Boston College Athletics
Dodd Gets The Nod
August 25, 2002 | Football
Aug. 25, 2002
Boston College football coach Tom O'Brien has named junior Horace Dodd (Hamden, CT) the starting tailback for next Saturday's season opener vs. Connecticut. O'Brien made the announcement Sunday afternoon as the Eagles entered their game week preparations.
"We had three good backs who competed very well through spring practice and through preseason," O'Brien says. "We knew coming in that (Dodd) was a very good athlete. He is very elusive when he runs. He runs with speed and with power. He can catch the football and has done a good job in the passing game when we've thrown him the ball."
The 2002 Eagles return 41 letterwinners from last year's 8-4 team, including eight starters on offense, eight on defense, second-team All-BIG EAST punter Kevin McMyler and a healthy place-kicker in Sandro Sciortino. Three of last year's four starters return on the defensive line, including senior Antonio Garay, back from a neck (disc) injury that shortened last season for him. Senior Vinny Ciurciu returns to anchor the middle of the linebacker unit after leading the Eagles in tackles in 2001 with 87 stops. And three of four starters return in the defensive backfield, led by a talented group of seniors in Ralph Parent, Doug Bessette and Trevor White.
The offensive line, a traditional strength for BC teams, is anchored by All-BIG EAST center Dan Koppen. Senior Marc Parenteau also earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors last year and was a starter in all 11 games plus the Music City Bowl. Junior Leo Bell was a starter in seven games last year at right tackle while Augie Hoffmann started six and Chris Snee started five.
Danvers native Brian St. Pierre, voted a 2002 tri-captain (along with Vinny Ciurciu and Antonio Garay), enters his senior year following an extremely successful first year as a starter at quarterback. 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. "Brian has become a tremendous leader and can become a great quarterback," O'Brien says. "He is extremely poised. We're looking for him to have a very good year."
Connecticut embarks on its third year as a Division I-A independent against BC to kick off a 2002 season that will include games against 11 Division I-A teams. The Huskies will play four teams that played in bowl games last season, including BC and defending national champion Miami. The Huskies return 44 letterwinners from last year's 2-9 team, including six starting positions back on offense and 10 of 11 starters back on defense. The Huskies have two experienced quarterbacks returning in sophomores Keron Henry and Dan Orlovsky. Henry started five of UConn's first six games last year as a redshirt freshman and threw for 478 yards and a touchdown before various injuries slowed his season. Orlovsky started six games last year for the Huskies and threw the ball for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns. He threw for 382 yards against Cincinnati and also passed for three touchdowns in that game.
