Photo by: John Quackenbos
Four Downs: Jay McGillis Spring Game
April 06, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
It's one small taste of what lies in the days ahead as BC barrels towards August
It was hard to ignore the light-hearted atmosphere of the Jay McGillis Spring Game on Saturday afternoon. The different scoring combined with roster depth showcase to enable some breathing room for Boston College's regular football starting lineup. The perfect spring conditions splashed Chestnut Hill in 65 degrees of sunshine, creating a celebration of maroon and gold football.
"It was a quick two series (for me)," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "It was fun just being out there. There's a better atmosphere being outside since we've been inside all spring. This is one of the best turnouts (of fans) that we've ever had at a spring game, and it made me really excited to get back out (on the field). I'm ready to go."
Brown will unfortunately need to wait another four to five months until he can suit up for real again, but there was no questioning the exuberance surrounding the offense's 71-55 victory over the defense under modified scoring. He completed three of his five passing attempts before yielding snaps to five other signal callers. Redshirt freshman Matt Valecce led that room, going 9-of-11 for 78 yards, and Matt McDonald went 5-of-9 for 58 yards.
"We took a huge step this spring from a learning standpoint," Brown said. "We lost a lot of people, and there were a lot of experienced players (among those that departed). The inexperienced, young guys stepped up and learned (different aspects of the game). They executed on the field. It was surprising, but I'm excited to see (all of them) this year."
It was the culmination of a different kind of spring that rebooted and refreshed BC's collective outlook. The intensity never waned, but these practice sessions felt a little bit different than the past. Past springs felt like a springboard of a rebuilding program, but this year represented the next step in the evolution of how success is measured.
The starting lineup looked to develop new skills, but this spring brought a different kind of measured development of younger players who can begin the process of training to augment and, in some cases, replace older players who will rotate to the NFL.
"We let a lot of the young guys play," head coach Steve Addazio said. "They had a chance to go out there to play. It's fun to watch that. You have a chance to see them in a different environment than just practice."
Spring practice closed, and BC's players will step aside for the next few months before regrouping in August. The Eagles' next practice kicks off the start of the 2019 regular season. The intensity and outlook will shift as it crests on the horizon, but for now, it's simply great to watch football once more.
Here's some of what else was part of happened during Saturday's spring game:
*****
First Down: Running Backs
The observers and supporters who watched Saturday's spring game probably expected a healthy dose of the rushing attack for the offense, but they also probably wanted a couple of AJ Dillon stiff-arms and breakaways. Dillon sat out, but those in attendance were still treated to a number of different running back performances when Javian Dayne, David Bailey and Peter Stehr plowed for 264 yards on over 50 combined carries.
"That whole room is very talented from size to speed to vision," Anthony Brown said. "(All our running backs) are very versatile. I have no worries for them. They're amazing. David Bailey dropped 10 pounds of bad weight and put it all into muscle. He's faster, and he's making quicker cuts. But that might be him just playing more and more."
For Bailey, the spring game was something of a breakout party after a freshman season in which he gained 253 yards on 57 carries. He enjoyed a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter on Saturday, flashing a little bit of speed and agility that he didn't have when he was a 250-pound rumbler last season.
"I've been working on speed during spring ball," Bailey said. "I lost a little bit of weight coming into this season. I was 240 pound this spring, and I was 250 pounds last season. So I came in right this season."
Travis Levy and Peter Stehr each added two receptions apiece, reminding everyone that the running backs are more than just power rushers who like to pound defensive linemen between the tackles.
"We have weapons all over," Bailey said. "We can all play different positions. There's always someone who can come (into a game) that's 100%. That can wear out a defense."
"We ran Travis Levy a little bit, but we didn't play Ben Glines at all," Steve Addazio said. "Ben maybe had the most impressive spring. We have some depth. We need them all. You put a lot of time in the run game, so you don't want it to become a void if something happens (to Dillon). We have a real group that we can utilize."
*****
Second Down: Offensive Line
The offensive line entered the 2019 spring as one of BC's two biggest question marks, but Saturday highlighted some of what Steve Addazio sought to build when he accepted the rebuilding project back in 2013. Losing players like Chris Lindstrom and others hurt, but there's now an appreciation for the cycle that develops new players to replace the ones that inevitably leave.
"The (offensive line) has done a great job all spring," Steve Addazio said. "They've been consistent all spring. John Phillips has done an unbelievable job. Alec Lindstrom has done well. Anthony Palazzolo has done well. Tyler Vrabel is doing well. We'll be good up front."
It's easy to forget that there is still experience along the line that developed as a result of the 2017 regular season. Palazzolo and Phillips are redshirt seniors, and Ben Petrula has been a starter since arriving on campus. Petrula infamously became a center following Jon Baker's injury two years ago, playing the position as a true freshman despite never taking a snap.
It sets up a summer where players will continue to work on themselves individually, with the hope of hitting August's practice session at full speed in time for the opening game against Virginia Tech.
"Everything we didn't accomplish in spring ball (means) we want to work at it all summer," Anthony Brown said. "We want to be as flawless as possible in the fall. Nobody can be perfect, but that's what we work for."
