Other than its Music City Bowl victory over the Georgia Bulldogs two years ago, you would be hard-pressed to think of a time when the Boston College football team won a big game against a team that wasn't named Notre Dame or didn't involve a guy named Flutie.
Perhaps that streak will be broken when the Eagles fly south for the ACC in a few years because of a better recruitment pool, but for that to happen; even I know that something must change.
My own knowledge of football comes from a few different sources. Yahoo's fantasy football leagues, ESPN.com, and a steady diet of John Madden Football 2004 for Playstation 2 have all contributed to my football IQ, and even I know how awful offensive coordinator Dana Bible's play-calling is.
An option with a 6'5" quarterback? Are you kidding me? If you were playing your roommate in a game, would you run an option with Porter in NCAA Football 2004?
Porter can scramble effectively, but his strength is his right shoulder, not his feet.
The Eagles had Saturday's game in their grasp, and they just let it slip through their fingertips.
Anyone who watched the Eagles game against the Panthers last year had to have been feeling déjà vu in the stands on Saturday. It was Bible's ingenious play calling that had Brian St. Pierre running quarterback draws in overtime instead of handing the ball to Derrick Knight, who finished with over 120 yards in that game.
While I defend Grady Little's decision to stay with what got him to Game 7 by leaving Pedro in, I can't in good conscience defend a decision to run an option with Porter under any circumstances.
Head coach Tom O'Brien has worked hard to shed the image that BC can never break through and become an upper-echelon team. Members of the team and fans feel that the Eagles should be or at least could be mentioned in the same breath as Miami and Virginia Tech, but I wonder if that will ever happen, because of a lack of speed, quality of recruits, and overly conservative offensive coordinator.
At the outset of this season, O'Brien told the media in a press conference that last year's team was probably the most talented team he'd coached at BC. Granted the Eagles went into South Bend and stunned the fourth-ranked Irish, but they blew a golden opportunity to knock off Virginia Tech at home. O'Brien's crew also squandered a last-minute lead to Pittsburgh. The team finished 9-4; a successful campaign, but just short of being an A-list team.
So the best team he has ever coached won nine games; why should we expect more than that for this year's or the following year's team? Is that as good as it gets?
The Eagles will most likely play like a different team next week against West Virginia in true BC football tradition, but it should not shock anyone if this team finishes the regular season at 6-6 or 7-5 at best.
Looking ahead to next season, the Eagles will be playing without the services of Derrick Knight, Josh Ott, Doug Goodwin, Sean Ryan, Augie Hoffman, Horace Dodd, Sandro Sciortino, and Tom Martin. Putting it mildly, those are huge holes to fill.
Moving to the ACC may improve recruiting, but seriously, can you really get someone to pick BC over Miami or Florida State? Recruiting will improve to the point where BC is not the whipping boy of the ACC.
While the football team has me counting the days until BC officially severs ties with the Big East, I am reminded of something that can make all BC sports fans feel better: At least we still have a hockey team that will certainly not underachieve.
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