W2WF: Colgate

Tem Lukabu is a little bit of Boston College's man of mystery. He's the architect of a resurgent unit, but not many people can readily describe details of his journey to the Maroon and Gold, nor do they know how he became one of the fastest rising stars in the college football coaching world.

Yet it's his steady hand as BC's defensive coordinator that helped the Eagles' overall defensive rankings improve by a full third last year. He's also a big reason why that success and rise is expected to sustain itself in head coach Jeff Hafley's second season and why the season excitement continues to build as BC prepares to launch its 2021 season against Lukabu's alma mater, Colgate, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

"It'll be strange at first," Lukabu said of coaching against his alma mater. "I have some unbelievable memories there and a lot of good friends will (represent) the other side of the ball. My wife is an alum (of Colgate), too. As a whole family, it's something that's going to be strange at first, but at the end of the day, the competitive juices will take over."

Born in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lukabu previously coached linebackers for the Cincinnati Bengals when head coach Zac Taylor arrived to replace Marvin Lewis. Working under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Lukabu was part of a team that struggled to win but was competitive, dropping half of their losses by a touchdown or less.

Cincinnati marked a return to the NFL after he served as a defensive assistant at both Tampa Bay and San Francisco, but Lukabu's more frequent home career originated in the college ranks. He coached linebackers at Mississippi State and earned wins over nationally-ranked SEC opponents Auburn and Texas A&M in his one year in Starkville, a ladder that evolved from well-traveled coaching stops at Florida International, Rhode Island and others.

But before anything, Lukabu was a Colgate Raider and one of the greatest ones at that. He excelled as a linebacker for the school and captained the 2003 Patriot League championship team to an undefeated regular season. He was a two-time All-Patriot League selection and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the best defensive player in Division I-AA, and what he accomplished with that team still reverberates through the tiny town of Hamilton, New York.

It was, after all, one of the greatest seasons by any Patriot League team. Colgate extended an undefeated regular season to 15-0 with three postseason wins, and the Raiders advanced to their first Division I-AA championship playoff game. The defense held opponents to 10 points or less on seven different occasions, and the win over UMass in the postseason tournament dethroned a sleeper pick for the championship and one of the Atlantic-10 co-champions.

Top-seeded McNeese State's shocking first round exit opened the door to Colgate's side of the bracket, and wins over both Western Illinois and Florida Atlantic sent the Raiders to their first 1-AA title game appearance, where they lost to Delaware. To date, it's still the deepest run by a Patriot League team in the postseason tournament and the only national championship game appearance for a conference that began participating in the bracket in 1997.

Lukabu was a centerpiece and an all-time great, and what he accomplished at Colgate is still clearly a source of pride for him. It's the place where he met his wife and helped start his future, and, in a sports world usually composed of weird intersections, it's the school against which his BC defense will debut for 2021 on Saturday.

"We joke with him that we're going to make sure that he's not giving the playbook to the (Colgate) coaches," Hafley laughed. "All of a sudden, if he starts calling some random blitzes we don't have, then we're going to ask Tem what's really going on."

"You don't look at the logo that you're playing against," Lukabu smiled in return. "You just know that you're competing. So hopefully, for me, it'll just be a good memory after the game."

Here's what to watch as the Eagles open their 2021 season on Saturday against the FCS' Raiders:

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Weekly Storylines (Thor Edition)

Loki: Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed. This is going to take subtlety and sincerity, not brute strength. Leave it to me.

A matchup between Boston College and Colgate wouldn't surprise too many people if it was in Conte Forum for basketball or hockey, but a football game between the Eagles and Raiders is an interesting and strange pairing. It's the first meeting on the gridiron between the two schools and marks the 18th time that BC hosts a team from the Football Championship Subdivision formerly known as Division I-AA.

Colgate is the 12th different opponent appearing at Alumni Stadium since the Football Bowl Subdivision expanded to 12 games, and, as expected, none of those teams scored a win. Their appearances have been largely non-competitive, though there have been hair-raising moments over the past two decades.

