SB Nation - Luke Kuechly

An Interview with BC Linebacker Mike McLaughlin (Part 2)

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:25 -0000

More photos » Winslow Townson - AP

Mike McLaughlin celebrates after BC recovered a fumble in OT to defeat Wake Forest 27-24. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Here is part 2 of our interview with Boston College linebacker Mike McLaughlin. If you missed it, check out part 1 from yesterday.

BC Interruption: What do you think 2010 has in store for the Boston College football team? Is this program on the right track?

Mike McLaughlin: Yeah, absolutely. If you look at the guys coming back, and of course, the man will be back. The man … Number 94. Everybody’s prayers should be out for him and mine certainly are. Even still, there are some great players. You have Luke Kuechly, what he did last year. He’s just going to get better.

We've got great coaches. Coach McGovern - our new DC this past year - he did a great job last year and I really think he’s going to be one of the best in the country over the next few years. You have leaders like Wes Davis. And then, of course, Dave Shinskie, he’s only going to get better too. To me, you have one of the best running backs in the country in Montel [Harris]. I think they’re going to make some noise.

BCI: Let’s shift focus to this week’s Combine. What are you doing to prepare for the Combine?

MM: I’ve been down here at Athletic Edge working out with Mike Gough. This is week 8 now I’ve been down here. We get up Monday through Friday every morning and do our running stuff. Getting the technique down for all those drills and all that stuff. It’s all technique that you have to learn and it takes a few weeks. Once you get that down, it’s just repetition and repping that stuff out non-stop until you kind of get sick of it. In the afternoons, we’ve just been lifting.

It’s a little different style than some of the stuff you do to get ready for an actual football season or an actual football game. It’s a little different twist to it to get ready for these tests.

BCI: What is your favorite Combine event? What will scouts be most impressed by?

MM: My favorite Combine event is probably going to have to be the bench press (laughs). I sound like a true meat head there (laughs) ...

I think I’m going to show the scouts how athletic I am. I think some of them are questioning my athletic ability a little bit. If these times down here … If I can post anywhere close to what I’m doing right now then I think I can make a real good impression on some of the coaches and scouts down there with my quickness and athletic ability.

BCI: Do you talk to any of the BC players that came before you on advice on how to prepare for the Combine and the NFL Draft?

MM: There are just a few guys. Brian Toal. I talk to all the time about stuff. Rob Francois. I stay close with some of the linebackers that I’ve played with in the past. I kind of know what’s coming. I haven’t really asked them specifically about what’s going to go on here just because you hear it from so many other guys. Especially being down here. You are kind of getting prepped for it. It’s like studying for an exam over and over and over for weeks and weeks. You really get it pounded into your head what’s going to happen and what to be ready for.

BCI: When you get to the NFL, you’ll be the third member of your family to play professional football ...

MM: Yeah. Hopefully it works out.

BCI: What sort of advice has your family given you that has helped you prepare for a career in professional football?

MM: My dad and my uncle - who both played pro football - have been great through my whole career. Especially my dad. He has been the one person I always look to for any advice. They are just typical, hard-work, blue-collar guys that I’ve watched growing up my whole life and seen how what kind of work effort they’ve had. Whether it be running their business that they have or just teaching me about football and teaching me about how to attack things. I think it’s more just the hard-working mentality that they’ve given me has definitely proved to be the best stuff they’ve given me.

BCI: Did you have a favorite NFL team growing up? If you could play for any team, which team would that be?

MM: I’m a Massachusetts guy, so it would definitely have to be the Patriots.

I tell some people that my house is about 30 minutes away from Alumni, and then it’s about 45 minutes from Gillette. I think it would be pretty cool if I could say that I played my college career at BC, which is 30 minutes away, and then go down the street and play for the New England Patriots who have done pretty well over the past few years.

BCI: Have any teams expressed an interest in you? Which ones?

MM: At the East-West game, that’s like a little warm-up for the Combine I guess you could say. I probably had a dozen interviews or so with different teams. The Panthers, Dolphins, Steelers, Jets just to name a few. To be honest with you, I can’t remember all of them. Nothing crazy yet. I think it’s more just getting to know you just a little bit. I think the most important stuff is going to be within the next week or so here.

BCI: After football, what do you want to accomplish in life? Where do you see your career going after your playing career is over? Coaching? Broadcasting? Front Office? Or something completely outside of football?

MM: One thing I definitely want to do is be a dad and a husband and be a family man. That’s been passed on through my family. I have great family roots and I’m lucky enough to have that. I see how cool it is to spend time with my family all the time. It’s definitely something I want to be in the future.

As far as a career outside of football … when I’m done playing, hopefully which will be in a little while but we’ll see. But if not, I’ll probably stay within sports and stay within football. I just love the game so much. I think I could be a decent coach or somehow stay in the pipeline a little bit.

BCI: Mike, best of luck in the Combine this week. All of BC is pulling for you.

MM: I appreciate it. Thanks for the time and thanks for the opportunity.

Special thanks to Shawn at X-A-M Sports and Entertainment for helping to set up the interview.

ACC Roundtable: National Signing Day Edition

Brian @ BCI — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:00:23 -0000

The ACC Football Roundtable is back. This time around, the Georgia Tech blog From the Rumble Seat is hosting. Their questions focus on National Signing Day, the ACC's haul of recruits and BC's recruiting class.

Onward.

Who is your prized prospect?

In my opinion, on offense BC's prized recruit this year is Shakim Phillips. While only a 3* Scout/4* Rivals recruit, the 6'2", 198 pound receiver can make an immediate impact in the Eagles passing game next season. BC loses WRs Rich Gunnell, Justin Jarvis and Clarence Megwa to graduation. Spaz and the coaching staff will look to Colin Larmond Jr., Ifeani Momah, Clyde Lee and Phillips to fill the shoes of Gunnell and Jarvis. BC traditionally hasn't gone out and landed the 4* and 5* wide receiver, so for the Eagles to land at 4* at wide out is very welcome (setting aside for the moment the debate about the validity of recruiting rankings).

