Spring Practice Report: March 14, 2018

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College football team finished its third practice of the spring - and first in full pads - Wednesday inside the bubble at Alumni Stadium. The team was originally scheduled to practice yesterday but due to the winter storm it was pushed back to today.

"Well, first day of pads is usually a little rough and everybody is getting acclimated," said head coach Steve Addazio. "But I thought today we did a great job on both sides of the ball. There were moments on both sides of the ball where there were plays made. There was physicality; there were good things. Back out tomorrow, just keep grinding every day."

The first-team offense was led by sophomore quarterback EJ Perry. If the season started today, the Andover, Mass., native would be the starter under center for the Eagles.

"He's getting so many great reps right now," said Addazio. "He had some great plays today and also had some plays today where he struggled a little, which is pretty typical. He is handling the whole magnitude of everything and is a very competitive guy. He has the ability to make a lot of plays. He just has to get more consistency mentally with everything that's going on, but for the most part, did a good job. I think that you'll see tremendous growth from him between now and the end of training camp."

The offensive line will be one area with plenty of returning starters as last year's five all return in 2018.

"We have seven guys that have 10 starts under their belt, so they're pretty well-oiled right now," added Addazio. "Ben (Petrula) is playing center and a little bit of tackle – we'll figure out what that ratio will be. But for the most part, you have Sam (Schmal) playing left guard, John (Phillips) playing right guard, Chris (Lindstrom) at right tackle and Aaron (Monteiro) at left tackle with the opportunity to move the center around. Jon (Baker) isn't going to play this spring so Alec Lindstrom is taking a bunch of center reps. These guys are pretty on top of what they're doing right now."

New Offensive Line Coach
Phil Trautwein returned to BC as the offensive line coach at the beginning of spring practice after serving as a graduate assistant at The Heights from 2013-15. Addazio has been pleased with the transition so far after bringing Trautwein in.

"Phil played for me and was a GA," said Addazio. "He knows our players, they know him. Nothing changes. Every technique, every call, every fundamental is the same. That's what's really important to me, that continuity. Phil brought great continuity and I think he has a great rapport with these guys. I would anticipate that we move along business as usual and continue to improve."

Practice Notes: The first day in pads gave an opportunity for sophomore running back AJ Dillon to pick up where he left off last year. The ACC Rookie of the Year finished seventh nationally with 1,589 rushing yards and showed his bruising running style finishing several runs during Wednesday's practice … senior wide receiver Jeff Smith has been so smooth during spring practice and has the look of a top-end, No. 1 receiver. He made two nice receptions on passes from Perry during Wednesday's practice … junior Tanner Karafa and senior Ray Smith were the starters at defensive tackle for the Eagles today … senior corner Taj-Amir Torres had a nice pass breakup during team work … true freshman linebacker Vinny DePalma and sophomore Isaiah McDuffie looked to have would-be sacks during team work if the quarterbacks were live … redshirt freshman quarterback Matt McDonald was the first quarterback out with the No. 2 offense during team periods of work on Wednesday … the Eagles return to spring practice Thursday morning inside Alumni Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

Vinny DePalma

AJ Dillon

Tanner Karafa

Alec Lindstrom

Matt McDonald

Isaiah McDuffie

EJ Perry

Jeff Smith

Ray Smith

Taj-Amir Torres

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