BC RECORD: 1-5 (0-3 ACC) (L 36-14 against #8 Clemson)
VT RECORD: 6-1 (2-1 ACC) (W 38-17 against Wake Forest)
SCORE: (12) VT 30 – BC 14
GAME SUMMARY: Alumni returning for Homecoming may have been reconsidering their decision, as Boston College played tough and went into halftime leading 7-6. The Eagles’ score came courtesy of a Chas Rettig touchdown pass set up by (another) woeful Tech punt. Acquiescing to David Wilson’s halftime request, the Hokies came out running in the second half. Wilson’s 42 yard touchdown scamper gave Tech a lead it would not relinquish. The renewed emphasis on pounding the rock helped open up the passing game as well; Logan Thomas went 10 of 11 in the final thirty minutes, including a 20-yard touchdown to Marcus Davis.
LOCK IT IN THE LUNCHPAIL: A workmanlike effort, but a win is a win, and Boston College is traditionally a tough matchup for the Hokies. For the third game in a row, Logan Thomas both passed and rushed for a touchdown, further indicating that the Miami game represented a turning point in his career. David Wilson eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the seventh time in eight games. The defense again proved capable, holding Boston College to 272 yards, but injuries continued to hit that side of the ball. Bruce Taylor, who had sacked Rettig twice in the game, left in the third quarter, along with fellow ‘backer Alonzo Tweedy and James Gayle reinjured his ankle. The attrition on defense was no longer an inconvenience, it was now officially a crisis, especially with Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense fast approaching.
BC SEASON RECORD: 4-8 (3-5 ACC), 5th ACC Atlantic.
SEASON SUMMARY: It is hard to fathom how far the Boston College program has fallen since back-to-back ACC Atlantic titles in 2007 and 2008. Since the graduation of Matt Ryan, point production on offense has been a struggle, and the 2011 campaign was a demonstration of offensive futility. The Eagles managed to score more than 20 points in only three games, and broke the 30-point barrier only once, a 45-17 win over FCS UMass. The victory over the Minutemen remained Boston College’s lone victory until the last week in October. BC’s 1-6 start was lowlighted by a blowout loss to a Central Florida team that finished with a losing record in Conference USA, and a one point home loss to Duke. After bottoming out in a 38-7 loss to the Seminoles, the Eagles finished the season playing relatively competitive football, with wins over NC State and Miami, and a possible onside kick recovery from rallying to beat Notre Dame. 4-8 with the best defensive player in the game? One linebacker, does not a team make.
OFFENSIVE MVP: RB Rolandan Finch. 705 YD – 3TD.
I was tempted to leave this vacant, but settled on Finch, who had more than respectable numbers while having to share time with Andre Williams. Finch wound up BC’s leading rusher, and had an October to remember: 81 yards and a touchdown against #8 Clemson, 92 yards against #12 Virginia Tech, and 243 yards and two touchdowns to key the Eagles’ 28-17 win over Maryland. He was also 4 yards shy of the century mark in BC’s victory against Miami.
DEFENSIVE MVP: LB Luke Kuechly. 191 TK – 12 TFL – 3 INT.
His resume speaks for itself: AP and Sports Illustrated 1st team All America selections, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2011 Butkus Award winner, 2011 Lombardi Award winner, 2011 Lott Trophy recipient, and 2011 Nagurski award winner. His 191 tackles led the nation, and in just 3 years, Kuechly already has an ACC record 532 career tackles. On a 4-8 team. Wow.
POSTSEASON: Boston College is not bowl eligible.
