W2WF: Connecticut at Fenway Park

The New England Patriots are the apex of the modern-day NFL. The franchise is a well-oiled machine from the owner to game-day personnel and players. The last two decades created a mystique and myth around the brand as it turned champions into legends.

Things weren't always that way. The Boston Patriots of the 1960s just wanted legitimacy for both franchise and league. The American Football League's owners, dubbed "The Foolish Club," started a battle with the more-established National Football League but hadn't gained traction across the United States sports landscape. The Patriots of the time struggled financially in their first seasons while playing at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

That all changed when the team moved to Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox gave the Patriots just enough rub through the 1960s to gain a foothold in a region once dominated by the New York Giants.

My dad's family had season tickets to the Patriots in those days, and we always talked about that era. The football field found just enough space on the baseball diamond with portable bleachers out in center field. The crowd was virtually on top of the field, and the low walls of Fenway Park's grandstand created a close-knit environment.

He still tells me stories of those teams. Babe Parilli played quarterback with Jim Nance and Larry Garron in the backfield. Gino Cappaletti was both a flanker and kicker and eventually became a local legend. Larry Eisenhauer's teammates nicknamed him "Wildman."

The infield dirt remained exposed on the field, and he joked that a player could run through the end zone, down the dugout steps and into the clubhouse to "never to be seen again." The games brought their own brand of entertainment, and it laid a humble foundation for the future success in the NFL.

Fenway Park was never designed for football, but it became a football stadium because of the fans and the atmosphere. People who remember that era look upon it fondly. There was an emotional investment by the fans and by the players, and it's a pride that still resonates.

That pride will rear its head on Saturday night. Boston College and Connecticut will renew a matchup as Fenway Park transforms back into a gridiron. It's a cauldron bubbling with storylines that create a stew for intense football competition, playing out with a semblance of that old atmosphere.

Here's what to watch for as the Eagles and Huskies prepare to battle under the watchful gaze of the Green Monster.

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Weekly Storylines

Carpe Darius

Darius Wade started three games during the 2015 football season. He earned victories against FCS opponents Maine and Howard, then started the third game of the season against No. 9 Florida State on September 18.

793 days later, Darius Wade is once again the starting quarterback for Boston College.

"It's not like Darius is coming out of nowhere," BC head coach Steve Addazio said this week. "He has a lot of time invested with these guys. The biggest thing (this week) is getting him the bulk of the reps (with the first team)."

No quarterback wants to win the job because a teammate's injury, but Brown's injury creates an opportunity for Wade. Football season didn't end with Brown's injury, and the new/old QB stands as a lightning rod and rallying point for his offense as preparations continue for the final two games.

"We're trying to keep this business as usual," Wade said. "We have to make it as seamless as possible. You never want to earn your job through injury, that's how it panned out. We have to keep attacking it. We have two major games ahead of us, where we're trying to get bowl eligible and finish strong into a bowl game."

BC won't change its offensive mindset or foundation with Wade, but it subtly change from Brown's iteration. Wade is built differently from a physical standpoint with different strengths. The most obvious is handedness, which moves from the right-handed Brown to a southpaw.

"Because I'm lefty, we have to switch a lot of things," Wade said. "That's one of the first issues. But each quarterback has different strengths, and we have to find the strengths to play upon. When Coach found my strengths, that's what we're emphasizing to make sure I'm ready to play on Saturday."

Brown progressed by recognizing when he could or should pull the ball down for a QB run. Wade won't necessarily take off upfield the same way, but he can breakdowns by utilizing vision while moving. It's what he hopes the team will incorporate as he gets more comfortable and play calling becomes more complex with more snaps and further execution.

"You typically want the QB to go to his dominant side, so that's the 'flip' that's necessary," Wade said. "But everything else is the same. I've always been very good at playing on the run. It's what I'm comfortable doing, but I can do whatever's asked of me. Typically when you get thrown into the game, you don't get in there to fire downfield. You try to do some dink and dunk stuff to get into the rhythm."

