This weekend the Boston College Eagles (5-5) welcome the Virginia Cavaliers (4-6) to alumni for the final home game of the season.  The Eagles, now the proud owner of a three-game win streak, look to reach bowl-eligibility for the twelfth season in a row with a win on Saturday.

The Virginia Cavaliers come to Chestnut Hill with a two game losing streak, after losing to Duke and the Maryland Terrapins. Like the Eagles last two opponents, the Cavaliers game against Boston College win-or-go-home. If the Cavaliers do not win their last two contests, then their chances of going “bowling” will evaporate. Luckily, the Eagles will be riding a similar wave of emotion as the squad looks to cap off a “comeback” of a season and end with a winning record. The Eagles will also have the added motivation of bringing home a “W” on the senior class’ final appearance in Alumni stadium.

The Virginia Cavaliers, led by first year head coach Mike London, have had somewhat of a turbulent season. After losing three consecutive conference games, the Cavaliers defeated Eastern Michigan 48-21, followed by a 24-19 upset over the #22 ranked Miami Hurricanes, only to lose their next two.

On offense, junior quarterback Marc Verica, who has thrown for 2,347 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and has accumulated a quarterback ranking of 128.18 this season, leads the Cavaliers. The first upperclassman quarterback BC has faced since Florida State’s Christian Ponder, Verica’s performance has the Cavalier offense ranked as the 25^th passing attack in the nation, with Virginia putting up 267yards per game. Verica’s favorite targets have been junior Kris Burd and senior Dontrelle Inman, who have combined for 1340 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Behind senior Keith Payne and sophomore Perry Jones, the Cavaliers have managed to gain 147.7 yards per game on the ground. Both backs have over 100 carries on the season, and have rushed for 741 yards and 568 yards respectively on the season. Payne has been Virginia’s top touchdown scorer with 14 touchdowns on the season.

The Cavaliers are another in a string of sub-par conference opponents for the Eagles this season. As the wins have piled up for the Eagles, the offense has shown significant improvement. Expect the offense to continue to improve against the Cavaliers, especially considering that this is the first home game since the Eagles upset the Clemson Tigers on October 30^th. Defensively, the Eagles have been stout, allowing -7 rushing yards against the Duke Blue Devils, and only allowing 16 points. The Virginia offense has been somewhat successful this season, but they have also not played a defense equivalent to the Eagles defense of recent weeks. Look for Kuechly and the Eagles defense to stifle the Cavaliers offense.

Prediction: Boston College Eagles 27 – Virginia Cavaliers 10

After winning their last two contests against Clemson and Wake Forest, the Eagles look to continue their march towards bowl eligibility this weekend against the Duke Blue Devils. With a record of 4-5, the Eagles need only two more wins to continue their streak of twelve straight bowl game appearances. As has become cliché, every game now counts for the Eagles. The same applies for the Duke Blue Devils, who are in a similar situation to the Eagles. After winning their last two games, the Blue Devils now have a 3-6 record, and must win each of their remaining 3 games to salvage their season. It is fair to say that when both teams take the field on Saturday, the intensity will be high, as both teams fight for their survival.

On paper, this game certainly appears to be a favorable matchup for the Eagles. The Blue Devils rely on one facet of the game: the passing attack. On the season, the Blue Devils have thrown for 261.3 yards per game, ranking them 30^th in the nation. In the last two games, the Blue Devils have scored a combined 89 points, accumulating 945 yards, while committing only one turnover. Most of this offense was generated through the air. The Blue Devils are led by sophomore quarterback Sean Renfree, who has thrown for 2,270 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions on the season. In the last two games, the young quarterback has an average passer rating of 162.9, including a stellar quarterback rating of 192.26 against Navy. Providing a crutch for the young quarterback is an excellent wide-receiving corps, featuring Donovan Varner, a pre-season all-ACC selection, and Conner Vernon, who has accumulated 717 yards on 49 receptions, both team highs.

Despite having an excellent aerial attack though, the Blue Devils pose little threat on the ground. Their leading rusher on the season is Desmond Scott, who has accumulated just 489 yards on 99 carries. The most dangerous threat on the ground for the Blue Devils this season, however, has been freshman quarterback Brandon Connette. At times subbing in for Renfree, Connette has attempted only 15 passes, but has rushed for 281 yards and 6 touchdowns.

