Game Preview 2010: BC

By: Kris Wright |


Helmet logos courtesy of The Helmet Project

Essentials

Overview

Robert Randolph and the Hoos will try to get a road win at Boston College.

For the Virginia football team, November has become a challenging time of year in recent seasons. The Cavaliers, after all, have not won a game in the regular season’s final month in more than three years. The last victory? The improbable 48-0 eruption over Miami to close out the historic Orange Bowl in 2007, a win that was part of the Hoos’ Gator Bowl run and last winning season.

So is there any wonder that UVa is focused on trying to get any win it can as Mike London’s first season winds down? The next chance for the 4-6 Cavaliers comes this weekend with a trip to Boston College, an infrequent Virginia foe even though the Eagles have joined the ACC in recent years. BC and UVa have met just four times in the past. Boston College owns a 4-0 series record against the Hoos, including a 14-10 victory last season in Charlottesville. In other words, if Virginia is going to get a win this week, it must snap two streaks – the string of November losses and the previously winless run against the Eagles.

“It’s always important to build on things that can help you improve as a team. The road win part of it is important. It’s amazing still having a chance to be .500 is still in the realm of possibilities. But you can’t look past a Boston College team that is very, very good. They beat a team that we didn’t beat [in Duke],” Virginia coach Mike London said. “I want to win, but I want to develop players. I want to win the right way. I’m not going to burn redshirts. I’m just going to try to develop guys as we go along. We’re looking forward towards the trip up there, back up to Chestnut Hill.

Priorities And Picks

PRIORITIES

PENALTIES! Enough is enough already. Cut down on the yellow flags if you want a chance to win. Last week, the Hoos gave back 1.5 football fields worth of penalty yards. That’s not easy to overcome.

Avoid the linebackers. Boston College’s middle line of defense is as good as any in the ACC with linebackers who understand the defense, read the offense, and make plays. Those Eagles will make some plays in this one too, but try to make it harder on them with throws to the tight ends, good lead blocks, and no turnovers in their area.

Red zone efficiency defense. Boston College ranks 100th in the nation in red zone offense, scoring just 76% of the time. On 33 drives in the red zone this season, the Eagles have just 11 touchdowns. Don’t let the trend head the other way in this one.

PICKS

BLAIR: Another one of those game that theoretically could go either way. Boston College has a great defense, but has struggled on offense this year. Scoring will probably be low this game, and I think special teams will be key for Virginia in this one. A few points from special teams could make the difference. Hoos 16, Eagles 13, Picks record: 5-5

KRIS: With so much facing the Cavaliers right now – November struggles, road game troubles, and injury issues … well, the challenge is significant. And that doesn’t even mention the defense and penalty problems. I’d love to see an upset at some point in these final two games to give the team, the coaches, and the fans something to build on in the offseason, but I have a hard time seeing it happen. Prove me wrong Hoos! Eagles 23, Hoos 20, Picks record: 6-4

Boston College’s Offense

  • Offense: Pro style
  • 2010 averages: 19.4 points, 117.6 rushing yards, 184.2 passing yards
  • Strengths: Running back, running game
  • Questions: Red zone scoring, turnovers, third down offense
  • Players to watch: RB Montel Harris, LT Anthony Costanzo

Considering Virginia’s problems with rush defense this season, Boston College could be a daunting opponent this week. That’s because junior Montel Harris is one of the best running backs in the ACC and nation. He has 3,486 career rushing yards, the best mark through three seasons in league history. He is tied for fourth all-time in ACC history with 20 100-yard games. Harris has lost just six fumbles in 806 career touches. This season, Harris leads the ACC with 112.90 rushing yards per game. That’s good for 11th in the country.

“I tell you, he’s an outstanding running back. You talk about seeing the holes and hitting it downhill or being able to jump cut or you think you have him tackled and then all of a sudden he gets out of the tackle or the scrum, so to speak. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He also returns kicks and he’s fast and he’s elusive,” London said. “You see all the special things that he brings to BC and they rely heavily on him even more so I am sure with a freshman quarterback. But he’s one of the best that I’ve seen and rightfully so because the kid plays with passion and energy. All those things that you want your superstar players to have, he has those things.”

Indeed, Boston College has turned to a true freshman quarterback during the season. Chase Rettig took over the starting duties against Notre Dame and now has six starts under his belt. He is 3-3 in those games. Rettig has completed 65 of 123 passes for 855 yards; he has 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In his most recent game against Duke, Rettig registered a career-high 230 passing yards with 2 TDs and no interceptions.

Rettig’s targets in the passing game include true freshman Bobby Swigert, who leads the team with 32 catches for 467 yards and 4 TDs from this receiving spot. Tight end Chris Pantale has added 21 receptions for 202 yards and a touchdown, while Harris chips in with 112 receiving yards on 18 catches.

Providing the work in the trenches is an offensive line unit made up of big, physical linemen that love to run block. The start of the group is senior left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper pegged as the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the preseason. Castonzo has allowed only two sacks the past two seasons. London helped recruit Castonzo as a Virginia assistant before taking the Richmond head coach job.

