BC still alive for Atlantic with win over UVA

2009 Boston College Eagles ... Head Coach: Frank Spaziani

- 2009 BC Preview
- 2008 BC Season
- 2008 BC Preview 
- 2007 BC Season

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 7-3

9/5 Northeastern W 54-0
9/12 Kent State W 34-7
9/19 at Clemson L 25-7
9/26 Wake Forest W 27-24 OT
10/3 Florida St W 28-21
10/10 at Va Tech L 48-14
10/17 NC State W 52-20
10/24 at Notre Dame L 20-16
10/31 Central Mich W 31-10
11/7 OPEN DATE
11/14 at Virginia W 14-10
11/21 North Carolina
11/28 at Maryland

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2008 Record: 9-4

8/30 at Kent St (Clev) W 21-0
9/6 Georgia Tech L 19-16
9/13  OPEN DATE
9/20 UCF W 34-7
9/27 Rhode Island W 42-0
10/4 at NC State W 38-31
10/11  OPEN DATE
10/18 Virginia Tech W 28-23
10/25 at North Carolina L 45-24
11/1 Clemson L 27-21
11/8 Notre Dame W 17-0
11/15 at Florida State W 27-17
11/22 at Wake Forest W 24-21
11/29 Maryland W 28-21
12/6 ACC Championship
Virginia Tech L 30-12
Music City Bowl
12/31 Vanderbilt L 16-14

Boston College Eagles

Nov. 14
Boston College 14 … at Virginia 10
BC stayed alive in the Atlantic race as Dave Shinskie ran for a one-yard score midway through the fourth and the defense held firm. Shinskie started off the scoring in the second on a ten-yard pass to Justin Jarvis, but he got picked off twice with Chris Cook taking one errant throw 58 yards for a score. The Cavaliers never got in the end zone, with the offense producing just a 38-yard Robert Randolph field goal in the third. BC held Virginia to 298 yards of offense led by LB Luke Keuchly’s 13 tackles.
Player of the Game: Boston College RB Montel Harris ran 38 times for 151 yards
Virginia: Passing: Jameel Sewell, 21-41, 221 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashawn Jackson, 15-61, Receiving: Rashawn Jackson, 5-37
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 12-26, 147 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Montel Harris, 38-151, Receiving: Chris Pantale, 4-41
What It All Means: It’s time to start putting Luke Keuchly into All-America status. The freshman made 13 tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and broke up two passes in the Eagle win. The offense sputtered too much, especially on third downs, but Montel Harris had another great day running the ball and Dave Shinskie came up big when he had to. BC is still in the hunt for the ACC title, but it needs a ton of help. Virginia has to get really good, really fast to beat Clemson, while the Eagles have to beat both North Carolina and Maryland. 

Oct. 31
at Boston College 31 … Central Michigan 10
Central Michigan scored first on a 34-yard Andrew Aguila field goal, and then it was all Boston College as Montel Harris scored on two thee-yard touchdown runs and Rich Gunnell caught a 41-yard scoring pass as part of a 31-point run. LB Luke Keuchly put an exclamation point on the stunning blowout with a 28-yard interception return for a score. CMU didn’t get into the end zone until the final minute on an 11-yard run for a score form backup QB Ryan Radcliff. There were only three penalties committed; all by BC.
Player of the Game: Boston College LB Luke Kuechly made 11 tackles with an interception for a score.
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 18-28, 262 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 27-136, 2 TD, Receiving: Rich Gunnell, 8-134, 1 TD
Central Michigan: Passing: Dan LeFevour, 20-34, 152 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 11-26, Receiving: Antonio Brown, 8-61
What It All Means: Central Michigan is the MAC’s best team by far and BC had no problems coming up with the win. Luke Kuechly and the defense did a fantastic job of bottling up Dan LeFevour and the dangerous Chippewa offense, while QB Dave Shinskie was razor-sharp and didn’t make any mistakes. With Virginia up next, it’s back to focusing on getting to the ACC title game, and that might happen if the team plays as well as it did this week. PK Steve Aponavicius became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Oct. 24
at Notre Dame 20 … Boston College 16
Notre Dame got five turnovers including a Brian Smith interception deep in Irish territory in the final minutes to seal the win, but the defense struggled for the rest of the game. The Irish O got an 11-yard Golden Tate touchdown catch late in the second half to take the lead, but BC took it back early in the second half on a two-yard Montel Harris run. Tate caught a 36-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth to give Notre Dame the lead for good. While the Irish gave up 349 yards and 279 through the air, BC didn’t score over the final 27 minutes.
Player of the Game: Notre Dame WR Golden Tate caught 11 passes for 128 yards and two scores.
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 17-35, 279 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Montel Harris, 22-38, 1 TD, Receiving: Rich Gunnell, 10-179, 1 TD
Notre Dame: Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 26-39, 246 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Armando Allen, 21-98, Receiving: Golden Tate, 11-128 yds, 2 TD
What It All Means: Boston College got a nice passing day out of Dave Shinskie, up until the late interception, but the running game was stuffed and the offense wasn’t as balanced as it needed to be. The defense did a nice job of keeping Jimmy Clausen and the Irish passing game from exploding, but everyone’s having problems with WR Golden Tate at the moment. This might have been a disappointing loss, but the lines are playing well, Shinskie is improving, and there are wins coming around the corner with Virginia and Maryland still to deal with. But first, the Eagles have to be focused on a strong Central Michigan team, or it’ll be three losses in four games. 