Darius Wade lost his season to a leg injury in 2015. It creates a personal sympathy with Anthony Brown. But the season continued, and this is his opportunity with bowl eligibility still there for the taking.

Choo choo.

Statistically, this is one of BC's best chances to really work on offense because Connecticut's defense ranks near the bottom of most major categories. The Huskies rank No. 128 (or second-to-last) in total defense with over 500 yards allowed per game and rank No. 124 in scoring defense with over 39 points per game allowed. They rank last in FBS in passing yards allowed per game with an average of 375 yards.

UConn allowed a minimum of 600 yards on three separate occasions, including 711 yards in a loss to Memphis. It surrendered over 500 yards each of the past three weeks, including 602 against South Florida two weeks ago. Last week, Central Florida amassed 346 yards and three touchdowns passing while rushing for 173 yards and four scores.

Those are the statistics, and there's no point in trying to run from them. But statistics can skew based on individual explosive plays, similar to what happened to BC against Notre Dame. The margin for error throughout college football is razor thin, and a handful of plays one way or another have a way of turning close games into blowouts. The stats are there, but it masks a team starting to develop through a rebuilding process.

"Randy Edsall has a history of developing strong programs, starting with UConn," Steve Addazio said. "He has done an outstanding job with this football team. They'll be tough. They'll be hard-nosed. They'll be well prepared. They'll be highly motivated. It will require us to have a great game plan, a great week of preparation, and we're looking forward to it."

A really fun matchup to watch will be BC's rushing attack against the UConn defense. The Huskies had some success against Holy Cross and Temple in stopping the run, winning both games. BC's bread-and-butter, meanwhile, is a combination of AJ Dillon and Jon Hilliman inside with Thadd Smith and Jeff Smith outside on jet sweeps. It's safe to assume the Eagles will start there and challenge the Huskies at the line of scrimmage after rushing for more than 225 yards in each of the last four games and five of the last six. So get ready for a steady dose of the run while BC gets Darius Wade acclimated at quarterback. It could spell trouble for the Huskies early.

Avoid the footrace.

The most direct route for UConn to beat Boston College is by turning Saturday night into a track meet because its passing attack ranks No. 34 in the nation. But the Huskies will be without Bryant Shirreffs, who ended his college career this week due to injury. Instead, David Pindell will start after appearing in five previous games, going 43-for-75 on the season for 423 yards and two touchdowns.

"They are developing their identity," Steve Addazio said. "They've been in and out of the quarterback situation a little bit, changing guys. So I think they're certainly a work in progress there. They're talented (though). They have ability. They've got the receivers that catch the ball well and two running backs. I know those running backs well. They're both talented guys."

Those two running backs are local products in Arkeel Newsome and Kevin Mensah. Newsome, a Connecticut native, is a former Parade All-American who led Ansonia High School to perfect seasons for three straight years. He became a starter as a freshman and has over 700 yards in each of the last two seasons. The senior is averaging four yards per carry this season even as his numbers have gone down because of an earlier injury.

That injury opened the door for Massachusetts' Kevin Mensah. A Shepherd Hill Regional High School teammate of both Chris and Alec Lindstrom, he rushed for just under 5,300 yards for the Rams. He is the Huskies' leading rusher this season with 4.4 yards per carry, gaining 369 yards on 84 carries with three touchdowns.

"They're getting better," Addazio said. "They're improving. I saw last week they scored pretty well against UCF down at UCF and played well. So I think they're gaining confidence, and this is obviously a big game."

The Border Battle

The regional subplot to this game is probably most intriguing. BC and UConn are playing for the second straight year, with the Huskies moving a home game from Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field to Fenway Park. It creates a special backdrop to a game between teams separated by less than two hours.

"I think it's great, and I wouldn't have a problem playing Boston College every year," UConn head coach Randy Edsall said on the weekly AAC coaches teleconference. "It's great for northeast football, and to have the opportunity to play it in Boston at Fenway Park is good for the region and good for both schools."

