Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
W2WF: Soaring One More Time For BC
December 23, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
The season comes to an official close on Monday in the Quick Lane Bowl
An entire football season is built on the same set of messages and storylines. Each week, there's underlying bullet points to reflect back on to determine how a team either improved or regressed. There's corrective actions and developmental points during the week, leading up to another game. Objectives for a given week might change, but there's always areas for the entire season.
A bowl game is entirely different. After Monday's game is over, the 2016 Boston College football season will be over; its final chapter written.
But that's after Monday. And there's still one game left.
"The energy level (going) into this game is really high," head coach Steve Addazio said. "It's really important to us, it's very important, as it is for everybody, but we're attacking it that way. No matter what, I just loved what I saw at the end of the year as a team, the chemistry, and I loved the actual young players on the field in this bowl prep. That's all real. Obviously, it would be fantastic to go in here and win this game. That's our whole direction. That's our whole aim."
It's natural to surround the BC program with talk about the future. No matter what, the team will wake up on Tuesday with a very different dynamic, with players like Patrick Towles, Tyler Rouse, John Johnson and Truman Gutapfel coming off of the depth chart forever. Talking about the offseason and next year, however, is a disservice to those players, who are suiting up one last time to represent against a tough former rival.
"You'll forget scores, but you won't forget the memories of being together at these different games, venues, with your teammates," Addazio said. "You won't. That's what, to me, makes it great to reflect back on your life. I think these are the moments that make it great for reflection later on and to be able to talk about with your future family and all the great things. It makes college football and athletics as a whole special."
The season began in Dublin against Georgia Tech with a question of development, about who would step to the forefront from a BC team stocked with sophomore talent. The season ends with questions about how they'll be utilized and how the game plan will work them all into one last look against Maryland. In between is how the Eagles got here, with the overarching storyline of that development dictating what to watch each and every week.
"We've had an opportunity to really develop our young team," Addazio said. "The extra bowl practices, probably get about 15 (or) 16 of them, have been fantastic to watch the young players develop. The first eight of them were heavily geared towards the young players and that's been fantastic for us. So we're excited about that development.
"I think (quarterbacks) Darius (Wade) and Anthony (Brown) took a lot out of it," he continued. "I think the offensive line took a lot out of it, guys like John Phillips got in there a lot. Guys like Tom Kowalkoski, our young freshman lineman. I think the young defensive line, the young tight ends, who we'll be using a ton in this game, (all got something out of practice), but they just need the development. You can just watch them and it's fun. It's exciting."
One thing I've tried to stress is how a team's identity evolves over the course of the season. Each game is an individual case study with its own highs and lows. Each game then joins with the others to create a larger body of work, one that the coaches can go back and analyze as they begin the process of moving forward.
At the end of the day, what happened in September led to this point, and what happens on Monday will dictate what happens next. But those are conversations for another day. The focus, right, now is exactly that - Monday. It's one last time to pay respect to the players who sacrificed for the uniform, who earned the right to represent themselves and their school one more time.
***
Weekly Storylines (Christmas Vacation Edition)
Surprised to see us, Clark? -Eddie
If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now. -Clark
The most obvious storyline facing the Quick Lane Bowl is the familiarity between the two programs. Upperclassmen for both programs can remember a game against one another, with Maryland last having played Boston College in 2013 as ACC Atlantic Division rivals. Maryland left at the end of that season for the Big Ten East Division, spiritually replaced by Louisville, who joined the conference in 2014.
Familiarity runs beyond that, however. On the sidelines, head coaches Steve Addazio and DJ Durkin have a history dating back to both being on staff with the Florida Gators. They know each other very well, which makes this a friendly challenge to see who can get the upper hand in Detroit.
"A lot of our program, what we do and what is based on is right in line with Steve and the things I learned from Steve," Durkin said during the Quick Lane Bowl press conference. "Steve's a guy I look up to in the profession...He's a guy I've counted on for advice in my career and learned a lot from, look up to, and I know how he coaches his team, runs his program."
The teams themselves are microcosms of that theory. A rebuilding team similar to Boston College, Maryland opened up their season 4-0 with wins over Howard, FIU, UCF and Purdue. At 5-2 after the Terps beat Michigan State, they lost four in a row against Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Nebraska, losing the last three of those games by a combined 149-13. Needing a win over Rutgers to get into a bowl, Maryland put up a 31-13 result, earning them a trip to Detroit.
Like Boston College, Maryland had a gauntlet league schedule with slight differences. The Big Ten plays a nine-game schedule and the Terps beat the teams that finished behind them while losing to the teams in front of them. The Big Ten East had three teams that are in New Year's Six games, including Ohio State, who is in the College Football Playoff, and one of their crossover games was against Minnesota, who finished 8-4.