UConn and UMass only lost by an average of two touchdowns per game in the early-2000s, but both were unique circumstances. The Huskies were reclassifying to the Big East at the time and won their first two games in 2003 by beating both Indiana and Army, and they nearly upset NC State later in the season with a seven-point loss in Raleigh. They won five straight games to end that season and beat both Rutgers and Wake Forest, the latter of which was a 51-17 domination.

The Minutemen, meanwhile, were on the tail end of one of their greatest eras as a I-AA powerhouse. Their 2004 team failed to generate much against BC, but they returned in 2007 as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation. BC ranked inside the top-25 in the FBS and was well on its way to the No. 2 national ranking with Matt Ryan, but the game against UMass fell at an opportune time in both teams' schedules. The Minutemen only lost by 10, their only defeat before the FCS playoffs and a national championship game appearance.

Only two teams didn't lose by huge margins, and one was still an 18-point win over Weber State in 2010. A nationally-ranked Villanova team pushed BC in 2013, but the perceived chasm between the FBS and FCS widened those scores as the likes of Maine, Rhode Island, Northeastern and Wagner paraded into Chestnut Hill. The Eagles twice scored 60 points, first against Howard in an infamous game that didn't count towards bowl eligibility in 2015 because it was the second consecutive FCS game of the season and later against Holy Cross in a renewal of an ancient rivalry.

Those are the facts, but it makes predicting this game a little bit dicier. Colgate went 4-8 in 2019 and lost both games in the weird spring FCS session while surrendering over 60 points combined. They weren't particularly competitive, and they have a new head coach for the 2021 season.

But the Raiders are barely two years removed from a 10-win season that included both a Patriot League championship and a postseason win. That new head coach is Stan Dakosty, a young, energetic coach who was a part of seven different Patriot League titles under Dick Biddle and a member of the 2003 Raiders that stands alone atop the program's history books.

Dakosty has all the qualities of a good coach and will likely lead Colgate back to its rightful spot atop the conference, and it might be an immediate improvement given the number of returning players he has on his roster. COVID-19 really hurt the FCS season the most when schools and conferences postponed football to the spring or outright canceled their seasons, and Colgate bore the brunt of playing both of its games on the road at Lafayette and Fordham.

"They do a lot of different things," Jeff Hafley said, "and they do it well. They're very, very detailed, and they make you play. You better be on (your game), or else you're going to see a guy pop out of nowhere. I have a ton of respect for their staff and the players, and we are 100 percent not taking this team for granted or lightly. We need to prepare this week as if we're preparing for the best teams that we play in the ACC. That's how we're going to do it all year, and it doesn't matter who the opponent is. We're going to respect them."

Thor: You know I had it all backwards. I had it all wrong.
Dr. Selvig: It's not a bad thing finding out that you don't have all the answers. You start asking the right questions.

All of that makes it difficult to project Colgate for the 2021 season, but the dozen or so returning starters and players on Colgate's depth chart at least enabled Hafley and his coaches to identify segments of continuity from both the 2018 championship team and the 2019 squad that won four of its last five games and three straight to end the season.

Quarterback Grant Breneman is most identifiable in that list after appearing in the lion's share of games since he arrived on campus as a freshman. The brother of former Penn State and UMass tight end Adam Breneman, he led the Raiders to the FCS playoffs by amassing 13 touchdowns in the 2018 season. He had a four-game stretch during the year where he ran for at least one touchdown, and he hit for 200 yards passing in three consecutive games in a midseason stretch against William and Mary, Bucknell and Cornell.

"There's a good variety of quarterback run game," Hafley said, "with drop-back pass and quarterback movement (with) some RPO stuff. They have it all. They can go Wildcat or go unbalanced and do a little bit of everything."

