Boston College Eagles
Overall Rank: #82
#12 ACC
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Boston College has potential to improve under new coach Steve Addazio. Coach Frank Spaziani could not get the Eagles to the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. And, for now, that will be Coach Addazio’s goal. But coming off of a 2-10 campaign, with just one conference win, the middle of the pack is a bit of stretch for 2013.
2012 Record: (2-10, 1-7)
2012 Bowl: None
Coach: Steve Addazio (First season at Boston College, 13-11 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Day
Defensive Coordinator: Don Brown
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Andre Williams, RB, 584 yards
Passing: Chase Rettig, QB, 3,065 yards
Receiving: Alex Amidon, WR, 1,210 yards
Tackles: Steele Divitto, LB, 92
Sacks: Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB, 2.0
Interceptions: Spenser Rositano, S, 3
Other Key Returnees: DE Mehdi Abdesmad, CB Manny Asprilla, WR Johnathan Coleman, DE Kasim Edebali, WR Spiffy Evans, C Andy Gallik, S Justin Simmons, CB Sean Sylvia, G Bobby Vardaro, G Ian White
Key Losses: LB Nicky Clancy, OT Emmett Cleary, DT Bryan Murray, S Jim Noel, TE Chris Pantale, OT John Wetzel
Strengths:
The Boston College offense has a couple underappreciated stars in quarterback Chase Rettig and wide receiver Alex Amdion. Rettig is an experienced senior who threw for over 3,000 yards in 2012. Amidon, another senior, caught 78 passes for 1,210 yards and seven scores. With Johnathan Coleman and Spiffy Evans joining Amidon, Rettig has most of his favorite targets returning. Rettig does need to be more efficient with the ball in his hands, especially as the Eagles get into the red zone. Rettig’s 13 interceptions in 2012 could have been worse, but this is a team that relies heavily on Rettig to win games and interceptions at inopportune times did hurt the offense. Blaming Rettig is not completely fair though. The offensive line rarely gave him enough time. The middle of the line is back, but tackles Emmett Cleary and John Wetzel need to be replaced. Coach Addazio would like to see a more balanced offense and much of that pressure will fall on running back Andre Williams. There are other experienced backs, but Williams is the most explosive option. He rushed for 584 yards and four scores on 130 carries last season and the 220 pound senior can carry the load.
Weaknesses:
The defense has experience too and that is something. However, Boston College ranked dead last in sacks in the entire country, tallying a mere six on the year. When the defensive front cannot get anything going at all, the entire defense will suffer. There is not much hope for drastic improvement either. Mehdi Abdesmad and Kasim Edebali combined for 19 starts, but they only totaled 1.5 sacks. The return of senior tackle Kaleb Ramsey, who started two games before suffering a season ending injury in 2012 and missed all of 2011, cannot hurt. Kevin Pierre-Louis and Steele Divitto return to lead the linebackers. They will need to replace Nick Clancy in the middle, who led the team with 145 tackles, but Pierre-Louis and Divitto are experienced seniors who can make big plays. The secondary may have the most depth and talent on defense. Corners Sean Sylvia and Manny Asprilla are returning starters and Al Louis-Jean, C.J. Jones and Bryce Jones will provide Coach Addazio with some options. Free safety Justin Simmons started seven games as a freshman and could emerge as a solid playmaker in the secondary, joining strong safety Spenser Rositano who led the Eagles with three interceptions in 2012.
The Bottom Line:
Even with the experience Boston College now has on defense, it will not make one bit of difference if the team as a whole does not get more pressure on the opposing quarterback. Coach Addazio will certainly have a few ideas to get more players into the backfield. Ideas may not be enough. The offense will once again have to carry the load and heave the ball through the air, instead of sticking with the balanced offensive attack. The schedule is not too kind either with five of their last seven games on the road. The longer Boston College can stay in a game and not have to abandon their offensive game plan the better, but the defense may not be able to keep the Eagles close against some of the more potent offenses in the ACC.
Projected Bowl: None
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 90.92 (115th in nation, 12th in conference)
Passing Offense: 258.92 (45, 8)
Total Offense: 349.83 (99, 10)
Scoring Offense: 19.83 (109, 11)
Rushing Defense: 214.08 (111, 11)
Pass Defense: 242.33 (75, 7)
Total Defense: 456.42 (100, 10)
Scoring Defense: 29.67 (74, 9)
Turnover Margin: -0.42 (88, 8)
Sacks: 0.50 (120, 12)
Sacks Allowed: 3.00 (106, 10)
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