Boston College Athletics
Football Prepares for Temple Tilt Saturday
October 03, 1999 | Football
Oct. 3, 1999
GAME FIVE
BOSTON COLLEGE (4-0, 1-0) VS. TEMPLE (0-5, 0-1)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 9, 1999
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Philadelphia, Pa.
Stadium/Capacity: Veterans Stadium (66,592)
Television/Radio: BC Radio Network (John Rooke & Peter Cronan), Temple Sports Radio Network (Harry Donahue & Reggie Wilkes)
The 4-0 Boston College Eagles are hoping to go 5-0 for the first time since 1954 when they head to the City of Brotherly Love for a 1 p.m. BIG EAST contest vs. the Temple Owls on Saturday, Oct. 9.
The coaches
Boston College's Tom O'Brien is 12-14 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.
Bobby Wallace is in his second season at Temple, where he has compiled a record of 2-14. His overall coaching record is 84-50-1. Prior to being named head coach at Temple on December 5, 1997, Wallace was honored by the NCAA as the 'Division II Coach of the Quarter Century' for his success at North Alabama. In 10 years as the head coach at North Alabama, he compiled an 82-36-1 record and led the Lions to three consecutive national championships (1993, 1994, 1995). In the three championship seasons, Wallace's North Alabama teams registered a 41-1 mark, including 14-0 records in 1993 and 1995. Wallace earned National Division II Coach of the Year honors following each of those seasons.
The series
Saturday's game will mark the 32nd meeting between Boston College and
Temple. The Eagles lead the all-time series 23-6-2 and defeated Temple
31-7 last season in Chestnut Hill. Mike Cloud racked up 196 yards and
three touchdowns on the ground in last year's game. Boston College has
won eight of the last 11 games played in the series. Prior to Temple's
28-21 victory over the Eagles in 1997, BC has won six consecutive games
in the series. BC's last victory at Veteran's Stadium was a 10-9
decision in 1995. The Eagles are 4-2 in Veterans Stadium.
Injury update
Out: WR Chris Barnes (torn ACL). Day-to-day: DL Adam Grace
(dislocated shoulder), LB Jerome Ledbetter (shoulder burner).
How they stack up
Statistical Comparison - Per Game Averages
BC Temple Points Per Game 26.0 7.8 Yards Per Game 397.0 228.8 Rushing Attempts 49.0 23.2 Rushing Yards 209.3 72.8 Yards Per Carry 4.3 1.8 Passing Attempts 28.3 41.4 Passing Yards 187.8 187.0 Yards Per Completion 11.6 8.3 Points Allowed 17.0 32.0 Total Yards Allowed 349.8 428.0 Rushing Yards Allowed 146.0 226.4 Opp. Yards Per Carry 3.6 4.7 Passing Yards Allowed 203.8 201.6 Opp. Yards Per Completion 13.6 8.1
Eagles on the radio
BC's game vs. Temple will be heard on SportsRadio 850 WEEI 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.
Eagles head to City of Brotherly Love
The Boston College Eagles head to Philadelphia to play Temple with a
record of 4-0, their best start since 1992, when they began with a
7-0-1 mark. BC defeated hometown foe Northeastern 33-22 this past
Saturday 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.
A look at the season so far:
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.
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.
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.
Temple tidbits
In Coach Bobby Wallace's second year, Temple is an extremely youthful
squad. Temple is 0-5 following this past Saturday's 55-24 loss at
Pittsburgh in the Owls' BIG EAST opener. The Owls are led by a pair of
talented sophomore quarterbacks - Devin Scott, who has completed 97 of
173 passes for 710 yards and one touchdown, and Mac DeVito, who is
15-23 for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Scott threw for 200 yards this
past Saturday vs. Pittsburgh. Sophomore wide receiver Greg Muckerson
is their primary target. Muckerson has caught 22 passes for 192 yards
and a touchdown and is third in the BIG EAST in reception yardage.
Although the Owls have racked up most of their yards through the air,
senior fullback Marcus Godfrey leads the Owls in rushing, with 107
yards on 28 carries.
Big day for Eagle D
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.
Washington is on cloud nine
Through the first four games of his junior year, tailback Cedric
Washington has posted rushing numbers that even all-time rushing leader
Mike Cloud would appreciate. So far in 1999, Washington has rushed for
512 yards. Four games into Cloud's junior season, he had rushed for
459 yards.
Young Eagle offense
Even though they're leading the BIG EAST in total offense, a look at
BC's cumulative statistics sheet reveals a very young offensive unit.
A freshman, sophomore or junior leads the Eagles in every single
offensive category, including rushing (Cedric Washington, 128.0, and
William Green, 38.3), Passing (Tim Hasselbeck, 163.3), Receiving
(Dedrick DeWalt, 50.3), Scoring (Washington, 30 pts.), Total Offense
(Hasselbeck, 169.3, Washington, 128.0, and Green, 38.3), Punt returns
(Dewalt, 13/117, and Ralph Parent, 1/36), Kick returns (Green, 4/137),
and All-Purpose yards (Washington, 145.8, and DeWalt, 82.3).
October drought is over
The October jinx is over. BC's 33-22 win over Northeastern was its
first win in the month of October since Oct. 19, 1996 (37-13 over
Rutgers). Prior to Saturday, BC had lost 10 straight games in the
month of October.
Pennsylvania Eagles
Five Eagles hail from the state of Pennsylvania - Dave Robbins
(Nescopeck), Steve Dapra (Oakmont), Bryan Arndt (Pittsburgh), Jim
Connor (Straith Haven) and Dan Koppen (Whitehall).
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).
DuJuan Daniels - Deja vu
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. nWhat a rush!
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). Since there are no official records in the state, The Globe compiled its list from Globe All-Scholastic pages as well as Globe stories and local football historians.
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.
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% Season Totals 16 8 4 75.0%
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% Season Totals 10 4 2 60.0%
Keeping watch
Several Eagles are listed on watch lists for college football's top
postseason awards. Preseason candidates include:
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 32:35 to 27:55 for its opponents.
BC leads the BIG EAST in that category.
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.
Fountain of youth
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.
Xaverian connection
The BC roster features seven players - including three starters - from
Westwood (Mass.) football power Xaverian Brothers High School. The
Xaverian roster:
*Tim Hasselbeck QB 6-1 212 Jr. Derrick Knight RB 5-9 185 Fr. J.P. Comella FB 6-1 215 Fr. *Scott Bradley LB 6-1 219 So. Dan Murphy OL 6-6 268 So. *Adam Newman DL 6-5 250 Sr. Shaun Toof WR 5-11 173 Fr. *Denotes starters