On defense, it is probably linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis. The 6'1", 205 lb. Pierre-Louis is a January enrollee and will look to make an impact at LB for the Eagles defense. With the surprising success of Luke Kuechly last year, and the return of Mark Herzlich, the linebacker position looks to continue to be a strength of this Eagles team.

How does your fan base react to recruiting? Or do they just want to see results no matter the star count?

Far be it for me to comment on this one, as I don't get too heavily involved in recruiting, but I would say the reaction is mixed. The pay sites certainly keep the rabid recruiting fans up to date on the latest signees, but the subject is largely ignored in other parts of the internet (including the school's website, who apparently is the only ACC school without a Signing Day page).

Overall, I would say BC fans first and foremost want to continue to see results on the field. Star count takes a backseat to results. Then looking back, we can all laugh when unheralded BC guys take it to other teams' 4* and 5* guys. See: when 2* BJ Raji blows up 4* Eric Olsen.

Who is the next Calvin Johnson or Philip Rivers in this year's crop of ACC recruits?

Philip Rivers? I think you meant Matt Ryan.

I won't pretend to have paid close attention to the other ACC school's recruiting classes. So I just had a brief look at the ESPNU Top 150 list and noticed the top offensive player signed by an ACC program is a RB recruit for Miami named Storm Johnson. Aside from already having a ridiculously good running back name - Storm on the Hurricanes ... "Can't Stop the Storm!" ... seriously, you can't make this stuff up - the kid has moves and could be a force in a Mark Whipple-led offense. Let's just say I'm glad BC only draws Miami twice in the regular season over the next five years.

Really though, who knows who's going to pan out at this stage of the game. How many people saw Matt Ryan coming?

Have any recent coaching changes affected your team's recruiting class (e.g. Lane Kiffin to USC)?

Nope. As far as I can tell. Not this year anyway. The past couple of years have been fairly tumultuous though, going from Tom O'Brien to Jeff Jagodzinski to Frank Spaziani in a span of 3 years. Some think this year's class is a bit of a disappointment, but there are enough guys in the class (Shakim Phillips, Chase Rettig, Steele Divitto, Seth Betancourt, and Kevin Pierre-Louis) that leave me optimistic about the future of BC football.

Who do you all think have assembled the strongest recruiting class, taking into account not just rankings but the needs each one has filled?

Florida State. Rankings aside, FSU seems to have assembled the most talented group of recruits in the ACC this year. It was bound to happen once Bobby Bowden was shoved out the door. Jimbo has recruited well and benefited from recruits new sense of coaching staff stability in Tallahassee.

This is really nothing new though. Florida State has always recruited well. Now Fisher has to prove he can win with superior talent.

How do you all see ACC schools competing with schools in the SEC and Big 12 for recruits?

Coming from the northernmost ACC school, Boston College rarely competes head-to-head with SEC and Big 12 schools for recruits. You'll most likely see BC in the mix for recruits with one of three groups of schools: 1) Big East (Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh), 2) Big Ten (Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State) and 3) schools with strong academic reputations (Northwestern, Stanford, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt).

Increasingly you'll see BC recruiting against ACC schools like Maryland, Duke, and Vanderbilt. Rarely will BC win against Florida State, Clemson and Miami. BC has started to tap into the south Florida recruiting pipeline, picking up the occasional recruit that is passed over by Florida's Big 3.

Herzlich Returns to Practice and the Big Finish

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:47:41 -0000

Brian: Easily the best news of the week was that Mark Herzlich returned to practice yesterday after a year away from football battling cancer.

"Mark Herzlich roamed the dome-covered football field at Boston College's Alumni Stadium, sharing with his teammates the techniques and wisdom that had him destined for NFL stardom before a cancer diagnosis delayed -- but did not derail -- his promising career.

With his hair and eyebrows growing out and even a short beard to serve as an exclamation point on his recovery, Herzlich returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma."

It’s still too early to tell whether he will be ready to go for the season opener against Weber State, but I certainly wouldn’t bet against it. Say Herzlich can return to the starting lineup to play with senior Mike Morrissey and Luke Kuechly in the linebacking corps. Going into next season, BC easily has the best, most fearsome set of starting linebackers in the ACC, no?

Jeff: Probably the best but I wouldn't say easily. Will Herzlich be better than McLaughlin was this year? I think so but many other people are not expecting much. It will also be interesting to see how Kuechly does next year now that opposing offenses will be talking about him during their game planning. I personally expect Kuechly to have a little sophomore slump not only in numbers because of Herzlich being back but maybe he'll lose a little speed while trying to put on weight and actually hurt his playmaking ability. I think there are too many questions in the linebacking unit to start talking too much about BC being the best in the conference just yet.

Brian: What do you expect Herzlich’s contribution to be next year?

Jeff: I am expecting another Defensive Player of the Year type performance out of Herzlich next year. I don't have a ton of experience with people recovering from cancer and returning to sports at such a high level but we can point to Lance Armstrong and Mario Lemieux as examples of athletes that were able to come back and return to the same level as they were at before leaving their respective sports temporarily. I would also think that with Mark being healthy and back on a full workout schedule now, he has plenty of time to get ready for football in September.

Big Finish

Brian: The Emerald Bowl was one of three ACC bowls that saw a drop in attendance year over year (along with the Meineke Car Care and Orange Bowl). Cause for concern?

Jeff: Absolutely not. The other four ACC bowls all gained in attendance and these three are easily explainable. Pittsburgh < West Virginia, Georgia Tech < Virginia Tech and USC < Cal.

Jeff: Dr. Saturday ranked Luke Kuechly as the 5th best breakout player of 2009. Agree with this list?