Bethany and I figured out the perfect gift for you. -Uncle Lewis
Aw, you didn't have to get me anything. -Clark
Dang it Bethany, he guessed it. -Uncle Lewis
Offensively, Maryland is a team built similar to Boston College but different at the same time. It ranks 40th in the nation in rushing offense with 205.5 yards per game. That accounts for the majority of the offense, which ranks 94th overall. The Terrapins have struggled at times to punch the ball in the end zone, but they're not a team to take lightly in that regard at all.
"They run the ball really well and I think they're athletic on defense, very similar to us in a lot of ways," Steve Addazio said. "They may look a little different on offense because they're a little bit more spread oriented, a little bit more tempo oriented, but at the end of the day, there's a lot of the same kind of play structures."
The Terrapins use a multi-faceted rushing attack behind a number of different players. Kenneth Goins has appeared in all 50 of Maryland's games dating back to 2013, which would include the last time these teams met. Against Rutgers, he broke of a 46-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game. He complements Ty Johnson, the Terps' leading rusher with 845 yards and 8.9 yards per carry - on pace for a Maryland program record - this season.
That builds a fun matchup against the Boston College defense, which finished the season seventh in the nation against the run. The Eagles on the whole remain in the top 10 defensively in the nation, ranking eighth in total defense. While the passing defense did give up plays this year - and there are four losses that glare out off the paper to back that up - it finished with an overall body of work that's in line with what people expect out of the Eagles.
It's a one year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club. -Clark
Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. -Eddie
Defensively, Maryland will show a 3-4 defense, which is a little different from what the Eagles are used to seeing. That's going to put pressure on the BC offensive line, though it can probably key in on a couple of different players. Linebacker Jesse Aniebonam leads the team in tackles for losses (13) and sacks (nine), while nose tackle Kingsley Opara is second on the team with 11 TFLs.
They pair with two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Jermaine Carter. He's had 27 tackles over his last two games, with 15 alone against Rutgers.
"He's been very productive for us," Durkin said. "He's a guy that's an experienced player, that's done well in leading our team and leading our defense."
That said, Maryland did struggle at times and finished the season 101st against the run and 81st in the nation in total defense. If Boston College is eighth in the nation and was susceptible at times to an explosive play, then the inverse can be said about the Terrapins. Statistically, they might not be the superior unit, but they're capable of making plays and certainly capable of winning football games.
"I know that playing these guys, they're very well coached," Durkin said. "They're very sound and they're physical at the line of scrimmage. I think the story of football is that. You've got to win at the line of scrimmage. If you can be effective there on either side of the ball, you've got a chance and if not, it's an uphill battle."
***
Under the Dome
The Quick Lane Bowl is played at Ford Field, which replaced the Pontiac Silverdome as the home of the Detroit Lions in 2002.
This is the third year of the Quick Lane Bowl, which has bowl tie-ins to the Big Ten and ACC. Contrary to popular belief, it's a completely different game from the Little Caesars Bowl, which started as the Motor City Bowl back in 1997. The Detroit Lions announced the new bowl game in 2013 and are currently the only NFL team that owns, hosts and operates a college football bowl game.
Keeping in line with Detroit's "Motor City" roots, the bowl is sponsored by Quick Lane, a vehicle maintenance chain, with a welcome reception held at the Henry Ford Museum.
***
Meteorology 101
It's going to be 50 degrees on Monday with rain in the forecast in Detroit. That comes after three days of cold weather staying primarily in the 30s with cloudy skies. After the game on Monday night, the temperature is going to drop roughly 25 degrees to well below freezing.
This game's in a dome, though, so there's nothing to worry about.
***
Scoreboard Watching
There's no need to watch scoreboards for any future opponents, but there's a heavy slate of football on Dec. 26, including some pretty good matchups.
Miami University takes on Mississippi State in the only matchup of the day involving a non-Power Five school. The Redhawks and Bulldogs play in the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field at 11 a.m., better known as the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Following the Quick Lane Bowl, NC State and Vanderbilt will play in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., at 5 p.m. This is the same Independence Bowl where many rumors saw Boston College potentially playing before the Detroit game was set.
***
Prediction Time
I'm going to step aside from any predictions here since it's one game and I honestly just want to sit back and enjoy watching the last football game of the season. It's more of a moment to say thank you to the seniors who are playing in their final college football game, and for me, it's a chance to see the young guys one last time before they head into offseason development. These games have a way of going every which way and sideways.
It's been one of the most unique football seasons I've ever seen, one where some low lows were tempered by some exciting, great highs. One word that I always used was compelling and I expect nothing less from the 60 minutes in Detroit.
