Haynes: B.C. is Back
Haynes: B.C. is Back
Haynes: B.C. is Back
BY TONY HAYNES
On September 23rd 2006, thousands of fans were either in their cars going home or were headed to the parking lots when Daniel Evans and John Dunlap teamed up to produce one of the most memorable moments in NC State football history. With just eight seconds left, Evans stepped up in the pocket and lobbed a soft pass in the direction of his intended target in the north end zone at Carter-Finley Stadium. Dunlap did the rest, rising high and snagging the throw just before being leveled by a Boston College safety. Once the closest official saw Dunlap?s controlled possession on the ground, his arms flew above his head signaling touchdown.
Just like that, the Wolfpack had secured a satisfying and stunning 17-15 victory over the shocked Eagles.
Amid the wild celebration that ensued at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State head coach Chuck Amato was euphoric, while Evans was mobbed by his teammates.
Many Boston College players stopped to take second and third glances at the scoreboard, unable to believe or fully comprehend what had just happened.
It would be up to their head coach to somehow put things into perspective in the locker room. But as that coach, Tom O?Brien, left the field that night, little did he know of the unusual twist the future would hold.
Boston College will be back in Raleigh for the first time since that faithful game when it tangles with the Wolfpack Saturday at noon, and the changes we?ve witnessed since that night are still difficult to fathom.
You see, on September 23, 2006 Illinois senator Barack Obama was making waves in political circles, but didn?t yet have a household name in mainstream America. Even less famous was Sarah Palin, who was campaigning to become governor of Alaska.
The economy in 2006 was growing at a respectable rate of 3.2 percent, while unemployment fell to historically low levels, finishing the year at 4.5 percent. People complained that the cost of oil was $61 a barrel. At the pumps, we were paying around $2.20 for a gallon of gas.
Now back to football.
After beating B.C. in 2006, NC State would win only one more game the rest of the year. Following a seven-game losing skid, Amato?s tenure ended. A few weeks later, O?Brien promptly left Boston College to become the head coach of the Wolfpack, noting that the atmosphere at Carter-Finley that night had made an impression.
What else? Daniel Evans is now the Pack?s third string quarterback. Boston College?s quarterback in that game was Matt Ryan, who now sports a multi-million dollar contract with the NFL?s Atlanta Falcons. The man who almost singlehandedly annihilated the B.C. offense, defensive tackle Tank Tyler, is also in the NFL. Amato is back at Florida State, where had spent 18 years as an assistant before being named head coach at NC State in 2000.
And one more thing: A few days after NC State knocked off Boston College two years ago, former East Carolina head coach Steve Logan was giving props to the Pack on his local radio show in the Raleigh-Durham market. Logan is now the offensive coordinator at B.C.
Go figure. Now to the 2008 game.
NC State defense guessing: Logan?s radio show was entertaining and unpredictable. So is his offense at Boston College. This week, Wolfpack defensive coordinator Mike Archer put on the tape and watched two very different offensive approaches. In wins over Kent State and Rhode Island, the Eagles ran the football a lot and ran it well. In games against Georgia Tech and Central Florida, B.C. averaged 38 passing attempts.
NC State cornerback Jeremy Gray detects a pattern.
?The two games where the competition wasn?t that good they ran the ball a lot because they were just much better than those teams,? Gray observed. ?When they played Georgia Tech and Central Florida, they threw the ball a lot. I think that?s what we?re going to get.?
Who plays quarterback and changing game situations will also factor into Boston College?s course of action. A senior, Chris Crane figured to be the main man for the Eagles this season. O?Brien and his staff recruited Crane to B.C. and had penciled him in as Ryan?s prot?g?. But when Crane struggled to get anything going last week against Rhode Island, Logan inserted Dominique Davis, an athletic freshman who adds a running dimension to the offense.
Anything is possible on Saturday.
?A balanced offense is throwing it when you want to throw it and running it when you want to run it,? said Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. ?I think you go with what ever is working. Last week, the weather was bad and it was raining sideways. We could run the ball last week so we just kept running the football. We?re still trying to get into a rhythm. Hopefully we can this week against NC State.?
Freshman tailback Montel Harris is toting the leather to the tune of 7.7 yards per carry and tallied 143 yards with three touchdowns in last week?s 42-0 thrashing of Rhode Island.
Bottom line is, Boston College will look to throw and run. If the Eagles are successful at both, it will be another long day for the Wolfpack. In its 19-16 loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College rushed for only 121 yards, averaged less than three years per attempt and was forced to throw the ball 36 times.
The Yellow Jackets? formula provides the Wolfpack defense with some worthy goals.
It?s hard to move two mountains: The Boston College defense has already posted two shutouts, yields an average of just 6.5 points per game and allows only 253 yards per contest. Overall, B.C. ranks in the top 25 of 11 different defensive categories. Mark Herzlich and Brian Toal are playing as well as any two linebackers in the conference, but what really sets Boston College apart defensively are its two tackles inside. There are two mountains in Chestnut Hill called Ron Brace and B.J. Raji. In the Boston College press release this week ? and you can?t make this up ? there?s an insert that declares Brace to be a talented artist and cook ?who makes doughnuts for the team in the offseason.? Brace and his running mate at tackle, B.J. Raji, have apparently indulged. Brace is 6-3, 324, while Raji stands 6-1 and tips the scales at 323. Both players are seniors.
?That?s almost 700 pounds between the two of them,? said NC State running back Andre Brown. ?I told Teddy [Larsen] that it was going to be a load up there. I remember back in the day when Leroy Harris was here. He was talking about Raji and what a load he was up there. It?s going to be tough.?
Tough indeed. Brace and Raji are rarely knocked off the ball and occupy blockers, which frees up the linebackers to make plays. As a result, the Eagles don?t give up much of anything running or passing. And perhaps most impressively, they have already forced the second most turnovers in the nation with 15.
Fortunately, NC State finally got some good news on the injury front late this week. Quarterback Russell Wilson returns after missing the South Florida game and tight end Anthony Hill is finally back as well. Hill hasn?t played since suffering a pectoral strain in the first half of the season opener at South Carolina. Not only does Hill?s return provide the Wolfpack with another quality weapon, it will allow offensive coordinator Dana Bible to use more of the multiple tight end formations that he prefers. In Hill?s absence, redshirt freshman George Bryan emerged as a passing-catching threat with a team-leading 14 receptions.
The NC State offensive line, anchored by Larsen at center, has been steadily improving through the first half of the season and that improvement will certainly be put to the test this week. B.C. defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani will try to create chaos for Wilson with numerous blitzes from all angles. It will be up to Wilson to either get the ball out of his hands quickly or buy extra time with his nimble feet.
But ultimately the big test for the Pack will be running the football with those big tackles up front. Without any semblance of a running game, NC State and Wilson will be forced into the unfavorable scenario of playing behind the chains most of the day.
?They?ve got a great defense,? Larsen said. ?Those two guys inside are huge. It will be a great challenge, but hopefully we can get some things going. If we can give it to these guys, it would really get our confidence up heading into the conference schedule.?
Haynes: B.C. is Back
Haynes: B.C. is Back
BY TONY HAYNES
On September 23rd 2006, thousands of fans were either in their cars going home or were headed to the parking lots when Daniel Evans and John Dunlap teamed up to produce one of the most memorable moments in NC State football history. With just eight seconds left, Evans stepped up in the pocket and lobbed a soft pass in the direction of his intended target in the north end zone at Carter-Finley Stadium. Dunlap did the rest, rising high and snagging the throw just before being leveled by a Boston College safety. Once the closest official saw Dunlap?s controlled possession on the ground, his arms flew above his head signaling touchdown.
Just like that, the Wolfpack had secured a satisfying and stunning 17-15 victory over the shocked Eagles.
Amid the wild celebration that ensued at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State head coach Chuck Amato was euphoric, while Evans was mobbed by his teammates.
Many Boston College players stopped to take second and third glances at the scoreboard, unable to believe or fully comprehend what had just happened.
It would be up to their head coach to somehow put things into perspective in the locker room. But as that coach, Tom O?Brien, left the field that night, little did he know of the unusual twist the future would hold.
Boston College will be back in Raleigh for the first time since that faithful game when it tangles with the Wolfpack Saturday at noon, and the changes we?ve witnessed since that night are still difficult to fathom.
You see, on September 23, 2006 Illinois senator Barack Obama was making waves in political circles, but didn?t yet have a household name in mainstream America. Even less famous was Sarah Palin, who was campaigning to become governor of Alaska.
The economy in 2006 was growing at a respectable rate of 3.2 percent, while unemployment fell to historically low levels, finishing the year at 4.5 percent. People complained that the cost of oil was $61 a barrel. At the pumps, we were paying around $2.20 for a gallon of gas.
Now back to football.
After beating B.C. in 2006, NC State would win only one more game the rest of the year. Following a seven-game losing skid, Amato?s tenure ended. A few weeks later, O?Brien promptly left Boston College to become the head coach of the Wolfpack, noting that the atmosphere at Carter-Finley that night had made an impression.
What else? Daniel Evans is now the Pack?s third string quarterback. Boston College?s quarterback in that game was Matt Ryan, who now sports a multi-million dollar contract with the NFL?s Atlanta Falcons. The man who almost singlehandedly annihilated the B.C. offense, defensive tackle Tank Tyler, is also in the NFL. Amato is back at Florida State, where had spent 18 years as an assistant before being named head coach at NC State in 2000.
