Boston College Athletics
Football Prepares For Fourth-Ranked Hokies
October 04, 2002 | Football
Oct. 4, 2002
The BC football team has returned to the practice field in preparation for next Thursday's nationally televised (ESPN) game against the fourth-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (5-0) in Chestnut Hill. A limited number of tickets remain available for purchase at the BC ticket office or by calling 617-552-GoBC.
The game will mark the second time in four years the Eagles and Hokies have met in Alumni Stadium in a Thursday night ESPN telecast. Kickoff for the game is set for 7:45 p.m. EDT with the familiar crew of Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso calling the action.
"We're excited that we get a Thursday night game here in Chestnut Hill," coach Tom O'Brien says. "It's great that Virginia Tech's coming to town. It's exciting for our football team, and we look forward to Thursday night's battle. I hope it's going to be a great atmosphere for college football. It's an opportunity for our fans and for our students to showcase what a great fan base we have here. Boston is a great sports town, and it's an opportunity for us to put our best foot forward. We expect our football team to rise to the occasion also."
The Eagles are 3-1 following a 43-0 win over Central Michigan, BC's first shutout in 81 games. Junior linebacker Brian Flores (Brooklyn, NY) led the Eagle defense with eight solo tackles, three assists, a TFL, a forced fumble and an interception and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for his efforts. Senior quarterback Brian St. Pierre (Danvers, MA) had a career-best day, connecting of 25-of-35 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
The fourth-ranked Hokies have been impressive in defeating three ranked teams along the way to 5-0, including No. 14 LSU (26-8), No. 16 Marshall (47-21) and No. 19 Texas A&M (13-3). Tech has lost just nine of its last 43 regular-season road games; its defensive unit has allowed just one rushing touchdown in 2002.
"They play tremendous special teams, they play great defense, they get the ball back for their offense," O'Brien says. "They're very sound on offense and they score points."
