Saturday, September 28, 2013

Fighting the good fight

I hate losing, but we didn't lose hope today. The guys played hard until the end and the coaching staff played to win. There were plenty of mistakes and issues, but overall BC played well against a much better roster. I feel a lot better about the team and the season than I did after the USC loss.

I will have grades and second viewing thoughts up late Sunday night.

30 comments:

BCDoubleEagle said...

That's the most points we've scored against a ranked team since 2006, when we beat #21 Maryland 38-16.

EL MIZ said...

what a weird game. the play to end the half and the pick-6 (both of which, prior to happening, as a BC fan you could just feel like something bad would happen) really swung the game.

Andre Williams ran the ball like a man today and we really did a nice job on the ground. that's a good defense and we were able to make things happen even with our limited offense.

Rettig is so frustrating and just isn't good. he is not an NFL prospect -- not a big enough arm, not mobile, locks on to his receivers. he was overrated out of HS, never developed with the different OCs, and is what he is at this point. i still think we can win 6 games with him, but he's not a game changer by any means.

finally my man Myles Willis got some action! he is a shifty back with very nice hands. i would have to imagine he's going to get more looks in the weeks to come.

the D was able to pressure Famous Jameis. too bad that guy is an absolute monster. that play at the end of the half was such a killer and i'm not sure if there's another QB in college football who can make that play. eludes 3 different d-linemen and put it right on the money.

gotta love the fight of this team. i'm sure plenty turned it off (or left Alumni) but BC fought until the end. after seeing Spaz throw in the towel figuratively after the coin toss with his strategy and game planning, to see a team fight is refreshing. can't wait until there is more talent on this team. we are severely limited right now.

eagle1331 said...

Would love to hear Joseph's thoughts on our offense this game, since it was easily watchable. I'd say this game was the case of three BC offenses, defense excluded.

We came out with a run offense with a few risky wrinkle passes. We got up by 10.

We then reverted to the run run run run run run run pass offense we saw at USC. That lasted until the fourth quarter, once we were down by a few TDs.

Finally in the fourth quarter chase was given a few pocket pass opportunities and we made a little bit of a comeback, until the INT. I dare say the INT was bc our O wasn't used to running real passing plays, but that is my bias.

Our defense blew a lot of big plays, and like I said early today, one of the keys to this game was them not blowing assignments. Day did his part of my 2nd key to the game to start the day, but he failed part b of that - adaptability.

The team showed a lot of promise, but until the D matures and Day realized he can't be one dimensional and not adapt, it can be a long couple of seasons. I'm still more hopeful than Spaz as HC, but Day shows a long, long road is ahead in his maturity as a OC and our team's growth.

Walter said...

I'm not sure if I agree with Eagle above's pessimism. Not that this means much, but last year we lost, what 51-7? This year was obviously much more competitive and indeed we lead for a part of the game.

I can't fathom the end of the first half play calling. That was as bad as anything Spaz ever did. When you play conservatively and give better teams the chance to exploit you, they are going to.

I guess I'm most frustrated by our insistence on the run. It was working today, so it's hard to fault it, but I think that Rettig is not the QB who should be thinking "run first." He's too good for that. I wish we had trusted his arm and our receivers a bit more. That said, this was an overall encouraging game.

If we put away Army, our season is still on a firm footing for improvement going forward.

Joseph said...

They just scored a ton of points on one of the best teams, and you are negative ned. A pick six and a last second td in the ist half, and its Day's fault. You just may be the biggest dope ever. This is a rebuilding team that just played their hearts out and did a great job by following a great game plan to overcome a real difference in speed and talent. What the hell is wrongwith you.

Big Jack Krack said...

Finishing dinner and phone dying.

End of half bomb and pick 6 - pretty proud of our players and coaches tried hard. More later.

Bravesbill said...

BC's last 2 TDs were basically garbage time scores. But the BC coaching staff did not play to win for the middle two quarters. After the FG on 4th and a foot, BC went to the Spaz play book and was horribly conservative. And allowing a receiver to get behind you on the last play of the half is inexcusable. There should have been multiple DBs playing way back. Shades of the NCST hail mary against BC years back.

Lenny Sienko said...

I've often wondered why BC didn't throw over the middle? Now I know--we aren't very good at it.

I agree that the feeling after this loss is better than after the USC blowout ; but just as a "Win is a Win", "A Loss is a Loss".

