Spaz Boom-Roasts Lane Kiffin

When commenting on the QB situation at BC, Spaz Boom Roasted Lane Kiffin and USC...

“We’ve got poor spacing, but we’ve got the numbers,” Spaziani said. “Are we going to take another (one) ? Is there a 13-year-old quarterback in Delaware? Is there somebody really good that we want?”

Another BC Career Record to Fall in 2010?

Last season, Rich Gunnell became the career leader in receiving yards at Boston College (2,459). He passed Pete Mitchell (2,388) in his final game as an Eagle, the Emerald Bowl against USC. Gunnell also finished just 9 catches shy (181) of Pete Mitchell's career record for receptions.

This year, another career record is set to fall...the career rushing yards record. Montel Harris currently has 2,357 yards rushing for his career. The record is currently held by Derrick Knight, who racked up 3,725 yards during his time at the Heights (2000-03). Montel only needs 1,369 yards to pass Knight...he rushed for 1,457 last year. He pretty much has two years to do it so the record will eventually belong to him but with the way Montel played last year, he could easily do it in one year.

BC's OOC not up to par

Look, I know it's not entirely BC's fault...who knew ND would suck monkey ass. Still, BC's Out of Conference schedule is pretty pussy when you look around the rest of the ACC.

FSU is playing Oklahoma, BYU, and Florida
Miami is playing Ohio State, Pitt and USF
UVA is playing USC
Maryland is playing West Virginia
Clemson is playing Auburn (not to mention South Carolina yearly)
Duke is playing Bama
Wake is playing Stanford
VT is playing Boise State
UNC is playing LSU and Rutgers
Georgia Tech is playing Georgia

That's a pretty impressive list of OOC games. I guess when BC was making up the schedule they thought ND was going to be a better game.

Thankfully, BC has addressed this somewhat, replacing a MAC team with Cuse (although its TBD whether they are more competition than a MAC team) and scheduling a home and home with USC. These creampuff schedules cheapen 9 and 10 win seasons.
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2010 Schedule Finalized

The schedule for the 2010 season was released just a few minutes ago...here is what it looks like

9/4- Weber State
9/11- Kent State
9/18- Bye
9/25- VT
10/2- ND
10/9- @ NC State
10/16- @ FSU
10/23- Maryland
10/30- Clemson
11/6- @ Wake Forest
11/13- @ Duke
11/20- UVA
11/27- @ Syracuse

12/4- ACC Championship Game

Here are some of my thoughts on the schedule...

There is some good and bad in this schedule. The bye week is wayyyy too early this year. Having a late bye-week last year really helped this team finish strong and I don't like that they're going to end up playing 10 games in a row. However, the bye-week is in a good spot relative to who we are playing. VT is without a doubt the hardest and biggest game of the year for the Eagles and having an extra week to prepare only helps our chances.

I don't know if this was done deliberately, but BC only plays one home game after Halloween. How the fuck does that happen? BC has a huge advantage at home with the cold weather and that is pretty much nullified by the schedule. I've seen BC play a bunch of home games in November plus the ACC had nothing to do with our scheduling of ND, Cuse, Weber State and Kent State so I'll stop short of saying the ACC is screwing BC.

As far as the home schedule goes, it is a great year to have season tickets. Rivalry games against Clemson and ND, plus a game that is becoming more of a rivalry than either in VT. Not to mention Weber State is going to be an awesome game to go to because of the return of Mark Herzlich.

If you are more into traveling, this year is not a great one. FSU is the only real must-see destination and if you're like me and you've been there before, the other options are less than ideal. I intend on going to every ACC stadium so I don't mind picking between NC State, Wake and Duke but those are probably the three last away games I want to go to. I like the addition of Cuse to the schedule...Cuse is one of the few Big East schools I don't absolutely despise.

Anyway, you can start planning roadtrips now.

2010 Schedule Coming Out Today

BC and the rest of the ACC will be releasing their 2010 schedules today...here is what we know so far.

9/4- Weber State
9/11- Kent State
9/18- Bye
9/25- Virginia Tech
10/2- Notre Dame

I like the bye week before VT. If there is a QB controversy by then I will shit my pants.

