One jarring weakness in the defense, though, is a somewhat young and untested secondary, which has a tendency to get burned for big-yardage plays at critical times. The unit was completely picked apart for 360 yards against Maryland on Saturday, but Jagodzinski's credo has been that if you force a team to throw the ball, you'll eventually come up with a pick. True-freshman cornerback Donnie Fletcher is still learning the ropes, and redshirt-freshman corner DeLeon Gause is still finding his rhythm after missing a chunk of games with an ankle injury. Senior safety Paul Anderson and junior Marcellus Bowman are capable of making a big impact with picks -- when they show up. Another problem spot for the Eagles defense has been running quarterbacks -- most notably, Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt -- because the defensive tackles are slow to contain them once they get outside the pocket. Against Tech in October, BC's defense allowed Tyrod Taylor to rack up 110 yards on the ground, but it allowed zero touchdowns.
The last time these two teams met, the Eagles overcame their Achilles' heel -- too many turnovers -- to pull off a 28-23 win at Alumni Stadium. Crane threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and he fumbled twice, but BC capitalized on three second-quarter touchdowns to win big, despite not scoring after halftime.
This weekend is bound to be a different story, with redshirt-freshman quarterback Dominique Davis filling in for the injured Crane. The Lakeland, Fla., native, who excels at movement passes out of the pocket, was thrust into the limelight two weeks ago in Winston-Salem, and he looked anything but ready: He fumbled twice and failed to hit his receivers for two-and-a-half quarters before leading an improbable 70-yard drive in the final minutes, culminating in a one-yard quarterback sneak with 1:12 left on the clock. He proved he has a little bit of Matt Ryan in him, and then he proved he could effectively manage a game in his first career start against Maryland last Saturday, finishing with 134 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard bomb to wideout Rich Gunnell.
Without a bona fide gunslinger at quarterback, offensive coordinator Steve Logan's offense has developed into a well-balanced attack, with the biggest offensive threat coming in the 5'10", 192-pound form of true-freshman running back Montel Harris. Harris, who set BC's freshman rushing record at 798 yards on Saturday, has worked in tandem with fellow true-freshman Josh Haden to rack up 1,237 yards and six touchdowns this season.
On paper, this BC squad doesn't appear all that remarkable. It relies on inexperienced running backs, a quarterback making his second career start, and a defense that has been annihilated with injuries. Despite all of this, though, the Eagles have somehow found their way to Tampa -- and that wild card will be their biggest advantage this weekend. Want to take out their quarterback? No problem. Take their all-star linebacker and one big-play wideout, too -- and while you're at it, stick two true freshmen at running back and two first-year starters in the secondary. This team is unfazed by adversity; it will find a way to win, somehow, some way.
Last year, the Eagles were supposed to be in the conference championship game. This year, nobody believes they deserve to be -- and that's exactly why they will show up in Tampa.
They have proved the pundits wrong all season long; why stop now?
Jessica Isner is the sports editor at Boston College's student newspaper, The Heights.
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