I was encouraged by Williams and the O-line's early success with the 5-man-on-one-side formation. However, when FSU adjusted and stopped it cold in the 3rd quarter, BC kept at it. I can see what the Gator fans were about with their complaints about Daz's insistence on the run...the game plan.

Willis was another bright spot. He will be a nice, speedy change of pace from Andre Williams and Willis can catch!!!

NOTE TO COACH DAY: I know that throwback to the tight end was brilliant and worked for two (2) TD's today; but, please don't have our QB throw it with that "wounded duck" flutter against Army or we'll see a quick "Pick Six".

A couple of reverses to Amidon did help keep the FSU defense honest.

If I were asked to summarize, I'd say that this was a "normal" loss in a game in which the team did not give up. It was not a "Spaz" loss, where our coaches seemed to be working against us. For that, Daz and staff deserve credit.

EL MIZ said...

would love to see the gameplan all of the Armchair Offensive Coordinators would draw up. this offense is bad. calling Rettig a "game manager" is a compliment to him and overstates his ability. he is simply not very good. the o-line is not very good.

Amidon is a nice player. the staff has done a wonderful job of showcasing his skills on a variety of plays (the screens, reverses, sending him deep on play action).

Williams is a nice player as well. he is strong and runs hard.

that's it. we have two "nice players", a below average ACC quarterback who can't beat teams single handedly, a below average offensive line, and we have to play basically mistake-free against a team like FSU to have a chance to win. who else laughed when Winston, the prodigy freshman QB for FSU, bowled over our d-linemen or outran our "freak" athlete KPL. the talent disparity between BC and FSU (legit one of the 5 best teams in the country) is massive.

i like our shot at 6 wins and a bowl game in Nowhere, USA. that would be a successful season with the MAC level talent that makes up the vast majority of this team, the schedule, and the expectations.

TeddyE said...

Seriously? A terrible coaching performance and I feel bad for the kids.

Some truths:

I donate to BC athletics.
I am an Alumnus.
I want to win.
I have been to 3 final four hockey wins and 1 final four loss.
Yes I was hoping for 2-2 at this point.
I travel to see BC Football, almost annually on the road (sorry Spaz and Daz, not lately)

But... If we play the game not to lose, or keep it close (see 2nd quarter play calling) I am already done with this coaching regime. Quote: Herm Edwards: "you play to win the game." I'd rather lose by 100 and try to win the game, than be this PATHETIC

Call me in 5 years with a new coach because with this philosophy, we are going to be mediocre at best and I won't waste another Saturday on settling for average. I am not financially supporting a team that goes 7-5 to settle for losing. That was what we did today.(as a donor- you can target your donations team specific, as do I- to MENS HOCKEY)

I blog very little. But I have not been this irate for BC Football since pre Spaz- Spaz had no clue- no chance to win. Daz? His tag line might as well be, I am good with just keeping the game close....

Winners play to win, win or lose. Losers play to keep it close. BC FOOTBALL IS A LOSING PROPOSTION!

If you disagree- watch the 2nd quarter again.

CHECK YOU LATER. DAZ IS ALL FLUFF--SO GET SOME PEANUT BUTTER AND MAKE FLUFFERNUTTERS. Think not? Temple is 0-4, with a cupcake schedule and the remnants of the once might Gator football team is terrible on offense too. DAZ- do the right thing and go sell sham wows.

eagle1331 said...

Oh I get it. "Joseph" is really Blauds. Makes so much more sense now. I should have realized it with the insults, jump to conclusion map, and fact -less commentary from the start.

Sorry pal, your in the minority here, obviously. Take your talent argument to people that don't watch every game.

We had the talent, heart, skill, speed and hell, even a good gameplan from Day to dominate the first quarter. Then what happened? FSU didn't learn to play football. We didn't just give then 31 free points. Our offense stopped working. Period. Why? Because we ran the same plays over and over and over again. That's not a talent thing. FSU is a good program, if not great this year, and great programs learn and adapt. They did to the offense. Our offensive play calling didn't counter. We stop scoring. The keep scoring. We lose. The only lack of talent there is our man calling the shots. Our kids played their hearts out. It's a shame our coaches didn't coach their hearts out.

eagleboston said...

