ACC Football Preview #4: Boston College

Boston College has been solid if not spectacular every year for about the last decade. Tom O'Brien (now at NCSU) did a great job building a program with remarkable consistency. When he left, Jeff Jagodzinski took over and people predicted a drop-off. It did not happen however as they made the ACC Championship game both years under "Jags". He was forced out this offseason when he interviewed for an NFL job and told if he did that he would be fired. He is now the OC for the Tampa Bay Bucs and their new staff. Their great OC Steve Logan resigned after Jags left. Now Frank Sapziani takes over who has been the BC defensive coordinator the last 13 seasons.

OFFENSE

QBs: Everyone now knows the name Matt Ryan. He graduated two years ago as the school's third all-time passer and lit it up last year as a rookie for the Atlanta Falcons. Last year a huge dropoff was predicted in this position (obviously). While there was a dropoff, it was not as big as expected because Chris Crane came in, along with Dominique Davis, did a decent enough job to at least lead their team back to the ACC Championship game. Their numbers were way down but they managed the games well enough. This year Crane is gone and Davis returns. He can only improve with another years' experience but he will be in a new system with a new OC and have to learn a new set of plays. I predict a small increase in production.

RBs: Boston College has had a decent running game almost every year because they usually have quality o-line play. However, they have not had a 1000 yard rusher since 2003. That is mainly due to the fact that they had a couple of decent backs who split carries fairly easily. Last year looked to be a loss in the backfield as they lost their top 2 guys from the year before and did not have a lot returning. However, they got great production out of true frosh Montel Harris who finished with 900 yds. and 5 TDs. This year he returns for his sophomore year along with sophomore Josh Haden, who was highly touted out of high school. I predict for them to have more production running the football and for Harris to break the 1000 yard barrier for the Eagles.

WRs: Last year was a tough year for the receivers at BC because of inconsistent QB play at times. The leading receiver was Brandon Robinson with only 646 yds. and 3 TDs. This year he is gone but they do return two guys with starting experience in Justin Jarvis and Rich Gunnell. They are both seniors and should have decent years but there is usually a reason they haven't seen a ton of significant time before their senior years and that is because they usually don't have elite level talent. Losing Robinson hurts and I predict a slight dropoff in production this year from the receivers especially with the less than ideal situation at QB.

OL: BC was known for producing great OLs throughout O'Brien's tenure and most of those guys continued to play well under Jags. This should be another good year along the offensive front barring injuries as four starters return from the year before. This unit not only has experience but also has talent. Some people think Anthony Castonzo could be an all-time great by the time he is done. This should be a very bright spot for the Eagles this fall and should be their best overall offensive line in the past few years.

DEFENSE

DL: The Eagles DL last year was one of, if not the best DL in the ACC a year ago. Raji and Brace formed a formidable duo at both stopping the run and rushing the passer. This year they lose both of these guys (Raji a first round draft choice and Brace a second rounder). They do have three guys coming back that have had starting experience but will have a dip in production from last year losing those two top guys.

LBs: It was thought that this year would be a great year for the BC linebacking corps. They were returning Mark Herzlich who most think is the best LB in the ACC. They also were getting back Mike McLaughin, who had to sit out last year with an injury. Unfortuantely they received horrible news in the offseason that Herzlich had developed a rare cancer in his knees and his football career may be over (probably the least of his worries however). While football doesn't matter and his health is the first priority, it does seriously hurt the BC linebackers this fall. Losing a guy of his caliber is impossible to replace and they will probably use a couple of guys to try and fill some of the gap. McLaughin will be back and is a good player but BC will no longer have one of the best LB corps in the ACC as most thought.

DBs: BC looked as if it should have taken a dropoff in pass defense last year as they lost their first team All-American safety from the year before as well as one other starter but surprisingly had a better year than the year before. They allowed only 9 TD passes compared to 26 INTs. This was probably, at least partly, due to the great DL that provided a consistent pass rush and run stop that allowed a lot of long down and distances. Having a great D coordinator also helps. This year they have three starters returning from the year before and this should be another good secondary. However, they will have to do a better job of covering as they will not have near as much help from the front 7 as last year.

OVERALL

BC made a good hire in retaining Frank Spaziani and promoting him to head coach. This at least allows for some continuity within the program as he will now be the third head coach in the last four years. He has brought in his own staffof Gary Tranquill as OC (lots of experience) and Bill McGovern as DC (LB coach at BC the past 9 years). They have 14 starters returning which is nice but I don't see this as the same team of the past few years. They will win enough games to make a bowl but while Spaziani may be a slight upgrade at HC, I think both coordinators from last year were better. BC will probably win 7 or 8 games but will not be a major player in the ACC race this year.