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Mizzou halftime thoughts

-Well, good start. That first drive was almost identical to the long TD drive against FSU.

-Run defense is a problem so far. This is really the first time they've been tested on the ground and it hasn't looked good.

-Early downs in general whether it's on the ground or through the air have been a problem. That last drive before the half was brutal too, need to be better.

-TC's pick was the old TC. Bad decision and a worse throw. The heads up play on the TD to Harris was neat, but those types of bad plays are killers and negate all the good he does.

-Mizzou's offense is legit. Cook and Luther are a problem and as good as Jackson is I don't think they have anybody that can cover him.

-Pass rush needs to get home or the secondary might get picked apart.

-The punter thing is wild. No indication Candotti was hurt or anything this week, definitely didn't expect to see Stone or Zevenko (think I'm spelling it wrong but don't have a roster in front of me currently).

-Gotta get the run game going or at least get the screen game a little more active. This team has five capable backs, use them.

-Felt like Skeete could have given a little more effort on a couple plays this half.

-I still think they can win this game (obviously, they were up 14-3) but you can't make mistakes against a team that's good enough to make you pay for them.

-This crowd/fan base is annoying as hell and the pom-poms are so lame,

-Defense needs a stop to open the third or at the very least can only give up 3. Touchdown puts you in a 10-point hole and this Mizzou defense (with the home crowd) is good enough to smother the offense or force TC into more bad decisions if he's pressing.

-34-31 BC final (I hope)
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Mizzou coach with kinda a mea culpa re: 2021 BC comments


On the 2021 Boston College loss being a “low point”:

“That game was hard for a lot of different reasons. I didn't think we played particularly well. There was a lot of noise around the game for comments I made, so I learned a hard lesson as a head coach. Then there were emotional swings. We came back, tied it up, they scored in overtime, and we threw a pick on the first play. It was the first time I had to deal with the crowd rushing the field and trying to navigate off it. So, a lot to it.”

On the growth of the program since that loss in 2021:

“I try to stay in the moment and understand that it's special to be at Faurot Field in front of a sold-out crowd. I've acknowledged that to a couple of coaches who've been with us the whole time. I’ve told them, ‘Man, we've come a long way since we first got here.’ Boston College is a really good football team. They were good in 2021, and it’ll be a difficult matchup. It'll be a good game.”

The BOB halo effect

I have a long-standing group text thread going with a bunch of my buddies from BC, and yesterday I chimed in that BC wouldn't be ranked in the top 25 if Haf was still coaching but had the exact same results to date. Got some initial push back on that but after some back-and-forth banter it seems most agree -- BC likely getting more attention and respect due to BOB's rep and pedigree. Curious as to what others think about this?

It also got me thinking about other ways in which BOB has impacted the team / program / school. Despite recent mediocre results with the Pats and Tide, BOB is a big name in football and has an impressive resume so when he was announced as the new coach at BC it generated a ton of buzz beyond just the small fandom and dwindling local media. He immediately put BC back on the college football map. The halo effect of his brand was immediate and impressive, and has continued to reverberate since the announcement. For example:
  • Current roster: I highly doubt there are many other coaches that could have come in here and kept the whole roster intact in this day and age of NIL free agency. I expected TC to bolt for a good pay day as he isn't a prototypical BOB QB, his value was really high after a 2K passing / 1K running season, and the BC's prospects for football prominence were pretty dim. There were several other kids that could have moved on to marquis programs. BOB came in, met with all of them one-on-one and they all opted to stay. Really impressive work.
  • Recruiting: Not that he has torn it up on the recruiting front yet, but given the state of the program that he inherited, the late start date and limited NIL resources, he has done pretty well so far. Two key areas stand out -- his ability to recruit top talent in MA and his QB recruiting. Shaker Reisig was a pretty big steal as the kid had a ton of offers including from Mizzou and OK State, and while he got a pledge from '26 Corin Berry really early in the cycle it seems like the kid could be a player throwing for 5 TDs and 242 yards in his first game this season (and did have an offer from Arkansas in the SEC). In MA while he's only managed to grab 3 of the top 10 (while missing on some really good players on the list -- namely a couple of OL we really could have used), I fully expect him to do much better on that front going forward given his local ties and the product he is putting on the field.
  • Staff: BOB took some heat for the hiring of Tim Lewis as it didn't look great on paper, but so far at least, looks like it may be been a really solid hire, and the guy does have extensive NFL experience (which does carry some cache). Beyond that, snagging strength coach Fitzgerald from Florida (where he had just been hired) was a great, and unexpected, hire. Beyond those BOB has brought in a ton of guys with NFL experience -- both in coaching and advisory roles. There is a decidedly pro vibe to the program vs the amateur vibe we'll all become accustomed to seeing for the past couple of decades.
  • BC legends: BOB has welcomed past BC greats back into the program with open arms and seems to have regular communication with a ton of them. For example, I love that he has brought Will Blackmon in as 'Senior Analyst'.
  • Media coverage: The college football media has really taken note of BC so far and a lot of that has to do with the fact that BOB is the HC. The interview with SVP on Sportscaster right after the FSU win is a prime example, but even beyond that the coverage in the Athletic, SI (yes, that's still a thing), the Globe, et al, is coverage that I doubt the program gets if Haf is 2-0 with this team. A resurgent BC under local boy made good is such a easy story for the press to latch on to so if he turns this program around in the longer term the school will likely be a bit of a media darling.
  • I'm sure there are many other aspects of the BOB halo effect but I should probably get some work done.
Any others I am missing? Thoughts? So much fun to be a BC Football fan again.
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