2011 Boston College Football Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Boston College Eagles opened the 2010 college football season with just two wins in their first seven games, but rolled off five straight to end the regular season at 7-5. The Eagles were unable to ride that momentum to a win in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Nevada, falling 13-20. Boston College took advantage of a favorable conference schedule down the stretch to go 4-4 in the ACC. This year they return nine starters on the offensive end and another five on the defensive end. While they do lose some key players, this team should be much better in 2011. The problem is the schedule is a lot tougher this time around. Last year they were fortunate to get Virginia and Duke out of the Coastal Division, this year they have to go on the road to face both Miami and Virginia Tech.
To get a better idea of what the Eagles will look like this season, let’s take a look at who they will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus I will give my prediction on where they finish the year in the ACC.
Offense:
The Eagles early struggles had a lot to do with the poor play of junior quarterback Dave Shinksie, who was eventually benched in favor of true freshman Chase Retig. The Eagles opted to stick with Retig down the stretch, and the job is his coming into the 2011 season. Retig threw for 1,238 yards and six touchdowns, but completed just 51% of his passes and threw nine interceptions. If Boston College is going to make significant improvements on the offensive end, Retig has to improve his accuracy and decision making.
The Eagles struggles in the passing game forced them to really rely on junior running back Montel Harris, who ran it 269 times for 1,243 yards and eight touchdowns. Harris is back for his senior season, but I look for the Eagles to give some of his carries to sophomore Andre Williams, who rushed for 461 yards and two scores as a freshman. If these two stay healthy, the Eagles should have one of the better rushing attacks in the conference.
Boston College is hoping that a young receiving corps will really mature in 2011. From the looks of it sophomores Bobby Swigert, Alex Amidon, and Shakim Phillips will open the year in the starting lineup. Swigert led the team with 39 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns, but I feel the guy to watch out for is Phillips, who never really got things going after getting injured in fall camp. They also bring back junior tight end Chris Pantale, who was second on the team with 31 catches for 338 yards.
Up front the Eagles bring back three starters on the offensive line, but have to replace left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who was a first round draft choice of the Colts. Junior John Wetzel appears to have the early edge on the open left tackle spot. The other spot up for grabs is a right guard, where redshirt freshman Harris Williams appears to be ready to step in and start this year. Even with the losses I look for this unit to improve in 2011.
Defense:
The Eagles routinely send out of the best defenses in the conference, but will have to rely on a lot of new faces on this side of the ball in 2011. The only starter back on the defensive line is senior tackle Kaleb Ramsey. He is expected to be joined in the middle by sophomore Dillon Quinn. At defensive end the Eagles will insert junior Max Holloway into the starting lineup after a monster sophomore season. Hollaway started five games last year and really made the most of his opportunities with four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The other starting end spot will go to sophomore Kasim Edebali, who really showed some flashes in limited action as a freshman.
The strength of the defense will come at the three linebacker spots. Junior middle linebacker Luke Kuechly led the nation with just over 14 tackles per game (183 total) as a sophomore, and the 1st Team All-American figures to be even better this year. Also back is sophomore weak-side linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who finished second on the team with 93 tackles. Added to the mix will be sophomore strong-side linebacker Steele Divitto, who should do a solid job replacing Mark Herzlich.
The Eagles return 2010 starting corners Donnie Fletcher and Jim Noel, but look for freshman Al Louis-Jean to take over for Noel in the starting lineup. Senior Dominick LeGrande started five games last year and appears ready to take over full time at strong safety this season, while junior Okechukwu Okoroha looks to have the early edge on the open free safety position.
ACC Prediction: Tie 4th ACC Atlantic - The big reason why I have Boston College so low in my ACC predictions is the difficult schedule they face in 2011. They have to go on the road to face Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Miami, and have a couple of very difficult home games against Florida State and North Carolina State. If Retig matures faster than expected, the Eagles could surprise everyone and compete for the division title.
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