Man, some of you clearly know nothing about college football. BC played their hearts out against a top 10 team that they had no business being in the game. They were destroyed 51-7 last year. This year, with pretty much the same players, 48-34. Yes, there were some coaching mistakes, but you also have to give the coaches credit for BC fighting to the end and performing so well that Musberger called them out during the Ohio State game. I am more pumped about BC and their future than I have been in years. The poor guys just don't have the talent to compete against top 15 teams, but aside from Clemson and Tech, all of the rest of the games are winnable. Cheer up Negative Neds. The future is bright!

TeddyE said...

Yeah, as confident as Temple's 4-7last year in The Big Least. Kids played hard and their own coaches took it away. I feel bad for them. The folks who said winning isn't everything, didn't win much. We are doomed to be average because we do not dare to be great. The American Way. We might as well go to the AAC. Print this comment, bury it in a cigar box and dig it up in 5 years. And no, being better than Spaz doesn't count.

Benjamin said...

I am dumbfounded by all of the needless, trolling negativity.

I am with Eagleboston on this one.

TeddyE, just remember that Temple went 4-7 in the Big East in their first year after moving up from the MAC. But I guess with all of the Final Four games you've been to, you're an expert here. Cool stuff.

We just competed with the number eight team in the nation, after having gone 2-10 last year and being embarrassed in big (and small) games.

Spare me the "Doom" talk. National media took notice today that BC is no longer a pushover (direct quote from HD), and that big things are ahead.

Heck, I have loved watching every game this season. Addazio has this team competing, and that makes watching the games fun.

CT said...

To say this wasn't about talent...we just gave up almost 50 at home. Proud of the dudes. But, come on, Daz knows we need real talent. All of this is just a preamble to 2015. No need to draw a conclusion after playing a ranked team to 14 at home. Let's just move on with a little more confidence than we had a week ago.

Nobody knows more than Daz that we need more speed. Since New England high school football is weak, let's hope he recruits the south.

Commenting on this season is akin to purgatory.

EL MIZ said...

some of these comments are literally laughable. FSU and BC are on an even playing field talent wise, and it was all about Jimbo totally outcoaching and outclassing Addazio and Day? LOL. how many FSU players will make the NFL? 15-20 i'd guess. BC? maybe 1 from this group.

maybe just maybe FSU, after being caught off guard to start the game (as they were, Day and Co introduced some new wrinkles like the misdirections and the TE stuff) made adjustments and came storming back. like i posited in another post - what do you want them to do when the talent simply isn't there? people fault Addazio and Day for running Williams more. well it worked in 1Q, and he had some big gains in the 2nd as well. they stopped us on 2nd and 3rd down.

FSU scored on a hail mary to end the half that probably happens 1 out of 100 times - that was a phenomenal play by Winston, an amazing catch. Rettig also threw a predictable pick 6 for TD because he was staring at Amidon(people who suggest we should go 5 wide and throw the ball - keep an eye on Rettig as he "progress" through his reads, IE just stares at Amidon on literally almost every passing play). take out those 2 scores and its 38-38. this team beat us 51-7 last year! 2 big plays swung the game for him, and clowns like TeddyE are talking about tuning in in 5 years because he just can't take watching any more of this. get lost. a team that got whooped played hard, fought til the end, and competed with a far far far superior team.

what are the "realistic" expectations for guys like TeddyE and Eagle1331 -- what do you guys think BC could do with some "good coaching"? is this a 10-win team? are we a national title contender? would love to hear where BC SHOULD be if only they could get some real true blue college coaches on the sideline!

Unknown said...

I could not agree with you more, El Miz.

Joseph said...

EM, right on. These dopes are on every sports talk show with their great ideas of what they would have done. All talk. All the time they want to trade for a 20 games winner and give up a fat, old back-up catcher. All mouths no brains.

NEDofSavinHill said...

Attended the game. Exciting, entertaining college football game. The team played hard, smart, physical football. The coaching was excellent. Four touchdown passes on perfectly scripted plays. Rettig played his best game of his career. Williams, Willis, Amidon,Evans, Ramsey, KPL,Aprilla Parsons, Wojiak , Miller and the O-line were all top notch. One coaching mistake was on last play of half. Should have had six DBs at the goal line. FSU had no more TOs. This terrific performance reminds one of the game BC played against Miami in 2001?. BC came close to beating #1 the U. Ed Reed made an interception that saved the game. Miami went on to win the national title by crushing Nebraska in the Rose bowl. That game showed a quantum leap in competitiveness as did this one and was the harbinger of TOB's consistent top 25 teams. 2, Beat Army next week and the worst the first half is 3 and 3. While their are no certain victories in the final six all are winnable. Compare BC to ND, UNC and UConn. ND is not a national title contender, barely beating Purdue and Mich. St. and may not be top 25. UNC could be headed for a losing season and UConn looks weak. Daz's formula of no penalties and few turnovers will translate into victories. Let the good times roll.

