Boston College Athletics
Eagles Have Date In Carrier Dome
October 25, 1999 | Football
Oct. 25, 1999
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College heads to Syracuse following a heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Miami this past Saturday in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles led 28-0 late in the third quarter but were unable to hold the lead. Junior running back Cedric Washington rushed for a career-high 183 yards and one touchdown, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. BC outrushed UM 237-178 in the game. Junior quarterback Tim Hasselbeck completed 18-of-35 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles held Miami to 4-of-15 on third down conversions.
Syracuse has had two weeks to prepare for the Eagles following a 62-0 loss to Virginia Tech. That game marked the most points ever scored against the Orangemen in a BIG EAST game. Senior linebacker Keith Bulluck leads the Orangemen with 85 stops and has reached double-figure tackles in four games this season. He is tied for the BIG EAST lead in tackles with 13.5 per game. He has 81 in six games. Syracuse is averaging 28.0 points and is second in the league in total defense.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 30, 1999
Time: Noon EDT
Site: Syracuse, N.Y.
Stadium/Capacity: Carrier Dome (49,550)
Television/Radio: ESPN Regional (Dave Sims, Jeff Bostic and John Sanders),
BC Radio Network (John Rooke & Peter Cronan), Syracuse Sports Network (Dave
Pasch & David Hammond)
The coaches
Boston College's Tom O'Brien is 13-16 as head coach of the Eagles and
overall...A three-year starter at defensive end from 1968-70 at the
U.S. Naval Academy, he was named BC's 32nd head football coach after
15 years on the staff of the University of Virginia, the last six as
coordinator of UVA's record-setting offense. O'Brien also was an
assistant at Navy for seven years.
Paul Pasqualoni is in his ninth year as the head coach at Syracuse, where he has compiled a 73-28-1 record. He is 107-45-1 overall as a head coach. In the past eight years, he has led the Orangemen to three BIG EAST Conference championships (including the 1998 title) and six bowl appearances. He was named head coach at Syracuse in January, 1991, after serving as the linebackers coach for four seasons. Since his arrival at Syracuse in 1987, the Orangemen have played in 10 bowl games. Pasqualoni has a 6-2 record against Boston College.
The series
Saturday's game will mark the 40th meeting between Boston College and
Syracuse. The Orangemen lead the all-time series 25-14. Syracuse has
won the last four games in the series, including a 42-25 victory last
year in Alumni Stadium. Boston College's last victory in the series
was on November 12, 1994, when the Eagles defeated Syracuse 31-0 at
Alumni Stadium. The Orangemen have won nine of the last 11 games.
Injury update
Out: WR Chris Barnes (torn ACL), DL Adam Grace (dislocated shoulder),
LB Jerome Ledbetter (shoulder burner), Day-to-day: DL Frank
Misurelli (sprained ankle).
How they stack up
Statistical Comparison - Per Game Averages
BC SU
Points Per Game 23.7 28.0
Yards Per Game 387.7 329.1
Rushing Attempts 44.4 42.7
Rushing Yards 183.4 169.1
Yards Per Carry 4.1 4.0
Passing Attempts 31.1 22.0
Passing Yards 204.3 160.0
Yards Per Completion 11.4 14.4
Points Allowed 19.9 20.0
Total Yards Allowed 373.6 317.0
Rushing Yards Allowed 137.6 134.0
Opp. Yards Per Carry 3.7 3.4
Passing Yards Allowed 236.0 183.0
Opp. Yards Per Completion 12.0 10.9
Eagles on the radio
BC's game vs. Syracuse will be heard on SportsRadio WEEI (850 AM), as
well as WHYN in Springfield (560 AM), WSAR in Fall River/New Bedford
(1480 AM), WTAG in Worcester (580 AM), WGIR in Manchester, N.H. (610
AM), WTMN in Portsmouth, NH (1380 AM), WLPZ in Portland, Maine (1440
AM), and WNRI in Woonsocket, RI (1380 AM). BC radio broadcasts are
handled by announcer John Rooke and expert analyst Peter Cronan.