With the third best rush defense in the nation (allowing only 82.4 rushing yards per game), it is fair to say that the Eagles will not need to put too much concern into stopping the Duke rushing attack, allowing them to focus heavily on the dangerous Duke passing attack. While the Duke offense should be able to move the ball on small gains against the soft-zone of the Eagles, the stout Boston College defense, which has only allowed 23 points in its last two contests, should be able to stifle Duke’s young quarterbacks.

Offensively, the Eagles are facing one of their easiest tests of the season. The Duke Blue Devils rank 116^th in the nation in points against, allowing opponents to score 38.9 points per game. Montel Harris, the engine of the Eagles offense, should not face much contention either, as the Duke defense ranks only 104^th in the nation against the run, allowing 199.8 yards per game on the ground.

Just as fans saw last Saturday, facing a poor rush-defense, the Eagles should be able to ride Harris early and often, opening up some large gains down the field for freshman quarterback Chase Rettig on play-action fakes.

Even though this game is an away game, there is no reason that the Eagles should not emerge from Durham victorious. It is the second road game in a row for the Eagles, and by now, Rettig is certainly adapting to the challenges of playing away from Alumni Stadium. Most importantly, though, the Eagles have a favorable matchup in nearly every phase of the game. The BC defense has been playing incredibly, and the offense has been producing enough to take home the “W”. Montel Harris should be able to get his 20^th 100+ yard rushing game, and add another win while doing it.

Prediction: Boston College 31 – Duke 13

It feels weird to say it, almost taboo at this point, but for the first time since October 2^nd the Eagles are coming off a victory and are expected to win. This weekend, the Eagles will travel to Winston-Salem, NC to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest (2-6).

The Demon Deacons, like the Eagles, have had a turbulent season. Amidst a 6-game losing streak, the Deacons have rotated through three quarterbacks, finally settling on true freshman Tanner Price (sound familiar?). In his seven appearances, Price has gone 83-of-156 for 879 yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Similarly to BC, the Demon Deacons rely heavily on their rushing attack. On the season, Wake Forest has averaged 180.4 rushing yards per game, good for 33^rd in the nation. The Demon Deacons rushing attack is led by freshman Josh Harris, who has rushed for 457 yards on the season (6.3 yards per carry) and senior John Adams, who has rushed for 208 yards on the season (3.6 yards per carry).

Where the Deacons differ from the Eagles is in their defensive performance. In recent weeks, the Eagles defense has played to its pre-season expectations, only allowing 3 points against Clemson (7 of the 10 were scored on an interception returned for a touchdown). In sharp contrast, the Demon Deacons allowed 62 points against Maryland last Saturday in a 62-14 loss. On the season, the Deacons have allowed 40.8 points per game, good for 117^th in the nation.

In terms of match-ups, the Eagles have not faced as inferior an opponent since Kent State in the second game of the season. After such a dominating performance against the Clemson Tigers, it is easy to get excited at the prospect of playing a truly beatable team. However, it is important to remember than a week ago, the Eagles shared the same record as the Demon Deacons, and other than one great game, the Eagles have yet to perform this season.

Even though BB&T Stadium is not amongst the most intimidating, the Eagles will have a tough test in trying to win on the road. With a true freshman quarterback, the road environment can often be tough to handle. Nonetheless, if the Eagles play up to their potential, as they did against Clemson, there is no reason that the Eagles should not come back to Chestnut Hill without a “W”.

Offensively, the Eagles simply need to rely on Montel Harris to have another good game. Considering that in each of the last 3 games he has rushed for over 100 yards, it is not a stretch to imagine that he makes it four in a row this weekend against the 115^th ranked rush defense (allowing 217.25 rushing yards per game). If Chase Rettig can avoid costly interceptions, then the Eagles should be able to score enough points to give the defense the little cushion it needs.

Coming off its best performance of the season, the Boston College defense is finally living up to expectations. Led by Luke Kuechly, the defense has been nearly impossible to run against the Eagles, who currently rank 3^rd in the nation in rush defense, allowing only 83.88 rushing yards per game. In addition to a stalwart rush defense though, the Eagles defense is finally giving signs that it will not break in their “bend but don’t break”, soft zone, defense. Just as teams have done against the Eagles all season, the BC defense will need to stop the run and force true freshman quarterback Tanner Price to beat the Eagles pass defense. Certainly a tough task for the young quarterback.

