Revamped Offense Achieving Harmony As Camp Opens
August 05, 2023 | Football, #ForBoston Files
BC is at its best when the running game and passing game are working in tandem.
The Boston College football program has long been at its best when it achieves balance. Its reputation was built over decades by pairing tough, rugged defenses with offenses that ate time of possession with an evenly-spaced run-pass game. Intelligence and understanding flowed from every corner, and the harmony achieved between every phase of the game limited opponents to minimal points while an offense simply reached a required number of points.
Building that teamwork requires a process, and Thursday morning brought the next benchmark towards achieving success in that field when BC stepped onto the practice field in Chestnut Hill for the first time in the 2023 preseason. They thought about celebrating victories, but they mostly relished the opportunity to redefine success for a program that endured a deflating nine-loss campaign after last year knocked that equilibrium well off its center kilter.
"Let's talk about making camp a success first, right?" Hafley asked rhetorically after the first practice day of the new season. "That's kind of part one of this thing [because] we have got to stay healthy. We have to continue to come together as a team. This is as close of a group as we've had since I've been here, [but] we have to keep doing that and establishing our culture and who we are, who we are going to be when we come out of this 25 days from now. But the most important part is learning how to practice with each other while protecting the team."
Experts and analysts love looking at BC through the lens of an old-school power program, but the Eagles' history book tends to reinforce their reputation as a central-based, rugged team. Nearly 20 running backs broke 2,000 career yards, of which 11 had 2,500 career yards and six broke the 3,000-yard barrier. Five different backs rushed for 1,500 yards in a single season, and three backs amassed 30 career touchdowns with five scoring 15 or more touchdowns in a single season and another four coming within one score of that mark, including AJ Dillon, who did it twice.
It contrasted with a passing history that was mostly overlooked outside of Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley or Matt Ryan. Just six quarterbacks in program history threw for 5,000 yards or more, but the breakaway between Brian St. Pierre's 5,837 yards and Chase Rettig's 8,263 yards separated that group into two distinct tiers. Flutie, Foley and Ryan occupied the first three spots, but Rettig represented the best case study to BC's blue-collar reputation.
His numbers matched Ryan in many respects, but his four-year career represented the transitional downturn and upswing associated with the early part of the 2010s. He started against Colin Kaepernick as a freshman in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and appeared in a second postseason game when his senior season produced a trip to the Advocare V100 Bowl (more commonly known as the Independence Bowl), but the middle two seasons combined for a grand total of six wins.
Somewhat ironically, the worst of those years produced one of the best passing seasons in program history after Rettig became the fifth quarterback to ever throw for 3,000 yards in a single season. The year opened with a 441-yard performance against Miami that included 32 completions, but despite two additional 300-yard games and an offense that scored 30 points in four of its first five games, the Eagles stumbled to two wins after the running game barely scratched 1,000 yards as a combined unit.Â
Andre Williams barely scratched 500 yards that year for the third consecutive season, but the switch to a more-rugged offense in 2013 turned him into an offensive force. He represented a return to BC's roots, and even though the numbers pared back Rettig's passing yards, his 17 touchdowns matched his 2012 total with a higher efficiency that allowed the Eagles to achieve a level of balance it didn't have during the down year.
"Everyone's thinking about last year," Hafley said. "It's why we were picked 13th [in the ACC preseason media poll], but this isn't last year and this isn't last year's team. [The players] know it, and they don't need to see us picked 13th. It's what we'd expect to be picked after the way we played and what we did last year, but unfortunately [for polls], we have to go play the game and see where we finish and how we are starting."
Returning to a power-based, ground-and-pound offense isn't necessarily in the cards for a BC team that revolutionized its passing game over the past couple of seasons, but the changes surrounding the Eagles' first week of camp are emphasizing the required balance and depth to succeed over a full regular season. Staying healthy was a major issue last season, but with nearly 80 percent of the team's production back in uniform, this year needs to differentiate itself quickly on the practice field.
"There is definitely a different feel to this team," running back Patrick Garwo III said. "It probably has a lot to do with just the commitment we had to one another this summer and in spring ball, just revamping the culture and the identity of this team. You have to be on your stuff. There's a lot of competition, you're going to be held accountable. That's really been the biggest difference of this year."
Garwo was a 1,000-yard running back two years ago, but an injury-riddled offensive line prevented him from impacting BC's ability to control the clock last season. His yards per carry dropped from five yards per rush to three, and his touchdown numbers halved down to three scores after he rushed into the end zone seven times. He caught 29 passes, but the Eagles failed to utilize his natural ability to plow through the teeth of defensive lines because they couldn't get out of first gear until it was too late.
How he's integrated into the offensive plan is key, but its impact is dictated by how BC develops its roots along the line and in the passing game. The chemistry between the quarterbacks and the wide receivers requires a forward step behind a revamped line, the likes of which returned Christian Mahogany and Freshman All-American Drew Kendall.
"I think I learned a lot last year," said Kendall. "I learned how to fight through multiple, different injuries and how to persevere, and I kind of helped teach Jackson Ness, who wasn't an offensive lineman, how to play center. He stepped up big for us, and he had to play at center against Wake Forest. That's been good for me as a mentor and trying to become a leader. That's pushed me to step into that leadership role this year."