A look at the season so far
Game One (BC 30, Baylor 29, OT)In an exciting season opener, Baylor's Kyle Atteberry missed an extra point in overtime and Boston College, behind Cedric Washington's 177 yards rushing and three touchdowns, beat Baylor 30-29 in Alumni Stadium. On Boston College's overtime possession, Washington scored on a 1-yard run and John Matich kicked the extra point. Baylor then scored on a 1-yard run by Jermaine Alfred. Atteberry, who missed a long extra-point attempt after Baylor was penalized for excessive celebration following a second-quarter touchdown, pulled his kick to the left.
Game Two (BC 14, Navy 10)
After a week off, linebacker Frank
Chamberlin led an aggressive defensive attack (11 tackles, 9 solo, one
sack) as the Eagles defeated Navy, 14-10, in Annapolis. Junior
quarterback Tim Hasselbeck completed 16-of-25 passes for 271 yards and
a touchdown. The Eagles dominated time of possession 34:52 to 25:08 in
that game.
Game Three (BC 27, Rutgers 7)
The Eagles opened their BIG EAST
schedule in style with a 27-7 road win over Rutgers. Tim Hasselbeck
completed 17-of-22 passes for 168 yards, one TD and no interceptions as
the Eagles amassed 427 yards of offense. Cedric Washington carried 21
times for 147 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Defensively, the
Eagles intercepted three Mike McMahon passes, led by Jonathan Ordway,
who picked off two. The BC defense also held Rutgers to 98 yards on
the ground.
Game Four (BC 33, Northeastern 22)
BC got off to a 4-0 start when it
defeated hometown foe Northeastern 33-22 in Alumni Stadium. The Eagles
returned a fumble for a touchdown, returned a block punt for a
touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown on the day.
Cedric Washington rushed for 107 yards on 15 carries. Tim Hasselbeck
completed 11 of 26 passes for 113 yards.
Game Five (Temple 24, BC 14)
BC suffered its first loss of the
season at the hands of Temple at The Vet in Philadelphia. Tim
Hasselbeck completed 14-of-22 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown in
the game, but the Eagles were held to 105 yards rushing (60 from Cedric
Washington). Temple scored 24 unanswered points in the final 30:02 of
the game to hand BC its first loss of the season. Sophomore
quarterback Devin Scott completed 17-of-23 passes for 169 yards and two
touchdowns on the day. BC blocked a punt for the second straight game.
Game Six (BC 20, Pittsburgh 16)
In perhaps their most impressive win
of the season, the Eagles took a 20-16 come-from-behind victory over
the Pittsburgh Panthers in Alumni Stadium. Quarterback Tim Hasselbeck,
who did not start the game due to a sore right shoulder, came into the
game in the third quarter when starter Brian St. Pierre suffered a
concussion. Hasselbeck then completed 13-of-24 passes for 202 yards
and two touchdowns, including the game winner, a 36-yard bomb to
Dedrick Dewalt with 1:48 remaining in the game. The Eagle defense ?
led by Chris Hovan (7 solos, 2 assists, 4 tackles for loss and 2
quarterback sacks) came up big to stop a final Pittsburgh drive and
preserve the important win.
In search of six
Boston College is in the hunt for victory No. 6 on the year, which
would guarantee a non-losing season for the first time since the 1994
season. That year, BC took a 6-4-1 record into the Jeep Eagle Aloha
Bowl in Honolulu and defeated Kansas State, 12-7, to finish with a
7-4-1 overall record.
The Orrie T. Scarminach Award
Two players in this weekend's game will receive the Orrie T. Scarminach
Award, presented annually for the past 17 years to the MVPs of the
BC-Syracuse game. Last year, wide receiver Anthony DiCosmo took the
honors for BC. Previous winners of the award have included Doug Flutie
(1984), Kelvin Martin (1985), Glenn Foley (1993), Mike Mamula (1994)
and Matt Hasselbeck (1997) for BC, and Don MacPhearson (1986-87), Rob
Konrad (1995) and Donovan McNabb (1997) for Syracuse.
Youthful Eagles
The past two years, BC has signed 40 prospects to national
letters-of-intent. Of those, 36 still have freshman eligibility...Of
93 scholarship players and/or walk-ons on the BC roster, only 29
(31.2%) are upperclassmen, Nearly half ? 44.6% (41-93) ? of the
players on the roster are freshmen or true freshmen, Throw in the
sophomore class of 23 and a full 68.8% (64-93) of this team is either a
freshman or sophomore.