Overall, I believe that a rejuvenated Eagles team will be too much for the deflated Wake Forest team to handle. Chase Rettig has developed over the course of the last few games, and with the Demon Deacons undoubtedly focusing heavily on Montel Harris, I believe that Rettig will turn in his best performance of the season thus far. Offensively, I do not see Wake Forest moving the ball effectively against the Eagles D, with the Deacons having to rely very heavily on Price. However, just as in every recent meeting between the two teams, I expect that Saturday’s game will be closer than it should. When the smoke clears in Winston Salem, I see the Eagles winning on a late touchdown.

Boston College 20 – Wake Forest 13

It wasn’t the biggest upset, nor was it the most convincing win, but when the fourth quarter came to a close, I would have willingly stormed the field.

Yes, the Eagles victory on Saturday was only a minor achievement; the team still holds a losing record, and will still need to pull off a minor miracle to be bowl eligible. For three quarters though, I, along with other fans, was able to escape the misery of the 2010 season and bask in what has sadly become an elusive victory. For the first time since early September, it was exciting to be in Alumni Stadium, despite an unimpressive turnout by the students.

As there always are, there were certainly areas that needed to be fixed. Gary Tranquil’s play calling, in my opinion, remains a pressing issue. With only a 6-point lead, the plays were called not to lose, rather than to win — reminiscent of the Tom O’Brien and Dana Bible era.  In a season where I have only been able to criticize though, I’ll focus on the positives.

As has come to be expected, Montel Harris turned in another stellar performance, rushing for 142 yards on 36 carries, as well as recording a reception of 36 yards that was good for the Eagles only touchdown on the day. Andre Williams also showed flashes of his potential on Saturday, rushing for 24 yards on 5 carries.

After throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown early in the game, Chase Rettig settled in to finish the day going 9-of-16 for 136 yards with one touchdown. While not a spectacular performance, Rettig displayed one of the most important trait in a quarterback, bouncing back after a very rough start. Rettig clearly has the arm to be a successful quarterback at this level, and he is quickly proving that he has the composure as well. Saturday was certainly Rettig’s best performance of the season, but with the freshman quarterback improving each game, I fully expect him to continue to grow, especially with a stretch of “easier” games ahead of him.

The Eagles defense performed about as well as it could on Saturday, completely shutting down an offense that had scored 30 points a game heading in to the game. Besides a relatively anemic pass-rush, there simply aren’t too many things anyone can complain about. Perhaps the most impressive aspect about the play of the Eagles defense on Saturday was the energy with which it played. After sleepwalking through much of the earlier portion of the season (see first quarter against Notre Dame), the defense came out aggressive and determined, and the results speak for themselves. With easier games on the horizon, if the defense can continue to play at such a high level, the Eagles will have a legitimate shot at expanding their newly born win streak.

As a larger-than-usual group of students sung the Alma Mater, I couldn’t help find myself regaining my early-season optimism.  With four winnable games left on the season, who knows? Maybe, just maybe, the Eagles will be bowl eligible come December.

It looks like it will be another long weekend for the Eagles, as the Clemson Tigers come to Chestnut Hill. In the midst of a five game losing streak, the Eagles will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat on Saturday to defeat the Tigers.

Despite a 4-3 record on the season, the Tigers are amongst the most athletic teams in the nation. As fans have already witnessed in losses against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and North Carolina State, the Eagles struggle mightily to contain teams that create mismatches with the Boston College linebackers – who no matter the situation, stay on the field. With senior captain Wes Davis and Alex Albright ruled out for the game, the Eagles will be relying heavily on relatively untested sophomore’s Okechukwu Okoroha and Max Holloway to perform on Saturday. While a difficult task, the Eagles defense has been playing well of late, and I expect them to have another solid performance on Saturday. Unfortunately, with an offense that may give up more points on turnovers than it scores, the Eagles defense’s efforts may very well end up being futile.

Montel Harris has finally found found his stride, after rushing for 191 yards and 116 yards over the last two weeks, including two scores against the Maryland Terrapins last Saturday. Unfortunately, the Eagles struggles at quarterback have continued, as true freshman quarterback Chase Rettig has been inconsistent. As has been true all season, teams continue to stack the box, daring the Eagles the beat them over the top. Because of Rettig’s struggles, and the hyper-conservative play calling of offensive coordinator Gary Tranquil – known to many Eagles fans as Nyquil – the Eagles have been reluctant and unsuccessful in doing so. Do not expect much to change on Saturday, as in one of the toughest tests of the season, Tranquil will almost certainly put the bulk of the offense on the shoulders of Montel Harris. As has been the trend in the past few games, expect the Eagles offense to come out with some success, only to stutter in the second half.