His numbers dipped a little bit in 2019 to a 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but he still amassed 1,700 yards. He then played in both games in the spring and threw at least 30 passes, but it's truly hard to read his performances in either game - especially the four interceptions against Fordham. With the return of his leading receiver Garrett Oakey, it stands to reason he will be improved and better from the last two years.

"We watched the 2019 film and watched the two games from the spring," Hafley said, "so we watched it all. We got a chance to see some of the players that are on the depth chart right now. I think their quarterback is really tough and runs the ball well. He can make the throws and move or sit in the pocket. The biggest that jumps out to me on tape is how tough he is, and I respect that."

Thor: Heimdall, open the Bridge! Heimdall, we need you now!

Breneman's presence opens a spotlight on BC's defense and the unknowns facing it for the 2021 season after the unit entered training camp with a number of positions still up for grabs. Hafley indicated as recently as this week that everyone would see snaps on Saturday, and he designated as much on the depth chart by offering the media crumbs with the dreaded "OR" next to players' names.

"We're going to see (everyone)," Hafley said. "All of those guys are going to play. Truthfully, that's why I put the 'or' (designation) because they're all going to play on Saturday in different packages. We may have four linebackers on the field, and we may have three or two. If a guy deserves to play this year, we're going to find a role, and being that we've had more time, we have more defense in, and we'll get more guys on the field."

BC's depth chart supports the idea that the formations will change and shift over the course of the game, and not much should clear up during or even after Saturday's game. The Eagles can run either base 4-3 or nickel defensive alignments depending on who starts at linebacker or defensive back, and there's good reason to mask those formational alignments with different coverages if the players are fluid enough to illustrate both man, zone and blitz coverages.

Slotting a player like Josh DeBerry into a starting nickelback formation doesn't automatically mean he's freestyling in the defensive backfield, and the emergence of both Elijah Jones and CJ Burton doesn't mean one player has to cover the slot versus the flanker or split end. Kam Arnold was a safety who switched to linebacker, and true freshman Bryce Steele pushed Vinny DePalma for playing time.

Having those options is a good problem to have for Hafley and Tem Lukabu because rolling multiple players onto the field preserves players while making them better. Jaiden Woodbey can push Jahmin Muse, and the emergence of Jason Maitre can do the same for a returning Mike Palmer. Joe Sparacio is experienced with his teammates, but the raw abilities of Isaiah Graham-Mobley ensures competition on a weekly basis for the right slots in the right spots.

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Countdown to Kickoff

10…The number of true freshmen for BC on this week's two-deep.
9…Number of BC players named All-ACC after last season.
8…A win on Saturday would be BC's eighth home-opening win since 2010.
7…BC's offense registered the seventh-most passing first downs in a season last year by throwing for 133 first downs in 11 games.
6…Colgate is the first FCS team to open a Boston College season in six years (Maine, 2015).
5…BC won five conference games last year for the first time since 2009.
4…The Eagles are opening the season with four consecutive non-conference games for the first time since the Big East formed in 1991.
3…Number of graduate transfers who joined BC this summer: tight end Trae Barry (Jacksonville State), running back Alec Sinkfield (West Virginia) and defensive back JT Thompson (Southern Illinois).
2...BC will play its first-ever game against two opponents this year: Colgate and Missouri.
1…Phil Jurkovec and Dennis Grosel completed the most passes in a season during which BC only played 11 games (seventh-most overall pass completions in program history)

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BC-Colgate X Factor

Alumni Stadium

Saturday marks the return of the fans to Alumni Stadium, and it's hard to remember a more anticipated game save for maybe the 2010 season opener when Mark Herzlich returned from beating cancer.

Games like that are events that transcend whatever happens on the field, and I can vividly remember Herzlich's run-out with the war paint and a rebel yell to the students. The emotion is still very candid in my own body, and it was more than remembering the game (though, tongue-in-cheek, I readily recall Dave Shinskie lining up under guard and then throwing an interception on the first offensive play of the game).