Brian: Not really, but I will say that Jason Pierre-Paul and Jared Crick benefited from the presence of Selvie and Suh, respectively.

Brian: HD went all decade ranking crazy this week. She ranked BC the third best ACC program, Jagodzinski the 6th best coach, O’Brien the 9th best coach, and the 2007 11-3 BC team the third best team of the decade. Any beefs with those rankings?

Jeff: Not at all. The 2007 team was pretty darn good.

Jeff: The ACC is 13-20 in bowl games since 2005 while the Big East is 16-6. Is this significant?

Brian: Maybe a little, but it's all about who you play. The Big East's record is propped up by playing in lesser bowls.

Brian: Pat Forde called out the Eagles basketball team as one of four historical underachievers in the ACC. What say you?

Jeff: BC will be on these type of lists until we make a Final Four.

Jeff: Eagle in Atlanta is pumped about our latest women's basketball recruit. Are you?

Brian: No. 7 best recruit in the country? Sounds good to me.

Brian: Last one, very winnable basketball game tomorrow against the Hokies. Who ya got? What’s the final score?

Jeff: I'm going with my heart and will say Boston College 72, Virginia Tech 67. The Maryland game shocked me last week and I hope that doesn't happen again tomorrow.

2009 ACC Football Blogger Awards

furrer4heisman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:00:15 -0000

Last week the mainstream media had its fun handing out hardware for the 2009 ACC football season. I asked the best ACC bloggers around to submit their own ballots for postseason football awards. The results are after the jump. I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who participated.

Blog	School
ACC/SEC Blog	ACC
On the B.Rink	ACC
Today's ACC Headlines	ACC
BC Interruption	Boston College
Block-C	Clemson
Shakin the Southland	Clemson
Blue Devil Nation	Duke
Scalp Em	Florida State
From the Rumble Seat	Georgia Tech
Testudo Times	Maryland
Turtle Waxing	Maryland
Anton Azucar	Miami
The Seventh Floor	Miami
Tar Heel Fan	North Carolina
Tar Heel Mania	North Carolina
Yet Another...	NC State
From Old Virginia	Virginia
Beer Control Offense	Virginia Tech
College Game Balls	Virginia Tech
Blogger So Dear	Wake Forest

Coach of the Year

Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson is the blogger's choice for 2009 ACC Coach of the Year. Johnson's Yellow Jackets quickly put the kibosh on the notion that the ACC would quickly catch up to his spread flexbone offense. Georgia Tech will participate in its first BCS game when it faces Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Paul Johnson, GT - 11
Frank Spaziani, BC - 3
Dabo Swinney, CU - 3
Randy Shannon, MIA - 2
David Cutcliffe, DU - 1

Offensive Player of the Year

Clemson's C.J. Spiller was the overwhelming choice for the conference's offensive player of the year, according to the conference's bloggers. Spiller led the league in all-purpose yards with 2,512. He helped lead Clemson to its first appearance in the ACCCG.

C.J. Spiller, CU - 13
Ryan Williams, VT - 4
Josh Nesbitt, GT - 3

Defensive Player of the Year

In the closest vote, Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan took home defensive player of the year honors. Morgan was a terror at defensive end for the Yellow Jackets, leading the league in sacks with 12.5.

Derrick Morgan, GT - 7
Luke Kuechly, BC - 4
Robert Quinn, UNC - 4
DeAndre McDaniel, CU - 3
Nate Collins, UVA - 1
Quan Sturdivant, UNC - 1

Rookie of the Year

Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was the near-unanimous vote for rookie of the year. The only two bloggers to not vote for Williams gave him their vote for offensive player of the year. Williams led the ACC in rushing yards with 1,538 and scored 19 touchdowns, both ACC freshman records.

Ryan Williams, VT - 18
Luke Kuechly, BC - 2

Our 2009 ACC Blogger Awards Ballot

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:45:24 -0000

For the second straight year, the SBNation Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country is hosting a blogger version of the postseason ACC Football Awards. Our ballot is below, and just in time for tomorrow night's ACC Championship Game.

Issues or comments on our ballot go to the comments section.

Coach of the Year - Randy Shannon (Miami Fla.)

With all due respect to Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Randy Shannon has our vote for ACC Coach of the Year. Shannon has the Hurricanes back on an upward trajectory, winning 2 more games each year in his first three seasons (5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 9 in 2009). Unlike Johnson, Shannon didn't exactly inherit a team that had all the right pieces to work in his system. After putting an end to the Patrick Nix / Robert Marve experiment and installing Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, the Hurricanes have gone from a team that ranked 89th in total offense in 2008 to 35th in 2009. This year's Miami team is probably a overtime win over Clemson from a BCS bowl at-large berth. Finally, when considering voting for Randy Shannon over Paul Johnson, remember that this matchup was already played on the field with Miami coming away with the 33-17 victory.

Also considered: Frank Spaziani (Boston College), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech)

Offensive Player of the Year - C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

Although probably not even a top 3 running back in the ACC (Ryan Williams, Jonathan Dwyer, even Montel Harris), Spiller gets the nod for Offensive Player of the Year. Spiller is equally good out of the backfield as he is in the receiving game, and is a game-changer on special teams. We'd go as far to say that Clemson probably doesn't sniff the ACC Championship Game this season without Spiller.

Also considered: Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech), Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Defensive Player of the Year - Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Call us homers ... but what this true freshman did at linebacker is truly remarkable. Not many true freshman get to start at linebacker in a BCS conference program, but Kuechly took his opportunity filling in for Mark Herzlich and Mike McLaughlin and hit a home run. Kuechly's 142 tackles placed him second in the country behind New Mexico's Carmen Messina. Kuechly also found the end zone for the first time in his career off a 28 yard INT return in a 31-10 win over Central Michigan. Kuechly also literally flew through the air on a Maryland 4th and 1 preventing the Terps from continuing a fourth quarter drive. There were certainly other impressive performances turned in by ACC defenders in 2009, but given the shoes he had to fill and the impact he had on the Eagles Top 25 defense, we give Kuechly the nod here.