After pre-season hopes of an ACC title, the Tigers have stumbled this season. However, in their three losses, the Tigers have lost only by a combined 17 points. With a defense highlighted by NFL Prospects Da’Quan Bowers, and DeAndre Michael, the struggling Eagles offense will face one of the toughest tests of the season. The Clemson defense is agressive, and athletic, and will certainly be looking to force turnovers against a quarterback that has been erratic in each of his starts.

On offense, the Tigers are led by sophomore quarterback Kyle Parker, who turned down a multi-million dollar contract after being drafted in the first round by the Colorado Rockies. On the season, the Tigers have averaged 30.3 points a game, good for 47th in the nation, a far cry from Boston College’s 104th ranked offense that puts up 19.1 points a game. After losing C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford to the draft last year, the Tigers have relied heavily on sophomore running back Andre Ellington, who has averaged 6.3 yards per carry on the season. Sophomore’s Dwayne Allen and Jaron Brown lead the Tigers receivers with 269 and 215 yards respectively on the season.

Prediction: At this point in the season, fans should just hope that the Eagles do not get blown out against the Tigers – a team more than capable of doing just that. Do not be fooled by the Tigers record, as they are one of the best teams in the conference.  The Eagles, on the other hand, are quickly sliding towards one of the worst seasons in their history. Look for much of the same this week, as the Eagles will once again try to win on the back of its defense. Clemson 31 – Boston College 13.

Maybe I was a little too harsh on the Eagles; yes, they did lose to the Seminoles, but rather than a blowout – as I predicted – the Eagles kept the game close, only losing 24-19 to a 16^th ranked Florida State squad that was favored to win by three touchdowns. While I am not ready to call it a moral victory, as the Eagles could have won, there were, for the first time this season, many positives in a game in which most expected few.

First and foremost, the Boston College defense deserves all the credit in the world. Besides surrendering a few big plays to players who have made a name for themselves as home-run threats (yes, you Greg Reid), the Eagles defense played the most complete game of the season, if not in recent memory. Against an offense that ranked 16^th in the nation in rushing offense, the Eagles surrendered only 141 yards on the ground (many of those yards stacking up late in the game), giving up only 3.8 yards per carry. Against the pass, the Eagles were equally spectacular, surrendering only 170 yards through the air, while intercepting 3 Christian Ponder passes – a season high for the pre-season all-ACC selection. Credit junior corner back Donnie Fletcher and sophomore safety Jim Noel, who harassed Florida State receivers all day, as well as Ponder.

The BC defensive line also played its most complete game of the season. In addition to being stout against the dangerous Florida State rushing attack, the Eagles defensive line was consistently applying pressure on Ponder, often times able to get to him with just a 4 man rush. Defensive coordinator Bill McGovern also did a great job of drawing up effective blitz packages, as the Eagles were able to confuse the Seminoles offense throughout the course of the game, bringing pressure from all areas of the field.

Beyond the stellar play of the defense, most refreshing was the confidence that the BC defense exuded. For the first time this year, the entire defense played with swagger, unafraid to be aggressive – in pass coverage, in blitzing, and in tackling. At times the defenses over aggressiveness was detrimental – especially on the end around to Bert Reed that went for a 42 yard touchdown – but without it, Ponder would have picked apart the Eagles soft zone, just as Dayne Crist and Russell Wilson did in the weeks before. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the offensive production was nowhere near that of the defense, and despite some great individual play, was not able to put enough points on the board.

The Eagles offense, which today could be called Montel Harris, came out of the gate sprinting, with Harris rushing for well over 100 yards on just his first 6 carries. Without a doubt Harris’ best performance of the season, the junior showed why he is one of the ACC’s premiere running backs. Despite Harris’ outstanding play though, the rest of the Eagles offense was somewhat stagnant. Chase Rettig, while able to avoid turnovers, was unable to consistently move the chains, going 9-for-24 for 95 yards. Rettig’s play, while unspectacular, was not the problem with the Eagles offense though. Heading into the game, it would have been unreasonable for anyone to expect a stellar outing from the true freshman. In his first road game, a game in which he was consistently under heavy pressure from an aggressive FSU defense, Rettig preformed very well, showing glimpses of why he was such a highly recruited quarterback. Even the offensive line was able to improve upon its early season performance. Harris’ production speaks to the lines performance in run blocking, and while Rettig was under pressure all day, the lines pass protection was not the culprit of the Eagles inability to put the ball in the end zone.

