Since the current team sucks, we must delve into the past. This thread is to lament the lesser known or more forgotten plays that still haunt you. Ed Reed 2001, Mike Cloud goal line stuff, David Green fumble, etc. don't apply. I'll get it started:

Down 23-16 in the 2007 ACCCG at like the VT 40 yard line. Matty Ice throws a strike to Challenger over the middle and he has one guy to beat to hit pay dirt. Gets tackled. Drive stalls and ultimately leads to an INT that effectively ends the game. Was at the game and you could see the open field in front of him.

Behind Enemy Lines: Wake Forest​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Boston College has had two weeks to prepare for No. 13 Wake Forest. But the Demon Deacons have also enjoyed the same luxury. The Atlantic Division foes are often linked because they are the two smallest full-time members of the ACC, enrollment-wise.

And, for much of the last decade, they have traded blows. Interestingly enough, the road team has won each of the teams' last seven meetings. Five of those seven games have been decided by one score.

Last year's matchup was a blowout, however, as the Atlantic Division champion Demon Deacons dealt BC a 41-10 loss in the regular season finale—granted, a total of 32 Eagles were affected by the flu that game.

Wake has built off its magical season in 2021 with more top of the shelf ACC success this fall.

Here at Eagle Action, we reached out to DeaconsIllustrated publisher Conor O'Neill to learn about this year's Wake Forest ahead of Saturday's Week 8 matchup.

Q: Did the bye come at the right time for Wake? Who got healthy, and which position groups are still notably affected by injury?​

O'Neill: "So … yes and no. The 'no' answer is because Wake Forest, as Dave Clawson pointed out Tuesday, played three strong, complete football games in a row entering its off week. Going toe-to-toe with Clemson was a step forward for Wake’s program, despite the loss. The Deacons were able to wrestle the Atlantic Division crown from the Tigers last year, yet still lost by 21 down there.

Then Wake Forest went on the road and scored 28 straight points on Florida State and held off a late charge, and, before the off week, the Deacons exorcised some 2021 demons by not giving up 56 points to a triple-option Army team and won handily, 45-10.

But the 'yes' part overrules how well Wake Forest was playing as long as the Deacons didn’t completely lose their steam.

Wake Forest was banged up in the secondary. Most notably, their best cornerback, Caelen Carson, didn’t play in the last three games. Their next best two, Gavin Holmes and JJ Roberts, both missed the Army game.

Clawson said he’s hopeful on Carson this week and sounded more optimistic that Holmes and Roberts will be back–obviously a big gain when facing Zay Flowers.

There are other positions–safety and defensive line come to mind–where Wake Forest hasn’t had guys miss games, per se, but have had guys limited in practices during the week. Those situations will have been smoothed out a bit with an extra week of recovery."

Q: Jeff Hafley believes the Deacons have the deepest WR corps BC has faced this season. Most are aware of AT Perry's downfield threat, but what can you tell us about the other four wideouts with 15-plus catches this season?​

O'Neill: "Man, Wake Forest has really become a factory of developing talented receivers.

The other two perimeter threats are Donavon Greene and Jahmal Banks. Greene doesn’t have the height of Perry–he’s 6-2, 210; Perry is 6-5, 205–but he’s more of a burner and creates separation because of that and because of his physicality. Even though he’s in his fourth season, it’ll be his first time playing BC–he played in the last four games of 2019, had a good COVID season, and then tore his ACL last summer and missed the season.

Banks is the only new contributor–he’s a third-year player whose last season of high school football was at a familiar high school for BC fans: St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. He flashed last year in fall camp but didn’t do much; he has put it all together this season, and it’s not crazy to think he might be the best future pro of the group.
Taylor Morin and Ke’Shawn Williams are the slots, and for what’s really the first time under Clawson, Wake Forest can actually split the slot reps 50-50. It’s always been the goal … but they’d always fall short.

Williams has actually had the better performances of late. He made a couple of third-down catches on a win-sealing drive at FSU that were remarkable. Morin is the older player, and he’s honestly the one who feels due for a breakout."

Q: Wake has committed just three turnovers this year. A big part of that is Sam Hartman taking a hack at his interception total from last year, which mounted toward the end of 2021. Where has Hartman grown the most in his decision-making ability?​

O'Neill: "Honestly this might be a little hard on him … but I think you’ve got to wait until after the season to evaluate this.

Hartman’s interceptions have typically come in bunches, and it’s not like they’ve been forecasted. He threw one in the first eight games of 2020, and then threw four in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. He threw three in the first eight games last season, and then threw 11 across the next five games–including another four in the same stadium (Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium).