Also considered: DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson), Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

Rookie of the Year - Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech)

While Kuechly could very well also be the pick here, we'll go with Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech. Williams knocked the ball out of the park filling in for the injured Darren Evans, rushing for 1,538 yards and finishing the regular season 3rd nationally in rushing yards behind Heisman Trophy candidate Toby Gerhart and UTEP's Donald Buckran. Williams rushed for over 100 yards in 9 out of the Hokies 12 games this year, turning in two breakout performances in the Hokies last two regular season games - 120 yards, 4 touchdowns vs. NC State and 183 yards, 4 touchdowns at Virginia. Williams 19 touchdowns on the ground led the conference and placed him tied for fourth nationally.

Also considered: Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Headlines: Eagles 19, Terrapins 17 (Regular Season FIN)

Brian @ BCI — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:10:18 -0000

Brian: In a rather dull and uninspiring game, the Eagles were able to eke out a win on the road against the Maryland Terrapins. The Eagles offense did just enough to preserve the victory. Montel Harris was again the workhorse moving the Eagles offense. Harris finished with 142 yards on a staggering 41 carries. I know the regular season has now come to a close and BC can focus on their upcoming bowl game and getting healthy, but are you at all concerned with Tranquill and the coaching staff overworking Harris going forward?

Jeff: As disappointed as I was on Saturday that the Eagles did not jump on Maryland early to the point that the Terrapins would've likely just packed it in and let Boston College cruise to an easy victory, it really wasn't as close as the final score indicated. The Eagles maintained a two score lead with 2:00 left to play in the game. So to say we eked out a win might be misleading to those who didn't watch the entire game. A game that was never truly in doubt in the second half.

If this season were not over I'd be very worried about Harris getting overworked. But, Josh Haden left the team and Rolandan Finch got mono at the same time. We were not left with many other options. Next year, someone needs to emerge to help out Harris and I think the coaching staff knows that as we haven't seen Montel used in the passing game hardly at all since Haden left. I assume the primary reason for that is to keep his touches to a somewhat reasonable level.

Brian: Limiting his touches? I just thought Tranquill didn't have a screen pass in his playbook until Saturday. As for overworking Harris, this definitely has to be a concern going forward. The Eagles may have to play freshman Sterlin Phifer or incoming 3 star recruit Andre Williams as Harris' backup next year, because BC doesn't have many other options. The Eagles lose Jeff Smith to graduation and James McCluskey has been severely limited this season at fullback. Finding some help for Harris should be a top priority for Spaz and the coaching staff this offseason.

Speaking of the coaching staff, from time to time we criticize the play calling of Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill. In the first and second quarter, the Eagles seemed to move the ball well, mixing in runs with screen passes and short outs. However, in the third quarter with the Eagles only up by 6 points, it seemed as if Tranquill got away from a balanced running-passing attack and just ran Montel Harris up the middle play after play. Did you like the second half play calling on offense? Or is this another sign of a team that seemingly "plays not to lose" with the lead in the second half?

Jeff: The "playing not to lose" mentality that has been a staple of the Tom O'Brien era and now Spaz/Tranquill is really tough to watch sometimes. If you recall Jagodzinski's press conference when he was initially hired and he said that BC football was going to be more fun to watch from now on, he really did live up to that. I like watching the team that goes for it on fourth down, tries to extend leads, throws in a fake kick once in a while, and calls an onside kick other than trailing at the end of the game. I hope Spaz looks at some of the differences between the 2008 Eagles and the 2009 Eagles and realizes that potentially one of the differences between what happened this year and BC getting that one extra win to head to Tampa might have had something to do with him. Jags seemed to give the kids the confidence that they could win every game regardless of the talent on the other side. In our four losses, I don't know if our team was ever out there really expecting to win.

Brian: I agree. Hopefully this young team gets a year older and gains the confidence it needs next year to expect to win games against the Clemsons, Notre Dames and Virginia Techs. The confidence and swagger doesn't seem to be coming from the sidelines.

But back to Saturday's game, aside from the late touchdown given up by the Eagles defense in the fourth quarter, the BC D played extremely well. Kuechly finished with 16 tackles and 142 on the year, good for second in Division I-A. Scafe and the Eagles defensive line was finally able to break through and get pressure on the quarterback. What did you like from the Eagles defense on Saturday?

Jeff: I'm not going to give the Eagles too many undeserved props on Saturday because it certainly was far from their best performance of the year. I think they played better against Virginia, North Carolina, Central Michigan, Notre Dame, and Clemson to name a few. But Damik Scafe and Luke Kuechly both had very good games. Maybe Scafe was finally close to 100 percent Saturday and it really showed. Since Alex Albright and Mike McLaughlin were hurt for several games each this season, and Herzlich is returning next year, the BC defense looks to be as good as we've come to expect in the last few seasons, if not better.

I was thinking heading into the weekend that a BC victory with a few extra style points combined with a blowout loss by Florida State to Florida could have helped Boston College's bowl spot and gotten them to Charlotte instead of San Francisco. The Seminoles did get killed by the Gators, but BC didn't exactly light up the scoreboard. Any chance the Eagles stay on the East coast and play Pittsburgh or West Virginia instead of heading to San Francisco?

Brian: I think the chances aren't good. A struggling 6-6 Florida State team will still be more attractive to the Meineke Car Care Bowl or the Music City Bowl than BC. As you said, the Maryland game was the last chance for the Eagles to put some style points on the board and 4 field goals and a touchdown aren't exactly the style points needed to jump Florida State or even North Carolina in the bowl pecking order. The Eagles finish the season averaging only 14 points per game on the road (compare that to 34+ points per game at home). Not putting points on the board on the road plus a bad travel rep is a recipe for heading west earning the ACC's last bowl tie-in this year.

