Would They Have It Any Other Way?

There are a few things you can count on in life: death, taxes and Boston College football going to a second or third-tier bowl game. BC got their rematch with Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship but they fell in typical Eagles fashion, 30-16 on Saturday in Jacksonville.

BC (10-3) was up 10-0 and 16-7 but didn't score in the second half and saw the Hokies (11-2) reel off 23 straight points to send them to Miami for the Orange Bowl against Kansas. BC is relegated to the Champs Sports Bowl on Friday, Dec. 28 vs. 7-5 Michigan State. I could go on and on about what frauds BC are but I've been saying that for the last few months. I'd hate to be redundant. All you need to know is that a team that started 8-0 finished 2-3 against a pretty easy schedule. To quote former Cardinals coach Dennis Green, "they are who we thought they were."

Matt Ryan will be a solid NFL quarterback but his Heisman campaign is an afterthought. He probably won't even be invited to NYC. Florida QB Tim Tebow, Missouri QB Chase Daniel, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, West Virginia QB Pat White and Hawaii QB Colt Brennan all have much better resumes and deserve the recognition over Ryan. Must be depressing too for the Superfans knowing that this was their one shot. Losing 22 seniors (including Ryan) who are so instrumental means that next season has rebuilding year written all over it. See you in Orlando.

BC finally beats the U and now looks ahead to rematch with VT

For whatever reason, Miami had owned BC to the tune of 15 straight wins. On Senior Day at the Heights, the Eagles (10-2) finally took care of business and beat a garbage Miami (5-7) team, 28-14.

The 10 wins are the most for BC since 1940. They move on to their biggest game of the season (and probably since Doug Flutie was taking snaps) when they face Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, next Saturday in Jacksonville. Win there and they'll be in the Orange Bowl (a BCS bid), lose and it's most likely the Chick Fil-A Bowl.

As always, BC was led by quarterback Matt Ryan, who was 26-of-43 for 369 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. BC looked about to cruise to an easy win as they scored 14 points in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead into halftime. Ryan threw an 8-yard TD pass to L.V. Whitworth and a 5-yard TD pass to Kevin Challenger. However, the stubborn Hurricanes hung around as an interception and fumble recovery led to two scores which tied the game in the fourth quarter.

Ryan and his offense went back to work as he hooked up with Clarence Megwa for a 20-yard TD toss and running back Andre Callender sealed it with a 45-yard dash up the middle. The Eagles had big performances from Callender (95 yards rushing) and wide receiver Rich Gunnell (135 yards receiving).

BC's signature win of the season was the shocking 14-10 comeback at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have been playing very well since then, using the unconventional two quarterback system. It's a fact in any sport that it's harder to beat any team a second time in the same season so we'll see if this Eagles team is up to the task and can really make this a memorable season by getting to a quality bowl.

Frauds no more

Stop me if you've heard this before: an overrated Boston College football team, loses an important late-season game that it had to have. Their season goes down the tube as they are relegated to a garbage bowl before New Year's in Podunk, USA. Well the script looked to be eerily similar until Matt Ryan and the Eagles woke up just in time last night, stunning host Virginia Tech 14-10 in a rain-soaked Lane Stadium.

BC was down 7-0 at halftime (after a controverisal Hokie touchdown; no way Royal got a foot down even though they reviewed it and it still stood). After a third-quarter field goal, the Hokies carried a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Ryan had probably the worst half of football in his college career: 9-for-21 for 54 yards.


When he threw a pick with a little over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, his Heisman campaign looked dead while BC's BCS hopes were gone as well. Ryan and Co. responded though. They went 92 yards in 9 plays for the first TD, ending with a 16-yard toss to WR Rich Gunnell. Luck was on the Eagles side on the next play as they rolled the dice and hit an onside kick. A Hokie touched it but it deflected right to BC. The Eagles calmly went 66 yards in 7 plays for the clinching score. On the winning touchdown, Ryan did something he had done twice earlier on the drive. He basically ran around the pocket to buy time before delivering a pass to running back Andre Callender. The throw was something that'll be replayed a million times this season and beyond. Ryan threw across his body (all arm as the commentators said) and just put enough on it to get it beyond multiple Tech defenders to Callender, who was uncovered in the back of the end zone. The play ended with 11 seconds left on the game clock. Wow. Ryan finished a respectable 25-for-52 for 285 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Florida sophomore QB Tim Tebow is probably still the front-runner but if BC can make it to the BCS Championship, Ryan will be the main reason why and will deserve the hardware.


BC still has to win its last four games but as I've said all along, last night was the biggest one. None of the four remaining teams: Florida State, Maryland, Clemson or Miami are currently ranked nor will they be when the teams meet. The Eagles can still stumble but after last night, who would doubt them this season? Ryan and Coach Jags seem to have that elusive Flutie magic back at the Heights.

We'll know a lot more about BC football after tonight

Boston College (#2 in all the polls) travels to ACC foe, no. 8 Virginia Tech in a game that will in all likelihood show whether BC is a contender or a pretender in 2997. If they survive this test, they could very well find themselves in the BCS Championship, assuming they take care of four winnable ACC games to wrap up the regular season.

The Eagles have looked very good at times this season but they also haven't played any legitimate teams or in real tough environments. Tonight should be another story. The Hokies are playing well after getting blown out by LSU in week two. They have the typical Virginia Tech traits: stout defense and outstanding special teams. Their offense is shaky but they have a good running back (Brandon Ore) and enough play-making receivers to make some noise.Lane Stadium is always cited as one of the toughest places to play in college football. Virginia Tech is 13-2 all-time on Thursday nights (both losses though have come to BC, including one last season).

It's put up or shut up time for BC. They've snuck up on most people nationally, who haven't seen many of their games. The general consensus is that they're an overrated team that has profited from a crazy rash of upsets in college football and a soft schedule thus far. This game could do a million different ways, it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.