Boston College opens up the 2023 regular season on September 2 when it hosts Northern Illinois with its Healthcare Heroes Day celebration. The game is set for a noon kickoff with television coverage on ACC Network.
Building that teamwork requires a process, and Thursday morning brought the next benchmark towards achieving success in that field when BC stepped onto the practice field in Chestnut Hill for the first time in the 2023 preseason. They thought about celebrating victories, but they mostly relished the opportunity to redefine success for a program that endured a deflating nine-loss campaign after last year knocked that equilibrium well off its center kilter.
"Let's talk about making camp a success first, right?" Hafley asked rhetorically after the first practice day of the new season. "That's kind of part one of this thing [because] we have got to stay healthy. We have to continue to come together as a team. This is as close of a group as we've had since I've been here, [but] we have to keep doing that and establishing our culture and who we are, who we are going to be when we come out of this 25 days from now. But the most important part is learning how to practice with each other while protecting the team."
Experts and analysts love looking at BC through the lens of an old-school power program, but the Eagles' history book tends to reinforce their reputation as a central-based, rugged team. Nearly 20 running backs broke 2,000 career yards, of which 11 had 2,500 career yards and six broke the 3,000-yard barrier. Five different backs rushed for 1,500 yards in a single season, and three backs amassed 30 career touchdowns with five scoring 15 or more touchdowns in a single season and another four coming within one score of that mark, including AJ Dillon, who did it twice.
It contrasted with a passing history that was mostly overlooked outside of Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley or Matt Ryan. Just six quarterbacks in program history threw for 5,000 yards or more, but the breakaway between Brian St. Pierre's 5,837 yards and Chase Rettig's 8,263 yards separated that group into two distinct tiers. Flutie, Foley and Ryan occupied the first three spots, but Rettig represented the best case study to BC's blue-collar reputation.
His numbers matched Ryan in many respects, but his four-year career represented the transitional downturn and upswing associated with the early part of the 2010s. He started against Colin Kaepernick as a freshman in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and appeared in a second postseason game when his senior season produced a trip to the Advocare V100 Bowl (more commonly known as the Independence Bowl), but the middle two seasons combined for a grand total of six wins.
Somewhat ironically, the worst of those years produced one of the best passing seasons in program history after Rettig became the fifth quarterback to ever throw for 3,000 yards in a single season. The year opened with a 441-yard performance against Miami that included 32 completions, but despite two additional 300-yard games and an offense that scored 30 points in four of its first five games, the Eagles stumbled to two wins after the running game barely scratched 1,000 yards as a combined unit.Â
Andre Williams barely scratched 500 yards that year for the third consecutive season, but the switch to a more-rugged offense in 2013 turned him into an offensive force. He represented a return to BC's roots, and even though the numbers pared back Rettig's passing yards, his 17 touchdowns matched his 2012 total with a higher efficiency that allowed the Eagles to achieve a level of balance it didn't have during the down year.
"Everyone's thinking about last year," Hafley said. "It's why we were picked 13th [in the ACC preseason media poll], but this isn't last year and this isn't last year's team. [The players] know it, and they don't need to see us picked 13th. It's what we'd expect to be picked after the way we played and what we did last year, but unfortunately [for polls], we have to go play the game and see where we finish and how we are starting."
Returning to a power-based, ground-and-pound offense isn't necessarily in the cards for a BC team that revolutionized its passing game over the past couple of seasons, but the changes surrounding the Eagles' first week of camp are emphasizing the required balance and depth to succeed over a full regular season. Staying healthy was a major issue last season, but with nearly 80 percent of the team's production back in uniform, this year needs to differentiate itself quickly on the practice field.
"There is definitely a different feel to this team," running back Patrick Garwo III said. "It probably has a lot to do with just the commitment we had to one another this summer and in spring ball, just revamping the culture and the identity of this team. You have to be on your stuff. There's a lot of competition, you're going to be held accountable. That's really been the biggest difference of this year."
Garwo was a 1,000-yard running back two years ago, but an injury-riddled offensive line prevented him from impacting BC's ability to control the clock last season. His yards per carry dropped from five yards per rush to three, and his touchdown numbers halved down to three scores after he rushed into the end zone seven times. He caught 29 passes, but the Eagles failed to utilize his natural ability to plow through the teeth of defensive lines because they couldn't get out of first gear until it was too late.
How he's integrated into the offensive plan is key, but its impact is dictated by how BC develops its roots along the line and in the passing game. The chemistry between the quarterbacks and the wide receivers requires a forward step behind a revamped line, the likes of which returned Christian Mahogany and Freshman All-American Drew Kendall.
"I think I learned a lot last year," said Kendall. "I learned how to fight through multiple, different injuries and how to persevere, and I kind of helped teach Jackson Ness, who wasn't an offensive lineman, how to play center. He stepped up big for us, and he had to play at center against Wake Forest. That's been good for me as a mentor and trying to become a leader. That's pushed me to step into that leadership role this year."
Boston College opens up the 2023 regular season on September 2 when it hosts Northern Illinois with its Healthcare Heroes Day celebration. The game is set for a noon kickoff with television coverage on ACC Network.
Players Mentioned
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