Boomer said...

Anyone that starts off his post game analysis on this blog with "I donate to bc and I attended frozen four games" is an absolute clown!

Unknown said...

it sounds like after 4 games, JUST FOUR GAMES " we should fire daz" you dopes. we are in year # 2 of a complete overhaul of the entire athletic department. give brad bates, coach adazzio and coach donahue a few more years.

as for my view on the game. ( i was at the game in the upper endzone). bc couldnt have asked for a better start. we WERE the better team for the first 20 or so minutes. hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20, i would've gone for it on fourth and 1, to keep up the pressure. but i coach the eagles in ncaa2013 on ps3, not in real life. 95% of coaches kick the fg. the pass interference call was terrible, both players ran out of bounds and the ball was uncatchable. next play, boom post pattern 50+ yard td. the end of the 1st half play happens once every ten years. not to mention on two consecutive plays the refs "added" more tim on the clock. the second half opening kickoff return was great, but you HAVE TO score a td on the ensuing possession. after that it was downhill and over. WE STILL FOUGHT HARD THE REST OF THE GAME.

florida state has more talent. talent wins out. we won two games last year. we are 2-2 into four games. every single on person this blog would've accepted that before the season started. i am on board the "daz" bandwagon he is coach another coaches players. how comfortable are many of you driving someones car, instead of driving your own. he needs at least until 2015 before we start making judgement on him. watching his 5 minute post game news conference on espn, makes me believe in him. he is not a coach to " hang around" type guy. we aren't that far away from being the pre jags era program. in daz i trust.

now if we lose to army, fire away!

Dan said...

Benjamin said it beat before, "Addazio has this team competing, and that makes watching the games fun."

This game was a complete 180 from the Spaz years. Outside of the last drive off the 2nd Day actually called a pretty nice game, Daz clearly has the players fired up throughout the game and Brown actually had us getting pressure on qbs for the first time in years. As far as the players you can see a huge difference attitude. You can tell offense just doesn't want to let the defense down and vice versa. Even the subtle things like the body language on the sidelines and the crispness of the huddles looks different.

BC football is fun again and this group has earned or support back.

Go Eagles!!!

TeddyE said...

You are missing the point. I mention , donor, because we as fans/alumni need to donate, I don't care if its $5. We don't have the stadium size, advertising revenues and compete with so many other things in Boston. We also have more D1 sports than most schools. That adds up. Win or lose - still donate something. As for traveling, I left the east coast long ago, so I pick and choose higher quality games.

Look at USC. Signs of mediocrity with 56 scholarships and the coach is gone. and THEY killed us.

All I am saying is we do have a talent gap and we are making progress to keep this game close. But you need to coach to try to win and without that win at all costs mentality during the game, its ever to mediocre, certainly not excel.

JBQ said...

The last second td in the first half was a heartbreaker. There should have been some type of prevent in place. When the receiver pulled free, he should have been cut down. In college, it's just a 15 yd penalty and BC would have been able to run out the clock. FSU wouldn't have tried a 60 yd fg. A good effort to be sure. However, clock management was a sin.

Knucklehead said...

The best defense in the country LSU gave up 44 points and blew the national title playing "conservative" defense against Georgia.

If Adazzio were coaching the players that TOB had the last four years he was here we would have won the ACC at least 2x.

The negativity here is non-sense.

CT said...

Not to pick nits, but LSU isn't close to the best defense. Good friend and biggest Tiger fan in the world said it's in fact the worst it has been in more than 10 years. Kinda what happens when 11juniors go pro. Plus, if they win out, they'll be in the title game. Games remain vs Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.

But, I agree with one thing. The negativity presupposes expectation. What are yours? It's really only a few plays that separate a four win team from a six win team. It's a testament to our previous HC that such a thing as covering the spread is a moral victory.

Knucklehead said...