Here is what we also no, just not dates

Home Games- Maryland, Clemson, UVA
Away Games- FSU, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, Syracuse

I've heard that Syracuse is going to close out the season, but Maryland has held that spot for so long I don't know if they'll change that. As the rest of the schedule comes in I will post it under the schedule on the right.

The 2010 Recruiting Class

Here is the list of the newest members of the Boston College Football Team...



Alexander Amidon, WR (CT)- 5'11" 179 lbs- 2*
Dominic Appiah, DE (CT)- 6'5" 260 lbs- 3*
Seth Betancourt, OL (PA)- 6'6" 285 lbs- 3*
Josh Bordner, QB (MD)- 6'4" 185 lbs- 3*
Jarrett Darmstatter, TE (NJ)- 6'4" 241 lbs- 3*
Steele Divitto, LB (NJ)- 6'2" 214 lbs- 3*
Andy Gallik, OL (IL)- 6'2" 290 lbs- 3*
CJ Jones, CB (DE)- 5'11" 165 lbs- 3*
Tahj Kimble, RB (FL)- 5'11" 198 lbs- 3*
Aaron Kramer, OL (MA)- 6'7" 275 lbs- 2*
James McCaffrey, ATH (MA)- 5'11" 185 lbs- 2*
Shakim Phillips, WR (NJ)- 6'2" 191 lbs- 4*
Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB (CT)- 6'1" 215 lbs- 4*
Chase Rettig, QB (CA)- 6'4" 205 lbs- 3*
Jaryd Rudolph, OL (MA)- 6'3" 268 lbs- 2*
Bobby Swigert, WR (OH)- 6'1" 175 lbs- 3*
Sean Sylvia, DB (CT)- 6'1" 205 lbs- 3*
Robert Vardaro, OL (MA)- 6'5" 307 lbs- 3*
Andre Williams, RB (PA)- 5'11" 202 lbs- 3*
Dominique Williams, DB (MA)- 5'11" 196 lbs- 2*
Harris Williams, OL (NH)- 6'4" 291 lbs- 3*

Overall, not a bad class at all. It certainly won't receive the fanfare that the 2008 class did (AD Gene DeFilippo called the 08 class BC's best recruiting class ever) but there is definitely talent in this class and more importantly talent that fills big gaps. The only thing that could have made this class better is more DL commits but with Appiah and so many incoming OL that could be switched to DL, I think BC is in better shape than what may appear.

Tahj Kimble Interview Vid

Here is a video of new BC RB Tahj Kimble. He talks about how he came to his decision to pick BC and what he is looking forward to. He said he's going to play with a chip on his shoulder when he plays teams like FSU and Miami...I like the sound of that.

Signing Day B!tches

I wonder if Spaz is calling all the commits, assuring them that either their brains or their signature will be on the Letter of Intent.

Thoughts on the Incoming Class...

We're two days away from National Signing Day and I wanted to give a little input on this year's recruiting class...

The guys at BC Draft did a draft of the most appealing incoming recruit...it's definitely a good read.

Best incoming prospect:

Offense- Shakim Phillips, WR...Shakim the Dream fills a position that went from the deepest this past season to the thinnest this year. The scouting report says that while he may not be the fastest kid, his hands and his route running are good enough that he could step into a starting role early in his career. I am personally excited to see Shak and Colin Larmond Jr. the next few years together.

Defense- Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB...Unless he is crazy beast mode and wins a starting spot, I'd like to see KPL redshirted. BC has Kuechly and Herzlich at both OLB positions and there is a glut of LBs next year. It would be nice to get an extra year of KPL when other LBs graduate. I know I posted this a while ago but here is a video of him running some drills etc.

Sleeper:

Offense- Tahj Kimble, RB...I don't know what it is about him and maybe it's more that this kid is like Montel in that he was overlooked by the Florida schools and its wishful thinking on my part. Anyway, there are questions about whether he can be a between the tackles runner because all of his video is him just juking kids out of their shoes and there really isn't any video showing off power and the ability to break tackles. What I do know is that if he is anywhere near as shifty as advertised, getting him the ball in open space is going to be fun to watch.

Defense- Dominic Appiah, DE...It is a huge position of need and he already has better size than some of our current DEs (6'5" 260 lbs). He could very well contribute right away given the current state of the DE position.