Oct. 17
at Boston College 52 … NC State 20
Montel Harris set a Boston College record with 246 yards, helped by several plays from the Wildcat formation, with touchdown runs from two, 12, ten, one, and 29 yards out on the way to a 45-13 lead. NC State got a one-yard Russell Wilson touchdown run and a 27-yard scoring pass to Jarvis Williams, but couldn’t keep pace as BC broke open a 14-13 game with 31 straight points. BC got two touchdown passes from Dave Shinskie including a 49-yarder to Colin Larmond in the first quarter.
Player of the Game: Boston College RB Montel Harris ran 27 times for 264 yards and five touchdowns
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 13-25, 187 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 27-264, 5 TD, Receiving: Rich Gunnell, 5-42
NC State: Passing: Russell Wilson, 23-40, 243 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Toney Baker, 9-36, Receiving: Jarvis Williams, 7-62, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Good luck trying to figure this team out. The defense bounced back nicely after the debacle against Virginia Tech, but this game was about the offense. Give the coaching staff credit for getting creative to fix the problems, and after doing nothing against the Hokies, the offense went ballistic with Montel Harris running the Wildcat well while Dave Shinske threw effectively despite completing just over half his passes. The offense that has sputtered so often went ballistic, and it’ll have to keep the momentum going in likely shootouts against Notre Dame and Central Michigan up next.

Oct. 10
at Virginia Tech 48 … Boston College 14
The Hokies jumped out to a 34-0 halftime lead and coasted from there. Ryan Williams ran for a one-yard score and Tyrod Taylor threw two brilliant touchdown passes with a 24-yarder to Danny Coale and a 41-yarder to Jarrett Boykin, and then the defense got into the act with a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown from Rashad Carmichael. Boston College got a few touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 48-yarder to Colin Larmond, but the Hokies also scores 14 fourth quarter points highlighted by an 80-yard Ju-Ju Clayton throw to Marcus Davis. BC QB Dave Shinskie completed just one-of-12 passes for four yards with two interceptions.
Player of the Game: Virginia Tech RB Ryan Williams ran 18 times for 159 yards and a score.
Boston College: Passing: Michael Marscovetra, 10-16, 114 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 11-43, Receiving: Colin Larmond, 4-64, 1 TD
Virginia Tech: Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 7-10, 126 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 18-159, 1 TD, Receiving: Jarrett Boykin, 3-69, 1 TD 
What It All Means: BC ran into a Virginia Tech buzzsaw. As poor as the Eagles are on offense, there are going to be some games here and there when there’s just no hope. A week after Dave Shinskie appeared to be the answer at quarterback, and he still might be, he was hopeless overmatched as he never had time to work and couldn’t find an open target. The defense needed to pick up the slack, and in the second quarter, it couldn’t. With NC State up next, the offense will have to get it in gear; the Wolfpack will be slinging it a bit after an ugly loss to Duke.

Oct. 3
at Boston College 28 … Florida State 21
On a day honoring LB Mark Herzlich and his fight against cancer, Boston College jumped out to a 21-6 lead at halftime helped by two Dave Shinskie touchdown passes, highlighted by a 38-yard play to Jeff Smith, and a three-yard Montel Harris run, but Florida State stormed back with 18 straight points. Christian Ponder bombed the Noles back into the game leading to a ten-yard Louis Givens score and Jermaine Thomas scoring on a two-yard run, but Harris gave BC the lead for good on a 42-yard dash. The final FSU drive stalled in Eagle territory.
Player of the Game: Boston College RB Montel Harris ran 25 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns
Florida State: Passing: Christian Ponder, 29-42. 341 yds
Rushing: Louis Givens, 3-23 & Christian Ponder 10-23, Receiving: Richard Goodman, 9-105
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 12-21, 203 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 25-179, 2 TD, Receiving: Colin Larmond, 5-98
What It All Means: BC might not have a lot of offensive pop, and this might be a flawed team when it comes to consistency, but it’s a very quiet 4-1 going into the trip to Virginia Tech. Dave Shinskie has settled the quarterback situation, and while he’s not going to be a 300-yard bomber, he doesn’t make a slew of mistakes and he has led the way to two straight tight wins. The O line is playing better and better, and it has to control the game against the Hokies to keep that from being any sort of a shootout. 
Sept. 26
at Boston College 27 … Wake Forest 24 OT
In a wild game, Boston College got a 23-yard field goal in overtime and Isaac Johnson came through with a stop forcing a Riley Skinner fumble to win the game. The Eagles got up 24-10 helped by three Dave Shinskie touchdown passes, including a 50-yarder to Jordon McMichael, but Wake Forest got a 76-yard touchdown dash from Brandon Pendergrass, and a furious rally from Skinner, who hit Chris Givens on a 12-yard score with 3:44 to play and forced overtime on a 16-yard pass to Marshall Williams with 11 seconds left in regulation.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 25-of-35 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 25-35, 354 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 5-97, 1 TD, Receiving: Marshall Williams, 12-180, 1 TD
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 18-29, 228 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Josh Haden, 17-93, Receiving: Justin Jarvis, 5-66 
What It All Means: Dave Shinskie was nearly perfect, at least compared to expectations, and BC should’ve put Wake Forest away early in the fourth quarter. But all of a sudden, the defense couldn’t handle the up-tempo comeback attempt from Riley Skinner. However, the team showed good poise to get the stop it needed to in overtime even though the momentum was all on Wake’s side. The Eagles couldn’t afford to lose this home game with a brutal four games ahead against Florida State, at Virginia Tech, NC State, and at Notre Dame.

Sept. 19
at Clemson 25 … Boston College 7
The game was delayed by lightning and rain, but it was the Clemson defense, along with C.J. Spiller, that was the big problem for BC. He returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown to start out the scoring, and then it was all Richard Jackson as the Tiger kicker connected on six field goals from 23, 33, 32, 52, 42 and 35 yards away. Boston College managed a 13-yard Justin Jarvis touchdown catch in the third quarter, but that was all the fun it would have with just 54 yards of total offense and four first downs.
Player of the Game: Clemson RB C.J. Spiller ran 17 times for 77 yards, returned a kickoff 27 yards, and returned three punts for 119 yards and a score.
Boston College: Passing: Justin Tuggle, 4-20, 23, yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Justin Tuggle, 5-21, Receiving: Lars Anderson, 2-10
Clemson: Passing: Kyle Parker, 13-27, 103 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: C.J. Spiller, 17-77, Receiving: Jacoby Ford, 6-36
What It All Means: Uh oh. This was an embarrassing offensive performance by BC with just 54 total yards of offense, four turnovers, four first downs, and just one-of-12 conversions on third downs. The biggest problem was the passing of Justin Tuggle, who, simply put, couldn’t throw. He only completed 4-of-20 passes and was erratic all game long. With no running game to help him out, BC never had a chance. Wake Forest is up next, and to get the win, the Eagles are going to have to win the turnover battle and have to capitalize on every opportunity.

Sept. 12
at Boston College 34 ... Kent State 7
Boston College was never threatened getting up 14-0 in the first quarter and 34-0 after three helped by a 57-yard touchdown pass from Justin Tuggle to Colin Larmond and a 21-yard Dave Shinskie scoring pass to Rich Gunnell. Gunnell also scored on a six-yard pass from Tuggle. Kent State didn't get on the board until 2:15 left in the game on a four-yard Jonathan Simpson catch.
Player of the Game: Boston College WR Rich Gunnell caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns
Kent State: Passing: Spencer Keith, 9-14, 71 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Andre Flowers, 10-30, Receiving: Tyshon Goode, 4-26
Boston College: Passing: Justin Tuggle, 6-12, 150 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 19-68, 1 TD, Receiving: Rich Gunnell, 6-114, 2 TD
What It All Means: Kent State has to get Eugene Jarvis going or it doesn't have a shot against anyone with a pulse. BC bottled up Jarvis, keeping him to 17 yards on ten carries, and the offense didn't get anything big from the passing game to take the pressure off. Iowa State, who's up next, is beatable, but not without a steady quarterback to rely on.
What It All Means: Run defense, run defense, run defense. The Eagles are going to live and die with their defense, and they came up big with a great performance against Kent State and its running game. Next up is Clemson, and the linebacking corps will have to be just as productive against C.J. Spiller as it was against Eugene Jarvis. The quarterback situation needs to be settled a bit, even though there will be a regular rotation not between Justin Tuggle and Dave Shinskie. Tuggle pushed the ball down the field more, while Shinskie was a bit more consistent.

Sept. 5
at Boston College 54 … Northeastern 0
Montel Harris ran for a 45-yard score on the opening drive of the game and Rich Gunnell returned a punt 46 yards for a score as BC won in a walk. Harris also scored on a four-yard run and a six-yard pass to help the Eagles to a 38-0 halftime lead, and then the backups took over in the second half. The defense dominated allowing just 131 yard of total offense and five first downs.
Player of the Game: Boston College RB Montel Harris ran 15 times for 113 yards and two score, and he caught a six-yard touchdown pass.
Northeastern: Passing: Matt Carroll, 4-8, 28 yds
Rushing: Alex Dulski, 5-19, Receiving: Greg Abelli, 3-13
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 7-10, 110, 1 TD
Rushing: Montel Harris, 15-113, 2 TD, Receiving: Clyde Lee, 3-32
What It All Means: BC is in need of steady playmakers, and Montel Harris showed he might be it. Dave Shinskie wasn't amazing throwing the ball, but he was steady and he took the safe, easy throws the defense gave him, while Justin Tuggle was fine in the first half to help put the game away. BC is going to have to win with defense and the running game, and with another tune up game against Kent State before dealing with Clemson, getting the passing game going might be a must just to see if it works.