Boston College Athletics
Lessons Learned: Pieces Starting To Come Together
October 02, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
In dominating win, Eagles starting to gel
Leaving the house yesterday, you'll have to forgive me if I didn't have the highest hopes. Rain started around 5 p.m. on Friday, ruining a tee time. It didn't stop through the night, meaning a frantic search ensued for ponchos buried somewhere in the recesses of an unknown drawer or closet.
Rain can dampen (no pun intended) the fun. Football games typically devolve into slopfests. The ball is slick, so passing is a challenge. Kicking has more wind. Blockers can't get traction, so runners can't find holes or, worse, fumble. Everything grinds to a slow halt, putting increased premiums on points.
So imagine my surprise on Saturday when Boston College, a power running team, opened up their first offensive series with two passes in the first three plays.Â
Though the Eagles controlled the tempo of their game against Buffalo by calling 57 running plays, they opened up their offense in a 35-3 blowout of the Bulls at Alumni Stadium. They threw for 100 yards more than they ran, mixed up the playcalling, and improved execution as the game went on - all while possibly doing more.
"I said that earlier in the week that we wanted to throw the ball, even with the conditions," said head coach Steve Addazio. "We probably would have liked to have thrown it more to be honest with you. We ewanted to throw the ball today, and we just feel that was another step. We wanted more balance this week. Last week we really wanted to work on the run game."
It took a little while to find the balance. In the first quarter, graduate quarterback Patrick Towles went 3-for-8 passing. He completed his first pass, a screen to sophomore wide receiver Jeff Smith, but lost a yard. It wasn't until the end of the quarter that Towles hit a flashy pass, connecting with redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Garrison for 44 yards, but Garrison injured his leg on the play.
Then came the second quarter. Towles went 7-for-10 for 123 yards. On an 11-play, 87-yard drive lasting six minutes, Towles completed four passes, though one was negated by a penalty. He hit a 27-yard catch-and-run by senior running back Tyler Rouse on third-and-18. Later, he did it again with redshirt freshmanr running back Davon Jones for 38 yards. Capping the drive, he hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Walker for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
"We talk all the time (how) that's supposed to go high, high in the back of the end zone," said Towles. "As soon as I threw it, I didn't know if it was going to get over the top of (the defender's) fingers. I'm obviously extremely thankful that it did, but (Walker) ran a good route and it was a great call by Coach Loeffler."
Here's more from what we learned against the Bulls:
-The defense limited the big play, paving the road for a near-record performance. They allowed 67 yards of offense, third-best all-time and best against a current FBS program (the top two are against Howard and Holy Cross, respectively).
"You could see (on) some of the quick throws out to the perimeter how fast they rallied," said Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold. "We were trying to mix it up and trying to take some shots as well, but when you're not getting first downs, it's hard to gain any semblance of any momentum of a drive."
Buffalo's five first downs are tied for fifth best in BC defensive program history. The Eagles forced five three-and-outs, bringing their season total to 30, limiting the Bulls to 1-for-11 on third downs.
In a case of a veteran unit overpowering inexperience, Buffalo managed just 26 yards on the ground, lowering the season total to 78 yards per game by opponents. The 2007 team set the record with 75.6 rushing yards allowed per game, with last year's team ranking second with 82.8 yards per game, as a point of reference.
"They have a physical group up front (that can) get movement," said Leipold. "We lost (freshman offensive lineman) Tyler O'Henly in practice to a concussion. We have a true freshman rotating in there, a right tackle who's a senior who's never started a game. He's only played two years of offense, never started a game. The other guy rotated in as a freshman. It's not an excuse, it's a fact."
-The offense held the ball for what amounted for almost three full quarters (43:07), possessing over 10 minutes every quarter except for the first (where they held it for 9:32).
Being able to hold the ball for that long is the result of the right play calls and right execution. BC went 10-for-20 on third-down conversions, extending drive after drive after drive. In the first half, they went 7-for-12 alone, helping them to build a big halftime lead that could have been bigger.