The major issue on offense today? The play-calling.

It is hard to argue with Tranquil’s play calling early in the game, as the Eagles, behind Harris, came out to a blistering start. Understanding that a true freshman was under center, Tranquil made certain that he would not put too much pressure on Rettig to win the game for the Eagles. Luckily, Harris was able to rise to the occasion. Certainly the right move.

Tranquil’s play calling, for the majority of the game remained satisfactory; the Eagles coaching staff understood that they were better off punting the ball than turning the ball over and giving the Seminoles explosive offense with good field position. In other words, with a true freshman under center, being conservative made sense.

As the game drew to an end, though, with the Eagles trailing by 5, Tranquil failed to adjust to the situation. To win, the Eagles needed a touchdown, yet Tranquil remained conservative in his play calling. In trying to keep the pressure off of Rettig, Tranquil inadvertently put the young quarterback in situations difficult for even the most seasoned quarterback: third and long.

Specifically, I point to what would become the last drive for the Eagles offense. After Rettig converted on a key third down with a 20-yard completion to tight end Chris Pantale over the middle, Tranquil opted to run it on both first and second down, the first gaining 2 yards, the second no yards. After running ineffectively for the entire second half (Harris had rushed for only 23 yards in the second half, compared to 168 in the first half), Tranquil decided that the best course of action was to run on both first and second down, resting the outcome of the game rested in the hands of a true freshman quarterback on a high-pressure 3^rd and 8. As could be expected, the pass fell incomplete, and the Eagles were forced to punt for the last time in the game. Rettig was not to blame; he was put in an incredibly difficult situation, as he had been all game. Tranquil should have realized that the Eagles needed to be more aggressive. The rush had been ineffective for the last two quarters, and even though you run the risk of throwing an interception by passing the ball, you cannot get lucky if you don’t put yourself in position to get lucky.

No matter how well the Eagles played today, the losing streak now sits at four. The Eagles have one week to prepare before welcoming a beatable Maryland squad to Alumni Stadium. The coaching staff will need to address many of the issues on offense, but one thing is for certain; if the Eagles defense plays at the level they did today, Boston College will, even without an offense to speak of, be in every game.

Prepare for the worst, Eagles fans, because with Boston College heading to Tallahassee, Florida to take on the Seminoles of Florida State, the rudderless Eagles are heading into one of their toughest match ups of the season. Fresh off a 45-17 victory over the Miami Hurricanes, it is fair to say that Florida State is clicking offensively and defensively.

Led by senior quarterback Christian Ponder, a pre-season first team ACC selection, Florida State’s offense currently ranks 18^th in the nation with 36.7 points per game. So far this season, Ponder has accumulated 1017 yards with 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a highly efficient quarterback rating of 133.6. Surprisingly though, it the Seminole’s rushing attack which has propelled Florida State’s offensive success. Behind the three-headed monster of running backs Chris Thompson (9 yards per carry), Jermaine Thomas (5.9 yards per carry), and Ty Jones (7.9 yards per carry), the Seminoles have accumulated 223.5 rushing yards per game, ranking them 16^th in the nation.

Defensively, the Seminole’s have been even more impressive, ranking 16^th in the nation in points against, allowing only 15.7 points per game, and only once giving up more than 20 points (to Oklahoma, who defeated the Seminole’s 47-17).  Florida State’s defense, while not complex in its schemes, is amongst one of the most athletic in the nation. Because of their athleticism, Florida State challenges teams to beat their man coverage, a coverage that allows them to consistently bring extra pressure.

Just like the previous three opponents the Eagles have played, look for Florida State to stack the box, forcing the BC offense to challenge, and beat the tight man coverage of the FSU cornerbacks on the outside. Unless Rettig proves early that he is the next coming of Matt Ryan, the Eagles will have a tough time establishing the pass against such an aggressive defense.