So going back to the bowl game against Rutgers, he’s only thrown two–both against Liberty–in Wake’s last six games. Hartman has done a fairly decent job of keeping the ball out of harm’s way in those games, too–PFF only has him with four turnover-worthy plays in five games this season.

It’s just hard, based on the last two seasons, to say it’s going to be that way for the entire season."

Q: Who are three players BC fans should know on Wake's defense, and why?​

O'Neill: "Given BC’s struggles in protecting Phil Jurkovec–and since I’ve already named their best corners who’ll be tasked with attempting to cover Flowers–I’ll give you two defensive linemen and a safety who’s used in third-down packages as a blitzer.

Kobie Turner has been a revelation as a defensive tackle transfer from Richmond. He’s PFF’s highest-graded overall defensive player (92.8) heading into Wednesday night’s game. Turner is able to generate pressure as an interior rusher, but it’s his consistent penetration and motor that shines on every snap.

Rondell Bothroyd was Wake’s best defensive player last season and might not have the same caliber of stats, but he’s still probably the most important piece of the equation. I think he’s a future NFL defensive end.

Malik Mustapha means two of these three are Richmond transfers. Wake Forest got Mustapha last season and he was … OK. But he’s graduated his game this season– despite a torn ACL in the bowl game–to another level and is second in tackles (35) and TFLs (4.5), and is third in sacks (2.5).

On obvious passing downs, Wake Forest will line up with a three-man line that’s almost certain to include Turner and Bothroyd, and they’ll try to flush the QB to one side with Mustapha coming to that side on a delayed blitz."

Q: Is the big play the Achilles' heel of Wake's defense, or are the Deacons' 14 plays of 30-plus yards allowed this season simply a reminder of the Clemson shootout?​

O'Neill: "The big plays are definitely an area of concern for Clawson.

Bringing things back to Carson, Wake Forest has given up several chunk plays through the air, even against Army, and Clawson has been frustrated that defensive backs have been in position but haven’t made plays on the ball.

Otherwise: You’re going to misfit a run every now and then. Will Shipley went for 53 yards on his first carry because Wake’s linebackers were too wide. And Liberty hit them for a couple of 40-plus-yard touchdown runs because Hugh Freeze knows how to call a game.

The goal is to just get those things stopped in the 15-25-yard range, and that’s not happened as often as they’d like."

Bye Tom. Thanks for being the Greatest of All Time.

You quit Best Buddies, you removed the franchise tag language from your contract, you sold your house.....this is the least surprising news I have ever heard. You emotionally left last year....it was painfully obvious you were not fully invested into the Pats. Every superstar acts like a diva eventually, your time has come.

All good things come to an end. Go decline with someone else, go get overpaid by someone else, go pitch your lifestyle brand somewhere else, go roll your eyes and whine about weapons somewhere else. Go lecture us about the environment while fly PJs all over the world somewhere else.

You are easily the best QB to ever play the game. But you've changed.....skipping OTA's , doing your own thing while the other 51 guys train as a unit. No longer the first one in, last one out.....I get it, but I don't like it. You need to spend time with your family ( I've been working 60 hour weeks , 48 weeks a year for the past 30 years...you work part time, you literally have the annual schedule of a part time high school teacher ) and after you have 20 years in the league, you must feel entitled. But winning rings and being a team leader are not your focus anymore. You bitched at receivers all year....you rolled your eyes, your body language sucked You acted like a disgruntled employee.....Guess you missed the part where you had the best D in league and we were 12-4.

See ya Tom....don't let the door hit you in the ass.



Fade into the sunset somewhere else.

Eagles Picked to Finish 13th in 2022-23 ACC Preseason Poll​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Boston College men's basketball enters the 2022-23 season with depth the program hasn't enjoyed in years. That's reflected in the team's KenPom preseason ranking (74th nationally and 10th in the ACC).

But the media have picked the Eagles to finish 13th in the conference, only ahead of Pitt and Georgia Tech.

North Carolina, which lost last year's National Championship to Kansas and is No. 1 in the AP's preseason Top 25, was selected as the preseason favorite to win the ACC. Compared to UNC's 90 first-place votes, Duke collected only two yet still ranks second in the ACC preseason poll. Virginia (six first-place votes), Miami (two first-place votes) and Florida State are third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

UNC senior forward/center Armando Bacot was voted ACC Preseason Player of the Year, and Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II was named ACC Rookie of the Year.

BC didn't have an honoree on either the Preseason All-ACC First or Second Team. It's worth noting, however, that Eagles freshman guard/forward Prince Aligbe received one vote for ACC Rookie of the Year.