The Eagles had seven drives of eight or more plays, with all but one of those drives lasting over four minutes. Of those seven, five ended in touchdowns with one ending in a punt and one ending in a fumble, both inside Buffalo territory.
BC also went 3-for-4 on fourth-down conversion attempts, for what it's worth.
-The running game still isn't statistically where the coaching staff wants it, but I'm going to break out an old adage about "what kind" instead of "how much."
On BC's first-quarter scoring drive, the Eagles used their legs to convert third downs. Before Towles' long pass to Garrison, Jones converted third-and-1 on his own 38 with a seven-yard run. With third-and-7 on the Buffalo eight-yard line, Towles ran for seven, earning another first down for Jones to plow forward with his first career touchdown run.
Jones converted a fourth-and-1 opportunity with a two-yard run inside Buffalo territory, while Towles later moved the chains again with a 15-yard run on another third-and-7.
Of BC's 21 first downs, 10 came from passing and 10 came from rushing (one came from a penalty). Each time a team gets those key yards, it extends the clock and keep the opponents' offense off the field.
-Tyler Rouse had five punt returns for 59 yards with a long of 16. He had a 60-yard return negated by a block in the back penalty, the second time in as many weeks that's happened.
On the season, he now has 14 returns for 208 yards, an average of 14.86. Just for argument's sake, let's add two more returns for 120 yards (60 yards per pop) into that total. That's 16 returns for 328 yards. That's a return average of 20.5 yards per return.
The record for total punt returns in a game is six. The record for a single season average is 25.3 set by Spiffy Evans in 2012. As of right now, the dreaded yellow hanky is keeping Rouse from the record books.
"For the second week in a row, the guys worked too hard, our players worked too hard on special teams," said Addazio. "(We) can't make bad decisions that are going to result in 60-yard field position swings."
-Hey how about Mike Knoll? Another 5-for-5 day on PATs in some pretty bad conditions.Â
-Final rainfall in Boston yesterday? 0.61 inches, or the equivalent of over eight inches of light, fluffy snow and over six inches of the heavy stuff. Winter is coming.
Â
Rain can dampen (no pun intended) the fun. Football games typically devolve into slopfests. The ball is slick, so passing is a challenge. Kicking has more wind. Blockers can't get traction, so runners can't find holes or, worse, fumble. Everything grinds to a slow halt, putting increased premiums on points.
So imagine my surprise on Saturday when Boston College, a power running team, opened up their first offensive series with two passes in the first three plays.Â
Though the Eagles controlled the tempo of their game against Buffalo by calling 57 running plays, they opened up their offense in a 35-3 blowout of the Bulls at Alumni Stadium. They threw for 100 yards more than they ran, mixed up the playcalling, and improved execution as the game went on - all while possibly doing more.
"I said that earlier in the week that we wanted to throw the ball, even with the conditions," said head coach Steve Addazio. "We probably would have liked to have thrown it more to be honest with you. We ewanted to throw the ball today, and we just feel that was another step. We wanted more balance this week. Last week we really wanted to work on the run game."
It took a little while to find the balance. In the first quarter, graduate quarterback Patrick Towles went 3-for-8 passing. He completed his first pass, a screen to sophomore wide receiver Jeff Smith, but lost a yard. It wasn't until the end of the quarter that Towles hit a flashy pass, connecting with redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Garrison for 44 yards, but Garrison injured his leg on the play.
Then came the second quarter. Towles went 7-for-10 for 123 yards. On an 11-play, 87-yard drive lasting six minutes, Towles completed four passes, though one was negated by a penalty. He hit a 27-yard catch-and-run by senior running back Tyler Rouse on third-and-18. Later, he did it again with redshirt freshmanr running back Davon Jones for 38 yards. Capping the drive, he hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Walker for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
"We talk all the time (how) that's supposed to go high, high in the back of the end zone," said Towles. "As soon as I threw it, I didn't know if it was going to get over the top of (the defender's) fingers. I'm obviously extremely thankful that it did, but (Walker) ran a good route and it was a great call by Coach Loeffler."
