Boston College Athletics
2002 Boston College Football Outlook
July 01, 2002 | Football
With eight starters returning on offense, eight on defense and both starters in the specialist positions, the Boston College football team and its fans are counting the days until the August 31 kickoff of the 2002 football season.
BC returns 40 letterwinners from last year's team while 17 are lost. Those losses include consensus All-America running back William Green, who rushed for 1,559 yards last season; fellow first-round NFL draft selection Marc Colombo at offensive tackle; receiver Dedrick Dewalt, who led the Eagles with 37 receptions for 539 yards; and defensive leaders Sean Guthrie on the line, Scott Bradley at linebacker and Lenny Walls in the secondary.
But steady improvement has been the theme during each of Tom O'Brien's five seasons as head football coach at Boston College, and this year promises more of the same. BC is led into the 2002 campaign by senior quarterback Brian St. Pierre, a unanimous second-team All-BIG EAST selection who passed for more than 2,000 yards last year. St. Pierre will be taking his snaps from senior center Dan Koppen, who also earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors a year ago.
On the defensive side of the ball, middle linebacker Vinny Ciurciu led the Eagles in tackles last year and is back to provide senior leadership. Three of last year's four starters return on the defensive line, including senior Antonio Garay, back from a neck injury that shortened last season for him. Throw in an experienced secondary and an all-star candidate in Kevin McMyler at punter, and there is good reason for the enthusiasm.
O'Brien's Eagles have become a better football team each year. The Eagles were victorious in both the 2000 Aloha Bowl (over Arizona State) and the 2001 Music City Bowl (over Georgia), making Boston College one of just eight schools nationally to win bowl games in each of the last two seasons.
The Eagles also finished the 2001 campaign ranked No. 21 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the ESPN-USA Today poll.
"The bowl games have helped this football team immeasurably in that we understand the work ethic you need to have to play at the highest level of college football," O'Brien says.
Just what can you expect of the 2002 edition of the Boston College football team? Here's a look, position-by position.
Offense
Quarterbacks
St. Pierre returns for his senior year after an extremely successful first year as a starter. St. Pierre was a unanimous second-team All-BIG EAST selection as he passed for 25 touchdowns and 2,016 yards. His 25 TD passes were tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history and he also was named co-winner of the Thomas E. Scanlan Memorial Trophy - given to the senior BC player each year who is outstanding in scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
"Brian is coming off a very good year," O'Brien says. "He continued to improve this spring. He has become a tremendous leader and can become a great quarterback. He is poised, and we look forward to him having a very good year."
Sophomores Quinton Porter, who saw limited playing time last year, and Eric Boatwright will vie for playing time as backups.
"Quinton Porter had the opportunity to be coached this spring, not just be thrown in like he was last fall," O'Brien says. "He improved this spring and is a quality backup. We also have Boatwright, who will fit into the picture if injuries come into play."
Receivers
The Eagles lose a pair of talented receivers from last year's squad in Dewalt and Ryan Read (19 receptions for 311 yards and 4 TDs). The leading returning receiver is senior Jamal Burke, who had 25 receptions for 320 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns last year.
"Jamal Burke could have a banner year for us," O'Brien says. "He had an excellent spring and has been a real leader out there."
Burke will be complemented by senior Keith Hemmings, who had eight receptions in 2001, and a group of relatively untested receivers in senior Shaun Toof, junior Chris Barnes, sophomores Grant Adams and Joel Hazard and freshman Tony Gonzalez.
"Keith Hemmings played well in the spring," O'Brien says, "and I was impressed with what I saw out of Hazard, Adams and Barnes. I think those five kids will be the heart of the receiving corps this fall, and we'll take a look at (newcomers) Gonzalez, Taylor Sele and Jason Lilly."
Backfield
"We're a little bit unsettled right now in the backfield," O'Brien says. And rightfully so. The BC backfield takes a hit this year with William Green's departure to the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
The Eagles do return depth at the running back position, led by junior Derrick Knight, who rushed for 337 yards and one TD last season. Knight had 79 yards in a season-opening win over West Virginia and added 78 yards in a start against eventual national champion Miami.
Knight will be pushed by sophomore Brandon Brokaw, who played in four games last year, and junior Horace Dodd, a transfer from Penn State who practiced with the Eagles last year. Senior Kevin Dykes also will add experience at this position.
