Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Introspective Looks Continue As Lane Stadium Looms
September 13, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Sense a season-long theme yet?
For a "fall sport," football seems to go hand-in-hand with summer characteristics. The season begins when the heat is heavy with workouts under a blazing sun. The first couple of games take place under that same heat, with cooling fans on the sidelines and water bottles requiring frequent replenishment.
By the third week of the season, however, all of that starts to change. Days get shorter. Midday heat gives way to cooler, crisper nights. There begins to rise a feeling that summer is fading away, even though it clings to its last grasps. With all due respect to House Stark, it's not quite "winter is coming," but the dog days are long gone.
On the gridiron itself, Week Three resembles nothing of Week One. Heading into the first game, there's the hope of what might come. The only way to prepare, build, and correct comes at the expense of teammates. Everything is still relatively unknown. In Week Two, there's finally a sample size.
By Week Three, a team starts forming an identity as they continue their progression.
There's that word again: progression. For the first two weeks, it's been a constant presence, an overarching presence. Now in Week Three, it's still there. It might feel like a broken record, but it's the bain of existence for a coaching staff looking to get its team up to speed - albeit quickly - in this still-young 2016 season.
"I thought offensively we needed to run the ball better than we did (against UMass)," said head coach Steve Addazio. "We've got to get that going, so I was disappointed there. (But) I was happy with the way we closed out. I'm happy with the development of our throw game. I'm really happy with the development of our defense."
Through two games, the defensive growth side is clear. With high expectations entering the season, they're still Top Gun, hanging with the best of the best, ranking sixth in the nation in rushing defense and 14th in scoring defense. As an entire unit, BC ranks third in the country, best in the ACC.Â
That's something fans probably expected. But within the lines, the team continues to improve. Against Georgia Tech, BC played tough but made a couple of mistakes against a unique offense unlike anything else they'll see this year. Against UMass, they gave up a big play, but their overall domination throttled a non-conference foe. This week, it's a newer, challenging opportunity against a talented Virginia Tech team, in a conference game doubling as their first true road test for 2016.
"Fundamentally, our defense is much-improved," said Addazio. "We've grown with great technique, not just scheme, but fundamentals. I think you can grow and get better when you do that, so I was pleased with that."
The offensive growth might not be statistically clear, but it's there. Through their first two weeks, BC faced better than average defenses for this point of the season. Georgia Tech remains a top 50 team. UMass, a non-power team who punched up in weight class against two heavyweights in its first games, ranks 63rd in total defense (tied with LSU).Â
After last year's struggles, modest growth can be cause for optimism. Entering Saturday, BC is better than more than a quarter of the ACC in both passing and rushing offenses. Their time of possession is 40th in the nation, fourth in the league, limiting opponents' possessions. That'll be huge against a Virginia Tech team entering this week 18th in the nation in total defense.
"We're a pro style attack: a pro-style run game, a pro-style throw game," said Addazio. "We're starting to get more confidence, getting more secure. There's a lot in the throw game. It's the precision routes, the ability to starcase. It's understanding the concepts, the right reads at the quarterbacks. I think the line's done a good job in protection. We've been good in both play action and drop, at least to this point. Virginia Tech is going to come after you pretty good. We've got to enter in here the crowd noise and the silent cadence, which is always a stressor for young players. But the throw game has got to develop. It gives us a good component to go to, especially if our run game's stifled a little bit. We're still running the ball, but we'd like to be running it more. We'd like to be over 200 yards rushing every game, which I feel we can be. We missed a couple of hits week one or we would've been. And last week were just terribly inconsistent."
For BC, that environment in week three - on the road, facing the legendary crowd noise at Lane Stadium - is a huge test for a still-young, developing offense. Of the 14 seniors and three graduate students on the team, six are on the offensive side of the ball, sixth fewest in the nation. Combined with some nagging injuries and dings from the trip to Ireland, there's been inconsistency, resulting in the team not being where they want to be in certain areas.
With the exception of Jon Baker, BC is still playing with an incredibly young offensive line. Sophomore Aaron Monteiro didn't play last year until the sixth week of the season. Classmate Chris Lindstrom is playing in games, but he's been unable to practice after sustaining an ankle ding in camp. Against UMass, true freshman Elijah Johnson played the majority of the game at left guard. Baker, the team's most experienced hog, is still only a junior.
"I think we're talented," said Addazio. "It's going to be a really good offensive line. We're just really young right now. I just think it takes time to develop. Usually when you have a line full of guys who have played for two years and they're going into a third year, you really start to have a strong line and that fourth year you're really strong. We have one guy who's in his third year and the rest of them are not. There are 11 freshmen and sophomores making up the majority of our offense. It takes time.
"Our defense is a little older than our offense," he continued. "We have more seniors, juniors in the defense, just like it was flipped the first two years here: we had more veterans on offense, especially up front on our offensive line. But the talent's in place. I feel really great about our guys. It's a race to mature and soak and develop, It's a footrace. But I like our talent. I really do. There's a great foundation there. But it's got to grow. And it will. It is. (They have) great attiude. (They are a) great bunch of guys."