BC was 13th in the first year of the Earl Grant era, posting a record of 13-20, including a 6-14 mark in ACC competition.

The Eagles weathered a pair of five-game losing streaks yet played their best basketball in March, when they strung together a mini run in the ACC Tournament. BC beat Pitt and then spoiled Wake Forest's NCAA Tourney hopes before flirting with a semifinal appearance in a buzzer-beating quarterfinal loss to an Elite Eight-bound Miami team.

Unlike last year, when BC ranked 296th nationally in minutes continuity (30.7%) amid a coaching transition, the Eagles are returning their leading scorer (Makai Ashton-Langford), second-leading scorer (DeMarr Langford Jr.), leading rebounder (TJ Bickerstaff), a rising star point guard (Jaeden Zackery) and a center that was an All-ACC All-Tournament selection (Quinten Post).

Additionally, Grant and his staff reeled in two transfers: Cincinnati three-and-D guard Mason Madsen as well as Division II standout CJ Penha Jr. from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Most notably, though, the Eagles inked four freshmen in a 2022 recruiting class that ranked 30th nationally, according to Rivals.com. It's a group headlined by four stars Aligbe and DJ Hand.

Grant's first class was BC's first in the Rivals.com recruiting database era (2002-present) to include at least two four stars.

Here's a look at BC's non-conference and ACC slates in 2022-23.

First the Rockies give 30 yr old Kris Bryant a 182 million guaranteed contract and he plays in 40 games.
Then the Broncos sign 33 yr old Russell Wilson and foolishly offer him a a new $245 million contract (124 guaranteed) before he even plays a down for the team.
Hey there’s free money out here for washed up pros.

Cuse slices through NC state like butter on the first drive

UT jr vs bama should be a good one

OK lite vs TCU

Injury Count Makes BC's Bye Week Atypical​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Usually, during a college football bye week, the starters get some rest, and the young players earn valuable reps in practice.

That said, when it comes to this year's Boston College team, several young players are already starting because of a slew of injuries.

It's presented a peculiar situation to third-year head coach Jeff Hafley, who admitted after last weekend's loss to then-No. 5 Clemson that the Eagles' bye week came a week too late.

"It can't just be rest because we have work to do, and they're young," Hafley said Wednesday of BC's bye. "But, at the same time, we don't really have the depth to just go out and practice and scrimmage with those young guys like I'd like to."

Hafley said that, regardless of where his team is at when the bye week comes, he always takes a big-picture look at all three phases of the game with his staff with an eye on three questions in particular.

"What do you do well, what do you need to fix, what aren't you doing well? So you look at scheme, you look at coaching, and you look at players," Hafley explained.

He said that the staff heavily focused on that self scouting Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, they included a Wake Forest introduction—the Eagles face the No. 14 Demon Deacons on the road on Oct. 22.

Hafley noted that he and the coordinators have remained on campus while other assistants have hit the recruiting trail. He's going to do some recruiting toward the end of the week, he mentioned.

Right now, his attention is on getting this BC team back on track. That starts with making sure the offensive line is finally starting to gel.

Last weekend marked the first time all season that the Eagles had started consecutive games with the same five up front. BC's embattled O-Line struggled much more against Clemson's vaunted front seven than it did versus Louisville the week prior.

The Eagles are currently starting a pair of offensive guards—Dwayne Allick and Jackson Ness—who were playing defensive line at the beginning of the 2021 season. BC has allowed 22 sacks through six games, the most in the ACC and the fifth most in the FBS. The Eagles are last in the nation in rushing offense with 69.5 yards per game on the ground.

BC has been at its best offensively when its achieved some kind of run/pass balance. For instance, in the Eagles' two wins this year, they've piled up 127.5 rushing yards per game. In turn, quarterback Phil Jurkovec has faced less pressure and thrown for more than 300 yards in both of those outings.

Hafley said he's "not sure" when he will have left guard Finn Dirstine—who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury—back. He added that there were some offensive linemen who were "banged up" in the Clemson game and were sidelined for Wednesday's practice.

Still, Hafley remains confident that continuity in the trenches will soon result in payoff.

"I'm hoping that we get to play with the same five next week against Wake and continue to build forward on that," Hafley said. "I think if you turn on the tape, I think our offensive line's gotten better the last two weeks. And I know that might not show based on the numbers. But I would tell you if I didn't think they were."

BC's 2-4 start is its worst six-game start since 2017. That season, the Eagles flipped the script after then-head coach Steve Addazio proclaimed that "It'll come together, and it'll be beautiful." BC finished that regular season 5-1, averaging 36 points per game in that span—19.7 points per game more than it scored in the first half of the year.

