Scrimmage Notebook: Linebackers Back Up the Hype

A lot of attention is being paid to the Boston College linebacking corps – and rightfully so. Mark Herzlich beat cancer and hopes to see the field, Luke Kuechly burst onto the national scene last year as a freshman, and two highly recruited freshmen appeared on campus, Kevin Pierre-Louis and Steele Divito. While much of the attention this offseason has centered on Herzlich's return, the linebackers showed on Wednesday that they have both talent and depth.

The first-string linebackers featured Will Thompson, Kuechly, and Nick Clancy. Kuechly and Clancy led the team in tackles with 10 apiece, and showed both speed getting to the ball and the ability to lay some big hits. Kuechly made some noise when he came through on a linebacker blitz, laying a crushing blow on Mike Javorski and causing a fumble.  If the scrimmages are any indication, defensive coordinator Bill McGovern will dial up the pressure this year by frequently bringing linebackers or cornerbacks in blitz packages.

Linebacker Mike Morrissey anchored the second-string linebackers, which also included Pierre-Louis and Divitto. The two freshmen have impressed head coach Frank Spaziani with their play so far.

"They're still raw and young, but they don't seem overwhelmed, and competition doesn't faze them much," Spaziani said.

Though he agreed that he had not seen any "Boy Wonders" yet -- a title Kuechly still holds by himself – Spaziani did not discount the possibility that either would emerge. Pierre-Louis registered five tackles and a pass breakup, while Divitto also had five tackles and a sack.

Herzlich still remains sidelined with a stress fracture in his right foot, but Spaziani hopes a checkup on Friday will yield positive results.

"Hopefully he'll be doing something on Saturday," Spaziani said. "Best case is he's running around and practicing a little bit. You know we got to worry about him pulling muscles and stuff, and he dresses and does something in the opener, but it's not like he's going to play 70 plays," Spaziani said.

Opportunity is knocking

Colin Larmond, Jr.'s injury on Saturday opened the door of opportunity for many receivers to climb the depth chart. In the last scrimmage of the year, the quarterbacks completed a combined 25 passes and 13 different players had receptions. Freshman Bobby Swiggert tied with classmate Tajh Kimble for the lead with four receptions on the day. Swiggert has played well at the slot receiver with the second-team offense throughout the scrimmages, which has Spaziani offering his praise.

"He doesn't look like he's overwhelmed with the X's and O's," the head coach said. "He doesn't look like he's overwhelmed by the competition. He's certainly a long way away, but he's out there."

Johnathan Coleman, Billy Flutie, Clyde Lee, Ifeanyi Momah, and Ryan Lindsey all figure to get playing time at the receiver position this fall. While none of these players has much game experience aside from Momah, who caught three TDs in 2008, they have all showed good hands and potential in the four scrimmages.

"With Colin out, someone's got to step up, and we've got guys who can do that," quarterback Dave Shinskie said.

Rushing Around

The offense was clearly led by the ground game in the final scrimmage. Montel Harris ran the ball for 40 yards on five carries and a touchdown on the first drive, finishing the day with six carries and 46 rushing yards. Backup running back Sterlin Phifer totaled four rushes for 28 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run, while Kimble added 23 rushing yards on six carries.

Shinskie did not save his best performance for last, finishing the day with 11-of-24 passing for 104 yards. Mike Marscovetra, who seems to be firmly entrenched as the backup, threw for 71 yards on eight-for-10 passing. True freshman Chase Rettig was a near perfect six for seven for 50 yards.