Jeff: The Eagles finish the regular season with an 8-4 (5-3 ACC) mark. I correctly predicted the Eagles record of 8-4 this season and had them headed to Charlotte for the Car Care Bowl. You were off by a game with the record but had them going to San Francisco, props to us, right?

Brian: Not to toot our own horn but yes, our preseason predictions were fairly spot on. You would expect that though in a year where the media picked BC to finish last in the Atlantic Division. You may have correctly predicted an 8-4 season, but you incorrectly had us losing to Wake Forest and NC State. I, on the other hand, went with the slightly more conservative 7-5 but correctly predicted all four of the Eagles losses - at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, at Notre Dame, and North Carolina. The only game I missed was the Florida State game. Honestly, the Florida State game seemed to be a perfect storm for the Eagles. BC played inspired with ESPN's College GameDay on campus and the great news that Mark Herzlich received and did just enough to outlast the Seminoles.

Jeff: Some Eagles fans will be disappointed with 8-4. I think the Notre Dame loss was disappointing but we were 4-1 in close games. If anyone is disappointed with 8-4, aren't there expectations for BC a little unrealistic? Yes, we should try to win division every season but you can't expect BC to win every year. Ten wins gets it done. Eight or nine wins we should be happy with. A winning record in conference ... going to a mid level bowl game. Not bad coming off two ACC Championship Game appearances. When Georgia Tech played Wake Forest in the title game 3 years ago, Virginia Tech had also gone 10-2 that season. Otherwise a 10 win team always goes to ACC Championship Game and often a 9 win team does (occasionally worse than that).

Brian: I know others will be disappointed with the Eagles bowl placement. Even though Florida State and North Carolina did everything they could to improve BC’s lot in life come bowl selection, in my opinion BC will still likely wind up in San Francisco. A program known to travel better would have likely jumped both Florida State (4-4) and North Carolina (4-4) in the bowl pecking order, but I don’t see this happening for BC. While fans will be disappointed that BC will fall to the last bowl slot, in my opinion, this is a blessing in disguise. BC will likely play a ranked Cal, Stanford or USC team while the Car Care Bowl will draw a ‘meh’ Big East opponent (likely Rutgers or West Virginia) and the Music City Bowl will likely draw a team that went sub-.500 in SEC play.

The Regular Season Finale and the Big Finish

Brian @ BCI — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:12:41 -0000

Brian: This is probably the least meaningful game that BC has played in a long time. Do you think the team will be motivated to play in this one? What do you expect tomorrow?

Jeff: This game is no less meaningful than any non-conference game against a team other than Notre Dame. I expect the Eagles to play well and I expect a win since Maryland is the weakest team in the league this season and certainly worse than Central Michigan. I imagine many people are thinking that the Eagles might mail it in just like Miami did a few weeks ago after Georgia Tech clinched the Coastal Division. I don't see BC doing that because that is not behavior we have ever seen from a BC football team and I also wonder if all the players in that locker room had a Tampa or bust type mentality.

Brian: The last time the Eagles went into College Park to face a Terrapin team with just one ACC win, the Eagles were 8-1 and ranked 8th in the nation. Chris Turner had a huge day against the Eagles defense and the Terrapins upset BC. How much will redemption be on the mind of the Eagles tomorrow?

Jeff: Not at all. BC got their redemption last year when it was more of the same players, the same coach, and the Atlantic Division was on the line.

Big Finish

Jeff: The women's soccer team was bounced from the NCAAs yesterday in a 3-1 loss to Stanford. Your thoughts?

Brian: No shame in losing to a team that is 24-0 on the season. A great season for the women's soccer team.

Brian: With 19 tackles last week, Luke Kuechly moved into the nationwide lead in tackles with 126 tackles, five ahead of Brian Wagner of Akron. Chances Kuechly finishes the regular season in first?

Jeff: ESPN.com has Kuechly in fifth place with Carmen Messina (New Mexico) leading with 146 tackles. Regardless, I'll say 1%.

Jeff: Mark Herzlich is now officially getting ready for next season after his successful surgery on Monday. Who has more tackles next season, Kuechly or Herzlich?

Brian: I'll go with Kuechly and will be content with seeing Herzlich back on the field next season.

Brian: Will this be the last game for Ralph Friedgen?

Jeff: No. Maryland can not afford to buy out his contract. Maryland needs to set realistic expectations for their football program.

Jeff: BC men's basketball travels to Providence (4-1) tonight. Can the Eagles right the ship without Sanders?

Brian: I expect a hard fought game but I think the Friars are the better team. Besides, the Big East has been on fire to start the season.

Brian: BC is making plans to build a 160,000-square foot academic building called Stokes Commons on Newton Campus. As a fellow Newton Campus alum, putting undergrad academic buildings on Newton Campus … your thoughts?

Jeff: BC is building it on College Road in Newton so it will be on Middle or Upper Campus in Newton. I know, it is confusing.

Jeff: Time to jump on the BC men’s soccer bandwagon? They host Drake on Sunday in the NCAA Sweet 16. Do they advance to the Elite 8?

Brian: Yes, the Eagles will advance to the 8s to play the winner of North Carolina (a team the Eagles have already defeated this season) and Indiana.

Brian: Last one, HD with the surprise upset pick this weekend. Make a prediction and prove her wrong. Who ya got? What’s the final score?

Jeff: Boston College 34, Maryland 7. Thanks to an improving team and weak competition, the Eagles finally put together a complete game and win easily. I didn't want to jinx BC by taking them in Pick 5, but I feel good about this one.