*****
Third Down: Defensive Backs
The mass departure of last year's defensive backfield created the same kind of opportunity in the secondary, where players continued to jostle for playing time all spring. Saturday gave a glimpse at the same type of seamless transition for the DBs as along the trenches, and it introduced observers to the different names who will dot the gridiron this fall.
Tate Haynes returned a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Mike Palmer took an interception back for a 36-yard return in the third quarter to highlight the unit's new flash. They played alongside Brandon Sebastian, who saw substantial snaps against sideline receivers last year, and Elijah Jones, a redshirt freshman with incredible length at six feet, three inches.
"Tate's had a great spring," Steve Addazio said. "Brandon Sebastian and Elijah Jones are talented guys. We've lost some talent, but there's talent there (in the unit). Tate's at the top of the list of guys who had a great spring."
This is one of the biggest units in recent BC history; Haynes, Sebastian and Palmer are all over six feet tall and are pushing 200 pounds, and young players like Jahmin Muse have "truck stick size." All have multiple years in the BC program, and with redshirt freshman Jason Maitre, there should be a seamless transition from last year's roster departures. In the fourth quarter, Nolan Borgersen used his six-foot, two-inch frame to record a forced fumble that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown.
*****
Fourth Down: Attitude is Everything
Steve Addazio once described spring football as a "springboard" out of bowl season into the regular season. It's the time of year when the Eagles finally put the departures of the previous season into the history book and begin the process of building for the upcoming road ahead.
Each of the last two spring balls felt that intensity. The Eagles came out of a bowl game victory in 2016 and used spring ball to retool its offense in preparation for a run at an upper-tier bowl game in 2017. Then came the Pinstripe Bowl loss, which segued to a spring practice in 2018 that prepped the team for a return to national prominence.
BC is now ready to continue to be a player in the national conversation, so this year's spring ball became about refreshing for a run at any lofty expectations. It's more about sustaining success instead of simply having one week ranked here and there. The Eagles enter the upcoming season with known commodities, and there's the potential to do something really special in the ACC this season. There's a groundswell of support for this team, and Anthony Brown acknowledged it when talking about the turnout for Saturday's spring game.
"I used to be one of these kids (running around Alumni Stadium)," he said. "You just pay your respect (to them). One of these kids will be one of us signing a football. You have fun and have respect (for that)."
That attitude goes well beyond the fans. The attitude and atmosphere felt different because of a closeness in the locker room that permeated each practice. The genuine affection and combined personality of the players on the field gives a collaborative approach capable of overpowering anything that would have resembled a depth chart caste system.
"AJ Dillon is like my big brother," David Bailey said. "After everything, we're joking around. On the field, we're serious, but he's like a big brother to all of us. After every play, he was saying, 'Good job" and telling us all what we can do."
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"It was a quick two series (for me)," quarterback Anthony Brown said. "It was fun just being out there. There's a better atmosphere being outside since we've been inside all spring. This is one of the best turnouts (of fans) that we've ever had at a spring game, and it made me really excited to get back out (on the field). I'm ready to go."
Brown will unfortunately need to wait another four to five months until he can suit up for real again, but there was no questioning the exuberance surrounding the offense's 71-55 victory over the defense under modified scoring. He completed three of his five passing attempts before yielding snaps to five other signal callers. Redshirt freshman Matt Valecce led that room, going 9-of-11 for 78 yards, and Matt McDonald went 5-of-9 for 58 yards.
"We took a huge step this spring from a learning standpoint," Brown said. "We lost a lot of people, and there were a lot of experienced players (among those that departed). The inexperienced, young guys stepped up and learned (different aspects of the game). They executed on the field. It was surprising, but I'm excited to see (all of them) this year."
It was the culmination of a different kind of spring that rebooted and refreshed BC's collective outlook. The intensity never waned, but these practice sessions felt a little bit different than the past. Past springs felt like a springboard of a rebuilding program, but this year represented the next step in the evolution of how success is measured.
The starting lineup looked to develop new skills, but this spring brought a different kind of measured development of younger players who can begin the process of training to augment and, in some cases, replace older players who will rotate to the NFL.
"We let a lot of the young guys play," head coach Steve Addazio said. "They had a chance to go out there to play. It's fun to watch that. You have a chance to see them in a different environment than just practice."
Spring practice closed, and BC's players will step aside for the next few months before regrouping in August. The Eagles' next practice kicks off the start of the 2019 regular season. The intensity and outlook will shift as it crests on the horizon, but for now, it's simply great to watch football once more.
Here's some of what else was part of happened during Saturday's spring game:
*****
First Down: Running Backs
The observers and supporters who watched Saturday's spring game probably expected a healthy dose of the rushing attack for the offense, but they also probably wanted a couple of AJ Dillon stiff-arms and breakaways. Dillon sat out, but those in attendance were still treated to a number of different running back performances when Javian Dayne, David Bailey and Peter Stehr plowed for 264 yards on over 50 combined carries.