As a final note, this game comes one day after Christmas, so I wanted to extend my sincerest and warmest happy holidays wishes to all Boston College fans. There is still plenty of Eagles sports to come this year, but in terms of the football season, as the lights go out, I hope everyone gets a chance to surround themselves with happiness and good wishes in all that they do.
A bowl game is entirely different. After Monday's game is over, the 2016 Boston College football season will be over; its final chapter written.
But that's after Monday. And there's still one game left.
"The energy level (going) into this game is really high," head coach Steve Addazio said. "It's really important to us, it's very important, as it is for everybody, but we're attacking it that way. No matter what, I just loved what I saw at the end of the year as a team, the chemistry, and I loved the actual young players on the field in this bowl prep. That's all real. Obviously, it would be fantastic to go in here and win this game. That's our whole direction. That's our whole aim."
It's natural to surround the BC program with talk about the future. No matter what, the team will wake up on Tuesday with a very different dynamic, with players like Patrick Towles, Tyler Rouse, John Johnson and Truman Gutapfel coming off of the depth chart forever. Talking about the offseason and next year, however, is a disservice to those players, who are suiting up one last time to represent against a tough former rival.
"You'll forget scores, but you won't forget the memories of being together at these different games, venues, with your teammates," Addazio said. "You won't. That's what, to me, makes it great to reflect back on your life. I think these are the moments that make it great for reflection later on and to be able to talk about with your future family and all the great things. It makes college football and athletics as a whole special."
The season began in Dublin against Georgia Tech with a question of development, about who would step to the forefront from a BC team stocked with sophomore talent. The season ends with questions about how they'll be utilized and how the game plan will work them all into one last look against Maryland. In between is how the Eagles got here, with the overarching storyline of that development dictating what to watch each and every week.
"We've had an opportunity to really develop our young team," Addazio said. "The extra bowl practices, probably get about 15 (or) 16 of them, have been fantastic to watch the young players develop. The first eight of them were heavily geared towards the young players and that's been fantastic for us. So we're excited about that development.
"I think (quarterbacks) Darius (Wade) and Anthony (Brown) took a lot out of it," he continued. "I think the offensive line took a lot out of it, guys like John Phillips got in there a lot. Guys like Tom Kowalkoski, our young freshman lineman. I think the young defensive line, the young tight ends, who we'll be using a ton in this game, (all got something out of practice), but they just need the development. You can just watch them and it's fun. It's exciting."
One thing I've tried to stress is how a team's identity evolves over the course of the season. Each game is an individual case study with its own highs and lows. Each game then joins with the others to create a larger body of work, one that the coaches can go back and analyze as they begin the process of moving forward.
At the end of the day, what happened in September led to this point, and what happens on Monday will dictate what happens next. But those are conversations for another day. The focus, right, now is exactly that - Monday. It's one last time to pay respect to the players who sacrificed for the uniform, who earned the right to represent themselves and their school one more time.
***
Weekly Storylines (Christmas Vacation Edition)
Surprised to see us, Clark? -Eddie
If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now. -Clark
The most obvious storyline facing the Quick Lane Bowl is the familiarity between the two programs. Upperclassmen for both programs can remember a game against one another, with Maryland last having played Boston College in 2013 as ACC Atlantic Division rivals. Maryland left at the end of that season for the Big Ten East Division, spiritually replaced by Louisville, who joined the conference in 2014.
Familiarity runs beyond that, however. On the sidelines, head coaches Steve Addazio and DJ Durkin have a history dating back to both being on staff with the Florida Gators. They know each other very well, which makes this a friendly challenge to see who can get the upper hand in Detroit.
"A lot of our program, what we do and what is based on is right in line with Steve and the things I learned from Steve," Durkin said during the Quick Lane Bowl press conference. "Steve's a guy I look up to in the profession...He's a guy I've counted on for advice in my career and learned a lot from, look up to, and I know how he coaches his team, runs his program."
The teams themselves are microcosms of that theory. A rebuilding team similar to Boston College, Maryland opened up their season 4-0 with wins over Howard, FIU, UCF and Purdue. At 5-2 after the Terps beat Michigan State, they lost four in a row against Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Nebraska, losing the last three of those games by a combined 149-13. Needing a win over Rutgers to get into a bowl, Maryland put up a 31-13 result, earning them a trip to Detroit.
Like Boston College, Maryland had a gauntlet league schedule with slight differences. The Big Ten plays a nine-game schedule and the Terps beat the teams that finished behind them while losing to the teams in front of them. The Big Ten East had three teams that are in New Year's Six games, including Ohio State, who is in the College Football Playoff, and one of their crossover games was against Minnesota, who finished 8-4.
