Boston College at USC: Opening Line and The Basics
By Joe Micik
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Now we get to the good part of the schedule, and we get a real measuring stick of where precisely this Boston College Eagles football team is. Turbulent or not, the USC Trojans will be a difficult test for this rebuilding team.
Boston College at USC: The Line
• Opening Favorite: USC -16
Boston College at USC: Us
• Head Coach Steve Addazio (1st; 2-0)
• Last game: defeated Wake Forest, 24-10
• This season: 2-0 (1-0 ACC)
• Lost last four road openers; last win 2008
• No road wins in 2012
• Has not started a season at 3-0 since 2007
Boston College at USC: Them
• Head Coach Lane Kiffin (4th; 26-14)
• Last game: defeated by Washington State, 10-7
• This season: 1-1 (0-1 Pac-12)
• 3-2 in last five non-conference games (incl. 2012 Sun Bowl)
• 5-2 at home last season; 0-1 so far this season
• Has not started a season at 1-2 since 2001
Boston College at USC: The Game
• 4th all-time meeting between Eagles and Trojans
• BC 0-3 all-time against USC (0-1 in Los Angeles)
• Last meeting: 2009 Emerald Bowl (USC 24, BC 13)
• Saturday, September 14, 2013, 3pm ET
• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
• Long-range Forecast: Sunny, 87
• STG Preseason Difficulty Rank: 2nd of 12
Boston College at USC: Initial Evaluation
USC is right now with Lane Kiffin where Boston College seemed to be with Frank Spaziani, except USC has more talent on-paper and their floor is higher than where ours was. Watching their offense play against Hawaii and especially Washington State, one might see the parallels. The Trojans’ offensive “gameplan” on Saturday night, if one can call it that, looked like it came straight from Gary Tranquill’s naptime dreams. There was no cohesive strategy and because their objectives were nebulous, the team looked clueless. Further, their quarterback play was miserable and despite some talent on offense, they were simply lost. More on this in Wednesday’s BC defense vs. USC offense preview.
Consider also that the Trojans are generally underachieving, and you have a coach whose seat is so hot that it’s a few fused helium atoms away from going red giant.
Boston College could not be facing this team at a better time. USC football is a dumpster fire right now, having looked thoroughly mediocre in their first two games, while on the other hand the Eagles have actually built some confidence. The Trojan players have none and their coach does not believe in them (and vice versa) — sound familiar?
Even a few days ago, I might have thought BC winning in Los Angeles would be a pipe dream, despite the respectable start. Now, even though it’ll still be a tall order, I sincerely believe this team has a chance. The 16-point spread is borderline preposterous at this stage, but it’s hard to know how USC is going to come out on Saturday. Are they the mad, vengeful team that’s going to refocus and take out their frustrations on BC, or are they the same lackluster offensive team that only scored seven points on a Mike Leach defense? Stay tuned.