This is not how the 2008 Boston College football season was supposed to end.
After losing all-everything quarterback Matt Ryan, pundits picked the Eagles to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC behind Clemson, Wake Forest, and Florida State. No one believed the Eagles had a shot to match last year's success.
The only people who did believe were the Eagles themselves.
"We were written off and no one really gave us a chance," said Mark Herzlich.
These feelings, echoed by numerous players, just about sum up the Eagles' season which culminated in a win over Maryland Saturday night, sending Boston College to the ACC championship for the second year in a row.
Coming into the season, Clemson was clearly the "best" team in the ACC. Ranked No. 9 in the preseason Top 25 rankings, the Tigers were the cream of the crop. Right behind them was Wake Forest, who returned a core of strong players, and who was only a year removed from winning the division. On top of that, Florida State had an ensemble of athletes who looked to return the Seminoles to prominence.
Then there was BC. Gone was Ryan, who had single handily carried the team to an 8-0 start, the ACC championship, and an 11-3 record. Gone were starting running backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Calendar and star tackle Gosder Cherillus. No Nick Larkin, no Jamie Silva, no Dejuan Tribble. This was supposed to be a rebuilding season.
To start the season, it certainly seemed this would be the case. The Eagles dropped their first ACC game of the season to Georgia Tech. After that though, they went on to beat Central Florida, Rhode Island, NC State, and Virginia Tech.
Standing at 5-1, things were looking up until the sky came falling down. The Eagles suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of North Carolina and fell short in a comeback attempt against Clemson.
Now 5-3, Boston College looked like a team headed for no where. The offense couldn't score touchdowns, the kicker couldn't kick, and the injury report was growing longer and longer. With four games remaining against elite opponents, some wondered if the Eagles would even win another game this season.
"A typical Boston College team," one was led to believe. In years past, the Eagles had been known for their strong starts and their remarkable ability to fall apart down the stretch. This team seemed no different.
Somewhere along the line though, this team came together. Rallying around college football's most underrated defense, the Eagles have stormed into the post season with consecutive victories over Notre Dame, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Maryland.
What makes it all the more special is that they did it their way, as a team. No superstars, no one believing in them but themselves, no recognition from the national media.
"No one said we would do it. That's the best part of it," said Eagles head coach Jeff Jagodsinski. "The guys believed they could [do it]. That's the whole thing about coaching. It's getting your guys to believe that they can do it and it doesn't matter who's on the field."
BC faced injury after injury. On defense, starters Brian Toal and Alex Albright were lost for the year midway through the season. Wide receiver Clarence Megwa went down with a life threatening injury against Clemson. To top it all off, starting quarterback Chris Crane went down for the season with less than two games to go.
No one would have blamed the Eagles if chemistry got in the way either. On offense, things were far from perfect, putting all the pressure on the defense to carry the team. On special teams, a field goal of more than 20 yards was a mere dream at times.
But with the odds stacked against them, they persevered. This team managed to hurdle every obstacle in their way.
"We come out every week to prove everybody wrong, everybody who doesn't want to talk about us," said linebacker Robert Francois. "We all just love to play."
"That was a great win for our kids," Jagodsinski said. "I'm really proud of these kids and what they've done. They're a special group."
"I believed it since we started training in the winter. I believed it when we stepped onto the field," Herzlich said on the Eagles chances of going to the ACC title game.
"Last year was awesome, but the thing is we fell short. We didn't win the ACC Championship and we didn't go to the Orange Bowl and all the negatives that happened really got us driving to get back."
Herzlich, arguably the driving force of the Eagles success, certainly understands what BC needed to do in order for this season to be a success: "If you don't make it to the Orange Bowl then you're just another team in the ACC. Sure you did a good job, but you're not noticeable."
For Herzlich and the Eagles, a chance to make good on their dream season awaits in Tampa.
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