Four Downs: UMass

Photo by: John Quackenbos

September 02, 2018 | Football, #ForBoston Files

BC is 1-0 after rolling to a 55-21 victory on Saturday afternoon

By: Dan Rubin, BCEagles.com contributor

Though Boston College enjoyed a good chunk of preseason love, one question mark surrounded quarterback Anthony Brown. His comeback from a season-ending knee injury last year casted moments of doubt from folks outside the program on if he would be ready for UMass, even as his head coach anointed him the Week One starter. He took snaps in preseason, but he didn't have contact and only participated in limited plays during scrimmages.

He put an end to those questions, though, in fairly quick timing.

Brown posted the best single-game passer rating in over 20 years for the Eagles, and BC torched the Minutemen for a 55-21 victory on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

"We were careful with him in preseason camp, how many reps he took and (ensuring) no one touching him," Addazio said. "There were no signs it was going to be an issue, but my experience tells me that it can be. But it's over now. In terms of hesitation and not being confident, he was perfect. It worked out perfect and he exceeded my expectations relative to that."

Brown was the breakout star even though he only played the first half. He put an outlet pass in a perfect spot for AJ Dillon for the game's first score and followed it up by exhibiting perfect touch on back-to-back passes for Kobay White for another. Later, he hit tight end Jake Burt with a missile, then threaded a second touchdown to White.

He finished the day with 279 yards, a new career-high breaking his previous mark of 275 yards last season at Virginia. His four scores bested that win by one, and he threw touchdowns to three different receivers for the first time in his career.

"He played smart," Addazio said. "We don't need to be reckless now. He can be a quarterback that can be a smart runner and a smart player."

For Brown, the first start puts the questions to bed and allows for the next steps forward heading into this week.

*****
First Down: Boston College's defense

The coaching staff touted its defense's incredible depth in the preseasons, talking up the front seven, especially at linebacker. Experts further hailed the defensive backfield as arguably the best safety tandem in the nation. UMass provided a first test of that with a wide-open approach built around two quarterbacks with throwing abilities.

When tasked with making a stop, though, the defense answered in spades. It aggressively attacked and made statement tackles. Connor Strachan made three tackles alone on the very first UMass drive, including one where he drove wide receiver Brennan Dingle on a crossing route. It set the tone for pressure on quarterbacks Andrew Ford and Ross Comis, who in turn became uncomfortable by a collapsing pocket. Crashing defensive ends created opportunity for defensive tackles Ray Smith and Tanner Karafa while rushing throws out to defended passes by Taj-Amir Torres, Hamp Cheevers and others.

"They've got a quarterback that's a pretty good player," Steve Addazio said. "He's accurate and can throw the ball, and they've got a couple of really good receivers that can flat run. They've got a pretty big offensive line up front. It was a challenge, and I thought our defense played, extremely, extremely well."

The Minutemen's only success came early on their scoring drive. A pass interference penalty and a busted coverage led to a 49-yard Comis-to-Andy Isabella pass and eventual touchdown two plays later. After that, though, the Eagles cleaned house, particularly when Lukas Denis provided a goosebump-inducing, 59-yard touchdown run back on an interception as time expired.

"Before the half, you can never be caught sleeping," Denis said. "We called the play, ran it like any other situation, and they played aggressive. They threw the ball deep. (Brandon Sebastian) was great on that play. He sunk underneath it, tipped it to me, and I was able to catch it."

*****
Second Down: The Room

Assistant head coach and tight ends position coach Frank Leonard is an interviewing treasure. Before the season, he broke down his grouping by going through "The Room," taking on each player individually. On Saturday, nearly everything he said about that group came true.

Jake Burt's caught a deep ball out in space over the middle. Ray Marten came out of the back field, and the H-back caught three balls for 69 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Long's raw ability led to a 26-yard catch-and-run.

