU completely abandoned the dropback passing game, throwing only screen or play action passes.

This year both Bowers and Sapp are back. Bowers has reportedly put in a nice offseason of work and is probably the top true sophomore defensive end in the nation. Last year as a true freshman, Bowers started 6 games, played in all 13, and registered 50 tackles (8 for loss). He really came on in the later games. Sapp actually had some knee issues and missed the spring, though he'll be fully healthy for the 'Noles. Last year, he started 9 games (knee injury) and had 10 tackles for loss. He was also excellent in 2007, with 22 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. Whoever Datko faces here will be a challenge for the young tackle.

Wake Forest

The Deac's don't have an elite player at defensive end.

Maryland

The Terps don't have an elite player at defensive end.

Florida

The Gators have a bevy of elite edge players and it's safe to say that three of their defensive ends would compete for starting jobs on any team in the country. For purposes of this piece, however, let's leave Justin Trattou aside for a minute and focus on Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham.

Dunlap (pictured) is on everyone's pre-season All-America team. He was the top defensive end prospect in his class coming out of high school. As a sophomore, he started only two games, but registered 39 tackles and 9.5 sacks, leading the SEC and making 2nd Team SEC. He's 6'6" 290lbs, and universally seen as the best defensive end prospect in college.

They also have Jermaine Cunningham who also made 2nd team SEC last season. Cunningham, at 6-3, 252lbs has started 25 games over the past two seasons registering over 100 tackles (20 for loss).

This schedule presents an enormous challenge for Florida State left tackle Andrew Datko. No offensive lineman in the country has a more difficult challenge than FSU's Datko. At a ripped 292 lbs, with a year of starting experience under his belt, Datko has a fighting chance to make it through the schedule, now that he has some bulk and experience to go with his always solid technique.