Boston College Athletics
Soaring Eagles Take On Rested Rutgers
September 19, 1999 | Football
Sept. 19, 1999
GAME THREE: BOSTON COLLEGE (2-0, 0-0) VS. RUTGERS (0-2, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999
Time: Noon EDT
Site: New Brunswick, N.J.
Stadium/Capacity: Rutgers Stadium (41,500)
Television/Radio: ESPN Regional TV, BC Radio Network (John Rooke & Peter Cronan)
The coaches
Boston College's Tom O'Brien is 10-14 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.
Terry Shea is in his fourth season at the helm of the Rutgers program. Shea was honored as the 1998 BIG EAST Coach of the Year after leading Rutgers to a 5-6 record. It was the second time such an honor was bestowed upon Shea, as he also earned Coach of the Year accolades following the 1990 season at San Jose State. During that season, Shea led the Spartans to a 9-2-1 record and a berth in the California Raisin Bowl. Shea's career college coaching record stands at 22-34-2. He was 15-6-2 in his two seasons at San Jose State and currently sports a 7-28 mark at Rutgers. Shea's coaching career has included stops at his alma mater, Oregon, Mt. Hood (Ore.) Community College, Utah State, California, Stanford and the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Shea currently has an 0-3 career mark against the Eagles.
The series
The game will mark the 21st time the teams have played with the Eagles leading the all-time series 13-6-1. The Eagles and Scarlet Knights had the honor of playing the first-ever BIG EAST football game on August 31, 1991 with Rutgers escaping with a 21-13 victory. Boston College has won six of the last seven meetings against their New Jersey opponents (there was a 7-7 tie in 1994).
Injury update
Out: DL Adam Grace (dislocated shoulder), WR Chris Barnes (torn ACL), OL Matt Knapp (headaches). Day-to-day: LB Jerome Ledbetter (shoulder burner).
Eagles head to Rutgers in search of 3-0
The Boston College Eagles will be looking for their second consecutive 3-0 start (and the 23rd such start in school history) when they travel to Rutgers for their BIG EAST opener. This past Saturday, linebacker Frank Chamberlin led an aggressive defensive attack (10 tackles, 8 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.
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.
Rested Rutgers ready for Eagles
Rutgers if off to a 0-2 start following non-conference losses to California and Texas. The Scarlet Knights fell to California 21-7 in Berkeley, Calif. while Texas came to Piscataway and left with a 38-21 win on Sept. 11. Offensively Rutgers has been led by junior quarterback Mike McMahon and senior running back Jacki Crooks. The left-handed McMahon has completed 31 of the 71 passes he has attempted for a 43.1% clip. McMahon has passed for 438 yards while throwing two interceptions and two touchdowns. Crooks, the BIG EAST's leading returning rusher, has gained 192 yards on 43 attempts, gaining 4.5 yards every time he touches the ball. Crooks, a California native, has yet to find paydirt.
A pair of newcomers to the receiving corps, junior college transfer Errol Johnson and sophomore tight end L.J. Smith, are tied for the team lead in receptions with seven apiece. Defensively, the Rutgers linebackers have been an active bunch with seniors Jabari Moore and Dax Strohmeyer each registering 15 solo tackles. Strohmeyer also holds the team lead with 3 quarterback sacks.
