NCAA Football

2008 Boston College Eagles Preview: Rebuilding (or Reloading?) in ‘08

Under first-year head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College had a fantastic season in 2007. Led by star QB Matt Ryan (drafted 3rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons), the Eagles rose as high as #2 in the polls and reeled off eight straight victories to start the season.

A 27-17 loss to Florida State ended BC’s unbeaten hopes, and a 42-35 loss to Maryland the next week ended their national title hopes, but the Eagles still won the ACC Atlantic Division title. They fell short of a BCS berth by losing to Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, but a 24-21 victory over Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl wrapped up an 11-3 season and tied the school record for most wins in a season.

This season, the Eagles have a lot of starters to replace, starting under center, so it could very well be a down year of sorts for BC.

Coach: Jeff Jagodzinski (2nd year at BC, 11-3)

2007 Record: 11-3, 6-2 ACC

Starters Returning: 10 (6 offense, 4 defense)

Top Returnees: WR Rich Gunnell, WR Brandon Robinson, TE Ryan Purvis, C Matt Tennant, LT Anthony Castonzo, DT BJ Raji, DE Alex Albright, LB Mark Herzlich, MLB Mike McLaughlin, SS Paul Anderson

Key Losses: QB Matt Ryan, RB Andre Callender, RB LV Whitworth, LT Gosder Cherilus, DE Nick Larkin, DT Brady Smith, LB Tyronne Pruitt, LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, FS Jamie Silva, CB Taji Morris, CB DeJuan Tribble

2008 Schedule

Aug. 30 Kent State (Neutral Site: Cleveland)

Sept. 6 Georgia Tech

Sept. 20 UCF

Sept. 27 Rhode Island

Oct. 4 @ NC State

Oct. 18 Virginia Tech

Oct. 25 @ North Carolina

Nov. 1 Clemson

Nov. 8 Notre Dame

Nov. 15 @ Florida State

Nov. 22 @ Wake Forest

Nov. 29 Maryland

Key Game: Nov. 1 vs. Clemson. The Eagles face a daunting final month, in which their season will be made or broken. It all starts off with a home matchup against the ACC favorites. If they could pull off the upset, or at least give the Tigers all they have, it could set BC up for a successful November and make many say, ‘What rebuilding year?’

2008 Outlook

After a very successful season in his first year, Jagodzinski will have a lot of work to do in 2008 to keep the rebuilding as minimal as possible. He will have just ten starters returning to the team this season, and all told, 22 lettermen are gone.

Among those that are now gone is Matt Ryan, who was not only the leader of this Eagles team, but also their biggest factor last year in being able to pull out close wins.

Ryan left some big shoes to fill, but senior Chris Crane will look to make a mark of his own now that he has his chance. Crane has all of one career start and 263 yards passing, but he no doubt gained a lot by learning behind Ryan over the last few seasons. Competing for the back-up role will be freshman QB Dominique Davis and JUCO recruit QB Codi Boek, who stand a good chance of seeing playing time this season.

Along with Ryan, RB duo Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth are gone, but that could give speedy incoming freshman Josh Haden a chance to blossom early. Haden comes in at only 5’8, 195, but he has legitimate 4.4 speed and will be a threat to take it a long way anytime he gets to the outside. Haden picked BC over Florida, where his brother Joe was a Freshman All-American cornerback as a true freshman last season.

Some good news on the offensive side of the ball is that the Eagles will have their top three receivers from last season back on the field in 2008. WR Rich Gunnell led the wide outs with 931 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns, Brandon Robinson was second with 793 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns and TE Ryan Purvis finished 2007 with 553 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. WR Clarence Megwa (353 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns) will round out the starting group at receiver.

While the offense has plenty of reloading to do, the defense has even more, as the Eagles will have just four starters returning on that side of the ball.

However, the front seven does appear to be in pretty good shape heading into 2008. Last year, the Eagles allowed only 76 yards on the ground per game, and the run defense should be stellar again this season. Gone from the line are starters DE Nick Larkin and DT Brady Smith, but 2006 Second-Team All-ACC DT BJ Raji returns after being academically ineligible last season. Starters DE Alex Albright, who had 8.5 of BC’s 34 sacks, and DT Ron Brace will help anchor the D-Line into again being one of the best in the nation.

Behind the line will be a talented group of linebackers. The unit features the team’s leading returning tackler from 2007, LB Mark Herzlich (97 tackles, 1.5 sacks). Herzlich is joined by MLB Mike McLaughlin, who managed 64 tackles despite only starting in three games, and just as importantly, Brian Toal returns after missing all of 2007 doe to injury. If Toal can stay healthy, then this unit should be able to produce and withstand the loss of Dunbar.

The secondary is the unit that takes the biggest hit on the defense. First-Team All-American FS Jamie Silva, who led the team in tackles (125) and interceptions (8) in 2007, is now gone, along with starting corners Taji Morris (43 tackles) and DeJuan Tribble (34 tackles, 4 interceptions). SS Paul Anderson is the lone returning starter to the unit and he will be surrounded by some inexperienced talent. CB DeLeon Gause (39 tackles, INT) started four games last year, and he‘ll be counted on heavily this season.

Boston College is solid at receiver and in their front seven, but with a lot of talent to replace, it may be tough for the Eagles making a serious run in the ACC or winning at least nine games for the fifth straight season. However, if Crane can prove to be an effective replacement for Ryan, and the other holes are filled adequately, the Eagles should at least make their 10th straight trip to the postseason.

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