Four Downs: Pittsburgh

Any lingering questions about what a bowl bid meant quickly evaporated in the aftermath of Boston College's win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night. The Eagles already started the celebration by rolling perfect strikes into human pins. The cheers echoed through the Heinz Field bowels, and head coach Steve Addazio probably heard them as he walked through the hallways. He was the last person into the locker room, and as he entered the raucous room, he nudged center Alec Lindstrom.

That was the last time anyone saw Addazio for a few moments. A sea of white jerseys and maroon pants swamped him, and the cheers grew ever louder. It was pure pandemonium, a display of unbridled joy and a deeply personal moment for a coach, his players, and a team that just wanted one more chance to take the field together.

"I looked around that room at the personal stories," Addazio said. "I thanked God to be in the opportunity to be in the business that I'm in. It was special. Money can't buy that moment. Nobody understands that moment. That's one of the great feelings that there is (in sports). This is one of the greatest moments of my college coaching career because this team loved each other and fought for each other."

Saturday's win was a watershed moment for this year's football team. The preseason began with forced discussion about 2018's disappointing finish. The team earned a momentum-building victory over Virginia Tech in the first week, but revealing issues reared their ugly heads in the loss to Kansas. The midseason roller coaster wins made the team look like world beaters, while the losses threatened bowl eligibility. A backloaded, brutal schedule tested the collective BC spirit, and consecutive losses cast very real anxiety over the team's ability to become bowl eligible.

All of that went away in that moment. That group of players, the ones that labored through those practices and invested all of those hours, earned their way into a bowl game for Boston College.

"I care about being with our guys," said an emotional Addazio. "That's the most important thing to me. It's not about me. It's about them. We learned great life lessons, and we learned how to overcome unbelievable adversity. When they walk out of this university, they're going to be better equipped to understand loyalty and faithfulness. That's what I believe. That's really important."

The Eagles now await the conclusion of the conference championship weekend before learning their bowl assignment. It's their fourth consecutive bowl berth and sixth in the last seven years, a streak nearly on par with the 11 straight games during the era that began in the Big East and ended right before Addazio's arrival. In an era of super conferences, it's an accomplishment worth celebrating.

More than that, though, it's one more opportunity for these players to suit up together. It's another game. It's a month's time of practice to improve and continue development. It's another chance to just put that uniform on. Any athlete who has ever played a sport knows what that means. It's invaluable, and in an era where more than half of college football's teams advance to a postseason game, it's a way for this program to continue keeping pace in its quest to improve.

Here's other pieces picked up from the Boston College victory on Saturday evening at the Giant Ketchup Bottle:

*****
First Down: AJ Dillon

Something about this game screamed AJ Dillon's name. Pittsburgh entered the game with a top-10 defense and boasted one of the nation's most stout run defenses. Dillon, ever the competitor, always talked about embracing challenges like that, so the built-in drama of the season's last game, combined with the hanging shadow of bowl eligibility, created a dream scenario.

He answered the bell as only he could, posting arguably his finest performance of the year with 178 yards as part of a larger 264-yard performance by the team. It was his seventh 150-yard game of the season and 20th time breaking over 100 yards in his career. His 61-yard touchdown run provided a throwback performance to so many games over the past three seasons, and he finished off the game by carrying defenders forward in a bulldozer effort for the sticks.

"Nothing was more pronounced than at the end of the game," Addazio said of Dillon's effort. "AJ ran like a beast. We needed first downs. He was slamming into defenders, and he was getting four, five, and six yards per carry. That happens with complete unselfishness, when the team is more important than one's self."

He went over 1,600 yards on Saturday, and his 14 touchdowns matches his single season total from that electric freshman season. He already holds the career record for yards and touchdowns, and he's officially the first BC running back with 4,000 career yards. He's two touchdowns away from becoming the first Eagle runner with 40 career scores. Saturday marked one of his finest performances in full sync with a cohesive offensive line, and his vision and anticipation didn't miss a single beat.

Dillon's future decision isn't exactly a secret question. He's been all over draft boards since his freshman season, and the NFL Draft awaits if he chooses to declare. It's a deeply personal decision between the athlete, the person, his family, his coaches and everyone who knows, loves, and respects him.

It made Saturday's performance all the more sweeter. BC needed a strong day from its biggest star. It got something better than that. It got a perfect day. If that's one of the last times AJ Dillon is in the Eagle backfield, then there's no better way to appreciate what he brought to the table.

*****
Second Down: BC Defense

The entire defense began the regular season with a well-placed, giant spotlight on it after the well-documented departures of its entire core. The question mark surrounded it exploded into full blown disappointment after Kansas, and the roller coaster ride of inconsistency was as frustrating for the personnel in the locker room as it was to watch. Even within a game, the drive-to-drive consistency simply wasn't there over the first 11 games, and the hallmarks of the BC defense - stingy chaos combined with turnovers - felt like a missing link after the year started strong against Virginia Tech.