Hafley and Co. would welcome a similar pivot. Following last year's adversity, which saw Hafley's Eagles lose four straight after BC's first 4-0 start since 2007, the player's coach feels better prepared to navigate this season's obstacles.

"You gotta stay focused on your process," Hafley said. You can't change who you are, whether you win a game, like when we beat Louisville, or you lose four in a row like we did last year."

He continued: "We're getting better. We beat Louisville and played a good first half [against Clemson] and didn't finish the game, which I get no one wants to hear. But we're a better football team than we were three weeks ago. We need to be better next week when we play Wake."

Kendall Battling Injuries, Dirstine Still Out Ahead of Wake Forest​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Boston College is starving for continuity on its offensive line. The Clemson game marked the first time all season BC started consecutive games with the same five up front. But it's up in the air if the Eagles will have that luxury this week at No. 13 Wake Forest.

Head coach Jeff Hafley said center Drew Kendall didn't practice Tuesday. The redshirt freshman got banged up versus the Tigers and has been battling injuries throughout the season after missing time in fall camp, Hafley explained.

Kendall is one of just two BC Week 1 O-Line starters who hasn't missed a game this season. The other is now-right tackle—and previously right guard—Jack Conley. Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo missed the Virginia Tech and Maine games with a knee injury. Left guard Finn Dirstine has been sidelined the last two games with an upper-body injury. And right tackle Kevin Cline is out for the year with an ACL tear he suffered at Virginia Tech in Week 2.

As for Kendall, Hafley said he's "hopeful" the former four star from Noble and Greenough can go against the Demon Deacons.

"We're gonna try to rest him up," Hafley said of Kendall. "We're just trying to make sure he's as healthy as he can be."

While Hafley expects to get Kendall back on the practice field in the short term, it appears as if Dirstine's status remains in question.

"We're just gonna have to wait and see," Hafley said after labeling the veteran as "day-to-day."

Jackson Ness has filled in at left guard in Dirstine's absence. Ness, who switched over to O-Line from the defensive line this offseason, also took Kendall's spot at center when Kendall was out during fall camp. Ness provides BC some positional flexibility on the offensive line this week, if it comes to that.

"Guys will step up," Hafley said. "We're getting better up front, I really do believe that. It's just, you'd like to play with the same guys, week to week. But, hey, there's nothing you can do about it. Just gotta go and play."

Five Things BC Needs in Order to Turn Its Season Around​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Boson College's offensive line trouble steals the headlines, but there is more than one issue facing the 2-4 Eagles right now.

Actually, there are a bunch. Some are firmly in their control and fixable in the short term. Others are dependent on injury luck. By and large, most go hand-in-hand, at least to a certain degree.

Here are five things BC needs in order to turn things around in the back half of 2022:

1. Offensive line needs to stay healthy, and continuity must pay off​

To say the offensive line has been BC's Achilles heel this year would be an understatement. The Eagles have given up 3.67 sacks per game this season, which is tied for 123rd in the FBS. What's more, BC is second to last in the country with 69.5 rushing yards per game. The Eagles need to achieve some kind of run/pass balance to give quarterback Phil Jurkovec some time to throw and, subsequently, be consistently effective on offense. In BC's two wins this season, it has averaged 127.5 yards on the ground. All season, head coach Jeff Hafley has talked about how, with experience and continuity, the Eagles' O-Line will make strides.

The problem is, continuity has been hard to come by so far. BC began the season with zero returning starters up front from 2021. Since, three of the Eagles' Week 1 starters on the offensive line have missed time. Right tackle Kevin Cline is out for the year with an ACL tear, and Hafley isn't sure when left guard Finn Dirstine—who has missed the last two games with an upper-body-injury—will be back. The Clemson game marked the first time in 2022 that the Eagles were rolling with the same five starters up front in consecutive games this season. BC needs that streak to continue at Wake Forest this week, although Hafley mentioned during the bye that center Drew Kendall was fighting through pain against Clemson, so his status is worth monitoring as well.

2. Force more turnovers​

In the first year of Hafley's stay, the Eagles forced 21 turnovers in 11 games. They finished the season third in the ACC and 22nd nationally in turnover margin per game (0.64). There was only one game all year BC didn't create a takeaway, and that was during its blowout defeat to then-No. 23 Virginia Tech. The Eagles forced three-plus turnovers in four separate games (Duke, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Louisville). They also did a better job scoring points off those turnovers. The GT win was the banner game for converting takeaways into points, as BC turned three Yellow Jackets turnovers into a trio of touchdowns.