"One of the three tailbacks, Knight, Brokaw or Dodd, may end up being the starter in the first game," O'Brien says, "but who knows who will end up being the starter in game 12. We will need all three of them. They're all good backs, and they were all impressive in the spring."
Junior J.P. Comella will fight it out with fellow junior Greg Toal for the starting fullback position. Both players saw significant playing time at that position in 2001. Sophomore Haven Perkins will add depth at fullback.
"Greg Toal and J.P. Comella are fighting it out to see who's going to be the starting fullback," O'Brien says, "so we ought to have good competition at camp in the backfield."
Tight End
When the Eagles entered spring practice last season, the tight end position was being led by two converted defensive linemen in Sean Ryan and Frank Misurelli. Both of them enjoyed outstanding seasons as Ryan made 17 receptions for 223 yards and three touchdowns as the starter and Misurelli backed him up with four receptions for 42 yards and a TD.
The position is now a strength for the Eagles as both players return with a great deal of experience.
"Sean Ryan and Frank Misurelli improved greatly throughout the year," O'Brien says. "I think they're a great one-two punch for us. They're both outstanding blockers. They both get down the field and catch the ball well. They're excellent tight ends for our program.
"Last year at this time, we did not have anybody with tight end experience," he says. "This year, it's good that Sean and Frank now have a year of experience under their belts. The position should be a strength for us where it was a question mark last year."
Providing depth at tight end are sophomores David Kashetta and Francois Brochu, who gained valuable experience last year as a long snapper; and redshirt freshman Chris Miller.
"Kashetta improved greatly in the spring," O'Brien says. "He looks to be the third tight end as of right now."
Offensive Line
The offensive line has traditionally been a strength of the Boston College football program and this year should be no exception. The Eagles did lose Colombo to the NFL's Chicago Bears, but return five players who started at least one game on the line in 2001.
BC has had a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past three seasons. Last year, the Eagles were ranked 18th nationally in rushing yardage. The offensive line played a key role in the team achieving those milestones.
Anchoring the line again this season is center Dan Koppen, who earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors in 2001 for the second consecutive year.
"Dan had a great junior year to set up what should be an even better senior year for him," O'Brien says.
Senior Marc Parenteau also earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors last year and was a starter all 11 games plus the bowl game. He showed his versatility by starting games at three different positions on the line during the season.
Junior Leo Bell was a starter in seven games last year at right tackle while Augie Hoffmann started six and Chris Snee started five. Snee was selected as a third-team freshman All-American by The Sporting News.
The Eagles will benefit from a great amount of depth on the line again this season. Juniors Jim Connor, Rudy DiPietro and Frank Wilpert, who made his first career start vs. Syracuse last year, are back in 2002 and are joined by sophomore Robert Bennett, redshirt freshmen Chris Hathy and Jeremy Trueblood and freshman Jeremy Simpson. In addition, redshirt freshman Pat Ross has moved over to the offensive line after playing defensive tackle last year.
"We have some depth and experience in Parenteau and Bell playing at tackle and the freshman, Trueblood, played excellent this spring," O'Brien says. "I feel good with those three at tackle right now. Snee is an excellent guard, coming off a fine freshman year, and he will be a great player at guard for us in the future. Hoffmann and Wilpert are fighting out at the other guard. We're pretty solid there. I'd like to find a couple more backups, and that will have to come out of Connor or DiPietro, while we'll possibly take a look at Keith Leavitt on offense in the preseason."
Defense
Defensive Line
The Eagles return three of last year's four starters on the defensive line. Senior Garay will be back at one end position while both starting tackles - juniors Tom Martin and Doug Goodwin - return to anchor the middle.
Garay played in eight games last season before a neck injury ended his campaign. He missed spring practice after undergoing surgery to repair the injury. Before his season came to an end, Garay had recorded 57 tackles, nine for a loss, and five quarterback sacks. Even after missing three games, he finished sixth on the team in tackles.
"The question mark is still Antonio Garay - is he going to be healthy and back," O'Brien says. " It looks as if everything is on track. Hopefully we can get a full year out of Antonio. He can be our best defensive lineman. He has tremendous leadership abilities and skills, so I think he's the key to our defensive line, if we can get a full year out of him.