Bethany and I figured out the perfect gift for you. -Uncle Lewis
Aw, you didn't have to get me anything. -Clark
Dang it Bethany, he guessed it. -Uncle Lewis
Offensively, Maryland is a team built similar to Boston College but different at the same time. It ranks 40th in the nation in rushing offense with 205.5 yards per game. That accounts for the majority of the offense, which ranks 94th overall. The Terrapins have struggled at times to punch the ball in the end zone, but they're not a team to take lightly in that regard at all.
"They run the ball really well and I think they're athletic on defense, very similar to us in a lot of ways," Steve Addazio said. "They may look a little different on offense because they're a little bit more spread oriented, a little bit more tempo oriented, but at the end of the day, there's a lot of the same kind of play structures."
The Terrapins use a multi-faceted rushing attack behind a number of different players. Kenneth Goins has appeared in all 50 of Maryland's games dating back to 2013, which would include the last time these teams met. Against Rutgers, he broke of a 46-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game. He complements Ty Johnson, the Terps' leading rusher with 845 yards and 8.9 yards per carry - on pace for a Maryland program record - this season.
That builds a fun matchup against the Boston College defense, which finished the season seventh in the nation against the run. The Eagles on the whole remain in the top 10 defensively in the nation, ranking eighth in total defense. While the passing defense did give up plays this year - and there are four losses that glare out off the paper to back that up - it finished with an overall body of work that's in line with what people expect out of the Eagles.
It's a one year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club. -Clark
Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. -Eddie
Defensively, Maryland will show a 3-4 defense, which is a little different from what the Eagles are used to seeing. That's going to put pressure on the BC offensive line, though it can probably key in on a couple of different players. Linebacker Jesse Aniebonam leads the team in tackles for losses (13) and sacks (nine), while nose tackle Kingsley Opara is second on the team with 11 TFLs.
They pair with two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Jermaine Carter. He's had 27 tackles over his last two games, with 15 alone against Rutgers.
"He's been very productive for us," Durkin said. "He's a guy that's an experienced player, that's done well in leading our team and leading our defense."
That said, Maryland did struggle at times and finished the season 101st against the run and 81st in the nation in total defense. If Boston College is eighth in the nation and was susceptible at times to an explosive play, then the inverse can be said about the Terrapins. Statistically, they might not be the superior unit, but they're capable of making plays and certainly capable of winning football games.
"I know that playing these guys, they're very well coached," Durkin said. "They're very sound and they're physical at the line of scrimmage. I think the story of football is that. You've got to win at the line of scrimmage. If you can be effective there on either side of the ball, you've got a chance and if not, it's an uphill battle."
***
Under the Dome
The Quick Lane Bowl is played at Ford Field, which replaced the Pontiac Silverdome as the home of the Detroit Lions in 2002.
This is the third year of the Quick Lane Bowl, which has bowl tie-ins to the Big Ten and ACC. Contrary to popular belief, it's a completely different game from the Little Caesars Bowl, which started as the Motor City Bowl back in 1997. The Detroit Lions announced the new bowl game in 2013 and are currently the only NFL team that owns, hosts and operates a college football bowl game.
Keeping in line with Detroit's "Motor City" roots, the bowl is sponsored by Quick Lane, a vehicle maintenance chain, with a welcome reception held at the Henry Ford Museum.
***
Meteorology 101
It's going to be 50 degrees on Monday with rain in the forecast in Detroit. That comes after three days of cold weather staying primarily in the 30s with cloudy skies. After the game on Monday night, the temperature is going to drop roughly 25 degrees to well below freezing.
This game's in a dome, though, so there's nothing to worry about.
***
Scoreboard Watching
There's no need to watch scoreboards for any future opponents, but there's a heavy slate of football on Dec. 26, including some pretty good matchups.
Miami University takes on Mississippi State in the only matchup of the day involving a non-Power Five school. The Redhawks and Bulldogs play in the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field at 11 a.m., better known as the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Following the Quick Lane Bowl, NC State and Vanderbilt will play in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., at 5 p.m. This is the same Independence Bowl where many rumors saw Boston College potentially playing before the Detroit game was set.
***
Prediction Time
I'm going to step aside from any predictions here since it's one game and I honestly just want to sit back and enjoy watching the last football game of the season. It's more of a moment to say thank you to the seniors who are playing in their final college football game, and for me, it's a chance to see the young guys one last time before they head into offseason development. These games have a way of going every which way and sideways.
It's been one of the most unique football seasons I've ever seen, one where some low lows were tempered by some exciting, great highs. One word that I always used was compelling and I expect nothing less from the 60 minutes in Detroit.
As a final note, this game comes one day after Christmas, so I wanted to extend my sincerest and warmest happy holidays wishes to all Boston College fans. There is still plenty of Eagles sports to come this year, but in terms of the football season, as the lights go out, I hope everyone gets a chance to surround themselves with happiness and good wishes in all that they do.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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QB
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