Spring Game Positional Recap: Part 2

Defensive Line

There might have been a little bit of a mismatch during the Spring Game last Saturday, but the Boston College defensive line looked impressive. With the offensive linemen shuffling in and out and trying to adjust to new positions and a new scheme, the d-line capitalized.

Pressure on quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Chris Crane was hard to come by on the first few possessions. Ryan had enough time on the first drive to connect on a 59-yard bomb and Crane’s 42-yard strike to Bill Flutie set up a one-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, senior halfback Andre Callender was dashing through the line’s interior with a little too much ease.

The line reacted though, and the offense thereafter failed to maintain its rhythm. With a couple of 340-pounders clogging the middle (senior B.J. Raji and redshirt-freshman Thomas Claiborne), the running game slowed down considerably. Once the d-line proved it could stop the ground attack – and the offense committed itself to running for the rest of the afternoon – the defense dominated the rest of the game (but still fell short in points).

Here’s a look at the lineups from last Saturday…

Starters

Brady Smith (SO.), B.J. Raji (SR.), Thomas Claiborne (FR.), and Austin Giles (SO.)

For precautionary reasons, two starters from last year - captain defensive end Nick Larkin and junior hole-plugger Ron Brace - sat out the annual scrimmage. With those two back in the mix next fall, which will mean BC will return all four starters from last season, Claiborne and either Smith or Giles will be coming off the bench. Last year, Giles won the job opposite of Larkin, but Smith replaced him six games into the season. Frank Spaziani is still in charge of the defense, so don’t expect much of a shake-up. But the positional battle between Smith and Giles will one to keep your eye on during the summer.

As was expected, Raji was the standout of this crew. He finished with seven tackles, a stunning total for a guy many see as just a stop gap. Raji’s pursuit was particularly notable. He made a number of stops within a yard or two of the line, but collected a few more five yards past the line, after runners broke through on the other side. Raji looked explosive coming off the line, which is scary considering his size.

Second Line

Brendan Deska (SO.), Allan Smith (SO.), Alex Albright (SO.), Jerry Willette (JR.)

Albright, who showed flashes of brilliance last season at defensive end as a true freshman, dazzled again at the Spring Game. Operating occasionally as a rover of sorts (think 3-4 outside linebacker), Albright flew around the field to record a team-high nine tackles. His speed, easily the best on the line and close to the best on the entire defense, allowed Albright to keep up with corner-seeking halfbacks. But a couple of tackles in the backfield proved that he can also beat the man in front of him.

Allan Smith (one of four Smiths on the BC roster) didn’t receive the same kind of exposure in his freshman year. He did get into all 13 games, but logged just four tackles. Smith was hard not to notice at the Spring Game. Throughout the second half (and especially late in the fourth), Smith terrorized quarterbacks and halfbacks behind the line from the d-end spot. Though the rules dictated that the QBs couldn’t be taken down (they wore green jerseys to differentiate themselves), Smith was credited with at least two sacks and a number of pressures.

Key Loss

Keith Willis, Jr. (JR.)

Willis followed his father (who followed Tom O’Brien) to N.C. State. In losing Willis, BC lost an experienced interior lineman who, because he was smaller and quicker than Raji and Brace, gave the line a different look in the middle when he was in. Because BC is returning eight letter-winning lineman from a year ago, Willis’ transfer doesn’t leave the Eagles in a desperate situation or anything. But Spaziani would have loved to bring Willis off the bench again this season, which would have made the line that much deeper.