Not only is scoring points off turnovers an issue for the Eagles this season, but it was a problem last year, too. Midway through the 2022 campaign, BC has registered a mere six takeaways. And three of those were against FCS Maine. Altogether, the Eagles still have a bagel on the board when it comes to points off turnovers this year. Nada. Zero. Connor Lytton has missed field goals after three of the Eagles' six takeaways: a 44-yarder versus Rutgers, a 28-yarder versus Maine and a 35-yarder versus Clemson.

3. Be more effective in the red zone​

BC is tied for 103rd in the nation in red zone touchdown conversion percentage (52.94%) this season. The Eagles have scored on 13 of their 17 trips to the red area, but they have only nine touchdowns to show for it. Finishing drives against Clemson, in particular, was a serious obstacle. BC reached at least the Tigers' 36-yard line five times, including four times in the first half, and came up with just three points. A pair of Lytton missed field goals factored in, however, BC's offense needed six not three on some of those drives to stay in the ring with Clemson.

Perhaps the most egregious red zone flop versus the Tigers came when nickelback Josh DeBerry intercepted DJ Uiagalelei, setting up the Eagles at the Clemson 24-yard line. Then they went six yards in three plays, and Lytton bent a 35-yarder wide (which goes back to the above point about points off turnovers, or the lack thereof). It doesn't matter how well BC moves the ball if it can't tie off series with touchdowns.

4. Special teams needs to figure things out​

If you don't have a great offense, you have to be great in the other two phases to stay in games. BC ranks 89th in special teams SP+ right now. It finished 28th in that metric last year. the Eagles have five missed field goals, including four inside the 40-yard line. After a near perfect true freshman season, Lytton—who entered 2022 as a preseason Lou Groza Award watch list honoree—has experienced a sophomore slump.

Additionally, the Eagles have struggled mightily on kickoff return defense. They are sixth worst in the FBS in that category, allowing 29.2 yards per return. BC gave up a 73-yard kickoff return to Maine, and Florida State began its blitzing of the Eagles with a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown in Week 4. What's more, BC has returned just six punts this season, tied for the fewest in the ACC. While Zay Flowers has flashed his dynamism back there, he's letting too many of them roll, hurting the Eagles' field position in the process.

5. Significantly improve on third down​

Third down success often correlates with offensive success. That's why it's no surprise the Eagles—who have scored 10, 14 and three points in their three ACC losses—are currently posting the 11th-worst third down conversion rate (30.59%) in the country. BC can't seem to stay on schedule.

Here's a look at the Eagles' average third down distance in games this season...

Week 1 vs. Rutgers: 8.6 yards
Week 2 at Virginia Tech: 10.9 yards
Week 3 vs. Maine: 6.6 yards
Week 4 at Florida State: 8.2 yards
Week 5 vs. Louisville: 9.8 yards
Week 6 vs. Clemson: 7.8 yards

It's largely because BC has struggled up front and, in turn, on the ground. Although, interestingly enough, the Eagles are averaging 3.22 yards per carry on first down—more than any other down this season. But setbacks like sacks, incompletions and penalties have frequently put BC far behind the sticks on third down. To sustain drives, the Eagles must be better in that area of the game.

Grant Talks Building on Foundation, Scheduling and Recruiting at ACC Tipoff​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

During his first year as head coach of Boston College men's basketball, Earl Grant made it clear that he wanted his Eagles to be playing their best in March.

They delivered, beating Pitt and Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament before flirting with a trip to the conference semifinals against Miami.

BC finished 13-20, including 6-14 in league competition. The Eagles endured a pair of five-game losing streaks and relied on defense—they posted their best KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency rating (100.0) since 2009-10—and rebounding to scrap for wins. BC ranked seventh in the ACC in rebounding margin (+1.24 per game) and seventh in the league in turnover margin (+0.52 per game).

Added defensive intensity and a will to hound the glass allowed BC to compete in some games it had no business competing in last season. Of the Eagles' 14 ACC losses in 2021-22, five were decided by five points or fewer.

At this week's ACC Tipoff, Grant was asked about how BC can flip those close defeats into close wins in his second year at the helm.

"Now, I've got guys back that play for me," Grant said Wednesday, via ACC Network. "I know what their strengths are. I know what their weaknesses are. They've got a good understanding of our system.

"I think the maturity and experience will be the reason that we could do a better job in some of those games."

