Moving beyond old scars

One year, nine months, and 26 days. Believe it or not, it's been that long since the fateful afternoon of Dec. 6, 2006, when the ESPN Bottom Line announced to the world that "Boston College's Tom O'Brien has been hired as North Carolina State's new football coach."

At the time, boosters, administrators, alums, students - practically everyone - was confused by the news. No one knew how to react, whether in jubilation or in mourning. After all, the football program that O'Brien inherited in the winter of 1996 had radically changed for the better.

In the place of several dismal football seasons under Dan Henning, which had been topped off by an embarrassing betting scandal in '96, was the certainty of an O'Brien-run program. Six consecutive bowl wins. Three straight nine-win seasons.

But on the flip side, there were whispers that O'Brien had worn out his welcome in Chestnut Hill. With every predictable victory came an equally futile upset attempt. There was no uncertainty in the air, nothing to excite an increasingly apathetic fanbase. At BC, fans had come to accept an 8-3 regular season, topped off by a humanitarian trip to Boise for a few extra feet of snow.

So while hundreds of fans debated over the merits and implications of O'Brien's departure, 85 other students simply waited and listened, hoping to hear from the ball coach. For the football team had not heard anything from O'Brien, a sign in their eyes that this was all a bunch of overblown media BS. Surely their own head coach, the face of the program and the man who recruited them to come to BC, would not leave without any forewarning?

Unfortunately, those hopes went awry. O'Brien did leave. And he left without saying goodbye, as if he were a convicted felon getting away quietly in the middle of the night.

Since that fateful day, 666 sunrises have come and gone - a pretty safe sign that life in Chestnut Hill moved on just fine without O'Brien.

Still, scars remain from his awkward departure. Holdover players continually reminisce over how they heard the news. Some heard through the Internet, others via television, and the most unfortunate heard from their fellow students. This still remains a sore subject with administrators. And perhaps the least forgiving group of all - the fans - will never let O'Brien slide without at least one shot of guilt.

Following last season's laugher, which ended with the student section mockingly chanting "F- O'Brien," you can bet that O'Brien has had Oct. 4 circled on his calendar for quite some time.

Ignore his talk earlier this week about how "this is just another game." That's just O'Brien being O'Brien, luring the media to sleep with his predictable one-liners and press conferences. Now that many of his old players have graduated, and several of Jagodzinski's recruits are making an impact, O'Brien knows that he needs to beat BC. If he loses, the excuse that "those were my players" doesn't carry the same weight again. This time around, the storyline is not O'Brien returning to BC to face his old team. Instead in 2008, it's about O'Brien versus Jagodzinski.

The loser of this game will not only drop to 0-2 in the ACC but also faces the daunting peril of falling behind in the arms race that the college football world has become.

In the eyes of fans, recruits, and players, a win on Saturday will move BC football past the O'Brien era. It will not only propel the Eagles past the Wolfpack in the current standings, but should provide a long-term stepping stone toward ACC hierarchy. And perhaps most importantly, a win against O'Brien will help everyone to finally move on - past the undeniable scars that were left by his departure nearly two years ago.