Big Week

This is a big week as far as the 2010 season goes...

On Wednesday, recruits from the 2010 class will be signing the letters of intent, formally committing to their school of choice. BC recently added Florida RB Tahj Kimble, giving BC 2 RBs in the class of 2010 (Andre Williams being the other). Here's some footage of Kimble...



He's definitely shifty. He's from the same area of Florida as Montel and was, like Montel, more or less overlooked by the Florida schools.

BC is pretty much full at this point...there might be a late surprise but it will just be nice to get all the recruits who are currently committed to BC locked up.

The day after National Signing Day, the ACC is supposed to release the 2010 schedule. I'm not sure if this is set in stone because VT and Boise are trying to hammer out the date of their matchup. If it's released, I'll have it up ASAP. We already know the opener is Weber State on 9/4.

High Praise For Tennant

Tennant took a beating from bloggers and armchair scouts during the weigh-in. He tipped the scales at 290, the lightest OL at the Senior Bowl. Despite the early hate, Tennant impressed a lot of people at the Senior Bowl and confirmed that BC is in fact O-Line U. Here are some quotables...

"It's not that I didn't know of Tennant before, having watched a good amount of BC games the past few years. It's just that I didn't know he was this good. It's so cliché and lazy to say this, but he really reminds me of Dan Koppen when he came out of Chestnut Hill several years ago. But then again, don't all those interior Boston College linemen have a similar type of build and game?"

-Eric Edholm, Pro Football Weekly

"I was a bit alarmed when Boston College center Matt Tennant tipped the scales at only 290 pounds at Monday morning’s weigh-in. But after watching him in practice later, he quickly made it clear he can anchor inside."

-Wes Bunting, National Football Post

"He reminds me of former B.C. center Tom Nalen, who came to the Senior Bowl and impressed coaches the same way Tennant is doing."

-Pat Kirwan, NFL.com

"At times it is easy to see why some scouts are very high on Tennant. The center plays bigger than his 290 pounds would indicate. He is able to play at this level due to consistently good hand play and low pad level. He is also a better than average athlete at the position which gives him a natural advantage off the snap. Matt Tennant did nothing to dispel the notion he is the top senior prospect snapping the football and should be a solid second round option."

-TFY Draft Insider

Tennant will be continuing his path to the Draft at the NFL Combine, where he will join teammate Mike McLaughlin.

Tennant Performing Well at Senior Bowl

Despite the conflicting views of some of the ananlysts, Tennant has done a good job of proving his worth during the Senior Bowl practices. From what I have seen, he lacks the size of some of the other interior lineman at the Bowl...but he makes up for it in quickness. His ability to recover after initially looking like he was beat has been very impressive. Walterfootball.com is covering the Senior Bowl and had this to say about him...

"Matt Tennant has quietly had a solid week as well at center. Don't hate on Boston College offensive linemen - check out this list: Doug Brzezinski, Dan Collins, Augie Hoffmann, Pete Kendall, Dan Koppen, Tom Nalen, Chris Snee, Damien Woody, Ron Stone, Jeremy Trueblood and James Marten. Tennant has solid strength and plays with a wide base - he shows good toughness in the phone booth and will fight. "

This was the same guy that called him a bubble and very unimpressive during the weigh-ins. Tennant's stock could be on rise heading into the combine. The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday at 3 on NFL Network.

Some Conflicting Views on Tennant

Tennant has spent the past few days down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, showing off his skills in front of coaches and scouts. There really isn't a consensus on where Tennant stands, however. I've watched the first two practices and I thought he handled himself well at Center and struggled a bit in his reps at G. He is the smallest OL but he showed off his quickness by making a nice recovery when it appeared he had been beaten.

Anyway, there is a difference of opinion on him. Kiper has had Tennant in his top 3 available centers since he first came out with them. He spent a long time at #1 among OC's. Kiper had predicted Tennant would be selected in the 2nd or 3rd round.

Then there is Mike Mayock of NFL Network. I think he is better overall at gauging where palyers stand and he seems to think that Tennant will be a mid-round pick (3-5). While I think BC-alum Mayock is the better analyst I gotta say I hope he is wrong about Tennant.