Unlike last year, when BC ranked 296th nationally in minutes continuity (30.7%) amid a coaching transition, the Eagles are returning their leading scorer (Makai Ashton-Langford), second-leading scorer (DeMarr Langford Jr.), leading rebounder (TJ Bickerstaff), a rising star point guard (Jaeden Zackery) and a center that was an All-ACC All-Tournament selection (Quinten Post).

BC did lose starting center James Karnik, but Karnik and Post split time at the five last year and, on occasion, Post—who ended up starting 11 games—played with Karnik in the frontcourt.

Grant praised Ashton-Langford for returning for a fifth and final season Wednesday, calling the veteran guard, and former Providence transfer, "the heart and soul of our team."

"We've got to build on what we did last year," Grant said. "We've got to continue to believe that we've got to defend and rebound to be successful. And then we've got to understand with all of the guys returning, and even new guys that are capable, that we've got to have a shared responsibility on offense."

In an earlier interview with ACC Network Wednesday, Grant hinted at the flexibility BC has, in regard to its lineup. Depth has been hard to come by for the program throughout the last decade. But with four new freshmen, two of whom are four-star recruits (Prince Aligbe and DJ Hand), Grant has some more options offensively than he had in 2021-22.

Grant discussed last season that he likes to use four guards. We saw that toward the end of ACC play, and he said Wednesday how "refreshing" it is to have Ashton-Langford and Zackery in the backcourt, particularly since they offer quite the defensive presence. But Grant labeled the younger Langford, DeMarr, as the team's X-factor.

"Because a lot of times at his size—6-foot-5, 217—we can play him at the point and play Makai and JZ on the wing," Grant explained.

Bottom line, BC should be able to get more creative with an offense that posted the fourth-lowest field goal percentage (42.8%) in the ACC in 2021-22.

What is Grant's scheduling philosophy?​

Grant provided his outlook on BC's 2022-23 schedule, which includes a non-conference slate that features six games in Conte Forum, three contests in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, a trip to Nebraska for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a showdown with former Big East rival and 2022 Final Four representative Villanova in the Never Forget Classic. That game against Villanova will double as the program's Red Bandana Game in honor of Welles Crowther, Grant said Wednesday.

"I like the fact that we get a chance to win a championship early with a tournament," Grant said. "Always, when you can go into an early preseason tournament in November, you get a chance to win a championship."

Grant continued: "I think we've got a schedule that is going to challenge us as well. We're in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. We didn't do that last year, so that's awesome."

After discussing BC's neutral site bout with Villanova, and the introduction of the Red Bandana Game, Grant was asked about his scheduling philosophy for the future.

"My scheduling philosophy is I want to put guys in a position to get prepared for the ACC," Grant said. "At the same time, schedule teams where we have a good opportunity to win some games early, but always be in a challenging non-conference tournament where we have a chance to win a championship early in the year."

What about Grant's recruiting success and room for growth?​

Grant hit the ground running at BC with a 2022 recruiting class that has the chance to change the arc of a program that's been hanging at the bottom of the ACC for years. It's a group that ranks 30th nationally, according to Rivals.com.

For the first time since Rivals began tracking recruiting data in 2002, BC inked at least two four stars in the same class.

Grant spoke Wednesday about his recruiting experience, both from earlier in his career and now at BC.

"I've had success personally in the southeast because a lot of my background was there, but when I went to Wichita State I had to get out of my comfort zone and had to recruit in Texas more," Grant said.

"But now that I'm up in New England, there's a lot of players up there. There's a lot of talent up there. So I'm trying to make a major emphasis on developing relationships in New England. Boston College is a national place. If you think about our roster now and if you think about the history of the program, the players came from California, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Virginia. It's just a national place."

Grant continued: "So it's the first time in my career I've had to stretch out wide and to cast a wide net, meaning we recruit everywhere, and because of Boston, the type of city it is, people are attracted from all over the world to come to Boston."

Grant's first five commits/signees at BC are from Canada (Toronto), Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas.

Best OL in the country resides in Ann Arbor. Dominated a good Ped-State DL for 418 rushing yards. Very impressive performance. Michigan vs OSU will once again decide the Big Ten and CFB playoff team.

according to ESPN's Stephen Smith. I always thought he was a jerk because of the way he screamed at players when they came off the field after making a mistake. Smith says the players, administration, fans and Baton Rouge don't like him. However, he has a very good long term contract and probably doesn't care..

The penalty was deserved but he needed the flop to get it!

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Who are you rooting for?
Normally I root for Clemson, but tonight I am indifferent.

Joson Sanon. 6’5” wing
4-star/top 40

Nittany Lions showering points on the Wolverines right now.

Out for year.