Goodwin made great strides last season as a sophomore. He recorded 50 tackles with 12 for a loss and four sacks. He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Temple when he recorded two sacks and a safety. Martin also returns in the middle after starting for his second season. He made 55 tackles with five for a loss during the regular season. Sophomore Tim Bulman is also in the mix. He made 19 tackles as a true freshman in 2001 seeing time in all 12 games.
"At the tackle position, with Martin, Goodwin and Bulman last year, we gained a lot of experience," O'Brien says. "We'll look for either Anthony Crosson or Justin Hinds at the other tackle spot."
Senior Derric Rossy also returns to the line. Last year he made three starts including the Music City Bowl. He came away with 44 tackles (five for a loss) last year. Junior Phil Mettling had 10 tackles last year and will get more experience at the end spot, along with sophomore Myron Hunter and redshirt freshman Mathias Kiwanuka.
"I was impressed with Kiwanuka in spring practice," O'Brien says.
Linebackers
Senior Ciurciu will return to anchor the middle of the linebacker unit after leading the Eagles in tackles in 2001 with 87 stops, including four for a loss. In just his first year of playing at BC after transferring from Clemson, Ciurciu also added two interceptions and seven quarterback hurries.
"Ciurciu had an excellent spring," O'Brien says. "This is the first time in a few years we've had the same middle linebacker returning for us, so I look forward to him being a leader in the defense."
Backing up Ciurciu at middle linebacker will be junior J.D. Schmidt and redshirt freshman Jon Misiewicz.
Junior Josh Ott returns at the "will" linebacker spot. Ott missed the first three games of the season with a back injury, but worked his way back into the starting lineup for the last five games of the season and the bowl game. Even though he missed three games, Ott still finished fourth on the team in tackles with 75. At the bowl game he had seven tackles with an interception, leading Sports Illustrated to name him to its "all-bowl" team.
Ott will be pushed at that position by senior Jerome Ledbetter, who had nine tackles last year, while junior Kevin Kiley will help add depth.
Scott Bradley's graduation has left a vacancy at the starting "sam" linebacker spot. Two players who have been converted from different positions will spend the spring learning the position. Sophomore T.J. Stancil has been converted from free safety after making 16 tackles last year, while redshirt freshman Ray Henderson was a quarterback. Both have been moved to the position and will be joined by redshirt freshman Patrick McShane.
"We need to get our best players on the field," O'Brien says, "and we need to get a very good group of linebackers. That's why we made these positional changes."
Secondary
Three of four starters return in the defensive backfield, led by a talented group of senior athletes. Free safety Ralph Parent made 75 tackles last year with one interception; strong safety Doug Bessette was tied as the team's second-leading tackler with 85 stops; and cornerback Trevor White contributed 49 tackles last year.
In addition to Parent and Bessette, juniors Brian Flores and Paul Cook will push for even more playing time at the safety positions. Flores notched 22 tackles last year, while cook added 23 on the season.
White will be joined at the cornerback spots by sophomore Peter Shean, who recorded 39 stops in extended time in 2001. Redshirt freshmen Larry Lester, Nathaniel Hasselbeck and Jazzmen Williams will also vie for playing time.
"Peter Shean had an excellent freshman year for us and got better in the spring," O'Brien says. "We're looking at Hasselbeck and Williams to be in the mix there and a freshman, Will Blackmon, may become a factor in the secondary."
Specialists
BC returns both its starting kicker and its starting punter from last season. Senior McMyler was a second-team All-BIG EAST pick as a punter after leading the league in the category with a 43.2-yard average per boot. While handling both punting and placekicking duties for much of the season, he also connected on seven of 10 field goal attempts and had 29 extra points.
"Kevin is the best punter in the BIG EAST and will only get better," O'Brien says.
Junior Sandro Sciortino missed much of last season with a leg injury but came back to kick two field goals in the bowl win and another during the regular season. He handled kickoff duties as well last season.
"Sandro showed us how good he can be late in the year and in the bowl game," O'Brien says. "He just needs the confidence of another year of experience."
The Schedule
The 2002 BC football schedule will feature seven home games and five games against teams that played in bowl games in 2001. The NCAA has allowed teams to play 12 regular-season games during the 2002 season.
The Eagles will open their season with an Aug. 31 home date against Connecticut before playing host to Stanford on Sept. 7. Following an off week, the Eagles will open their BIG EAST Conference schedule at Miami (Fla.) on Sept. 21.