Pick 5

Jeff:

Pittsburgh (-1) at West Virginia
Nevada (+13.5) at Boise State
Wake Forest (-4.5) at Duke
Clemson (-3) at South Carolina
Notre Dame (+10) at Stanford

Brian:

Temple (-2.5) at Ohio
Rutgers (-3) at Louisville
Virginia Tech (-16) at Virginia
Boston College (-6) at Maryland
Georgia at Georgia Tech (-7.5)

Behind Enemy Lines: A Virtual Sit-Down With BC Interruption

Ben Broman — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:43:41 -0000

We snuck into the dangerous warzone of New England under heavy enemy fire to bring you this interview with the premier bicameral Boston College blog, the perspicacious pair of Brian and Jeff at BC Interruption.

BC, statistically at least, hasn't had a lot of success on offense. The Eagles famously gained 26 yards (I think) of offense in an entire game, which probably helps to bring that down, but has the offensive situation improved as the QB situation stabilized? Or are the Eagles really that bad offensively?

Jeff: BC is a tough team to figure out in that you don't know which version is going to show up this week. Or really, now that the season is almost over and we have a pretty good idea of how good or not our opponents are, we could probably write a regression that predicts our total yards on offense based on two factors. How good is the opponent and is the game being played at home or on the road. Shinskie, our starting QB, is worse than an average freshman as far as making mistakes. We excuse this because most rookie QBs are coming off a redshirt year of playing against D-1 competition every day in practice or true freshman QBs are at least coming off a high school senior season that was hopefully played at a pretty high level and then maybe even an early trip to college to join the team for spring practice. Shinskie however, was still playing baseball this spring and had not play competitive football for 7 years. On Saturday, I expect an average to slightly above average offensive performance because Maryland is the weakest team we play this year in conference, but it is on the road which probably means at least a few mistakes for our QB and drops by our WRs.

Boston College is a unique program - they seem to always put together a solid season, no matter how lowly they're predicted or the perceived talent level of their team, even without a massive fan base or a ridiculous amount of funds. Is there a secret to BC's success? Do you know it? Can you sell it for a lot of money?

Brian: There may be a deeper secret to BC's success, but I'm not entire clear on what that is. I know that it's one part solid defenses year in and year out. All the credit in the world goes to Frank Spaziani. Ever since he took the reigns as defensive coordinator (and now as head coach), the Eagles consistently produce nationally ranked, top 25 defensive units. Another part is taking care of business at home. We explored this a bit last week, but the Eagles have a ridiculously good record at home this decade (51-12 since 2000). Whether it be a spirited student section, seats close to the field or the playing surface (field turf instead of grass), BC has a unique home field advantage that I can't fully explain. Finally, it sounds a bit cliché, but BC looks for the right recruit to fit into their system. Guys at BC and value the mix of academics and athletics that you can get here, which seems to forge a common bond among the team. Despite all the offseason turmoil with Jeff Jagodzinski, Mark Herzlich, Dominique Davis and now the transfers of Josh Haden and Justin Tuggle, these BC players stick together and seem to collectively overcome all the turmoil and low preseason predictions.

Most Maryland fans don't know anyone on Boston College this year - they haven't been on TV much this year, especially around these parts. Guys like Dave Shinskie and Montel Harris ring bells, but without Mark Herzlich, these Eagles are pretty unknown. Give readers two guys - one on defense and one on offense - that will cause the most problems for the Terps.

Jeff: Well, Montel Harris is your biggest problem coming from our offense. He is our sophomore running back who has already set the BC record for most yards by a sophomore. But since you already mentioned him, I'll give you one more offensive name which is Rish Gunnell. He leads the team in catches and Shinskie has really started to love throwing and, to a fault, throws to him 50+% of the time. On defense, you are going to hear Luke Kuechly's name called on Saturday over and over. He is a true freshman who leads our team in tackles and is #5 in the nation with 126 on the season. Kuechly probably would've been redshirted had Herzlich been able to play this year, but he was brought into the rotation instead and quickly earned a starting spot.

This one's a bit selfish, but does Maryland's situation seem as dire to outsiders as it does to Maryland fans? That is, do you think buying out Ralph Friedgen's contract is irrational at this point?

Brian: I'm not sure we can comment on whether it's appropriate to buy out a coaches contract as that's essentially what BC did last offseason with Jeff Jagodzinski. From an outsiders' perspective though, the Maryland coaching situation seems messy. The situation in College Park probably will be even messier than the impending coaching search across the way in Charlottesville. To me, this is where the new, chic "coach-in-waiting" schemes seem to breaks down. What do you do with a "coach-in-waiting" on a staff where you want to fire/buy out the incumbent head coach? Shouldn't James Franklin also take some of the blame for leading a Terrapin offense that ranks 100+ nationally in total offense? What makes the school and the administration think Franklin can turn the program around when he's also coaching on the same staff of a 2-9 team? Coach-in-waiting schemes sound great when they are first announced, but generally break down when the program takes a turn for the worst.

Overall, buying out Friedgen's contract seems fairly rational to me at this point. After he guided Vanderlinen's Maryland team to an Orange Bowl berth in 2001, Fridge has had some good teams but really hasn't made much noise in the ACC since. I'm not sure if ACC expansion got the best of Friedgen or what (19-5 in the ACC pre-expansions, 19-28 post-expansion), but it's clear he's no longer getting things done in College Park. It's probably time for him to go.

Who's BC natural rival? Both MD and BC are left out of the ACC rivalries as the northernmost schools. I don't think we'll see a northern rivalry anytime soon, but would you welcome it? Would you rather play another team during "rivalry week"?

Jeff: We would rather not be playing an ACC game this week. Last year, when we went to the ACCCG, it was not official until after the Maryland game and therefore tickets couldn't be purchased and distributed, flights could not be booked, plans could not be made, etc. etc. until only 6 days before the game. In the future, we have a deal to play Syracuse this final week of the season and I hope that is something that eventually happens in perpetuity and other ACC schools sign similar deals so that the ACC season can end the Saturday before Thanksgiving and everyone can have at least two weeks to make plans for the ACCCG every year.