The Eagles and Hokies renew their rivalry on Saturday in Blacksburg at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Â
By the third week of the season, however, all of that starts to change. Days get shorter. Midday heat gives way to cooler, crisper nights. There begins to rise a feeling that summer is fading away, even though it clings to its last grasps. With all due respect to House Stark, it's not quite "winter is coming," but the dog days are long gone.
On the gridiron itself, Week Three resembles nothing of Week One. Heading into the first game, there's the hope of what might come. The only way to prepare, build, and correct comes at the expense of teammates. Everything is still relatively unknown. In Week Two, there's finally a sample size.
By Week Three, a team starts forming an identity as they continue their progression.
There's that word again: progression. For the first two weeks, it's been a constant presence, an overarching presence. Now in Week Three, it's still there. It might feel like a broken record, but it's the bain of existence for a coaching staff looking to get its team up to speed - albeit quickly - in this still-young 2016 season.
"I thought offensively we needed to run the ball better than we did (against UMass)," said head coach Steve Addazio. "We've got to get that going, so I was disappointed there. (But) I was happy with the way we closed out. I'm happy with the development of our throw game. I'm really happy with the development of our defense."
Through two games, the defensive growth side is clear. With high expectations entering the season, they're still Top Gun, hanging with the best of the best, ranking sixth in the nation in rushing defense and 14th in scoring defense. As an entire unit, BC ranks third in the country, best in the ACC.Â
That's something fans probably expected. But within the lines, the team continues to improve. Against Georgia Tech, BC played tough but made a couple of mistakes against a unique offense unlike anything else they'll see this year. Against UMass, they gave up a big play, but their overall domination throttled a non-conference foe. This week, it's a newer, challenging opportunity against a talented Virginia Tech team, in a conference game doubling as their first true road test for 2016.
"Fundamentally, our defense is much-improved," said Addazio. "We've grown with great technique, not just scheme, but fundamentals. I think you can grow and get better when you do that, so I was pleased with that."
The offensive growth might not be statistically clear, but it's there. Through their first two weeks, BC faced better than average defenses for this point of the season. Georgia Tech remains a top 50 team. UMass, a non-power team who punched up in weight class against two heavyweights in its first games, ranks 63rd in total defense (tied with LSU).Â
After last year's struggles, modest growth can be cause for optimism. Entering Saturday, BC is better than more than a quarter of the ACC in both passing and rushing offenses. Their time of possession is 40th in the nation, fourth in the league, limiting opponents' possessions. That'll be huge against a Virginia Tech team entering this week 18th in the nation in total defense.
"We're a pro style attack: a pro-style run game, a pro-style throw game," said Addazio. "We're starting to get more confidence, getting more secure. There's a lot in the throw game. It's the precision routes, the ability to starcase. It's understanding the concepts, the right reads at the quarterbacks. I think the line's done a good job in protection. We've been good in both play action and drop, at least to this point. Virginia Tech is going to come after you pretty good. We've got to enter in here the crowd noise and the silent cadence, which is always a stressor for young players. But the throw game has got to develop. It gives us a good component to go to, especially if our run game's stifled a little bit. We're still running the ball, but we'd like to be running it more. We'd like to be over 200 yards rushing every game, which I feel we can be. We missed a couple of hits week one or we would've been. And last week were just terribly inconsistent."
For BC, that environment in week three - on the road, facing the legendary crowd noise at Lane Stadium - is a huge test for a still-young, developing offense. Of the 14 seniors and three graduate students on the team, six are on the offensive side of the ball, sixth fewest in the nation. Combined with some nagging injuries and dings from the trip to Ireland, there's been inconsistency, resulting in the team not being where they want to be in certain areas.
With the exception of Jon Baker, BC is still playing with an incredibly young offensive line. Sophomore Aaron Monteiro didn't play last year until the sixth week of the season. Classmate Chris Lindstrom is playing in games, but he's been unable to practice after sustaining an ankle ding in camp. Against UMass, true freshman Elijah Johnson played the majority of the game at left guard. Baker, the team's most experienced hog, is still only a junior.
"I think we're talented," said Addazio. "It's going to be a really good offensive line. We're just really young right now. I just think it takes time to develop. Usually when you have a line full of guys who have played for two years and they're going into a third year, you really start to have a strong line and that fourth year you're really strong. We have one guy who's in his third year and the rest of them are not. There are 11 freshmen and sophomores making up the majority of our offense. It takes time.
"Our defense is a little older than our offense," he continued. "We have more seniors, juniors in the defense, just like it was flipped the first two years here: we had more veterans on offense, especially up front on our offensive line. But the talent's in place. I feel really great about our guys. It's a race to mature and soak and develop, It's a footrace. But I like our talent. I really do. There's a great foundation there. But it's got to grow. And it will. It is. (They have) great attiude. (They are a) great bunch of guys."
The Eagles and Hokies renew their rivalry on Saturday in Blacksburg at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Â
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 11,2026
Saturday, April 11
Football: Zeke Moore Media Availability (April 10, 2026)
Friday, April 10
Football: Bill O'Brien Media Availability (April 10, 2026)
Friday, April 10
Football: Favor Bate Media Availability (April 10, 2026)
Friday, April 10