The Eagles return home to take on Central Michigan of the Mid-America Conference on Sept. 28 during Parents' Weekend. Their next contest will be a nationally televised Thursday night game against Virginia Tech on ESPN on Oct. 10 at Alumni Stadium.
Following an Oct. 19 home game against Navy, the Eagles will play three straight road games, against Pittsburgh (Oct. 26), Notre Dame (Nov. 2) and West Virginia (Nov. 9). The regular season will wrap up with games against Syracuse (Nov. 16), at Temple (Nov. 23) and against Rutgers (Nov. 30).
The five 2001 bowl teams on the schedule are: Stanford (lost to Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl); Miami (Fla.) (beat Nebraska in the Rose Bowl); Virginia Tech (lost to Florida State in the Gator Bowl); Pittsburgh (beat North Carolina State in the Tangerine Bowl), and Syracuse (beat Kansas State in the Insight.com Bowl).
Quarterbacks
| 13 | Berglund, Dan | Fr. | 6-3 | 215 | |
| 8 | Boatwright, Eric | So. | 6-3 | 237 | |
| 14 | El Nokali, Karim | Fr. | 6-4 | 205 | |
| 15 | Porter, Quinton | So. | 6-4 | 215 | |
| 2 | St. Pierre, Brian | Sr. | 6-4 | 217 |
Backfield
| 30 | Brokaw, Brandon | So. | 6-2 | 241 | |
| 43 | Comella, J.P. | Jr. | 6-0 | 240 | |
| 28 | Dodd, Horace | Jr. | 6-1 | 207 | |
| 25 | Dykes, Kevin | Sr. | 5-10 | 190 | |
| 37 | Jones, Charlie | Sr. | 5-10 | 226 | |
| 20 | Knight, Derrick | Jr. | 5-9 | 205 | |
| 23 | Lee, Everett | So. | 5-11 | 213 | |
| 46 | Perkins, Haven | So. | 5-11 | 219 | |
| 16 | Toal, Greg | Jr. | 5-11 | 225 |
Wide Receivers
| 5 | Adams, Grant | So. | 6-0 | 189 | |
| 29 | Barnes, Chris | Jr. | 6-0 | 201 | |
| 84 | Burke, Jamal | Sr. | 6-1 | 207 | |
| 26 | Gonzalez, Tony | Fr. | 6-1 | 180 | |
| 17 | Hazard, Joel | So. | 5-9 | 184 | |
| 12 | Hemmings, Keith | Sr. | 6-2 | 209 | |
| 82 | Lilly, Jason | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | |
| 36 | Schmella, Erik | So. | 6-0 | 192 | |
| 32 | Sele, Taylor | Fr. | 6-0 | 190 | |
| 83 | Toof, Shaun | Sr. | 5-11 | 164 | |
| 39 | Webley, Derek | Jr. | 6-3 | 180 |
Tight Ends
| 81 | Brochu, Francois | So. | 6-5 | 237 | |
| 86 | Kashetta, David | So. | 6-3 | 248 | |
| 88 | Miller, Chris | Rsf. | 6-5 | 251 | |
| 87 | Misurelli, Frank | Sr. | 6-4 | 255 | |
| 89 | Ryan, Sean | Jr. | 6-5 | 259 |
Offensive Line
| 75 | Beekman, Josh | Fr. | 6-3 | 320 | |
| 71 | Bell, Leo | Jr. | 6-8 | 306 | |
| 61 | Bennett, Robert | So. | 6-4 | 301 | |
| 96 | Bulman, Tim | So. | 6-3 | 280 | |
| 74 | Connor, Jim | Jr. | 6-5 | 285 | |
| 67 | Dipietro, Rudy | Jr. | 6-4 | 315 | |
| 65 | Hathy, Chris | Rsf. | 6-4 | 282 | |
| 78 | Hoffmann, Augie | Jr. | 6-2 | 305 | |
| 77 | Koppen, Dan | Sr. | 6-3 | 293 | |