A look at BC's cumulative statistics sheet reveals a very young offensive unit. A freshman, sophomore or junior leads the Eagles in nearly every offensive category, including rushing (Cedric Washington, 110.0), Passing (Tim Hasselbeck, 162.9 and Brian St. Pierre, 48,3), Receiving (Dedrick DeWalt, 57.6), Total Offense (Hasselbeck, 175.1, Washington, 110.0, St. Pierre, 60.5), Punt returns (Dewalt, 18/136), Kick returns (Green, 12/312), and All-Purpose yards (Washington, 128.6, DeWalt, 78.4, and Green, 67.7).
Red Zone rundown
A look at BC's efficiency in the ?red zone? (inside the 20-yard-line)
this season:
BC Game # in RZ TD FG Effic. Baylor 6 4 1 83.3% Navy 3 1 0 33.3% Rutgers 4 2 2 100% Northeastern 3 1 1 66.7% Temple 4 2 0 50.0% Pittsburgh 1 1 0 100% Miami 5 4 0 80.0% Season Totals 26 15 4 73.1%Opponents Game # in RZ TD FG Effic. Baylor 4 2 1 75.0% Navy 3 1 1 66.7% Rutgers 1 0 0 0.0% Northeastern 2 1 0 50.0% Temple 4 3 1 100% Pittsburgh 5 1 3 80.0% Miami 4 3 1 100.0% Season Totals 23 11 7 78.2%
Hovan looms large
BC senior Chris Hovan showed why he is a candidate for top postseason
honors in BC's win vs. Pittsburgh. Hovan registered 7 solos, 2
assists, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 quarterback sacks and was a part of a
forced fumble. Hovan came up particularly strong as the Eagles
thwarted a Pittsburgh drive in the game's final minute.
Hovan is among the 12 semifinalists for the 1999 Rotary Lombardi Award, given annually to the nation's top lineman. The other semifinalists include LaVar Arrington (Penn State), Alex Brown (Florida), Courtney Brown (Penn State), Steve Hutchinson (Michigan), Chris McIntosh (Wisconsin), Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), Rob Morris (Brigham Young), Rob Renes (Michigan), Chris Samuels (Alabama), Corey Simon (Florida State), and Adalius Thomas (Southern Mississippi).
Honoring the past
In special halftime ceremonies at the Miami game, Boston College
retired a jersey honoring the late William J. Flynn '39, who served as
the Director of Athletics at BC from 1957 until 1991. Mr. Flynn was
associated with BC athletics for nearly seven decades as a
student-athlete, faculty member, coach and athletic director. During
that time his loyalty, dedication, foresight and integrity were
examples of the highest qualities in intercollegiate athletics. Marie
Flynn, widow of the former Athletics Director, and several of the Flynn
children were on hand for the ceremony. A week earlier, BC retired a
jersey honoring Eagle great Art Donovan (1946-49). Donovan was one of
the greatest linemen ever to play at BC. The two new jerseys now hang
alongside those honoring Louis Urban, Charles O'Rourke, Mike Holovak
and Tony Thurman and the retired numbers of Eagle greats Doug Flutie
(22) and Mike Ruth (68).
Eight inducted into Hall of Fame
Eight great athletes, whose careers spanned 40 years of Boston College
athletics, were inducted into the University's Varsity Club Hall of
Fame and honored in halftime ceremonies of BC's game vs. Pittsburgh.
They were John Kissell ?50 (football), Dr. Harry Ernst ?50 (golf), Dan
Zailskas ?69 (baseball), Jim Rourke ?79 (football), Joe Nash ?82
(football), Jay Murphy ?84 (basketball), Shannon Murphy Silvestri ?88
(field hockey), and Dan Shea ?88 (ice hockey).
Eagle notes
When BC sophomore DuJuan Daniels caught a 64-yard pass for a touchdown
in the Navy game on his first play ever on offense (Daniels was moved
from defensive back a week earlier), it must have seemed like deja vu.
In his high school debut for Bishop Chatard in Indianapolis, Daniels
snagged a 60-yard pass for a touchdown on his very first play, from
Rich Linden, now the starting quarterback for Harvard.
