TER Top Ten List: October 2, 2003
This week’s list is the Top Ten Things Boston College
football must achieve or prepare for in the off-week. I really need to work on
my titling skills, but at least it’s descriptive. And, as usual, the list is in
the order I have selected.
10. The Eagles must adjust
from turf to grass.
After two consecutive games on
the home turf of Alumni Stadium, BC will travel to
Philadelphia in nine days to play
Temple on the grass field of Lincoln
Financial Field. With nearly two weeks of practice on Shea Field (assuming
tonight’s rain doesn’t leave too much water behind), the Eagles should be
prepared to switch surfaces. Making matters easier, the field at the brand new
“Linc” may be one of the best BC will see all season.
9.
Jazzmen Williams must have successful surgery on his injured
wrist.
At this point, Williams has
probably already undergone the required surgery. I do not know the results, but
it can be safe to assume that there were no problems. It’s not like he really
needed this surgery, as Jazz played the game of his life against
Ball
State, while wearing a hard cast to
protect the wrist he injured two weeks prior versus UConn. But, assuming Jazz
had successful surgery on his wrist, there should be far less reason to be
concerned with future problems. He likely will have to wear a cast on his wrist
for the remainder of the season, but we all know that he can make
over-the-shoulder catches with a cast on, so it should not hinder his play.
8.
Team leaders Tom Martin and Augie Hoffmann must get
healthy.
The extra week of preparation
should greatly benefit both Martin and Hoffmann. Hoffmann was in street clothes
for the Ball
State game, due to an injury suffered
early in the Miami game. Martin
started the BSU game, but was injured early and did not return. As the official
depth chart for next week’s contest at
Temple has not yet been released, I
do not know if either will be in the lineup against the Owls. However, the extra
week will give both the opportunity to move closer to returning to the football
field. The Eagles have great depth on both the offensive and defensive lines,
but Martin and Hoffmann provide invaluable leadership on the field, not simply
great football skill.
7.
William Blackmon needs to return punts.
Nathaniel Hasselbeck has filled
in admirably returning punts the last two games in place of Blackmon, who
injured his shoulder against Miami.
Nate has fielded every punt cleanly and has not made any mistakes. Tom O’Brien
could not ask for anything more from his punt returner. However, William
Blackmon is a game breaker. Much like Roscoe Parrish, he has the ability to
change the course of the game with one return. He must take this week to heal
his shoulder and catch punts, so he can be lined up waiting for
Temple’s first punt.
6.
Quinton Porter must achieve some consistency.
Speaking with a source close to
team practices in the days following the
Miami debacle, Quinton Porter is
easily the best quarterback in the week leading up to BC games. He has the tools
to be a good college QB and he, apparently, is simply better than Paul Peterson.
However, when Saturday comes along, something happens to QP. It might be a lack
of confidence, overwhelming nerves, or simply an inability to read defenses, but
Quinton Porter often seems ill-prepared in the pocket. In his two weeks between
games, QP needs to figure out what works for him. He has the skills to thrive;
he just needs to go out there and tell himself that he can do it. If Porter can
develop the mindset, the throws and decisions will follow.
5.
Doug Goodwin must pick up where he left off.
It took him five games, but Doug
Goodwin finally got his first sack of the 2003 season in the game against
Ball
State. He also knocked down a pass.
The Eagles need Goodwin to follow up his first good game of the year with more
of the same. He is the unquestioned leader of the interior defensive line, and
where he goes, Martin, Tim Bulman, and Al Washington often follow. Entering a
stretch of seven straight games to end the season, BC must hope that Doug
Goodwin was able to sustain his Ball
State performance through the
off-week.
4.
Boston
College must continue its strong road
play.
With consecutive games at
Temple and
Syracuse, the Eagles must maintain
their road dominance of the early season. At 2-0, BC has been impressive on the
road with convincing victories over
Penn
State and UConn.
Temple should not be a tough game,
but Syracuse will be a major test
for the Eagles. The Carrier Dome is one of the absolute toughest places to play
a road game. With their strong running game, the Eagles should be able to
control the clock and quiet the crowd somewhat, but they must be at the top of
their games to win consecutive Big East road contests.
3.
The players can’t forget their cameras next weekend.