Unfortunately, with Florida State most likely stacking the box — especially given the struggles of the BC offensive line — the Eagles will also struggle in establishing the run. Against a team that will have its ears peeled back, and that will consistently bring its safeties and linebackers on blitzes, the Eagles best chance may be to establish screen passes to Montel Harris early in the game, with the hope of quelling the aggressiveness of the FSU defense. If the Eagles do find success with the screen pass, it may open more room for both the Eagles passing attack, and rushing attack.

On defense, the Eagles will be tested by the Seminole’s athleticism. By never leaving the base 4-3, head coach Frank Spaziani and defensive coordinator Bill McGovern place a heavy responsibility on the linebackers, often requiring them to cover slot receivers, and to pick up running backs out of the backfield. Against a hyper-athletic FSU squad, that means a mismatch by design on almost every play. As the Eagles saw against Russell Wilson, mature quarterbacks, such as redshirt senior Christian Ponder, are easily able to dissect the soft-zone of the Eagles. To add on to the Eagles woes, with an abundance of playmakers on offense, small gains can often turn into big plays for the Seminoles offense, especially against a team that has been tackling as poorly as the Eagles in recent weeks.

The Eagles, unfortunately, do not have much of a chance heading into Tallahassee to take on a Florida State team that is playing as well as it has in years. In past years, when the Eagles were able to defeat the Seminoles, Montel Harris was able to consistently slice the Seminole defense for large gains. If the Eagles have a shot at winning, then the same has to happen on Saturday. Unfortunately, with an offensive line that has struggled, and an FSU defense that will simply not respect the pass, it does not appear likely that Harris will find much success on Saturday. Defensively, the Eagles have played poorly as of late, and Florida State’s offense is one of the best in the ACC. In other words, the Seminoles, who have scored at will on every opponent except Oklahoma, should have no trouble putting up points on the Eagles.

Prediction: Florida State 49 – Boston College 16

Posting a day later than normal, and the bad taste still hasn’t left my mouth. In a word, Boston College’s showing against the Wolfpack was ugly. In talking about the offense, the defense, or the special teams, the same message holds true: there were very few (positive) take a ways from the 44-17 loss.

At this point in the season, it is redundant to discuss the production of any of the units as nothing has changed. The quarterback situation remains dire, the offensive line continues to under-perform, and the defense looks at times functional while at others lost. In other words, at this point in the season, fans know what to expect from players; “I am who I am”.

What needs to be discussed though is the lack of adjustments. The Eagles have now dropped 3 in a row, each in convincing fashion. Over the course of the three-losses, the Eagles have seemingly made minimal adjustments. The Eagles have been beaten in the same way, over, and over again. Offensively, the Eagles are predictable and ineffective, and defensively the Eagles seem content with their sub-par performance. Some of the blame certainly lies on poor individual play, but when no adjustments are made, coaching decisions come under the microscope.

Hindsight is 20/20; six games into the season, and early season coaching missteps are now coming into focus. To find the root of what has become the biggest oversight of the season, one has to go back the spring.

After attending the spring game, and several of the other scrimmages, I was certain of one thing; Dave Shinskie had not improved enough to merit him being the starting quarterback. His performance in each of the scrimmages over the course of the off-season was sub-par to at least one of the other quarterbacks, and despite coaches lauding his improvement; there was no visible sign that he had taken a step forward.

Fast-forward to the first game of the season, and the coaching staff had named Dave Shinskie the starting quarterback. Alone, it was not a bad decision; even though Shinskie had been named the starting quarterback, I was convinced that fans would see Shinskie split the snaps with Marscovetra. At the end of the game, Marscovetra had only thrown the ball three times, despite an uninspiring performance by Shinskie.

Fast-forward another week.

Once again, Shinskie was listed as the starting quarterback. Yet again, I was convinced that even though Shinskie had been named the starting quarterback, the coaching staff would opt to give Marscovetra experience against another inferior opponent. Once again though, at the end of the game, Marscovetra had only thrown the ball three times, despite another uninspiring performance by Shinskie.

Fast-forward another week.

Heading into arguably toughest game of the season in Virginia Tech, it seemed as if everyone but the coaches knew that Dave Shinskie was not going to be able to lead the Eagles to victory. Once again though, Shinskie was named the starter. Only after a poor outing in which Shinskie threw two interceptions was Marscovetra inserted late in the game, when any chance of victory had long since passed.

Fast-forward one more week.