I feel something similar about Saturday because I readily admit how ordinary FBS-vs.-FCS games wouldn't provide the same anticipation as a game against a No.1-ranked national championship contender. This one, though, feels very different, and I don't have to explain why. Nobody needs to recall the 665-day split between home games, the details of last season or the way COVID-19 slammed the door only temporarily on the simmering excitement around Jeff Hafley's debut.

That will always be in the back of everyone's mind, but the time for looking backwards at Boston College football is finally, longingly closing. The fans will walk through the turnstiles for the first time in 2021, and I know I'll forgive anyone who wants to soak it into their soul. We all know how COVID-19 is very much a part of our lives, but the ability, at least on Saturday, to invite people back into a stadium is a step towards the next normal.

Welcome back, Eagles. Go crazy.

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Dan's Non-Football Observation of the Week

Speaking of welcome back, hello once again to the vibrant Boston streets lined with moving trucks delivering college students back to their dorm halls and apartments. And welcome back to an annual tradition in this city known simply as getting "Storrowed."

Those of us who grew up around here have varying degrees of reactions to trucks getting Storrowed, so I hope everyone can smile and laugh along with me. Storrow Drive is one of two roads running parallel to the Charles River, and it traverses the "Fenway side" before turning into Soldiers Field Road. It eventually runs by Harvard Stadium and out past the New Balance headquarters, and it spits commuters out by the Brighton neighborhoods that sit a couple of miles from Boston College

The scenery along those roads is positively fantastic, and the runners jogging next to crew boats rowing along the Charles are a staple to any driver on a weekend morning on both sides of the river. Storrow, for example, offers a sweeping view of MIT and Cambridge while Memorial Drive, on the other side, is a sweeping view of the Boston cityscape's Prudential and Hancock buildings and the famous Citgo sign.

It comes with significant pitfalls, though. For starters, Massachusetts drivers aren't exactly known for being the world's best behind the wheel, and turn signal blinkers aren't our best friend (guilty as charged on that one). Also, the overpasses on Storrow Drive are notoriously low, and box trucks or moving trucks simply don't fit under their clearances. They get stuck and shear the top on the bottom of the bridge, a practice coined as "getting Storrowed."

Every year, the city reminds people not to drive those trucks on Storrow Drive, but every year, a couple of incidents find their way into the news stations. So if you're moving out to Boston, please remember not to put a moving truck on Storrow Drive. We locals might laugh, but the traffic backup over several miles is no joke.

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Scoreboard Watching

College football returned last week with a Week Zero appetizer that only whet the palette for the actual opening week. This weekend, we hit the ground running with the marquee matchups now readily recognized as part of the early season when the ACC and SEC battle for conference supremacy right out of the gates.

The biggest matchup features No. 3 Clemson playing No. 5 Georgia in the heart of ACC territory in Charlotte, North Carolina, while No. 14 Miami plays No. 1 Alabama in the crossover country of Atlanta, Georgia. These are huge matchups for both leagues' season-long prospects, and wins over the other, especially after the Alabama-Clemson matchups of the past four years, aren't light fare. Playing those games set a tone for the early season, and with BC hosting Missouri in a few weeks, they offer potential staggering blows for the ACC over the league regarded as the nation's best.

The looming ramifications from those games towers over the league's slate, but No. 10 North Carolina's game against Virginia Tech is a massive early season, in-conference game, especially for the Hokies. They were 3-1 and 4-2 at various times last year but lost four consecutive games before beating Virginia in the season finale. The season took its toll over that stretch, but a win over a Coastal Division favorite - and a team likely to battle Clemson for conference supremacy - would go a long way to pushing that finish in the rearview mirror.

No matter what, reasonable chaos is coming to the ACC, and more is on the horizon with a Sunday matchup between No. 9 Notre Dame and Florida State. I feel like it's been years since the Seminoles have been atop the ACC, but they always find ways to make themselves relevant with a win. Beating the Fighting Irish now that Notre Dame is back into its independent status would upset the apple cart and force FSU back into the Atlantic Division's elite tier conversation.

