Trojans Eagerly Enervate Eagles

The following is a live journal composed during the Emerald Bowl between Boston College and USC. All times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

PREGAME

4:45 – Before coverage begins, this writer would like to extend his best wishes to Florida head coach Urban Meyer and his family. He will be missed by the Gator Nation, but if he is leaving to attend to his health, then he has his priorities straight.

4:50 – This will be USC’s first non-BCS bowl since the 2001-02 season. The college football world has already been a witness to two unmotivated Pac-10 teams—Oregon State and Cal—and many expected the Men of Troy to be the least motivated of all. Can Pete Carroll get his players up for this game and restore some respectability to the Pac-10 Conference?

4:54 – It’s raining; that’s not good for the Trojans. It was weather similar to this that played a role in USC’s loss at Washington this past September.

5:00 – To make matters worse for the Trojans, they will be without starting running back Joe McKnight and starting tight end Anthony McCoy. Well, at least they’ll have the home-field advantage tonight.

5:04 – Mark Herzlich is a courageous human being. It’s hard enough to battle, and beat, cancer, but then to have the intention of returning to football? Best of luck to him.

FIRST QUARTER

5:07 – A timeout in the first minute of the game? Boston College may need that later; besides, what’s so important on 2nd and 17 that requires a timeout-length discussion?

5:09 – The USC secondary is the most experienced unit on the team, yet they just allowed a 25 yard gain on 3rd and 12. The Trojans need the defense to have a good game because they no longer have the offensive weapons to engage in a shootout.

5:13 – USC’s defensive prevented an early punch to the mouth; it looks like they will be able to neutralize Boston College’s rushing attack, so if the Trojans can close off the passing lanes, then the offense won’t be asked to do more than it is capable of.

5:20 – Both teams are on the same sideline? Hopefully, there won’t be tension between the two squads because this setup makes a full-blown brawl a whole lot easier.

5:21 – The first step of the pattern has just taken place: The Pac-10 team has taken an early lead. Now we’ll have to see if the opponent responds.

5:23 – USC found a good synergy on that drive; they mixed up their play-calling and kept the Eagle defense on its heels. The Trojans have sparsely been dominant this season, but it’s well-constructed drives like that that have still allowed them to get the job done more often than not.

7-0 USC

5:29 – That’s two balls that Boston College has put on the ground; they’re not supposed to be the team that has a hard time taking care of the rock.

5:35 – USC quarterback Matt Barkley is being put in a good position; the play-calling to this point has had him throwing a lot of screens and quick-outs. Remember, in addition to having a long layoff since his last game, he is also still a true freshman. Pete Carroll is smart to ease him back into the game; he can start making reads and going through progressions later.

5:38 – This first quarter went very well for the Trojans, but, considering the respective performances of their Pac-10 counterparts thus far, they should be fully aware that fifteen good minutes of football aren’t enough to win a bowl game. This level of execution has to be maintained for the rest of the contest.

END FIRST QUARTER. USC LEADS 7-0.

SECOND QUARTER

5:43 – Besides the touchdown by fullback Stanley Havili—and that was a short pass followed by a long run—USC hasn’t had any real big plays so far; the offense has been methodically moving down the field about ten yards at a time.

5:45 – Of course, as the previous entry is being typed, Damian Williams hauls in a deep pass down the right sideline. It might not stand up to review, though—ESPN isn’t providing a decent camera angle for those watching at home to pass more definitive judgment on the play.

5:47 – After the catch holds up to review, Barkley finds Havili again for the latter’s second touchdown reception.

14-0 USC

5:50 – Barkley is 12/13 for 154 yards so far; you think, maybe, being able to practice without a load of homework to worry about was beneficial for him?

5:55 – Running back Montel Harris is beginning to get involved for Boston College—primarily in the “Bazooka” (a.k.a. “Wildcat) formation—and it is yielding good results on this drive. USC’s defense has shut down the passing game for now, so if he can get going, it should open up the throwing lanes again.

5:56 – Eagle quarterback Dave Shinskie—a freshman himself, except he’s twenty-five years old—hasn’t been as dialed in as Barkley but he perfectly lofted that ball up for Justin Jarvis to come down with.

