Image courtesy of ESPN
Kickoff: BC closes out its roller coaster season today hosting old Big East rival Miami on national television at noon. There’s a lot on the line for both teams as they try to slot themselves into the best bowl game possible. BC can still also win eight games for the first time since 2009.
1st Down: BC’s running game was the biggest difference during its five game win streak and it’ll need to be a huge factor on Saturday. With Kye Robichaux healthy the entire operation changes. Robichaux missed the VT game before coming back with an impressive performance against Pitt. The downhill, bruising back talked about his North-South game earlier in the week and said he prides himself on doing whatever is asked. If Robichaux can carry the ball about 25-30 teams and allow BC to win the time of possession battle today, the Eagles have a shot.
2nd Down: They desperately need to win that TOP battle with the secondary as banged up as it is. Amari Jackson is now the team’s best corner, but after that it’s a whole lot of young guys without much experience. Cole Batson has been the “QB” in the secondary and is questionable after missing the Pitt game. If this turns into a shootout it could get ugly for the Eagles.
3rd Down: The Miami secondary is beatable – as everyone saw against Georgia Tech – but Thomas Castellanos hasn’t really shown he’s capable of carving a team up with his arm yet. It’s a bit of a strange case as his entire career has mostly consisted of running and it translated over to BC. But, whether he’s hurt still (I believe he is) or teams are just catching up to his ability on film, his running game hasn’t been nearly as effective over the last few weeks. His ability to elude pass rushers or break off long gains on designed runs hasn’t been nearly what it was when he first came on the scene. It’ll be interesting to see if he can beat Miami with his arm on Saturday.
4th Down: The offensive line has one more home game to leave its legacy at Alumni, particularly Christian Mahogany. Once thought of as a sure bet to be an NFLDraft pick – and probably still is – it’s one more chance for him and that entire group to display what they’ve displayed all year for a national TV audience. One of the best rushing attacks in the country all year, this line has stepped up in the face of overwhelming criticism last year. If they can push Miami’s D-line around on Saturday, BC should be able to control that clock.
Extra Point: Huge day in terms of bowl positioning. As I’ve written before, the Eagles would never say it publicly, but anywhere is a better destination than the meaningless Fenway Bowl. 11 AM on a Thursday morning after a 10 minute drive isn’t a reward, it’s a punishment. BC can almost guarantee of avoiding Fenway with a win on Saturday, but a loss almost assures them of the disappointing ending in late December.
Final Drive: This is also a big day for head coach Jeff Hafley. The Eagles did a lot of chest thumping during the five game win streak and now after two ugly losses, avoiding a three-game losing streak to end this season is paramount. If BC were to lose on Saturday and then in the bowl game to close out the year at 6-7, the chatter will absolutely pick up again regarding his job security, even if the team has gotten three bowl eligible seasons out of the four under him.
Prediction: Miami 27, BC 13. Just have a bad feeling about this one and the overall state of the team with injuries and a couple off field things. Plus, Miami is just more talented overall.