In the spirit of bye week, I decided to undertake a theoretical project and scheme up what BC's perfect schedule would look like if they were an independent like they once were for so long. A few parameters to bear in mind:

1. I'm looking at this over the course of a 5 year span, because it order to schedule realistically, you need to take into account home-and-homes as well as 2 for 1s.

2. In this theoretical model, BC will be playing in Week 0 every week in order to schedule more P5 opponents. As CFB moves towards 9 game conference seasons, this allows us to theoretically schedule about 4-6 P5s (Including Notre Dame) per year over the course of 14 available weeks. I think this is a realistic goal for BC, especially if we're still counting the future PAC as P5.

Playing 5 12 game seasons, we have 60 total games to fill up. Without further ado, let's get to it.

• 5 games vs Northeast FCS (Non Holy Cross)

Rationale: Your 5 FCS games to sell some tickets and get some wins. Honestly, dodge HC as long as Chesney is there. TOTAL: 5 games vs FCS

• 5 games vs UMass (3 home, 2 away)
• 5 games vs UConn (3 home, 2 away)
• 5 games vs Army (3 home, 2 away)
• 3 games vs Notre Dame (1 home, 2 away)

Rationale: Filling your schedule with fellow independents seems inevitable. UMass, UConn, and Army may agree to a 3/2 split, which helps fill up home games and gets you some theoretical wins. Notre Dame won't schedule you every year, but a 2/1 against such a presitgious school would be a great opportunity. TOTAL: 18 games vs independents

• 4 games vs Syracuse (2 home, 2 away)
• 3 games vs Penn State (1 home, 2 away)
• 2 games vs Pitt (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs West Virginia (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Cincinatti (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Rutgers (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Maryland (1 home, 1 away)

Rationale: These are all regional P5 opponents that, for the most part, are adjacent to BC in terms of success. Penn State gives you that elite opponent that excites the fan base and provides you the platform for national recognition, but you'll probably have to go 2/1. The ACC's 8 game conference structure gives BC 4 opportunities to play 'Cuse, but Pitt will be busy playing games against WVU in their noncon, who will be a nice addition themselves from the old Big East. Cincinatti could present an opportunity for some exciting, quality wins for BC. Rutgers and Maryland are road games BC fans can get to and teams BC can beat. The overall split here is realistic, with a healthy dosage of Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 opponents. TOTAL: 17 games against regional P5s.

• 2 games vs Stanford (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Cal (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Oregon State (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Missouri (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games vs Virginia (1 home, 1 away)

Rationale: With BC yet to play teams from the PAC and SEC, I wanted to get them an opponent from every conference. The PAC will likely be scrambling to fill schedule spots in the future, so here's an opportunity to get credit for P5 wins against 3 of the more beatable teams out there. Stanford and Cal in particular are opportunities to play in California in front of alumni and recruits against academic schools like BC is. Virginia is another academic school BC can beat, and one who needs to fill 4 noncon spots. As for Mizzou, they're one of few SEC teams who may actually do a home-and-home with you. TOTAL: 10 games against other P5s.

• 2 games against SMU (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games against North Texas (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games against FIU (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games against USF (1 home, 1 away)
• 2 games against Temple (1 home, 1 away)

Rationale: BC rounds out the slate with some G5 schools. I'd imagine ost of these schools can match BC's payout, and these games give BC the opportunity to play in talent-rich states, and hopefully pick up some wins. Temple makes sense as a regional game. TOTAL: 10 games against other G5s

TOTALS:

• 8 games vs ACC
• 7 games vs Big 10
• 6 games vs PAC
• 4 games vs Big 12
• 3 games vs Notre Dame
• 2 games vs SEC
• 25 games vs G5/G5 Indy
• 5 games vs FCS
• 32 home games
• 28 road games

Flowers in Full Bloom Amid Record-Breaking Senior Season​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Ahead of last week's game between Boston College and Clemson, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney said that figuring out where BC is going to line up wide receiver Zay Flowers is like playing a game of "Where's Waldo?"

At times throughout Flowers' Eagles career, the dynamic playmaker has been underutilized. The back half of his freshman season, his touches were practically limited to jet sweeps and flanker screens. Last year, he was BC's top Z receiver but then-offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. hardly moved Flowers around for anything more. He had just seven carries, and because of BC's struggles to hit the deep ball—a backbone of its offense in 2020—Flowers' target total dropped from 91 to 82, despite playing one more game, in 2021.

