Boston College Athletics
Five Football Players Earned All-New England Honors
December 09, 2014 | Football
Graduates Andy Gallik and Tyler Murphy, along with seniors Manuel Asprilla, Alex Howell and Josh Keyes earned a spot on the regional team. It was the first honor for all five Eagles.
Gallik, BC's four-year center from Evergreen Park, Ill., was named a Rimington Trophy finalist earlier in the week. He leads the BC offensive line that has allowed the rushing game to flourish, ranking 14th in the nation and second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 251.8 yards/game. Gallik will also play in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala.
Asprilla, an Everett, Mass., native who started every game for the Eagles at cornerback, is fourth BC with 61 tackles and second with 48 unassisted tackles. He led the Eagles defense with 10 tackles at Virginia Tech, including a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the end zone, earning him ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his performance.
Howell, a punter from Florence, S.C., averaged 42.9 yards per punt with four touchbacks, 13 fair catches, 20 punts inside the 20 and 14 punts of 50 yards of more. He recorded a career-long 62-yard punt against Pittsburgh on Sept. 5 and in the game against Clemson, Howell punted 10 times, averaging 50.1 yards per punt.
Keyes, a two-time ACC Linebacker of the Week from Ghent, N.Y., started every game at SAM linebacker. He is third on the team with 63 tackles and 43 solo stops and leads the Eagles with 11.5 tackles for a loss of 53 yards and four sacks for a loss of 34 yards. Along with the conference award, also Keyes was named FWAA National Defensive Player of the Week for performance against USC, recording eight tackles, including five solo stops, and 5.5 tackles for a loss of 15 yards. He recorded a career-high 10 tackles at NC State for second conference honor.
Murphy, the Wethersfield, Conn., native, broke the Atlantic Coast Conference's record for single-season quarterback rushing yards with 1,079. He was third in the league behind two running backs with 89.9 yards/game. He recorded four 100-yard rushing games and racked up a career-high 191 yards on the ground against then ninth-ranked Southern California, earning him ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors and recorded the second-highest rushing total by an ACC QB in conference history.
Four members of the Yale football team were honored, while New Hampshire and Dartmouth had three players chosen. Sacred Heart and Massachusetts claimed two picks. Brown, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Connecticut, and Rhode Island each had one player named to the regional team.
The Eagles (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will play Penn State (6-6, 2-6 Big Ten) in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium on Dec. 27 at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
