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Although it may not have been pretty at times, Saturday's spring game provided Superfans with both a glimpse of next season and realistic hope for the future.
Several thousand fans witnessed the glorified scrimmage that divided the football team into two squads, offense against defense. The format of the scrimmage was simple enough: the first-team offense played against the first-team defense, while the second-team offense matched up against the second-team defense.
Figuring out Matt Ryan's replacement at quarterback was also relatively easy. Chris Crane played every snap for the first-team offense and clearly outshined his competitors, displaying the arm strength and accuracy that pundits have praised him for in the past. The same cannot be said for Dominique Davis, Codi Boek, and Chris Johnson, who each struggled to move the chains forward. Although Davis was visibly better than the other two, he completed just 5-of-16 passes for 58 yards.
Despite starting the day with a quick three-and-out series, Crane rebounded with several strong drives. On his second drive, he led the Eagles downfield, before hitting Rich Gunnell on a slant for a short touchdown pass. The touchdown was the highlight of the day for Gunnell, who caught four passes for 53 yards.
Although the Eagles failed to score any more offensive touchdowns, Crane led the team to two more field goals in the contest. Steve Aponavicius and Billy Bennett split time at kicker, each connecting on their one attempt. Although the two have struggled in the past, their two-of-two performance on Saturday seemed to offer hope for improvement.
Another reason for special teams' optimism was the announced return of Jeff Smith. Smith, who has displayed devastating speed in the past as a kick returner, quit football this winter because of concussion concerns. After talking
with his doctors, however, the former track star decided to give football another try. Assuming he returns to the field in 2008, the Eagles will have one of the nation's top kick returners.
Crane finished the day completing 18-of-35 passes for 155 yards. His top receiver was junior Clarence Megwa, who caught five passes for 68 yards. With Brandon Robinson out because of shoulder surgery, Megwa solidified his status as one of the team's top receivers. He caught 30 passes last season, but the coaching staff expects his workload to increase in 2008 following the graduation of Kevin Challenger.
Another receiver that performed well was sophomore Billy Flutie. Flutie had five catches for 47 yards, including several tough grabs across the middle of the field in traffic. His performance should solidify his spot in the receiver rotation next season. Expect Crane to look to Robinson, Gunnell, Megwa, Flutie, and possession receivers like Justin Jarvis and Ifeanyi Momah in 2008.
At running back, freshman Josh Haden had nine carries for 20 yards. Despite averaging just over two yards per carry, Haden displayed agility and surprising strength. Against BC's staunch run defense, he took pitches and quickly turned the corner, breaking free for extra yardage. His running space was limited throughout the day, as the defensive line got good penetration in the trenches.
The defensive line played against a mildly depleted offensive line now that Gosder Cherilus has left Chestnut Hill for happier waters in the NFL. Anthony Castanzo and Rich Lapham appeared to solidify their status as next season's starting tackles, while Matt Tennant played well at center.
Thomas Claiborne and Nick Rossi started at guard. Rossi replaced an injured Clif Ramsey in the lineup.
On the defensive line, junior Jim Ramella played well at defensive end. Ramella, who replaced Brady Smith in the starting lineup, got solid penetration through the offensive front, and blew up several running plays. On the other side, junior Alex Albright continued his solid play.
Albright led the Eagles with eight sacks in 2007 before suffering a season-ending injury at Clemson. Ron Brace and Damik Scafe started at defensive tackle. Brace was recently named to the 2008 Outland Trophy Watch List, an award given to the nation's best interior lineman. Senior B.J. Raji missed spring practice with an injury.
Linebacker Brian Toal collected four tackles in his return to game action for the first time since 2006. Hailed as one of the team's best players two seasons ago, the senior's return to the field will help improve an already stingy defense.
Kevin Akins, Robert Francois, Mike McLaughlin, and Mark Herzlich lined up with Toal at linebacker. The unit should be the strength of BC's defense in 2008, and one of the best in the country.
In the secondary, starting safety Paul Anderson was honored at halftime. The senior was named the recipient of the Jay McGillis scholarship, an award annually presented to the team's most deserving defensive back.
Free safety Marty Bowman lined up alongside Anderson on the first-team defense. At cornerback, Roderick Rollins, Razzie Smith, and Donnie Fletcher rotated with the first-team. Starter DeLeon Gause sat out the game with an injury.
Fletcher led the team with six tackles and recorded an interception. Smith contributed with the highlight of the game. He intercepted Davis in the end zone, and raced 102 yards for a touchdown return late in the first half.
Smith's touchdown helped the defense defeat the offense 48-34. Although the scoring system was a bit convoluted (there were only two touchdowns and two field goals), the result was not a surprise. The offense is young and will experience growing pains in next season despite its talent. The defense, however, will be the Eagles' calling card in 2008. Led by an outstanding front seven, BC will be tough to score against next year. The spring game provided the first example on Saturday.
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