Here's more from what we learned against the Bulls:
-The defense limited the big play, paving the road for a near-record performance. They allowed 67 yards of offense, third-best all-time and best against a current FBS program (the top two are against Howard and Holy Cross, respectively).
"You could see (on) some of the quick throws out to the perimeter how fast they rallied," said Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold. "We were trying to mix it up and trying to take some shots as well, but when you're not getting first downs, it's hard to gain any semblance of any momentum of a drive."
Buffalo's five first downs are tied for fifth best in BC defensive program history. The Eagles forced five three-and-outs, bringing their season total to 30, limiting the Bulls to 1-for-11 on third downs.
In a case of a veteran unit overpowering inexperience, Buffalo managed just 26 yards on the ground, lowering the season total to 78 yards per game by opponents. The 2007 team set the record with 75.6 rushing yards allowed per game, with last year's team ranking second with 82.8 yards per game, as a point of reference.
"They have a physical group up front (that can) get movement," said Leipold. "We lost (freshman offensive lineman) Tyler O'Henly in practice to a concussion. We have a true freshman rotating in there, a right tackle who's a senior who's never started a game. He's only played two years of offense, never started a game. The other guy rotated in as a freshman. It's not an excuse, it's a fact."
-The offense held the ball for what amounted for almost three full quarters (43:07), possessing over 10 minutes every quarter except for the first (where they held it for 9:32).
Being able to hold the ball for that long is the result of the right play calls and right execution. BC went 10-for-20 on third-down conversions, extending drive after drive after drive. In the first half, they went 7-for-12 alone, helping them to build a big halftime lead that could have been bigger.
The Eagles had seven drives of eight or more plays, with all but one of those drives lasting over four minutes. Of those seven, five ended in touchdowns with one ending in a punt and one ending in a fumble, both inside Buffalo territory.
BC also went 3-for-4 on fourth-down conversion attempts, for what it's worth.
-The running game still isn't statistically where the coaching staff wants it, but I'm going to break out an old adage about "what kind" instead of "how much."
On BC's first-quarter scoring drive, the Eagles used their legs to convert third downs. Before Towles' long pass to Garrison, Jones converted third-and-1 on his own 38 with a seven-yard run. With third-and-7 on the Buffalo eight-yard line, Towles ran for seven, earning another first down for Jones to plow forward with his first career touchdown run.
Jones converted a fourth-and-1 opportunity with a two-yard run inside Buffalo territory, while Towles later moved the chains again with a 15-yard run on another third-and-7.
Of BC's 21 first downs, 10 came from passing and 10 came from rushing (one came from a penalty). Each time a team gets those key yards, it extends the clock and keep the opponents' offense off the field.
-Tyler Rouse had five punt returns for 59 yards with a long of 16. He had a 60-yard return negated by a block in the back penalty, the second time in as many weeks that's happened.
On the season, he now has 14 returns for 208 yards, an average of 14.86. Just for argument's sake, let's add two more returns for 120 yards (60 yards per pop) into that total. That's 16 returns for 328 yards. That's a return average of 20.5 yards per return.
The record for total punt returns in a game is six. The record for a single season average is 25.3 set by Spiffy Evans in 2012. As of right now, the dreaded yellow hanky is keeping Rouse from the record books.
"For the second week in a row, the guys worked too hard, our players worked too hard on special teams," said Addazio. "(We) can't make bad decisions that are going to result in 60-yard field position swings."
-Hey how about Mike Knoll? Another 5-for-5 day on PATs in some pretty bad conditions.Â
-Final rainfall in Boston yesterday? 0.61 inches, or the equivalent of over eight inches of light, fluffy snow and over six inches of the heavy stuff. Winter is coming.
Â
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