In true fashion, it came together against Pittsburgh. The ball-hawking defense forced three fumbles and recorded an interception, holding the Panther offense to just 394 yards. Vincent Davis and AJ Davis found no traction against the defensive front, and the secondary took away the long ball for most of the afternoon against quarterback Kenny Pickett.

"Our defense rallied and created turnovers and sacks," Addazio stated. "That defense has been coming and coming at the end (of the season). Their effort showed their improvement level, which was really cool to watch."

Isaiah McDuffie, who returned late in the season from an injury, recorded 13 tackles, including more than two for a loss, with two sacks. Tanner Karafa recorded a sack. Nolan Borgersen, a converted wide receiver, recorded a sack. Younger talents like Vinny DePalma and Elijah Jones got into the tackle category, and Tate Haynes played arguably his best game of the season. In a telling sign, BC had 51 tackles and four sacks, but Max Richardson was held to only four solo strikes.

"We lost John Lamot two days ago," Addazio said. "We finally got Isaiah back. Through it all, nobody ever made excuses, and (they) pulled together. That defense rebuilt part of the process as the offense took hits, but we kept pushing forward."

*****
Halftime Hits

-Dennis Grosel stands to become the 16th different quarterback to start a bowl game for Boston College. He will join, from recent to past: Darius Wade, Patrick Towles, Tyler Murphy, Chase Rettig, Dave Shinskie, Dominique Davis, Matt Ryan, Paul Peterson, Brian St. Pierre, Tim Hasselbeck, Mark Hartsell, Glenn Foley, Shawn Halloran, Doug Flutie, Mike Holovak, and Charlie O'Rourke.

-It's a cruel irony for Anthony Brown, who was injured during the 2017 and 2019 seasons. Brown's one bowl start is stricken from the record books, and injuries cost him the Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa (Wade) and this year's game.

-BC went 4-0 against old Big East opponents this year, beating Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pitt. The last time the Eagles beat all those teams was 1993, the first time all four of those teams were in the Big East together.

-This was the third time BC clinched a bowl eligibility on the road in the Addazio era. In 2014, a win over Virginia Tech cleared the hurdle with three games left in the year, and in 2016, the Eagles beat Wake Forest in the last week of the season. In 2017, BC clinched bowl eligibility in a neutral site game against UConn at Fenway Park. Last season, the Eagles had bowl eligibility wrapped up by the end of October with their thrilling, Red Bandanna Game win over No. 25 Miami.

*****
Third Down: Aaron Boumerhi

I can recall, with vivid clarity, every clutch golf shot I've ever made. I can also recall, with vivid clarity, every time I've shanked a routine, three-foot putt. I cannot recall, with any memory whatsoever, the times I've hit a routine drive, approach shot, or regular putt.

That's essentially the life of kickers. They can remember booming the 50-yard bombs and can recall missing a 30-yard field goal with no wind, but they probably can't remember the time they chipped a 24-yard field goal right between the uprights.

It makes it important to point out Aaron Boumerhi's performance on Saturday afternoon. Boumerhi went 4-for-4 to become the first BC kicker with four made field goals since Nate Freese in 2011. None of his field goals were particularly long, but the routine nature of putting 12 points on the board from 35 yards-and-in is particularly noteworthy.

"Boomer made a bunch of field goals," commented Addazio. "He looked strong."

Boumerhi spent most of this season recovering from an injury that robbed him of his 2018 season at Temple. Strictly by the numbers, his 70.6% field goal percentage isn't anything like his 2016 season when he went 15-of-17 with a near-perfect 5-for-6 from beyond 40 yards, but the long-season improvement clearly made him better as the year went on. He only missed two field goals after NC State, and both came against Florida State. Prior to that, he had been on a run where he booked kicks against Richmond, Rutgers, Wake Forest and Louisville, going over 40 yards in two of those games.

He also stands to shatter the record for point after tries converted. His 45 made kicks rank second among all kickers for a single season record behind the record first set by Kevin Snow in 1984 and then tied by Steve Aponavicius in 2007. But both Snow and Aponavicius missed kicks in those respective seasons. Even the players Boumerhi pulled in front of - David Gordon in 1993 and Fred Steinfort in 1974 - both missed one kick.

*****
Fourth Down: Bowl Procedure Explained

North Carolina joined Boston College as the final two bowl eligible ACC schools after blowing through NC State, 41-10. The duo's 6-6 records pushed the conference to 10 eligible teams, thereby hitting the appropriate number to satisfy the minimum tie-ins for the conference.

I've explained the structure before, but it bears context given BC's eligibility into conference championship weekend.

The ACC champion is contractually obligated to the Orange Bowl unless the College Football Playoff is involved. The champion is not automatically slotted when the CFP uses the game as a semifinal, and likewise, the champion is slotted into a different game if it qualifies for the semifinal. This year, the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl are the CFP semifinal games, with the winners advancing to a neutral site, unaffiliated stadium, similar to the Super Bowl.