5:57 – What is with ESPN’s camera angles on replay reviews tonight? They’ve shown four different angles of the (supposed) touchdown run by Harris, but only one of them was right on the goal line. The others created a parallax effect (look it up).

5:59 – The touchdown does stand, but kicker Steve Aponavicius steered the ball directly into the right upright on the extra point. Other than that, this game has followed the script of the previous two bowl games featuring Pac-10 squads so far.

14-7 USC

6:06 – The Trojans get flagged for delay of game, then have to call a timeout to avoid it happening again; what is with these Pac-10 teams curling into one collective fetal position after giving up a touchdown?

6:10 – Fine time for Barkley to lose his touch; he had Williams wide open downfield, but the pass was severely underthrown and it turned into an easy interception for safety Wes Davis.

6:13 – Just as it looked like the USC defense was going to get a much needed stop, Harris makes a superhuman second effort to convert 3rd and 1. Could that play possibly symbolize how the rest of this game will go?

6:15 – Thomas Claiborne may have just killed this drive with that idiotic personal foul; what a cheap shot.

6:15 – It’s “Jonathan Papelbon,” Joe Tessitore, not “Jason Papelbon”!

6:16 – Of course, the Trojans are still fully enveloped in the holiday spirit, so they were happy to commit a pass interference call on a passing play that had no prayer of garnering first down yardage.

6:18 – So much for USC’s “very fast defense”, as Rich Gunnell goes over the middle, takes an offering from Shinskie, and outruns everyone else to the end zone. Taylor Mays, the supposed all-world safety for the Trojans, took a horrendous angle on that play and Gunnell slipped by him easily. It’s happening again.

14-13 USC

6:27 – Barkley was looking great earlier due to the simplified offense, but now that it’s a game, he’s being asked to do more and none of it is working. The Eagles are going to get a chance to snag the lead at halftime should they choose to stay aggressive.

6:29 – Boston College has a full minute and decent field position, yet they are opting to run out the clock. Why? You’ve got the momentum and plenty of time; this is hardly the time of year to be this conservative.

HALFTIME. USC LEADS 14-13.

6:44 – As much as the familiarity of this game to the other bowls featuring Pac-10 teams has been alluded to, there is one noticeable difference: USC is not disinterested. The Trojans have come to San Francisco to play and Boston College has been up to the task of going toe-to-toe with them. It will be very surprising if one of these teams ends up winning the game going away; the contest going down to the wire seems to be a far more likely scenario.

THIRD QUARTER

6:55 – Way to stare down your receiver, Barkley. Safety Marcellus Bowman had a bead on that ball from the very beginning of the play and nearly turned the interception into a defensive touchdown.

6:56 – Unbelievable. Boston College puts the ball on the turf for the third time and they don’t get it back in this instance. That was a golden opportunity the Eagles just blew.

7:02 – Damian Williams is one dangerous player; he completely reversed field on a busted play and made something of it. Unfortunately, his receiver counterpart, Ronald Johnson, committed a completely unnecessary illegal block for the Trojans and made all of Williams’ scurrying for not.

7:05 – Johnson tries to atone for his penalty, but Barkley is slightly off with his throw. Where’s Mark Sanchez when you need him?

17-13 USC

7:12 – Shinske attempted three consecutive passes on that drive and they were all poor throws. Stick with Harris—he has been your best offensive weapon tonight.

7:13 – That is Boston College’s ball; it clearly, and fittingly, hit Trojan special teamer D.J. Shoemate’s right foot before anything else. Provided the officials can spot the painstakingly obvious, the Eagles have to take advantage of this opportunity because it looks like scoring opportunities aren’t going to come as easily this half.

7:17 – Wow. Shoemate was blocked into the ball? That’s a new one on this writer. Sure, he was locked up with an Eagle, but isn’t one of the rules of replay that no judgment calls are allowed?

7:20 – Havili just turned that simple swing pass into a very entertaining run; he bulldozed his way through two Boston College defenders and left them looking like a pile of human wreckage.

7:22 – Barkley has looked a lot better on this drive with his long completion to Willams and a subsequent incompletion where he didn’t stare down his receiver and put it right on the numbers in a tight space—Brice Butler just couldn’t hold onto the ball in the end zone.

7:24 – Q: How do you come up short on a 35 yard field goal? A: Well, it has to rain for an extended period of time before the game and then your kicker has to slip right before he boots the ball. This third quarter has been as unpredictable as the AFC playoff picture in the NFL.

7:29 – That dismal Eagle drive was bad enough as it is, but now Harris is down on the field; the replay shows that he all but whiffed on a block, so there wasn’t a lot of contact—barring it being some kind of freak accident, he’ll probably return.

END THIRD QUARTER. USC LEADS 17-13.

FOURTH QUARTER

7:39 – Translation of Todd Harris’ sideline report: Montel Harris has a bruised butt.

7:40 – Shinske’s arm has checked out of this game; he’ll probably still manage a couple decent throws—like that last one that Jarvis missed—but it’s probably going to be up to the bruised Harris to bring the Eagles back.

7:43 – Meanwhile, in the evermore intriguing Matt Barkley saga, some pressure from the Boston College defense causes him to throw off his back foot on 3rd and 2.

7:48 – Shinske has been struggling on these sideline throws—over the middle was working better for him earlier.

7:49 – Well, it wasn’t quite over the middle, but the pass went a reasonable distance away from the sideline and was intercepted by Trojan cornerback Shareece Wright.

7:50 – That’s an expletive worthy catch by Williams; he was embedded in triple coverage and he still managed to come down with the ball. USC may be able to put it away here.

7:51 – Barkley takes it himself for the final yard and, subsequently, brings a bit of restored credibility for the Pac-10 that much closer.

24-13 USC

7:58 – Boston College is going back to Harris now that his cheek has relaxed and, as a result, a drive is being sustained for the first time since the second quarter. Luckily, there’s still enough time that the Eagles don’t have to go to the passing game exclusively, but they have to score on this possession to keep it that way.

8:00 – Just like that, Shinske takes a sack and misfires again down the sidelines; now Boston College is going to have to pass the ball on every play with a quarterback who has been off target all of the second half.

8:05 – Barkley looked like a deer caught in the headlights before he took that sack; he didn’t even make a cut to try an dodge Bowman, who corralled him easily.

8:08 – It took a little longer than desired, but the Eagle defense did get a stop and now the offense has to shift to a higher gear.

8:11 – Whatever the outcome of the game, the Boston College laundry boy is going to be very displeased; some of these Eagle road uniforms look like they’ve been tie-dyed.

8:14 – Like most Boston College drives this half, this one started with some promise but is now quickly fizzling out.

8:18 – Gunnell nearly made a one-handed catch on fourth down, but the keyword is “nearly.” USC is going to prevail and get one in the win column for the Pac-10.

GAME OVER. USC WINS 24-13.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The glory days of the Matt Ryan era are gone, but Boston College is still a team that commands respect. Despite numerous preseason injuries, the Eagles overachieved and utilized what pieces they had to their fullest potential. Tonight, they forced a Pac-10 team to care for the full sixty minutes with their play and, barring a couple costly mistakes, might have pulled off an upset. Looking ahead, Dave Shinske needs to work on his accuracy in the offseason as he made some poor throws and decisions at inopportune time—especially in the second half. As for Montel Harris, the freshman looks like a star in the making as he willed himself to 102 yards against an experienced defense. Boston College has some growing to do, but the chances of flying high again look a whole lot better after tonight.

Before the bowl season started, there were many who pinpointed this game as one where a team would come in and play like they didn’t want to be there; USC was this team. Yet, the Trojans, while far from dominant, played with passion and held off a pesky opponent. With two picks and other noticeable misfires, Matt Barkley wasn’t exactly brilliant, but he showed why many are confident that his future in Los Angeles is bright in throwing for 350 yards. Damian Williams, who many think played his last game in a Trojan uniform tonight, came through with 189 receiving yards and the huge reception in triple coverage near the goal line that all but put the game away—too bad he might be another early departure for Pete Carroll and company to endure.

Despite their absence from the BCS, the Trojans still managed to be a standard bearer for the Pac-10 conference tonight—unlike Oregon State and Cal, they at least had the decency to show up.