One thing is for sure, Tennant is getting drafted and will carry on O-Line U tradition

Herzlich Interview

I was going to embed the code but the player is so wide half of the video is cut off...so here is the link to the latest Herzlich interview.

94 on 9/4.

Countdown to April 22

I'm already craving me some BC football and the bowl game was only a month ago...April 22nd will be BC fans only chance to see next years team before 9/4. The past few years BC has made it very hard on me to see this game because they schedule it the same day as the NFL Draft. Thankfully, I don't have to race home to catch the Draft this time even though they are on the same day; the first round is at 7:30pm.

Anyway, BC's spring ball begins March 18 and concludes with the Spring Game. There are too many reasons to go to this game...Herzlich will be playing alongside Kuechly, its your first chance to see Rettig in action, the QB battle will be full steam by then. Just 87 more days!

QB Battle Royal...

With freshman QBs Chase Rettig and Josh Bordner on campus and the start of winter workouts today, the 2010 QB battle has begun. From everything that I have heard, the race is wide open, as it should be. It's important to use the competition to find the best QB (unlike 2005 when Quinton Porter started over Matt Ryan). However, this competition needs to be over before the start of August. Last year's indecision really hurt this team as the staff had to divide their attention between multiple QBs. Here is a quick look at all of the QBs vying for the starting role in the Eagles offense...


Dave Shinskie, Sophomore (6'4" 216 lbs)- He has more experience than any of the other QBs. At times he has shown that he can be the real deal and his biggest obstacle heading into next year is his consistency. Like I said, AT TIMES he has shown he can be the real deal, there were plenty of times where he just looked lost and while its unfair to put all the blame of a loss on one player, his mistakes were backbreaking in several games. Given that he hadn't played football in so long, I was overall fairly happy with his performance... he will need to show significant signs of improvement in order to keep his starting job. I guess if anyone was a frontrunner for the starting job it is Shinskie.


Mike Marscovetra, Sophomore (6'4" 192 lbs)- Heading into last season, reports were that Marscovetra was the best passer of the group. He definitely needs to bulk up to be able to take hits but he could end up being a steal (he was a 2* recruit and his only FBS offer was BC). In trying to figure out why Shinskie started over him when he reportedly throws a better ball...the only thing I can think of is that Shinskie may have had a better handle of the offense. Marscovetra came from a low level of high school football in NJ and the transition may have been a little steep. He will definitely be a factor in the competition.


Chase Rettig, Freshman (6'4" 205 lbs)- Rettig is one of the headliners of the 2010 recruiting class. He has arguably the strongest arm out of all 2010 QB prospects. A lot of Shinskie haters are putting their money on Rettig to take the starting job. He definitely looked the part in the Under Armour All America Game, especially given the circumstances (shitty OL, busted finger). A lot of people have pegged Rettig as the next big QB to come through the Heights. He will have the benefit of doing the winter workouts and spring ball to get acclimated to the college game.


Josh Bordner, Freshman (6'4" 185 lbs)- Bordner's situation is similar to when Marscovetra first arrived on campus. He was for the most part under the radar and, as far as I know, hasn't been ruled out of a switch to the defensive side of the ball. I can't really say a whole lot about him because there has not been a whole lot of analysis and his exposure has been pretty limited. He, like Rettig, will have the winter workouts and spring ball to prepare himself to make a run at the starting job.


If Shinskie or Marscovetra win the job, I really want the staff to redshirt Rettig. It will leave the program in a better position if he doesn't waste a year of eligibility as a backup or third string. Unless Bordner is an insane steal, I do not see him winning this job. He might be able to one day but at this point, he has a long road as he played in a low-level Maryland league and he needs to bulk up in a big way. The Spring Game is going to be really interesting this year.

Herzlich Practiced Today!

Mark Herzlich boom roasted cancer...its official. His long journey back from Ewings Sarcoma took a huge step in the right direction as he participated in his first practice since being diagnosed back in May. Here is a video of Herzlich practicing from ESPN.



Herzlich has been interviewed dozens of times since his fight began back in May and he is one of the few players who is both a great player and a great person. For as good as he is on the field, I can honestly say he's an even better person.

BTW...Early enrollee Kevin Pierre-Louis is standing next to him in most of the video shots...can you say protégé? He looks a lot bigger than I thought he would be.