This offseason, Flowers had his choice of six-figure offers from NIL companies, each that would have required him to enter the portal and transfer to a specific school. But Flowers—one of 14 children in a single-parent household—prioritized his loyalty to BC over what he called "life-changing" money in Pete Thamel's May ESPN story.
First-year Eagles OC John McNulty made a promise to get Flowers the ball early and often in 2022, and he has made good on his word.

Flowers' skill set is being maximized with not just jet sweeps but also pop passes, double passes, a variety of screens and pretty much every pattern in the intermediate and deep passing route tree. Although BC's offense has been far from pretty this season, six games in, Flowers is in full bloom.

"I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody right now that’s as good as him, and I mean that," third-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley said last week. "If he can continue to do that, he has to be in consideration to be the top wide receiver in the country this year."

As far as the ACC goes, Flowers is first in receptions (42), first in receiving yards (556) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (five) this season. The senior's 63 targets are the 12th most in the the country, according to Pro Football Focus. No other ACC wide receiver has more than 60 this season.

Of Flowers' 63 targets, 40 of them have come within 0-9 yards or behind the line of scrimmage. That's partly because BC's injury-riddled and inexperienced offensive line hasn't been able to give quarterback Phil Jurkovec much time to throw. But it's also because Flowers is balletic in space. He has four missed tackles forced in that 0-9 yard range or behind the LOS, resulting in 14 first downs on those catches, per PFF.

Additionally, he leads the ACC with four receptions of 40-plus yards. That's after entering 2022 as one of two FBS players who logged at least six such receptions in both 2021 and 2020 (the other was Wake Forest's Jaquarii Roberson).

Flowers scored touchdowns of 57 and 69 yards in BC's Week 5 win over Louisville. The first featured a leaping reception in double coverage that Jurkovec deemed Flowers' best catch in the tandem's three years together. The second saw Flowers rack up yards after the catch en route to the end zone.

"He's so dynamic and so quick, yet he's a threat down the field as well," McNulty said, when describing Flowers in spring ball. "Usually, those are the bigger guys that can do the stuff down the field, and the little guys can do the stuff in the slot.

"Well, this guy is doing both."

McNulty admitted that Flowers—who he said effortlessly smiles more than he sweats in conditioning drills—is not anyone like he's coached in NFL. And he was a wide receivers coach with the Arizona Cardinals when they had Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

McNulty said before the start of the season that it was his goal to help Flowers leave BC as the school's all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns. In McNulty's eyes, the more Flowers gets the ball, the better the Eagles will play.

At midseason, Flowers is on pace to break at least two of the three program records. After all, he needed 70 receptions, 822 receiving yards and 12 touchdown grabs to go out on top of the Eagles' leaderboard in all three of those categories.

"I like everything they’re doing with me," Flowers said last week. "I feel like Coach McNulty puts me in the best positions—not only me—he’s putting everybody in the best positions to be successful. I feel like he’s doing a good job with moving us around."

There's no doubt Flowers breathes life into an offense that's scored 14 points or fewer in each of its three ACC losses. And he certainly makes everyone around him better, however, he does command a disproportional target share. His 63 targets are 39 more than any other Eagle this season, per PFF. Hafley has been asked about that distribution a couple times this season, including this week during the bye.

"I'd like to see it evened out a little bit," Hafley said. "But I think Zay deserves to catch the football and get the ball in his hands as much as he can."

Hafley likes the way his new offensive staff has used creativity to get Flowers involved. He credits Flowers for his own work ethic but also cites the impact of wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, a three-decade-plus veteran assistant who has helped the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native become a complete wideout.

Flowers talked about Wyatt emphasizing the importance of "meeting the ball in the air." Contested catches are something that Wyatt preaches, Flowers said, and, according to PFF, Flowers has three of them in 2022.

"I think that's what the next level is going to look at the most," Hafley said. "I'm not calling Zay small, but he's not this giant wideout. But he's playing bigger than he is by going up and taking the ball away from bigger DBs.

"It's very hard to tackle him—not only [because] you've gotta get your hands on him, but he plays stronger than his size."

ESPN currently ranks Flowers the 43rd overall prospect, and the sixth wide receiver, in the 2023 NFL Draft. He's primed to be BC's first wideout drafted since 1987, and, at this rate, he could even go in the first round.

Just as he's been underutilized throughout parts of his four-year BC career, he's also been overlooked on a national level. That, of course, is tied to the Eagles' inability to break through, in terms of win-loss record.

Flowers' usage in 2022 is nipping that trend in the bud.

"You’ve gotta find No. 4," Swinney said last week. "I mean, he’s as good of a player as there is in college football."

By the time May rolls around, Flowers' NFL career will be taking root.

He won't be hard to find anymore.