There are two schools that have a better defense than LSU. Yes, they are not as good as last year or in the last 10 years. Only Stanford, Virginia Tech(haven't played anyone really) are better. Muffed punt by Beckham cost them 7 - the mistake that Georgia did not make. LSU is the best team in the country. They play Georgia on a neutral field and beat them by 7.

I will take the loss this season as a moral victory given the shit that I watched under Spaz.
L 48-34, 2013
L 51-7, 2012
L 38-7, 2011

Team played vey well against FSU. They need to play like that next week and beat Army down for the embarrassment last year. We are trending up.

Big Jack Krack said...

I really enjoyed the buildup to the game yesterday - beautiful day and BC seemed well organized, etc.

Our preparation, effort and enthusiasm were great - best I've seen since pre-Stoogiani.

I blogged during the warm-ups that the FSU aerial game looked awesome in practice.

I remember commenting to my wife that if anyone on the football staff was scouting the Seminoles during pre-game, they would have seen Winston tossing effortless 50 yard passes to the end zone flag (and known what was coming at some point) - the exact same play that ended in a WTF touchdown at the end of the half.

Winston is the real deal, but our performance during that last 1:49 of the first half was not good at all. I haven't got the time to discuss the 4 and out, 3 and out, and 3 and out after the field goal - but once FSU tied it up (there was one terrible pass interference call) the final 1:49 was atrocious.

I think Coach Brown was struggling during the TD that tied it up and also during the fiasco as time expired. But we didn't try to get a first down.

Run - time out FSU 1:45
Run - time out FSU 1:40
Run - bleed the clock a little - time out BC .56
Freese 33 yard punt.

I was very disappointed that we didn't play prevent for the last play of the 1st half, giving the ability of the FSU QB and wide receivers.

Yes, we almost had him sacked and he was still pressured while throwing after he spun out.

Basically he threw the same pass he was practicing in the pregame warm-ups and #47 couldn't make the stop.

That killed us more than anything - and I think it was preventable.

Other than that, our guys played their hearts out and they will not quit.

There is no question we were overmatched and out talented in many areas.

I like the way our coaches are involved on the sidelines during the game - and we learned that some mistakes were mad - very disappointing.

But here's the final takeaway - we are so headed in the right direction since the fiasco under the 2 stooges, it is amazing.

Last year my wife said "I have never seen anything this bad" - and this year she has said "What an improvement".

I echo her sentiments.

Go BC

How is Mehdi? Any other injuries? I think Ramsey was dinged up and they had to throw True Freshman Truman Gutapfel in there. 260 pounds trying to stop 320 pound juniors and seniors blasting straight at him.

Our guys gave it all they had.

eagleboston said...

I am excited about BC for the first time in years. Here is why:

1) The team does not give up and fights to the end.

2) The cavalry is coming. Look at the quality of recruits Daz has committed to the program.

3) We are making progress. We have already equaled the win total from last year. We scored 34 points against a team that we only scored 7 on last year, a team that is 2 years ahead of us in the rebuilding process.

4) BC is finding young players to contribute. Wolford and Sinkovec at fullback. Willis at running back and the return game. Bryce Jones at corner. Keyes at linebacker. Parsons at tight end.

5) The defense is aggressive. More blitzing, way more sacks, no more 10 yard corner cushion. They are a step too slow, but the future is bright.

The defense is giving up too many plays and the offense is not converting enough 3rd downs, but these deficiencies can be corrected.

I want BC to be great, not just good. But anyone who runs a business knows that greatness is a systematized process and it takes time. I feel good about our process and I am very pumped about the future of BC football.

eagleboston said...

I am excited about BC for the first time in years. Here is why:

1) The team does not give up and fights to the end.

2) The cavalry is coming. Look at the quality of recruits Daz has committed to the program.

3) We are making progress. We have already equaled the win total from last year. We scored 34 points against a team that we only scored 7 on last year, a team that is 2 years ahead of us in the rebuilding process.

4) BC is finding young players to contribute. Wolford and Sinkovec at fullback. Willis at running back and the return game. Bryce Jones at corner. Keyes at linebacker. Parsons at tight end.

5) The defense is aggressive. More blitzing, way more sacks, no more 10 yard corner cushion. They are a step too slow, but the future is bright.

The defense is giving up too many plays and the offense is not converting enough 3rd downs, but these deficiencies can be corrected.

I want BC to be great, not just good. But anyone who runs a business knows that greatness is a systematized process and it takes time. I feel good about our process and I am very pumped about the future of BC football.