At this point, it's a broken record: Everybody knows what Boston College's record has been in the must-win game that grants access to an illustrious BCS bowl.
At this point, it's a broken record: Everybody knows what Boston College's record has been in the must-win game that grants access to an illustrious BCS bowl. Since 2004, BC has come one game away from the Orange Bowl three times, and each of those opportunities has been wasted. The Eagles have not played in a meaningful bowl game since the infamous 1984 Cotton Bowl, and they have never been to a BCS bowl. To say there is a sense of urgency this year is like saying Tim Tebow is a good quarterback.
This batch of Eagles, though, is not intimidated by the past. They know what's at stake: a potential trip to the Orange Bowl, but before that, a rematch of last year's ACC championship game, which they lost to Virginia Tech, 30-17.
Another year, though, brings a new group of Eagles -- and this year's crew is ready. They are not nervous, and they refuse to fall into the same trap as those who came before them. They refuse to be caught salivating over a trip to Miami and fall flat during this weekend's pit stop in Tampa Bay. They are focused, and more importantly, they are confident. They know what needs to be done.
"(Last year), we didn't reach our goal," said linebacker Mark Herzlich. "We came up short, we didn't win the ACC championship game, and we didn't go to the Orange Bowl. All those negatives at the end of the season really got us driving to make a difference this year. If you don't make it to the Orange Bowl, you're another team in the ACC, and you did a good job, but you're not noticeable. This year, we want to be noticeable and get where we want to go."
The Eagles' confidence may seem unfounded, given that they have suffered through a plethora of season-ending injuries to five different starters, including senior quarterback Chris Crane, who broke his collarbone in a 24-21 win over Wake Forest on Nov. 22. The rest of the injury report includes linebacker Brian Toal, who broke his leg during the regular-season meeting between the Eagles and the Hokies, and wide receiver Clarence Megwa, who went down Nov. 1 against Clemson. But second-year head coach Jeff Jagodzinski has conditioned his team to overlook the injuries and keep its eyes on the prize: a win in the conference championship game.
"Everything that we do -- and the way that we do it -- is geared toward a championship, from doing things right in practice, doing things right on the field, doing things right off the field, just doing it the right way," Jagodzinski said. "The only ones who really believed in us are the kids sitting in (our) locker room, but that's all that does matter."
The bulk of the Eagles' success this year can be attributed to the defense, which leads the nation with 23 interceptions and ranks first in the conference in rushing defense, yielding an average of just 2.9 yards per carry. BC's front seven -- which includes All-ACC first-team linebacker Herzlich and defensive tackle B.J. Raji, plus second-team DT Ron Brace -- held Maryland's offense to a grand total of negative-six rushing yards last Saturday and sacked Chris Turner six times. The defense has posted three shutouts this season, due in large part to Herzlich, who has a team-leading six interceptions and 98 tackles (74 unassisted).
"He's a special player," Jagodzinski said. "He's stepped up, and I think our defense really feeds off of him and what he does out there."
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