"You saw our tight ends, our receivers, our running backs," Steve Addazio said. "They were starting to load the box real, real heavy, and that's when we started throwing the ball. There was one play where everybody was open. I think (Anthony Brown) hit Kobay down the boundary, but Tommy Sweeney was 20 yards open."

*****
Halftime Hits

-Mr. Brightside has always been a personal favorite, and the Superfans singing it in unison was an organic way to keep it in my top list.

-I always loved how southern schools used cannons after touchdowns. BC introduced a bell yesterday after scores, and it was a nice touch.

-Ray Smith's interception celebration made me smile. The 300-pound defensive tackle made a diving, athletic pick, and the sideline exploded. For his part, Ray handed the ball back to the side judge very politely, then ran off pumping his arms like a kid in a candy store.

-Yesterday's "Military Day" honored Boston College's veteran's community and some of the program's involved. I would be remiss if I did not have a note thanking all servicemen and women, as well as first responders, for their service.

-Pete Kendall was Boston College's honored football alum at the end of the first quarter. I will forever remember Kendall's No. 66 sprinting into the end zone at Notre Dame Stadium, ripping off his helmet in wild celebration, as David Gordon split the uprights in the 41-39 victory over the No. 1-ranked Irish.

-A Jerome Robinson appearance is enough to bring a smile to anyone who watched him patrol Conte Forum before becoming BC's first-ever lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

*****
Third Down: Running Backs

BC fans from the early 2000s will remember former Eagle linebacker Brian Toal. Toal was a legend with a never-ending motor who was used in short-yardage situations close to a team's goal line. He ran one play and bulldozed up the middle for 12 touchdowns on 24 carries in 2005 and 2006 combined, earning him the nickname "First and Toal."

Davon Jones is now the heir apparent to that moniker, with "First and Jones" scoring two touchdowns in the first half.

"Davon is a 235-pound guy with tremendous hands and great feet and acceleration on contact," Addazio said. "We've been two-way'ing him all camp. Obviously we have AJ (Dillon) and (Travis Levy), and Travis does some unbelievable things for us. Then we have Davon, who's another big, physical guy who is going to hit you and drive you back."

BC ran packages for Jones on both sides of the ball during preseason, who joked that contact felt just as good on both offense and defense. He's a special weapon because of his size and raw horsepower, and this could be the start of something great for him this season.

*****
Fourth Down: UMass

This was very clearly the most talented UMass team of Mark Whipple's second tenure, but the Minutemen just ran into a buzz saw on Saturday. For their sake, Whipple is a master of short-term memory, and he returns to the drawing board this week before heading out of state to play Georgia Southern.

"You've got to learn how to win and move forward, and too many pats on the back - at least I don't have to worry about that part this week," Whipple said. "I know this team. I've been around them. This game wasn't going to make the season or break it, but I'm excited to get these guys ready to go for a hard game down in Georgia, which is always tough to play. We're on the road, and we didn't handle the road very well today, and we've got to get ready for it."

There's an old adage that a team is never as good as its blowout wins and never as bad as its blowout losses. The Duquesne win was great for the team, and the BC loss stings and hurts, but there's no reason why UMass won't pick its head back up and move forward against a different team also named the Eagles.

"We got beat," Ross Comis said. "It's a long season, though, and we just got to move on to the next one."

Boston College fans can root for UMass knowing it's a good thing for the Bay State. The Eagles are the "state champions," but an improving infrastructure for college football in the state helps build that reputation on a national scale.

"We realize we have ten more games, so we know what we have to do," Comis said. "We're going to play next week and use this loss to help us build momentum."

*****
Point After: Holy Cross

This week will provide a glimpse back into the past when Holy Cross comes to Alumni Stadium. For older fans, it will be a chance to relive past days, while newer and younger fans can learn about college football from two classic teams who engaged in a heated rivalry before the present day's hype and bright lights.

Holy Cross, though, will come into the game after suffering a Patriot League defeat to Colgate. The Raiders scored 24 first half points before holding off a storming Crusader rush in the second half for a 24-17 victory.

Next Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra.