-- Two years ago, Boston College's football team arrived at Virginia Tech for the regular-season finale with a 6-5 record. The Eagles were playing for their postseason lives. BC walked out of the hostile environs of Lane Stadium with an impressive 34-27 victory over the 12th-ranked Hokies to clinch a berth in the San Francisco Bowl.
And while this season's Hokies have been installed as 14-point favorites for tonight's ESPN-televised game, they have not forgotten the smackdown they absorbed from the Eagles in 2003.
''There's no question, they got after us," recalled Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. ''They beat us solid. It wasn't a fluke. They got after us. We were just sitting there looking at the film, and it wasn't very pretty for us. There's just a toughness about them. They're a tough football team, well-coached, solid, and that's the kind of football team that's coming in here."
As it was then, when BC and Virginia Tech were Big East opponents, the stakes will be just as high, the mission just as clear, and the determination just as resolute when the 13th-ranked Eagles take on the third-ranked Hokies in an important Atlantic Coast Conference contest.
''Both teams will have a lot to play for," said BC coach Tom O'Brien, whose team will be bolstered by the return of senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka. The defensive captain sat out BC's 35-30 victory over Wake Forest with a sprained right medial collateral ligament, ending his streak of 31 starts.
While he had expressed cautious optimism Tuesday about the prospect of Kiwanuka's return, O'Brien confirmed yesterday the team's physicians cleared him to play against the Hokies.
''He will play," O'Brien said. ''It's just a question of how much."
Asked if Kiwanuka's mere presence would give the defense an emotional lift, O'Brien said, ''I think for the team it will be. It will help the team, but I don't know how much it will help stop Virginia Tech, but it'll help everybody else on the football team."
The Eagles (6-1, 3-1 ACC), who have won 13 of their last 16 road games (including their last five against ranked opponents), will try to keep pace with Florida State (6-1, 4-1) in the race for the Atlantic Division title. BC also will be looking to remain in contention for a berth in the league's inaugural championship game Dec. 3 in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Hokies (7-0, 4-0), who won last last year's ACC title in their first year in the conference, will be fighting to remain atop the Coastal Division. As one of the nation's six unbeaten teams, Virginia Tech also will be playing to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan 4. at the Rose Bowl.''The biggest thing with Virginia Tech is that they seem to have that 2-3-minute feeding frenzy where they can go from a tie game or whatever to 17 points ahead," O'Brien said. ''That's what you really have to guard against when you play these guys; that one mistake doesn't turn into two or three.
''If you make a mistake, you've got to try and limit the damage as much as you can. Those are things you have to be constantly aware of and that's where maturity and leadership is involved."
Which is why Kiwanuka's presence will be a huge boost to a BC defense that also will welcome the return of senior defensive tackle Al Washington (elbow), senior cornerback Jazzmen Williams (quadriceps), and sophomore cornerback DeJuan Tribble (hamstring) from the injured list after a 12-day hiatus. They will all be counted upon to help the Eagles contain Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, the mercurial younger brother of Michael Vick, now with the Atlanta Falcons.
Initially, it seemed, it was the intent of Virginia Tech's coaching staff to establish Marcus Vick as more of a passing threat than his brother was when he starred in Beamer's backfield in Blacksburg. It appeared the Hokies were looking for more steady production and less improvisation out of their quarterback, who through the first seven games this season has emerged as the ACC's most efficient passer (165.6 rating) after completing 87 of 130 attempts for 1,254 yards and 10 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
''It looks like they've changed the way they've operated," said O'Brien, noting how Vick rushed for a career-high 133 yards (while passing for 211) in a 28-9 victory at Maryland last Thursday night. ''It looks like they've decided that he has to run the football more. There's more designated runs for him in the offense the last couple of weeks than there was previous to the West Virginia and Maryland games.
''Now those were two games that were close at halftime. Obviously, the tighter the game, the more you're going to see him running the ball, I think."
But the Eagles have had some success defending against mobile quarterbacks such as West Virginia's Rasheed Marshall, Virginia's Marques Hagans, and Wake Forest's Cory Randolph. ''I think what we're doing really well as a unit is that we're swarming to the ball," said senior linebacker Ray Henderson. ''Against Vick, we've got to have all 11 guys running to the ball.
''We can't give him anywhere to go."
And while this season's Hokies have been installed as 14-point favorites for tonight's ESPN-televised game, they have not forgotten the smackdown they absorbed from the Eagles in 2003.
''There's no question, they got after us," recalled Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. ''They beat us solid. It wasn't a fluke. They got after us. We were just sitting there looking at the film, and it wasn't very pretty for us. There's just a toughness about them. They're a tough football team, well-coached, solid, and that's the kind of football team that's coming in here."
As it was then, when BC and Virginia Tech were Big East opponents, the stakes will be just as high, the mission just as clear, and the determination just as resolute when the 13th-ranked Eagles take on the third-ranked Hokies in an important Atlantic Coast Conference contest.
''Both teams will have a lot to play for," said BC coach Tom O'Brien, whose team will be bolstered by the return of senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka. The defensive captain sat out BC's 35-30 victory over Wake Forest with a sprained right medial collateral ligament, ending his streak of 31 starts.
While he had expressed cautious optimism Tuesday about the prospect of Kiwanuka's return, O'Brien confirmed yesterday the team's physicians cleared him to play against the Hokies.
''He will play," O'Brien said. ''It's just a question of how much."
Asked if Kiwanuka's mere presence would give the defense an emotional lift, O'Brien said, ''I think for the team it will be. It will help the team, but I don't know how much it will help stop Virginia Tech, but it'll help everybody else on the football team."
The Eagles (6-1, 3-1 ACC), who have won 13 of their last 16 road games (including their last five against ranked opponents), will try to keep pace with Florida State (6-1, 4-1) in the race for the Atlantic Division title. BC also will be looking to remain in contention for a berth in the league's inaugural championship game Dec. 3 in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Hokies (7-0, 4-0), who won last last year's ACC title in their first year in the conference, will be fighting to remain atop the Coastal Division. As one of the nation's six unbeaten teams, Virginia Tech also will be playing to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game Jan 4. at the Rose Bowl.''The biggest thing with Virginia Tech is that they seem to have that 2-3-minute feeding frenzy where they can go from a tie game or whatever to 17 points ahead," O'Brien said. ''That's what you really have to guard against when you play these guys; that one mistake doesn't turn into two or three.
''If you make a mistake, you've got to try and limit the damage as much as you can. Those are things you have to be constantly aware of and that's where maturity and leadership is involved."
Which is why Kiwanuka's presence will be a huge boost to a BC defense that also will welcome the return of senior defensive tackle Al Washington (elbow), senior cornerback Jazzmen Williams (quadriceps), and sophomore cornerback DeJuan Tribble (hamstring) from the injured list after a 12-day hiatus. They will all be counted upon to help the Eagles contain Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, the mercurial younger brother of Michael Vick, now with the Atlanta Falcons.
Initially, it seemed, it was the intent of Virginia Tech's coaching staff to establish Marcus Vick as more of a passing threat than his brother was when he starred in Beamer's backfield in Blacksburg. It appeared the Hokies were looking for more steady production and less improvisation out of their quarterback, who through the first seven games this season has emerged as the ACC's most efficient passer (165.6 rating) after completing 87 of 130 attempts for 1,254 yards and 10 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
''It looks like they've changed the way they've operated," said O'Brien, noting how Vick rushed for a career-high 133 yards (while passing for 211) in a 28-9 victory at Maryland last Thursday night. ''It looks like they've decided that he has to run the football more. There's more designated runs for him in the offense the last couple of weeks than there was previous to the West Virginia and Maryland games.
''Now those were two games that were close at halftime. Obviously, the tighter the game, the more you're going to see him running the ball, I think."
But the Eagles have had some success defending against mobile quarterbacks such as West Virginia's Rasheed Marshall, Virginia's Marques Hagans, and Wake Forest's Cory Randolph. ''I think what we're doing really well as a unit is that we're swarming to the ball," said senior linebacker Ray Henderson. ''Against Vick, we've got to have all 11 guys running to the ball.
''We can't give him anywhere to go."
