Boston College Eagles
Overall Rank: #83
#13 ACC
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Coach Steve Addazio deserves a lot of credit for leading Boston College to a bowl game in his first year at the helm. The 7-6 record was a pleasant surprise for the Eagles, but now the true test comes. This is a squad decimated by graduation on both sides of the ball and it will be even more of a surprise if this BC team can get back to the postseason.
2013 Record: (7-6, 4-4)
2013 Bowl: Advocare V100 Bowl vs. Arizona (L 19-42)
Coach: Steve Addazio (7-6 at Boston College, 20-17 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Day
Defensive Coordinator: Don Brown
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Myles Willis, RB, 346 yards
Passing: None
Receiving: Bobby Wolford, FB, 105 yards
Tackles: Steven Daniels, LB, 88
Sacks: Josh Keyes, LB, 3.5
Interceptions: Manny Asprilla, CB, 2; Bryce Jones, CB, 2
Other Key Returnees: S Dominique Williams, OL Andy Gallik, OL Bobby Vardaro, OL Harris Williams
Key Losses: RB Andre Williams, QB Chase Rettig, WR Alex Amidon, K/P Nate Freese, LB Steele Divitto, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, DL Kasim Edebali, OL Matt Patchan
Strengths:
The most returning talent on the entire team comes in the secondary. Manny Asprilla and Bryce Jones are back to man the corner spots with Sean Sylvia and Dominique Williams at safety. Asprill and Jones picked off two passes each, but the unit as a whole was quite bad. The Eagles ranked 111th in the nation, and dead last in the ACC, in pass defense. What was a weakness should be a strength in 2014. The rest of the defense has many more holes to fill. Linebackers Steele Divitto and Kevin Pierre-Louis, who recorded 112 and 108 tackles, respectively, need to be replaced. Steven Daniels will have to pick up the slack after ranking third on the team with 88 tackles. With experienced options like Josh Keyes ready to step up, losing Divitto and Pierre-Louis may not turn out to be as bad as it seems. The line has similar issues replacing end Kasim Edebali and his 9.5 sacks. Freshman Harold Landry is an intriguing prospect, but somebody has to keep up the pressure or the experience in the secondary will not be able to live up to their expectations.
Weaknesses:
And you thought the losses on defense were huge. It starts with Heisman finalist Andre Williams who rushed for 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns. Sophomore Myles Willis showed flashes in 2013, rushing for 356 yards on 60 carries. But do not expect anything close to what Williams did last season. At quarterback Chase Rettig was a four year starter, but BC has senior Florida transfer Tyler Murphy ready to take over. Murphy is a dual-threat signal caller and that will be extremely important for an offense that could struggle to move the chains. Murphy is unproven, like the rest of the offense, yet he can quickly turn into a leader and has plenty of talent. The losses continue down the line. Wide receiver Alex Amidon was easily Rettig’s favorite target. He caught 77 passes for 1,032 yards and five touchdowns. The next leader in pass catches had just 14…and he is gone too.
The Bottom Line:
Without any proven playmakers on offense, Boston College is going to have a very tough time moving the ball. Making matters worse is the fact that offensive tackle Matt Patchan, the anchor of the line, is gone and even kicker/punter Nate Freese needs to be replaced. If Murphy can find a reliable target and make some plays with his legs, the offense will be serviceable. The defense is not good enough to carry a serviceable offense to another bowl game though.
Projected Bowl: None
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 212.5 (20th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 154.8 (112, 13)
Total Offense: 367.2 (92, 11)
Scoring Offense: 27.7 (70, 7)
Rushing Defense: 160.6 (58, 9)
Pass Defense: 268.4 (111, 14)
Total Defense: 429.0 (92, 14)
Scoring Defense: 28.9 (77, 12)
Turnover Margin: 0.2 (42, 5)
Sacks: 2.77 (21, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 1.69 (44, 6)
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