With the Eagles heading into the most anticipated game of the season, the coaching staff had finally made a quarterback change, naming true freshman Chase Rettig the starting quarterback. Unfortunately, after injuring his ankle early in the second, the Eagles were back to square one, forced to rely on two quarterbacks who had yet to prove that they were capable of leading the Eagles to a significant victory in 2010.

The problem with this series of events isn’t hard to identify: Frank Spaziani and co. waited too long to make a change, and by the time they did, they had wasted the opportunity to give Marscovetra or Rettig experience against lesser opponents in Weber State and Kent State. Regardless of whether the better option is or was Rettig or Marscovetra (a question we know the answer to now), the issue was that Spaziani ether failed to read the writing on the wall, or chose to ignore it. Looking back now, it is hard to imagine how the coaching staff, after observing the practices and scrimmages, failed to recognize that Rettig was the best option, or at least the only option with significant upside.  By not being decisive early in the season, the Eagles now sit in “no-mans land”, with the season the season all but a wash. Hopefully for Eagles fans, Rettig will recover from his ankle injury quickly so that he can gain game experience so that the Eagles can look forward to a potentially successful 2011 season. For now though, the Eagles, without a quarterback, are without direction. What was once an optimistic prediction of 10 wins, now is an optimistic prediction of 6 (The Eagles do still play Wake Forest, Syracuse, Duke, and Virginia). Even 6 remains awfully optimistic, though, if the coaching staff doesn’t make some drastic changes.

It has reached a point in the season where confidence is for the insane, and hope for the foolhardy. Many more losses, and the Eagles take themselves out of contention in the ACC. Even more distressing, the Eagles run the risk of being ineligible for a bowl game for the first time since 1998.

For a team that has suffered two home losses in a row, the first time since 1998 — if that date sounds familiar, read above two lines for a reminder — the Eagles have dropped two consecutive home games, the list of uncertainties is long, and the list of possible solutions quickly evaporating. The once-supposed strengths of this squad are becoming issues, and the initial issues are seemingly broken beyond repair. At quarterback, the Eagles have been playing musical chairs; injury and poor play interrupting each quarterbacks short stint as the starter. Defensively, the Eagles have been inconsistent; at times looking like a sieve, other times playing as they should have all along. Against Notre Dame, the Eagles defense allowed 21 points in the first quarter alone, only to give up just 10 points for the remainder of the game. In regards to the running attack, well, there wasn’t really one against Notre Dame – a factor of poor play from Montel Harris, and the highly touted offensive line.  Not much is clicking for the Eagles right now, and to put it simply, this season has been a disappointment across the board.

Heading this week to Raleigh to play the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the Eagles will face one of the best offenses in the ACC, and arguably the best quarterback in the ACC in Russell Wilson. An accurate passer, and a good athlete, Wilson will have no trouble picking apart the soft zone of the Eagles. If I were Tom O’Brien and Dana Bible, I would line up Wilson in the shotgun and let him dissect the defense that was exposed against the Fighting Irish. Unfortunately for Boston College, even if the Eagles do play stout defense, the offense will still need to put points on the board in order to win.

Even though the NC State defense is not prolific, well, does it matter what defense the Eagles are facing? At this point, the Eagles offense has been so ineffective, that even first downs are a major accomplishment (maybe now the band should bring back the “Eagles first down” chant?). Luckily for the Eagles, with Chase Rettig practicing Wednesday, it appears as if he will be the starter this weekend. Against Notre Dame, his 58-yard strike to Bobby Swigert was the Eagles only touchdown on the day. While Rettig is the best option at quarterback for the Eagles, the offense, barring any radical changes, remains an unexciting unit that is possible of simply not producing. Against NC State last year, Harris had a breakout performance with two school records, rushing for 264 yards and five touchdowns. If the Eagles have any chance at defeating a dangerous NC State opponent on the road, then Harris has to have another outstanding performance, something he has yet to do in 2010.

For an Eagles squad that has defied expectations (in a negative way, for the first time in years), and has many players playing well under their talent-level, something has to click at some point. The team cannot continue to play as poorly as they have. Whether it is through personnel changes, adjustments to the play calling (yes, please), or a sudden boost in motivation, this team will eventually raise its level of play. Whether or not that increase in level of play is enough to propel the Eagles into bowl play is yet to be seen, but when it happens, the Eagles should at least function like a proper football team. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, I do not see it happening this week. The Wolfpack offense is an explosive unit that will be able to move the ball and score points against the Eagles defense, and with Chase Rettig (assuming he is the starter) making his first road appearance, I do not see the Eagles scoring enough points to defeat the Wolfpack.