And one more thing: A few days after NC State knocked off Boston College two years ago, former East Carolina head coach Steve Logan was giving props to the Pack on his local radio show in the Raleigh-Durham market. Logan is now the offensive coordinator at B.C.
Go figure. Now to the 2008 game.
NC State defense guessing: Logan?s radio show was entertaining and unpredictable. So is his offense at Boston College. This week, Wolfpack defensive coordinator Mike Archer put on the tape and watched two very different offensive approaches. In wins over Kent State and Rhode Island, the Eagles ran the football a lot and ran it well. In games against Georgia Tech and Central Florida, B.C. averaged 38 passing attempts.
NC State cornerback Jeremy Gray detects a pattern.
?The two games where the competition wasn?t that good they ran the ball a lot because they were just much better than those teams,? Gray observed. ?When they played Georgia Tech and Central Florida, they threw the ball a lot. I think that?s what we?re going to get.?
Who plays quarterback and changing game situations will also factor into Boston College?s course of action. A senior, Chris Crane figured to be the main man for the Eagles this season. O?Brien and his staff recruited Crane to B.C. and had penciled him in as Ryan?s prot?g?. But when Crane struggled to get anything going last week against Rhode Island, Logan inserted Dominique Davis, an athletic freshman who adds a running dimension to the offense.
Anything is possible on Saturday.
?A balanced offense is throwing it when you want to throw it and running it when you want to run it,? said Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. ?I think you go with what ever is working. Last week, the weather was bad and it was raining sideways. We could run the ball last week so we just kept running the football. We?re still trying to get into a rhythm. Hopefully we can this week against NC State.?
Freshman tailback Montel Harris is toting the leather to the tune of 7.7 yards per carry and tallied 143 yards with three touchdowns in last week?s 42-0 thrashing of Rhode Island.
Bottom line is, Boston College will look to throw and run. If the Eagles are successful at both, it will be another long day for the Wolfpack. In its 19-16 loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College rushed for only 121 yards, averaged less than three years per attempt and was forced to throw the ball 36 times.
The Yellow Jackets? formula provides the Wolfpack defense with some worthy goals.
It?s hard to move two mountains: The Boston College defense has already posted two shutouts, yields an average of just 6.5 points per game and allows only 253 yards per contest. Overall, B.C. ranks in the top 25 of 11 different defensive categories. Mark Herzlich and Brian Toal are playing as well as any two linebackers in the conference, but what really sets Boston College apart defensively are its two tackles inside. There are two mountains in Chestnut Hill called Ron Brace and B.J. Raji. In the Boston College press release this week ? and you can?t make this up ? there?s an insert that declares Brace to be a talented artist and cook ?who makes doughnuts for the team in the offseason.? Brace and his running mate at tackle, B.J. Raji, have apparently indulged. Brace is 6-3, 324, while Raji stands 6-1 and tips the scales at 323. Both players are seniors.
?That?s almost 700 pounds between the two of them,? said NC State running back Andre Brown. ?I told Teddy [Larsen] that it was going to be a load up there. I remember back in the day when Leroy Harris was here. He was talking about Raji and what a load he was up there. It?s going to be tough.?
Tough indeed. Brace and Raji are rarely knocked off the ball and occupy blockers, which frees up the linebackers to make plays. As a result, the Eagles don?t give up much of anything running or passing. And perhaps most impressively, they have already forced the second most turnovers in the nation with 15.
Fortunately, NC State finally got some good news on the injury front late this week. Quarterback Russell Wilson returns after missing the South Florida game and tight end Anthony Hill is finally back as well. Hill hasn?t played since suffering a pectoral strain in the first half of the season opener at South Carolina. Not only does Hill?s return provide the Wolfpack with another quality weapon, it will allow offensive coordinator Dana Bible to use more of the multiple tight end formations that he prefers. In Hill?s absence, redshirt freshman George Bryan emerged as a passing-catching threat with a team-leading 14 receptions.
The NC State offensive line, anchored by Larsen at center, has been steadily improving through the first half of the season and that improvement will certainly be put to the test this week. B.C. defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani will try to create chaos for Wilson with numerous blitzes from all angles. It will be up to Wilson to either get the ball out of his hands quickly or buy extra time with his nimble feet.
But ultimately the big test for the Pack will be running the football with those big tackles up front. Without any semblance of a running game, NC State and Wilson will be forced into the unfavorable scenario of playing behind the chains most of the day.
?They?ve got a great defense,? Larsen said. ?Those two guys inside are huge. It will be a great challenge, but hopefully we can get some things going. If we can give it to these guys, it would really get our confidence up heading into the conference schedule.?