According to a recent chart published by The Boston Globe, the 1999 BC roster boasts the top two rushers in Massachusetts high school football history. Cedric Washington (6,688 yards, 1992-95, Holyoke) and Doug Bessette (5,034 yards, 1995-98, Bridgewater-Raynham). Several other Eagles left their marks in the rushing record books at their high schools: DuJuan Daniels led the state of Indiana in rushing as a senior, gaining 2,509 yards on 312 carries. Daniels rushed for 325 yards in two games, junior wide receiver Steve Dapra finished as his high school's all-time leading rusher with 2,970 yards, tight end Mike Guazzo set his high school's all-time rushing record with 2,121 yards, freshman running back Paul Cook finished his career as his school's all-time rushing and scoring leader, and freshman running back Greg Toal broke every offensive record at his school. He finished with 96 career touchdowns.
BC's game vs. Northeastern featured a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown. When Doug Bessette blocked a Northeastern punt and Ralph Parent returned it for a touchdown at 14:47 in the fourth quarter, it was the first time a Boston College player had returned a blocked punt for a touchdown since David Johnson accomplished the feat on Oct. 13, 1990. BC defeated Army 41-20 in that game. Interestingly, Johnson returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in a game just one week earlier.
Also of note in the Northeastern game -- Frank Chamberlin's fumble recovery for a touchdown was BC's first since Eric Storz returned one vs. Syracuse (67 yards) on October 26, 1996. And RaMon Johnson's interception return for a touchdown was BC's first since Eric Shorter accomplished the feat vs. Temple (35 yards) on October 15, 1994.
The BC vs. Pittsburgh game was a big one for BC tight ends. Bryan Arndt had a career-best day with six catches for 88 yards and one touchdown. Mike Guazzo snagged a 21-yard catch, while Robert Ellis caught a 12-yarder.
Keeping watch
Several Eagles are listed on watch lists for college football's top
postseason awards. Preseason candidates include:
Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman): Chris Hovan
Dick Butkus Award (top linebacker): Frank Chamberlin
Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back): Pedro Cirino
Bronko Nagurski (best defensive player): Chris Hovan
Outland Trophy (top interior lineman): Chris Hovan
Under control
Coach Tom O'Brien has been pleased with his team's ball control, and for
good reason. Boston College has controlled the time of possession
category, holding on to the ball for 32:06 to 28:12 per game for its
opponents.
Catch The Tom O'Brien Show
Each Thursday from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., BC Head Coach Tom O'Brien will be
featured on ?The Tom O'Brien Show? on Sports Radio 850 WEEI. The show
is hosted by Ted Sarandis and Peter Cronan.
Xaverian connection
The BC roster features seven players ? including three starters from
Westwood (Mass.) football power Xaverian Brothers High School. The
Xaverian Eagles include starters Tim Hasselbeck, Scott Bradley and Adam
Newman, as well as Derrick Knight, J.P. Comella, Dan Murphy and Shaun
Toof.
NFL Eagles According to the National Football League, 20 former Boston College Eagles were listed on NFL opening-day rosters (the most of any BIG EAST school other than Miami). Of 250 colleges and universities with former players in the NFL, only 23 have more than BC. The former Eagles:
Player Team Stephen Boyd Detroit Lions Doug Brzezinski Philadelphia Eagles Mark Chmura Green Bay Packers Mike Cloud Kansas City Chiefs Stalin Colinet Minnesota Vikings Doug Flutie Buffalo Bills Glenn Foley Seattle Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck Green Bay Packers Pete Kendall Seattle Seahawks Mike Mamula Philadelphia Eagles Tom McManus Jacksonville Jaguars Pete Mitchell New York Giants Tim Morabito Carolina Panthers Tom Nalen Denver Broncos Daryl Porter Buffalo Bills Bill Romanowski Denver Broncos Ron Stone New York Giants Erik Storz Jacksonville Jaguars Chris Sullivan New England Patriots Damien Woody New England Patriots
Birthday boys
Ten Eagles celebrate birthdays in the month of October, including: Marc
Colombo (10/8/78), Pat Kneib (10/10/77), Marco Williams (10/14/79), Jim
Connor (10/14/80), John Matich (10/15/77), Mike Guazzo (10/17/77),
Jonathan Ordway (10/19/78), Ryan Utzler (10/20/78), John Richardson
(10/24/78), Paul LaQuerre (10/26/77).