“You could tell then back then that he had the right temperament, the mindset. He’s an excellent student also,” London said. “There are just so many things about him that say, from a football standpoint, first class or first round.”

Boston College’s Defense

  • Defense: 4-3 stack
  • 2010 averages: 21.4 points allowed, 74.6 rushing yards allowed, 231.5 passing yards allowed
  • Strengths: Linebackers, run defense
  • Questions: Pass defense, pass rush, third down defense
  • Players to watch: LB Mark Herzlich , LB Luke Kuechly , DB Donnie Fletcher

Most conversations about the Boston College defense start in the middle where a pair of eye-catching linebackers make plays with machine-like efficiency. Add a third freshman face into the mix and you’ve got a strong group that creates problems for many offenses, particularly with running the football. Boston College is allowing just 74.6 rushing yards per game, the best in the country; BC’s defense has allowed only 100 yards rushing four times this season. In terms of individuals, the Eagles have allowed just eight 100-yard rushers since 2005.

So who are these star linebackers? Senior linebacker Mark Herzlich , the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, has 46 tackles and 2 INTs on the season as he has made a remarkable return from Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that forced him to miss 87 weeks of action. In 2008, Herzlich led the team with 110 tackles and 6 interceptions, which led the nation for linebackers. He returned two of those picks for interceptions.

Sophomore Luke Kuechly is the nation’s leading tackler with an astounding 146 tackles, an average of 14.6 tackles per game. He has 9.5 tackles for loss. Last season’s ACC Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference pick, Kuechly posted at least 10 tackles in the final nine games of 2009 and finished with 158 tackles. Think 10 tackles in a game is impressive? Kuechly has at least that many in every game this season. He also posted at least 20 tackles twice in games against N.C. State (20) and Duke (21).

The final piece of the LB puzzle is true freshman Kevin Pierre-Louis, who pushed his way into the starting role with strong play. He is second on the team with 66 tackles.

The linebackers aren’t the only playmakers. Sophomore defensive end Max Holloway is coming off one of the best games of his career at Duke last week. He posted 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass break-up. The PBU came on 4th-and-Goal for Duke from the 4-yard line. Holloway ranks 21st nationally with 1.39 tackles for loss per game.

In the secondary, strong safety Dominick LeGrande has recovered three fumbles on the season, which leads the nation. Junior corner Donnie Fletcher is also a take-away threat. Fletcher has 9 INTs in his career, including at least one in five of his last seven games. Fletcher’s five picks are tied for eighth most in the country and third most in the ACC.

Those two are huge reasons that Boston College ranks third in the country in turnovers gained with 28 on the season, just one behind national leaders Oregon and Hawaii. The Eagles are among five national leaders with 17 INTs on the season.

Boston College’s Special Teams

  • 2010 averages: 41.7 yards per punt, 38.7 net yards per punt, 5.1 yards per punt return, 17.7 yards per kick return, 4.05 yards per punt return allowed, 16 of 19 field goals
  • Strengths: Field goals, punt coverage
  • Questions: Kick returns, punt returns
  • Players to watch: PK Nate Freese, P Ryan Quigley

Boston College has two strong specialists in the special teams game. Placekicker Nate Freese has made four field goals in two different games this season and he has made 16 of 19 kicks on the season. The three misses? Two of the missed attempts came from 47 yards, while the third came from 36 yards out.

Punter Ryan Quigley is just as consistent. Quigley averages 42.4 yards per punt and has 12 kicks of 50 yards or more. He has placed 19 kicks inside the 20-yard line and forced 16 fair catches. Thanks to stellar punt coverage, the Eagles are 22nd nationally in net punting average. BC ranks 9th nationally in punt return yardage defense by allowing just 4.05 yards per return.

The Final Word

When you look at the game with Boston College, it’s not the most intimidating match-up on paper. While the Eagles have a stingy and turnover-creating defense, their offense doesn’t take full advantage and run away from the opponent. Red zone scoring issues and an inconsistent passing attack have helped opposing defenses keep things fairly even on the scoreboard. What does that mean? It means that you’re likely going to be in a physical game and defensive slugfest if you have any chance of beating BC.

The tough part for the Cavaliers is that their defense has had trouble keeping things even in other games this season. In 5 of 6 losses on the year, the Hoos have allowed more than 30 points – three times, the opponent has cracked 40 and Duke threw up 55 points. In other words, it has been an ongoing struggle for the D. With Montel Harris able to grind out yards for the Eagle offense and break off big plays, this week will be another significant challenge.

Still, London said his team is not throwing in the towel for 2010. The Hoos still want to compete and try to win games with a .500 record still possible and plenty of long-term development still on the table for many of the underclassmen.

“These guys haven’t quit in one way, and one player’s not said anything about what to do. They want to learn more. That’s progress to me,” London said. “I’m seeing progress in the classroom and tremendous progress in the classroom and in the community, things like that. So no one’s quitting. There’s a lot of fight left.”