Being from
Philadelphia, I am rather partial to
the beautiful and brand new Lincoln Financial Field. Having been able to only
view the stadium from the outside and being denied any attempt at purchasing
Philadelphia Eagles’ tickets, I am rather jealous that our team gets to play
there… Thus, I have required that every player bring a camera (and not
disposable) to take pictures for me.
2.
The Eagles must find a killer instinct.
In their three wins this year
(and the loss to Wake
Forest), the Eagles opened up nice
leads, only to allow the opposing team to hang around, with WFU stealing a game.
Despite the 21-0 lead at Penn
State, the final score was only
27-14. The following week, BC beat UConn 24-14, but it opened up a 27-7 lead
before allowing UConn several opportunities to pull much closer. And last week
against Ball
State, the Eagles lead 28-10 just 20
minutes into the game, before allowing BSU to close to 28-23 with touchdowns
before and after halftime. BC pulled away late, but the game should never have
been within five points. The Eagles need to learn a lesson from
Miami and never stop attacking. Especially on the road, BC cannot allow
the opponent to hang around.
1.
Derrick Knight needs to get what he deserves.
Several members of the message
board legitimately pointed out that Derrick Knight had a rather poor game
against Miami’s first unit (most of
his 83 yards came late in the game against backups). However, it cannot be
overlooked that DK leads the nation with 728 rushing yards and is coming off a
175-yard performance against Ball
State. The next two weeks will be
crucial for Derrick Knight if he hopes to finally receive the national
recognition that his talent and accomplishments merit. Though
Temple and
Syracuse are among the weaker teams
of the Big East, two more games like his four strong contests, and Knight must
catch the eye of the national media. At 728 yards, it is conceivable that DK
could top the 1000-yard mark after just seven games, marking
Boston
College’s sixth straight season with
a 1000-yard rusher. Those accomplishments simply cannot be overlooked any
longer.
Murray’s
Fearless Predictions:
After a rather lengthy sabbatical and at the request of our
publisher, Murray returns today with
his fearless predictions. In case you are new to the site since
Murray’s last appearance on April 4,
I will fill you in. I have this alter ego named
Murray. He likes to make predictions
about sporting events. He is usually wrong. On that note, we will ease back into
these predictions with just two Big East games and one non-game.
Virginia Tech at Rutgers,
Saturday, noon:
Before you start asking, this is NOT the non-game that I am
going to preview. Technically, this will be an actual game that will last 60
minutes. In reality, however, this contest should be decided by the end of the
first quarter or after Kevin Jones’ first 50-plus yard touchdown run, whichever
comes first. The near non-capacity crowd at Rutgers Stadium should be pumped for
this one, as their Scarlet Knights enter the game at 3-1, for the first time in
a decade. However, Virginia Tech has too much talent on its bench for
Rutgers to handle, so this one should be over early:
Virginia Tech 44, Rutgers 13.
Temple at
Middle
Tennessee
State, Saturday, 7:00 pm:
With just these two games scheduled for this weekend (by the
time this is published, Miami would
have already beaten West Virginia), the Big East has a rather weak lineup for
this weekend. At 0-4, the Temple JUCO All-Stars, I mean Owls, need any win that
they can get before seven consecutive Big East games to finish the season. They
should get one this weekend against not only a directional
Tennessee school, but also a
Tennessee
State school. Of course,
M. Tenn. St. is coming off a
last-second, 41-40 loss to
Missouri, so this might not be a
slam-dunk victory for Temple. This
game will probably be close, but no one will care (as both teams are 0-4).
Temple 24,
M. Tenn. St. 20.
Bye at Boston
College:
If you couldn’t guess it, this is the non-game of the week.
Just two weeks removed from an embarrassing home defeat at the hands of
Miami, the Eagles need this “game”
more than anyone may realize. This is a guaranteed victory for BC, as it gives
them time to heal and prepare for seven straight Big East (and Notre Dame)
contests. Of course, it could be a devastating loss if anyone gets hurt in
practice… Knock on wood that
doesn’t happen and the Eagles come away with a solid preparation victory.
Well, there you have it for another edition of Thursday
Evening Ramblings. I hope you enjoyed the Top 10 List and the return of
Murray’s Fearless Predictions. I
will see you again next week: same time, same station.
Aaron Rose is a staff writer for EagleInsider.com. He
can be reached at InsideTheEagles@yahoo.com.