For UConn, this is a de facto bowl game. It's a great opportunity to knock off a power conference team, while the Eagles can clinch bowl eligibility with a win. That layers under the parochial pride that will be on display at Fenway Park. It's neutral ground even as it's still a "home game" for the Huskies. That will create a good, solid atmosphere for the players within the context of the fans.

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Meteorology 101

Saturday morning will start out chilly before taking a sharp turn towards 50 degrees. A morning starting in the 30s will likely be around 50 degrees at kickoff as Mother Nature brings a good chance of rain and wind.

That's about right for this time of year. It's going to start out with a seasonally cold morning, and then sometime in the afternoon it's going to derail. I can't wait to wake up on Sunday with a cold.

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Scoreboard Watching

Six teams have bowl eligibility hanging in the balance of this weekend with Saturday likely providing a better glimpse into who might wind up where. Two of those teams - Georgia Tech and Duke - play each other on Saturday. A Yellow Jacket win would both clinch bowl eligibility while eliminating the 4-6 Blue Devils.

BC's next opponent, Syracuse, is holding onto its bowl eligibility with six losses, but it needs to beat Louisville this week to set up a shot at a bowl game next week against BC. Only one game separates the Orange from third place in the division.

Pittsburgh is also 4-6, meaning its game at Virginia Tech is to stave off elimination. A Panther win would also upset the balance of the bowl hierarchy, since it would have an identical conference record as the Hokies. A Hokie win, however, renders them bowl ineligible.

Florida State is 3-6 on the year and continues to nurse its own bowl hopes. They play FCS opponent Delaware State on Saturday.

Virginia is now 6-4 after starting the season 5-1, and they head to Miami looking to upset the balance of power in the Coastal Division. The Hurricanes are locked into the ACC Championship Game against Clemson, but they need wins over both the Wahoos and Pittsburgh to remain in the national championship hunt.

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Prediction Time/Pregame Zen

When the apple is ripe, it will fall. -Irish proverb

Campuses separated by less than two hours often bump into each other in various ways. Five Boston College coaches or players are from the Constitution State, and a number of Huskies are from Massachusetts. They all get to know each other, and the relationships run deep within the football fraternity.

Beyond a surface level, however, this isn't a true football rivalry. The Eagles are 11-0-2 against UConn, including a 6-0-1 record in Boston. They don't have a rich, storied history, having played six times between 1908 and 1915 and then again in 1927 and 1928. The series had a 72-year layoff before the two teams met in 2000. They've played five times since, with BC winning each time by an aggregate score of 160-40.

"I'm proud that I'm a Northeast guy," Steve Addazio said. "I'm proud that I'm from the state of Connecticut. I'm thrilled for the state of Connecticut that they have a Division I football, but my career, I aspire to get to where I am right now at Boston College and am grateful to be there."

Bowl eligibility eluded BC last week with a loss to NC State. A three-game winning streak and subsequent bye week allowed confidence to brim, but last week brought the Eagles back down to Earth a little bit. It was a reality check, and it allowed them to refocus. On Saturday, regardless of the venue or the opponent, that has to be the singular focus. The only thing that matters is getting that sixth win.

"I've known Randy Edsall a long time," he continued. "Truly, I think, (he is) one of the great coaches that are out there in the country. He's a first class guy and does everything right, high integrity. So I think what he's doing there is fantastic. But for me, I've got one thing on my mind right now and one thing only - and that's winning Saturday."

Boston College and Connecticut kick off at 7 p.m. at Fenway Park. The game can be seen on television via CBS Sports Network and CBSsports.com. It can be heard on the radio via the BC IMG Sports Network, which locally is found on WEEI 850 AM. The game is also available nationally via TuneIn and via Sirius channel 119 and XM channel 202 on satellite.

Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

AJ Dillon

Jon Hilliman

Alec Lindstrom

Jeff Smith

Thadd Smith

Darius Wade

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