| 70 | Marten, James | Fr. | 6-8 | 285 | |
| 63 | Moore, Shadu | Fr. | 6-4 | 305 | |
| 73 | Parenteau, Marc | Sr. | 6-5 | 308 | |
| 66 | Ross, Pat | Rsf. | 6-4 | 280 | |
| 60 | Simpson, Jeremy | Fr. | 6-7 | 305 | |
| 76 | Snee, Chris | So. | 6-2 | 305 | |
| 72 | Trueblood, Jeremy | Rsf. | 6-9 | 295 | |
| 69 | Wilpert, Frank | Jr. | 6-5 | 308 |
Defensive Line
| 97 | Bennett, Leonard | Jr. | 6-0 | 237 | |
| 79 | Crosson, Anthony | So. | 6-3 | 280 | |
| 85 | Garay, Antonio | Sr. | 6-4 | 290 | |
| 98 | Goodwin, Douglas | Jr. | 6-1 | 285 | |
| 95 | Hinds, Justin | Jr. | 6-3 | 284 | |
| 92 | Hunter, Myran | So. | 6-2 | 233 | |
| 94 | Kiwanuka, Mathias | Rsf. | 6-6 | 248 | |
| 64 | Leavitt, Keith | Jr. | 6-6 | 345 | |
| 90 | Martin, Tom | Jr. | 6-4 | 282 | |
| 93 | Mettling, Phillip | So. | 6-2 | 257 | |
| 62 | Ottolini, Jake | Fr. | 6-3 | 230 | |
| 58 | Rossy, Derric | Sr. | 6-3 | 253 | |
| 99 | Unis, Jim | Fr. | 6-4 | 225 | |
| 56 | Washington, Alvin | Fr. | 6-0 | 297 | |
| 91 | Ziminski, Robert | Fr. | 6-3 | 220 |
Linebackers
| 49 | Baskins, Sydney | So. | 5-11 | 224 | |
| 57 | Boyd, Nick | Fr. | 6-1 | 230 | |
| 55 | Brown, Ricky | Fr. | 6-2 | 230 | |
| 53 | Burns, Jeff | Fr. | 6-3 | 210 | |
| 40 | Ciurciu, Vinny | Sr. | 5-11 | 240 | |
| 36 | Flores, Brian | Jr. | 5-11 | 212 | |
| 3 | Henderson, Ray | Rsf. | 6-3 | 225 | |
| 10 | Kiley, Kevin | Jr. | 6-3 | 225 | |
| 51 | Ledbetter, Jerome | Sr. | 6-0 | 222 | |
| 50 | Lynch, Patrick | Fr. | 6-2 | 240 | |
| 34 | McShane, Patrick | Rsf. | 6-0 | 199 | |
| 42 | Misiewicz, Jon | Rsf. | 6-2 | 210 | |
| 45 | Ott, Josh | Jr. | 6-2 | 225 | |
| 52 | Parros, Jeff | Fr. | 6-5 | 221 | |
| 44 | Schmidt, J.D. | Jr. | 6-3 | 240 |
Defensive Backs
| 9 | Anam, Larry | Fr. | 6-1 | 180 | |
| 18 | Bessette, Doug | Sr. | 5-11 | 203 | |
| 1 | Blackmon, Will | Fr. | 6-0 | 175 | |
| 27 | Cook, Paul | Jr. | 5-11 | 201 | |
| 7 | Hasselbeck, Nathanael | Rsf. | 5-11 | 179 | |
| 6 | Lester, Larry | Rsf. | 5-7 | 169 | |
| 37 | Mattison, Ryan | Jr. | 5-8 | 173 | |
| 24 | Parent, Ralph | Sr. | 6-2 | 206 | |
| 41 | Phillips, Emmerson | Sr. | 6-0 | 199 | |
| 38 | Ross, Jeff | Fr. | 6-0 | 190 | |
| 35 | Sanz, Kevin | So. | 6-1 | 197 | |
| 19 | Shean, Peter | So. | 5-9 | 177 | |
| 23 | Stancil, T.J. | So. | 6-1 | 202 | |
| 21 | White, Trevor | Sr. | 5-8 | 184 | |
| 4 | Williams, Jazzmen | Rsf. | 5-8 | 178 |
Specialists
| 59 | Dudnick, Ken | Jr. | 6-4 | 203 | |
| 11 | Fassel, Mike | So. | 5-11 | 162 | |
| 80 | Leuffen, Rob | Jr. | 6-5 | 232 | |
| 47 | McMyler, Kevin | Sr. | 6-1 | 194 | |
| 33 | Sciortino, Sandro | Jr. | 5-10 | 201 | |
| 48 | Yudt, Jonathan | Jr. | 5-10 | 159 |