In years like this one, where the Orange Bowl is not a semifinalist, the CFP committee is obligated to send the next-highest ranked ACC team to the game if an ACC team advances to the semifinals.

Every other bowl falls into a selection order after the committee determines those New Year's Six games. The Camping World Bowl goes first for the next highest-seeded ACC team before four games form a Tier One of equal status games. Three of those games - the Belk Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl, and the Sun Bowl - are already established. The fourth is either the Music City Bowl or the Gator Bowl.

Selection to these bowls is done by the respective game committees in conjunction with the conference and the television partner, which for the most part is ESPN. It's designed to provide the best atmosphere geographically while maintaining a competitive balance for fun, hard-fought football games.

Once the Tier One games are filled, three "additional bowls" follow: the Military Bowl, the Independence Bowl, and the Quick Lane Bowl.

Those are the ACC's base games, but several caveats potentially impact the selection structure. The ACC plays the highest-available team from the SEC or the Big Ten, or Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Both the SEC and the Big Ten have obligations to the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl, respectively, with similar setups to the Orange Bowl. If the conference champion advances to the CFP, the next-best team goes to those respective games. After obligations are fulfilled, the next-highest team goes into the Orange Bowl from that larger pool.

If the ACC plays the Big Ten in the Orange Bowl under this setup, the ACC absorbs the Citrus Bowl. This happened in 2016 and 2017 when Michigan and Wisconsin went to the Orange Bowl. The Citrus bowl defaulted to the ACC that year, and it jumps the Camping World Bowl in the ACC bowl selection order.

There's also the Notre Dame factor. Notre Dame is an independent for New Year's Six game purposes, but if the Fighting Irish don't qualify, they default into the ACC bowl selection order. So that's one extra team into the mix that could qualify for the Camping World Bowl over a team like Virginia Tech or, like it did in 2017, go to the Citrus Bowl.

There's also a caveat tied to the Gator Bowl/Music City Bowl switch. The SEC plays either the Big Ten or the ACC in both games as part of a scheduling arrangement. The two bowls jointly determine which league is represented as part of the bowl structure, working with the league.

*****
PAT: Throwing Darts

So here's my completely uneducated, no-inside-information look into how I think the ACC breaks down. The most fun part of all of this is how the CFP rankings and other conference championship games might actually impact BC's bowl selection, which is really wild to think about. It's impossible to dive into too many details before the CFP rankings come out this week, so I'll avoid going into the thick of scenarios, no matter how fun they are.

I think Virginia is in the Orange Bowl, regardless of what happens next week. The Cavaliers can clinch it with a win over Clemson, but a Tiger win sends the team back to the CFP, and assuming Virginia remains the next-highest ranked ACC team sends it to the Orange Bowl.

That means Virginia Tech goes to the Camping World Bowl, unless Notre Dame defaults back into the ACC order. There's a very real possibility of that happening since the Irish ranked behind a number of Big Ten and SEC schools in the last CFP rankings. The Citrus Bowl becomes a factor here, if the rankings shake down, but that requires a chaotic, nuanced look at what the CFP committee might do. To be honest, I have no idea how it's going to shake down, even with the conference championships coming up.

The next four teams go to the Tier One games. In a perfect world, that means Louisville, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh would go here, leaving a number of 6-6 teams with .500 conference records to fight out for that last Tier One spot. Hypothetically, that gives BC a chance at the Pinstripe Bowl again or something like the Gator Bowl or Sun Bowl.

Unfortunately, I think the logjam is going to break down against BC. If Notre Dame defaults into the ACC order and the league doesn't absorb the Citrus Bowl, I think the Irish go to the Camping World Bowl and the Hokies wind up in Tier One. That all but assures less 6-6 teams in Tier One, pushing them back into the additional games segment.

The problem there is that there are only three games, though there are secondary bowls available in a game like the Gasparilla Bowl. This is similar to what happened last year, and it's going to cause some hectic decision-making at the conference level.

I really don't know where the Eagles are going to land. My gut, without having had a single conversation with anyone, says the Military Bowl or the Quick Lane Bowl at least make sense. But last year, I thought the Sun Bowl made sense and the ACC went off the board to send the Eagles to the First Responder Bowl. So there's always the possibility of working something out with the TV partners and other bowl games to slot the Eagles into an attractive game against a competitive opponent.

The point is that there are going to be tons of rumors floating around, but until it's formally announced, nobody can truly know where the Eagles are going to play. It doesn't really matter at the end of the day, since these players would probably play this game on Mars if they needed to. They used their one last opportunity to create one last game.

In the end, that's what's most important.

Boston College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Nolan Borgersen

Aaron Boumerhi

Anthony Brown

Vinny DePalma

AJ Dillon

Dennis Grosel

Tate Haynes

Elijah Jones

Tanner Karafa

John Lamot

Alec Lindstrom

Isaiah McDuffie

Max Richardson

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