Something To Prove and Nothing To Lose

Up in the Red Mountains stands the largest iron-ore statue in the world. It's part of a namesake park for the Roman god Vulcan, an intimidating sight atop a pedestal overlooking the city of Birmingham, Alabama. His left works a forge with a hammer and anvil, while his right hand holds a spear, which was once a lit torch before renovations replaced it.

Vulcan is the god of fire and forge, which itself is a perfect metaphor for Boston College football. This past week introduced the Eagles to their new head coach, Jeff Hafley. It represented the passing of the torch, a spear pointing the team forward into a new era. But behind the scenes, the work didn't end as BC continues to pound away in practice to finish the 2019 season with a perfectly-smelted seventh win in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.

"This is new for us, where it's so long to the bowl game from the end of the season," interim head coach Rich Gunnell said last week. "So I try to throw some curveballs in there to keep it fun and competitive. We simulated overtime at the end (of some practices) to give the guys some juice and give them something to fight for."

Bowl game qualification is incredibly important to the participating teams because it becomes the official last game of the season. It's the last chance for outgoing players and graduating seniors to play one more game with their teammates, extending those last, final football moments for a month. The percentage of players carving out professional careers is infinitesimally small, so the game is a critical stamp on careers dating back as far as childhood.

It's a legacy builder for men with a desire to leave the program in a better state for younger players. The extra practice time is their development time, and it can create a chasm between the eligible and ineligible programs. Teams without a bowl game are already entering their offseason training and spring phases, while destination teams are building for the future. It can create a chasm between the eligible and ineligible teams because of the coachability of the younger players.

That's been the stress point for the BC bowl preparation. The public face of the program will change after Hafley departs Ohio State at the conclusion of the College Football Playoff, levying unavoidable conversation about the current limbo. The incoming coach will install his own game plan, language and fundamentals, using his own mentality to hardwire the team in his own, personal image. That's awkward for the current state, which has one game left in its form.

It's the current staff's credit, then, how the team's attitude approaches this game. The BC practice mentality remains as workmanlike as ever, a credit to the single mindedness of the current coaching staff. To keep things lighthearted, Gunnell instituted fun mini games in practice. Offensive and defensive linemen took punt returns in their hulking hog pads, and overtime, two-minute drill situations ratcheted up the intensity. It relaxed the coachability of the younger players and returning starters, all of whom are continuing to press forward with their own fundamentals.

"There's some responsibility (to maintain order), but it's easy with the group of guys that we have," Gunnell said. "We have high character kids, so it's easy to flow in the right direction. We have a tough, high-character team, and it's something they carry on. BC guys were the same when I played. That hasn't changed."

"I'm trying to personally get back to my fundamentals," offensive lineman Alec Lindstrom said. "I'm working on my steps, to reset my steps, and I'm trying different things with punches and hand placement. There's some things that you can lose during the season, so this is just about working on getting back to them.

"Some stuff, I tried something new," he laughed. "Then I realized I'm never doing that again."

It also doesn't hurt to have a game as an end goal. The Birmingham Bowl is BC's second consecutive postseason game against a nationally-ranked opponent, and Cincinnati is one of the most powerful Group of Five teams. The Bearcats harbored New Year's Six bowl aspirations through the season's final weeks, straight through a conference championship loss to Memphis on the season's final day. A good chunk of analysts also placed the American Athletic Conference over the ACC in this year's postseason conference power rankings, so this is an opportunity for BC to represent the entire conference against a primary foe.

Internally, it's BC's shot at redemption after last year's weather-induced cancellation in the First Responder Bowl. Playing a nationally-ranked opponent echoes the 2001 Music City Bowl when BC beat No. 16 Georgia, 20-16, to springboard into the national hemisphere. That game broke a 22-game losing streak against ranked opponents and led directly to a 5-2 stretch against ranked opponents between 2002-2004.

BC doesn't harbor a long drought against ranked opponents because of its win over Miami last year. But Cincinnati is ranked in every poll and finished the season in the CFP rankings, a decided advantage over the Hurricanes, who at the time ranked just No. 25 in the coaches' poll. It's a note Eagle detractors are quick to point out, and it places added emphasis to win this game and end any and all discussion entering the postseason.

"Spring ball is tough because you're playing for much," quarterback Dennis Grosel said. "It takes a little bit more to focus on (practice) and get some skill, but (bowl practice) has a game at the end of it. There's a little bit more motivation. The young guys are working, putting in new stuff. It's a similar feel, but there's something different at the end of it."

All of that lives and breathes behind the scenes. It's away from the bright lights of the new coach announcement. On Thursday, Coach Gunnell flew to Birmingham and enjoyed a photo opportunity with Cincinnati's Luke Fickell. They stood around a trophy fashioned as a replica Vulcan Statue as the first look into the bowl game between two northern schools. It very much represented the end of the current era, which goes into its final game with a sense of relaxed joy, a feeling where there's something to prove and nothing to lose.
"This is Rich Gunnell's first time as a head coach," defensive back Brandon Sebastian said. "So we're just having fun right now, working on getting better. There's a little bit of a relief (to be back to football), but guys have their heads on straight. We're just going out there, getting ready for each day."

Boston College and No. 21 Cincinnati will play in the 2019 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on January 2 at 3 p.m. The game can be seen on national television on ESPN with radio broadcast on the BC IMG Radio Network, locally on WEEI 93.7 FM.

Players Mentioned

Dennis Grosel

Alec Lindstrom

Brandon Sebastian

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