"That whole room is very talented from size to speed to vision," Anthony Brown said. "(All our running backs) are very versatile. I have no worries for them. They're amazing. David Bailey dropped 10 pounds of bad weight and put it all into muscle. He's faster, and he's making quicker cuts. But that might be him just playing more and more."
For Bailey, the spring game was something of a breakout party after a freshman season in which he gained 253 yards on 57 carries. He enjoyed a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter on Saturday, flashing a little bit of speed and agility that he didn't have when he was a 250-pound rumbler last season.
"I've been working on speed during spring ball," Bailey said. "I lost a little bit of weight coming into this season. I was 240 pound this spring, and I was 250 pounds last season. So I came in right this season."
Travis Levy and Peter Stehr each added two receptions apiece, reminding everyone that the running backs are more than just power rushers who like to pound defensive linemen between the tackles.
"We have weapons all over," Bailey said. "We can all play different positions. There's always someone who can come (into a game) that's 100%. That can wear out a defense."
"We ran Travis Levy a little bit, but we didn't play Ben Glines at all," Steve Addazio said. "Ben maybe had the most impressive spring. We have some depth. We need them all. You put a lot of time in the run game, so you don't want it to become a void if something happens (to Dillon). We have a real group that we can utilize."
*****
Second Down: Offensive Line
The offensive line entered the 2019 spring as one of BC's two biggest question marks, but Saturday highlighted some of what Steve Addazio sought to build when he accepted the rebuilding project back in 2013. Losing players like Chris Lindstrom and others hurt, but there's now an appreciation for the cycle that develops new players to replace the ones that inevitably leave.
"The (offensive line) has done a great job all spring," Steve Addazio said. "They've been consistent all spring. John Phillips has done an unbelievable job. Alec Lindstrom has done well. Anthony Palazzolo has done well. Tyler Vrabel is doing well. We'll be good up front."
It's easy to forget that there is still experience along the line that developed as a result of the 2017 regular season. Palazzolo and Phillips are redshirt seniors, and Ben Petrula has been a starter since arriving on campus. Petrula infamously became a center following Jon Baker's injury two years ago, playing the position as a true freshman despite never taking a snap.
It sets up a summer where players will continue to work on themselves individually, with the hope of hitting August's practice session at full speed in time for the opening game against Virginia Tech.
"Everything we didn't accomplish in spring ball (means) we want to work at it all summer," Anthony Brown said. "We want to be as flawless as possible in the fall. Nobody can be perfect, but that's what we work for."
*****
Third Down: Defensive Backs
The mass departure of last year's defensive backfield created the same kind of opportunity in the secondary, where players continued to jostle for playing time all spring. Saturday gave a glimpse at the same type of seamless transition for the DBs as along the trenches, and it introduced observers to the different names who will dot the gridiron this fall.
Tate Haynes returned a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Mike Palmer took an interception back for a 36-yard return in the third quarter to highlight the unit's new flash. They played alongside Brandon Sebastian, who saw substantial snaps against sideline receivers last year, and Elijah Jones, a redshirt freshman with incredible length at six feet, three inches.
"Tate's had a great spring," Steve Addazio said. "Brandon Sebastian and Elijah Jones are talented guys. We've lost some talent, but there's talent there (in the unit). Tate's at the top of the list of guys who had a great spring."
This is one of the biggest units in recent BC history; Haynes, Sebastian and Palmer are all over six feet tall and are pushing 200 pounds, and young players like Jahmin Muse have "truck stick size." All have multiple years in the BC program, and with redshirt freshman Jason Maitre, there should be a seamless transition from last year's roster departures. In the fourth quarter, Nolan Borgersen used his six-foot, two-inch frame to record a forced fumble that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown.
*****
Fourth Down: Attitude is Everything
Steve Addazio once described spring football as a "springboard" out of bowl season into the regular season. It's the time of year when the Eagles finally put the departures of the previous season into the history book and begin the process of building for the upcoming road ahead.
Each of the last two spring balls felt that intensity. The Eagles came out of a bowl game victory in 2016 and used spring ball to retool its offense in preparation for a run at an upper-tier bowl game in 2017. Then came the Pinstripe Bowl loss, which segued to a spring practice in 2018 that prepped the team for a return to national prominence.
BC is now ready to continue to be a player in the national conversation, so this year's spring ball became about refreshing for a run at any lofty expectations. It's more about sustaining success instead of simply having one week ranked here and there. The Eagles enter the upcoming season with known commodities, and there's the potential to do something really special in the ACC this season. There's a groundswell of support for this team, and Anthony Brown acknowledged it when talking about the turnout for Saturday's spring game.
"I used to be one of these kids (running around Alumni Stadium)," he said. "You just pay your respect (to them). One of these kids will be one of us signing a football. You have fun and have respect (for that)."
That attitude goes well beyond the fans. The attitude and atmosphere felt different because of a closeness in the locker room that permeated each practice. The genuine affection and combined personality of the players on the field gives a collaborative approach capable of overpowering anything that would have resembled a depth chart caste system.
"AJ Dillon is like my big brother," David Bailey said. "After everything, we're joking around. On the field, we're serious, but he's like a big brother to all of us. After every play, he was saying, 'Good job" and telling us all what we can do."
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