Elsewhere, the Big Ten is opening with some heavy hitter matchups; Michigan State is visiting Northwestern on Friday, and No. 19 Penn State is heading to No. 12 Wisconsin on Saturday. No. 18 Iowa - with one of the greatest traditions in sports when the fans wave at the children's hospital next door - hosts No. 17 Indiana while No. 4 Ohio State heads to Minnesota with a potential upset on the horizon. All three are cross-division matchups but will have ramifications on the national scale.

On the local radar, UConn hosts Holy Cross in Hartford while UMass, BC's next opponent, heads to Pittsburgh.

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Around the Sports World

The New England Patriots rocked the Boston sports world airwaves this week when they cut Cam Newton and tabbed rookie first round draft pick Mac Jones as their starting quarterback. The move ended the Newton era after one full season and ushered in the hopeful cornerstone replacement after Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay.

I know I echo the local sentiment when I say that Newton played last season in an impossible situation. Brady left to successfully chase down another Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, but he was far from the missing link. Whoever stepped into that role had a team fighting an uphill battle after the way 2019 ended and would have to do so while replacing the greatest NFL player of all time.

No quarterback could capture that lightning, but Newton's COVID diagnosis after the first three weeks derailed an awesome start that included two wins and a lights-out performance in the one loss at Seattle. Nobody will forget when the Patriots won four out of five games to claw back into the playoff race at 6-6, but the three straight losses to the Rams, Dolphins and Bills ultimately ended the threat and brought New England its first losing season in 20 years.

Newton was a consummate professional in his year-plus with the Patriots, but Jones was obviously drafted to assume the starter's mantle eventually. He looked great during the preseason and commanded the offense with the same efficiency and leadership exhibited during his time at Alabama. Head coach Bill Belichick made the call this past week, and Jones now enters next week as the first rookie Week One starting quarterback since Drew Bledsoe started against Buffalo in 1993.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

Talk about a dream, try to make it real. -Bruce Springsteen

This year is kicking off with Boston College right in the conversation to challenge within the ACC Atlantic Division, and the Eagles are clearly a hot commodity in the open college football discussion. A team like that should be a handful for the likes of Clemson, NC State and others and therefore should avoid the dreaded upset alert against an FCS opponent.

I have long said, though, that no team can walk into November without playing its games in September, and one misstep in September can derail an entire season's good vibrations. The narrative around a team is incredibly fluid and shifts on a weekly basis with wins, losses and the performances in between. It's important to not get too high or too low on any game, but doing so in the first game of the season is almost more critical because of the long road ahead.

I also believe every game is the most important one on the schedule for players and coaches because every team - specifically, every annual iteration - only has a finite number of times to suit up together. Taking that for granted under any circumstances is unfair to the bonds forged forever by the individual games.

I have too much respect for Colgate's history to call this game a walkthrough, and the Raiders' four-win flourish at the end of 2019 showed why they entered that offseason with a deserved optimism. COVID-19 caused the entire 2020 season to go off-kilter, but the players on that roster remember the 2018 conference championship and the opening playoff win over James Madison, a defending national finalist.

They won't treat this game with any less preparation than the Eagles, and the easiest way for both teams to quiet their conversation is to answer the bell in this first game of what we hope is a long, successful 2021 for both programs.

Boston College and Colgate will kick off at 12 p.m. from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen on national television via the ACC Network with online streaming available via both WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app for cable subscribers with access to the station. Radio broadcast is available on the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield, locally in Boston on WEEI 850 AM, with satellite broadcast available on Sirius 134, XM 193 and Online 955.

Boston College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Kam Arnold

Trae Barry

CJ Burton

Josh DeBerry

Vinny DePalma

Isaiah Graham-Mobley

Dennis Grosel

Elijah Jones

Phil Jurkovec

Jason Maitre

Jahmin Muse

Mike Palmer

Alec Sinkfield

Bryce Steele

JT Thompson

Jaiden Woodbey

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