Over/under on total turnovers: 5.5. Pick a side.

Brian: It's tempting to go over here, but I'm going to go with the under. 5.5 total turnovers seems a little high even with Shinskie under center for BC and uncertainty as to who is going to play QB for the Terps. Maryland only turned the ball over once last week on the road in Tallahassee. The Eagles defense hasn't been the same ball-hawking defense that it was a year ago, only generating 21 turnovers through 11 games. Both BC and Maryland have the same number of turnovers through 11 games - 24 - which averages to a little over 2 per game. I'll confidently go with the under here, with the Terps taking care of the ball on Senior Day. Although 4 or even 5 combined turnovers wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

ACC Roundtable 8: Are The Eagles Full of Sharks or Sheep?

Brian @ BCI — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:19:06 -0000

This week's ACC Roundtable is brought to you by your Coastal Division leaders, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Winfield, Dane and Bird of the Tech blog From the Rumble Seat. Their questions and our answers below.

1) Alright fellas, this is your turn to apologize to the Boston College Eagles who went to Hell and back and have now arrived as the 3rd team for the ACC (and only team in the Atlantic) to be bowl eligible. You know you were snickering in the preseason. Also, give a high five to Mark Herzlich for finishing his last treatment of chemo.

Apology accepted, and major ups to Herzlich for finishing his treatments.

2) An Orange Bowl victory over a Boise/TCU or an Orange Bowl victory over a Penn State/Cincy team - which means more for the conference? Is there even a difference?

A win is a win when it comes to the Orange Bowl. We are all painfully aware of the 1-for-the 2000s streak that the ACC has in BCS bowls. The conference will (and should) take any win we can get. This is especially important this year given that the Orange Bowl gets first pick of the BCS at-large teams.

That being said, all Orange Bowl losses aren't created equal. A loss to a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference (e.g. the Mountain West or the WAC) will damage the already frail reputation of ACC football even more. A loss to a MWC/WAC team further shines the spotlight on the fact that the ACC and the Big East continue to have an automatic bid while the Mountain West and WAC do not. A loss to Penn State would do less damage the league's rep, although I have a hard time believing that this year's Penn State team could beat the ACC champ. Since the Orange Bowl gets first pick and Cincinnati played in the Orange Bowl this year, I don't think there's any chance the Bearcats are back in Miami this year. But the general takeaway is that if the ACC Champ is going to lose, lose to a fellow BCS conference team.

3) Enough with the CJ Spillers, the Christian Ponders, and the Jacory Harrises. We wanna talk defense. Who is the defensive POTY thus far in the ACC?

So glad you asked. We are biased, but we just waxed poetic about Luke Kuechly's chances of winning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award. We'll stick by that and go with the homer pick. All Kuechly has done is lead the nation in solo tackles through 9 weeks and fill the huge shoes left by last year's Defensive POY Mark Herzlich and Mike McLaughlin (for the first few games of the season) in the Eagles linebacking corps.

In our eyes, no clear cut winner has yet to emerge from the conference. The defensive players that are putting in great performances are on bad teams, and the preseason first-team all-ACC selections aren't having the years they were billed to have. If there ever was a year to hand the hardware to a true freshman, this would be the year.

4) Recently, Bird compared the Atlantic to the Big 12 North. Is this a fair comparison? The Coastal is currently 8-2 against the Atlantic. There are still 8 interdivision games left. Can the Atlantic redeem itself this season?

I'll take the questions in reverse order, please. No, the Atlantic won't redeem itself this season. Of the 8 remaining games, the Atlantic Division team will likely only be favored in 3 of those contests (BC at Virginia, BC vs. North Carolina, Clemson vs. Virginia). Barring any major upsets, the Atlantic Division teams records against Coastal Division opponents will look like this:

Clemson 2-1 - L (at Georgia Tech), W (at Miami Fla.), W (Virginia)
Boston College 2-1 - L (at Virginia Tech), W (at Virginia), W (North Carolina)
Florida State 1-2 - L (Miami Fla), L (Georgia Tech), W (at North Carolina)
Maryland 0-3 - L (Virginia), L (at Duke), L (Virginia Tech)
NC State 0-3 - L (Duke), L (at Virginia Tech), L (North Carolina)
Wake Forest 0-3 - L (Miami Fla), L (at Georgia Tech), L (at Duke)

That makes a grand total of 5-13. Ouch. I would point out though that Duke ... that Duke ... has a good shot of finishing 3-0 against the Atlantic. The Blue Devils probably wouldn't have finished with a 3-0 mark against the Atlantic if they had to play Clemson, BC and FSU this season. Instead, they have feasted on what will likely end up being the bottom three teams in the Atlantic.

Second question. Is the comparison between the Atlantic and the Big 12 North a fair one? No. I say this for a few reasons. For one, two teams have separated themselves from the rest in the Atlantic Division race in Clemson and Boston College with a third - Florida State - looking to win out and get some help from BC to force a 3-way tie for the title. When it is all said and done, two (or three) teams will separate themselves from the pack at a respectable 6-2 or 5-3 mark. You can't say the same about the Big XII North. I think every team is mathematically alive and in contention to win the Big XII North and there is no clear cut clubhouse leader. Is it K-State? Nebraska? Or the four other teams that have 3 losses already? Only K-State and Nebraska can finish at 6-2, and both those scenarios are highly unlikely. It's more looking like 5 or even 4 wins will win you the Big 12 North.