Prediction: NC State 31 – Boston College 17

Notre Dame came out firing against Boston College, and by the time the Eagles could blink the Fighting Irish had stretched their lead to 21-0. In just one quarter, Notre Dame had nearly put the game out of reach of a floundering Eagles squad.

Hope was quickly restored when Rettig hit a wide-open Bobby Swigert for a 58-yard Sheeckutz-like touchdown to bring the Eagles within 14 of the Fighting Irish, but as fast as hope was reestablished, it was lost when Rettig went down early in the second quarter with an ankle injury. While the Eagles defense was able to compose itself and hold Notre Dame to 10 points for the remainder of the game, the offense was never able to gain any momentum under the quarterbacking of Mike Marscovetra.

Of the many Boston College games I have attended, Saturday’s showing may have been the most demoralizing. The performance of almost every unit was sub-par, and it is hard to envision where the Eagles will find offensive production. Of of the most glaring issues is the fact that the Eagles simply do not have a viable option at quarterback. With Chase Rettig injured in the, and Marscovetra performing poorly, the Eagles may have no option but to go with recently demoted Dave Shinskie – the same Dave Shinskie who, only a week ago, fans were booing off the field.

More worrisome than the quarterback situation, though, is the lack of an Eagles rushing attack. While some of this rests on Montel Harris, a lot of the responsibility rests on the highly touted offensive line that simply has not produced this year. Up until this game, I had been confident that at some point the line would “click” and live up to the lofty expectations. After this week’s showing against Notre Dame, that confidence is now gone.

Until Chase Rettig was injured, I had no complaints with the offensive coordinator’s play calling, but after the quarterback’s injury, the Eagles seemed to lose direction. For much of the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters, Tranquil seemed resigned to running two types of plays; a running back draw out of the shotgun formation, and a play action pass to a deep receiver. Neither of these plays worked, yet Tranquil returned to them consistently. It is also no surprise as to why neither of them worked. In order for a play-action pass to be effective, the opponent needs to respect the run. With the Eagles running attack being as ineffective as it was, Marscovetra would drop back and be throwing to double-covered targets, where one would normally hope for single coverage. In regards to the draw, the Eagles offensive line was so overwhelmed on Saturday that, by the time Harris had the ball, he was often immediately opposed by a Notre Dame defender(s).

The offense on Saturday not only lacked production, but it lacked creativity. Yes, Tranquil was tasked a difficult test against Notre Dame after losing his starting quarterback, but the way he reacted to the injury was uninspiring. When BC lost Rettig, the game was not out of reach; the Eagles were the recipient of several Notre Dame fumbles, and were only down by two touchdowns. By going three-and-out as many times as the offense did, Tranquil put too much pressure on the defense to consistently stop an effective Notre Dame offense.

Defensively the Eagles are an anomaly. Notre Dame got off to a blazing start, but after the Eagles D settled in, they played like the defense that people have come to expect, only giving up 10 points over the next 3 quarters. Nonetheless, question marks were certainly raised during the course of the game.

The pass rush, which has been a topic of discussion all season, continues to disappoint. Rarely was Crist pressured, and on many occasions, there was not a defender within 3 yards of him as he released the ball. While the play of the defensive backs was not spectacular, their play is amplified by the lack of a pass rush. For the defense to be successful, Spaziani will have to find a way for the Eagles to generate a pass-rush without bringing 6-7 men – even that was often ineffective against the Fighting Irish.

After the game, Albright accredited the poor play to the defense coming out “flat”. Against Kent State, or Weber State, being “flat” is potentially acceptable, but against Notre Dame it is inexcusable, and somewhat astounding. With the senior leadership on defense, this is an issue that is unwarranted and unexpected. Being a defensive-minded coach, Spaziani will undoubtedly be focused heavily on the defense this week.

The entire Boston College team needs to take a long, hard look at the game tape of Saturday’s game. The season is still young, and BC has the majority of its ACC games ahead of it, but hopes and expectations are quickly fading in Chestnut Hill, and if the team is to findsuccess anytime soon, Spaziani will have to make (plenty of) adjustments very quickly.