As training camp progresses, it gradually starts to mimic regular season play. From non-contact practices to padded drills to live hitting, the four-week ordeal is the epitome of a process. Now, halfway through, it’s finally beginning to feel a bit like gameday in Alumni Stadium.
For the second time this summer, Boston College football scrimmaged this Saturday. But now, head coach Steve Addazio upped the ante. Addazio replicated game conditions, even making the team enter the locker room for a makeshift halftime.
The starters took a total of 65 snaps during the exhibition—exactly what Addazio planned. But they weren’t the only players drawing attention.
Freshman quarterback E.J. Perry connected with junior tight end Joe Vitiello in the red zone for a touchdown. And the running back corps continued to show off its depth. Richard Wilson recorded two rushing touchdowns, and A.J. Dillon trucked through freshman defensive back Jahmin Muse for one of the best runs of the day, according to the practice reports.
Once again, Darius Wade and Anthony Brown split snaps at the quarterback position.
Right from the get-go, Wade was dialed in. The graduate student led the Eagles to a touchdown on their opening drive. He marched down field, finding Jeff Smith on a 20-yard pass-and-catch and Tommy Sweeney three separate times—the last of which put points on the board.
Brown took a bit longer to get going. But by the second half, he was putting on airshow. Just like last week’s scrimmage, the redshirt freshman displayed a rapport with wideout Kobay White. Brown delivered a beautiful ball to White for a 60-yard gain—the biggest play of the scrimmage. Later on, he went back to White for another first down, hitting the redshirt freshman in stride for another chunk of yardage.
As he is wont to do, Addazio will likely wait until the week of BC’s season opener to reveal his starting quarterback. But the stress of the competition isn’t affecting either of the two leading candidates.
“If I play, he’ll [Darius] cheer me on,” Brown told BCEagles.com. “If he plays, I’ll cheer him on. We have this bond—we can trust each other. It doesn’t matter who plays on the field.”
Another major position battle to watch is at placekicker, where Mike Knoll, Colton Lichtenberg, and Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel are all still vying for the top spot. Lichtenberg was 4-of-4 on the day with a long of 42 yards. Knoll, the incumbent, split the uprights on both of his kicks, but didn’t attempt a single kick beyond 37 yards. Last season, Knoll converted on 12-of-14 field goal attempts and 27-of-30 extra point attempts.
Featured Image by Lizzy Barrett / Heights Editor