Second, given that Georgia Tech is now the prohibitive favorite to win the Coastal Division, the big reason why the ACC Atlantic can't be compared to the Big 12 North is that no one is giving the Big 12 North champ any chance of winning their conference's Championship Game. Everyone is assuming that Texas will roll en route to a BCS National Championship Game appearance. With all due respect to this week's hosts, I don't think you can make the same claim with Georgia Tech, especially given that Florida State and Clemson both played Georgia Tech extremely close. Statistically speaking, Tech doesn't have nearly as good of a defense as they had a year ago. And their triple option offense is always prone to have an off-game. If Clemson or FSU makes it to Tampa to face Georgia Tech, the Jackets will have their hands full. I think the Atlantic could very well steal an ACC title away from the Coastal Division, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone to say something like that about the Big 12 North.

5) Tailgating is essential to all things football. In Atlanta, the tailgating game of choice is cornhole. What is your game of choice to pass the time?

Recently, the game of choice for us has been cornhole as well. But the tried and true tailgating games of choice at BC are flip cup and beirut (beer pong), probably in that order.

6) Let's cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Sharks are winners and they don't look back 'cause they don't have necks. Necks are for sheep. Is your team full of sharks or is your team full of sheep?

Spaz: Which one is the one people like to hug?
Steve: Gutsy question Spaz, you're a shark.

At least I'll play the optimist here and say BC is full of sharks. With only 3 ACC games left and 2 on the road, there can be no looking back at the Eagles past road woes (0-3 on the road, 6-0 at home). Virginia and Maryland won't be nearly as tough outs as Virginia Tech, Clemson or even Notre Dame, so both those remaining road games are definitely winnable. BC finishes the 2009 season with 3 wins, finishes with a 9-3 (6-2 ACC) mark, and puts the pressure on Clemson to win their remaining 3 ACC games to head to Tampa as the Atlantic Division champs.

7) Create a cocktail in the spirit of your school and explain it to us. Non-edible ingredients are allowed and encouraged.

I can't say I'm much of a cocktail guy, but if Boston College had a cocktail, it would probably taste like chowdah or lobster. Suffice it to say, it would probably taste terrible.

Headlines: Does Kuechly Have a Legit Shot at Winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year?

Brian @ BCI — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:48:53 -0000

Brian: Every week, I become more and more impressed with the play of true freshman linebacker Luke Kuechly. This week, Kuechly once again was all over the field against Central Michigan, pacing the team in tackles with 11. It’s becoming business as usual as Kuechly continues to record double-digit tackles week in and week out.

Kuechly added another accomplishment to his record last week, intercepting Chippewa QB Ryan Radcliff and scampering 28 yards for the touchdown. It was his first career touchdown at any level.

Kuechly’s 94 total tackles leads the ACC and ranks 6th nationally, as well as #1 in the country with 58 solo tackles. He has more than double the number of tackles than the second best Eagle (Marcellus Bowman with 43). Kuechly also have 7 tackles for loss, good for second on the team behind only Alex Albright’s 7.5 TFLs. Now Kuechly has added an interception and a touchdown to his already gaudy stats.

So my question is, should Kuechly be receiving some serious consideration for ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors?

Jeff: Luke Kuechly has been a phenominal addition to the Eagles' defense this season and I would imagine has freshman defensive player of the year all wrapped up. But has Boston College been good enough for him to take home such an award? BC has not had an incredible year defensively. The Eagles have only recorded 1 shutout this season against Northeastern (as opposed to 3 last season). Just like the Heisman Trophy typically goes to a player on one of the best teams in the country, this award will end up going to a defensive player on a better ACC defensive unit. The award will probably also go to an upperclassman as well. Right now, I think it's safe to say Spaz has a better chance for COY than Kuechly has for DPOY. Agree?

Brian: I'm not so sure I would easily dismiss Kuechly's chances of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Certainly working against him is the fact that he wasn't even on anyone's radar for the media's preseason All-ACC first team defense. But at the same time, many of the players on the preseason first team aren't having nearly as good of a year as the experts predicted. Virginia Tech's Jason Worilds isn't having quite the year that Hokies fans would have liked. Neither has Hokie safety Kam Chancellor (54 tackles, 1 interception). Most of the rest of the preseason first team defense are on teams that aren't having the best of seasons (NC State, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia).

The only defenders who I think have a leg up on Kuechly may be Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan (8 sacks for -55 yards) and Clemson junior safety DeAndre McDaniel (nation-leading 7 interceptions, 61 tackles). However, Georgia Tech's defensive unit, statistically speaking, hasn't put up numbers as good as BC's. Clemson's defensive unit has been better than BC's, but the Tigers and the Eagles both already have 3 losses. Kuechly might not win the award this year, but if he keeps it up, he will definitely be in the conversation and finish in the top 5 for Defensive Player of the Year.

As for Spaz's chances of winning ACC Coach of the Year, I don't like the notion of rewarding Spaz for getting this team to 8 or 9 wins simply because the media's preseason expectations were low for BC. Granted the Eagles had a lot of offseason turmoil but there was still a solid core of players left over from the Jags era. I would much rather see this award go to Randy Shannon or Paul Johnson if they finish the year with a better record than BC. I mean, we won 9 games last season. So if Spaz gets the Eagles to 8 or 9 wins, he will simply be maintaining a level of success Eagles fans have become accustomed to at the Heights over the last 10 years. Jagodzinski didn't win the award in 2007 after leading the Eagles to an 11-3 record and a No. 2 national ranking midseason. That year, the award went to Al Groh. I didn't like that decision then, and if Spaz wins the award over Paul Johnson or Randy Shannon, who can get their teams to 10-11 regular season wins, I won't like the selection this year either.

Jeff: While I was looking up stats after you mentioned Kuechly having the sixth most tackles in the country this year, I noticed that Montel Harris has the 5th most touchdowns in the country. Both of these players will fall down their respective award lists slightly next week as BC is idle but the future of BC looks pretty darn good with a freshman quarterback, a stud true freshman linebacker and a solid sophomore running back.