With now only 74 days remaining until the start of the college football season, start getting yourself acquainted with the new Boston College coaching staff. It’s easy enough to find them all on Twitter, too.

Who Wears 74 Now

Dave Bowen, OL, sophomore

Bowen is a product of the Philadelphia area who came to Boston College as part of the 2011 signing class. He redshirted in 2011 and then played in all twelve games as a redshirt freshman in 2012. Like yesterday’s feature, Liam Porter, Bowen was also used as a blocking tight end as opposed to a traditional offensive lineman. At 6-7/285, Bowen could pull it off, but who knows if he will be retained in said capacity going forward.

He began the season on the two-deep but he did not finish the season there, despite his appearing in each game.

Notables Who Wore 74

• Doug Brzezinski, OL, 1995-98. 1998 team captain who spent six years in the NFL.
• Anthony Castonzo, OT, 2007-10. 2010 team captain and current Indianapolis Colt.
• Larry Eisenhauer, T/DE, 1958-60. “Wildman” in the BC Varsity Hall of Fame.
• Doug Widell, OG, 1986-88. Spent nine years in the NFL; second-round pick in 1989.

Nothing to Show For It

The 1974 Eagles were a legitimately good team, having gone 8-3 with Joe Yukica at the helm. At this point, Jack Bicknell was an offensive assistant, and he would later go on to coach the team in 1981. In fact, the Eagles got so hot that they outscored opponents at a ten-to-one clip, 270-27, in the last six games of the season, obliterating Villanova, West Virginia, Tulane, Syracuse, UMass, and Holy Cross in that stretch. BC broke 70 points against the Minutemen and did not allow more than eight points in a game in the second half of the season.

Still, they got no bowl invite as their 2-3 start likely did them in.

Leading the Way

Boston College running back Keith Barnette led the nation in scoring in ’74 with twenty-two touchdowns.

Exiting the Stage

’74 was the last year of running back Mike Esposito, who had at the time one of the best careers ever for a Boston College rusher. He finished his time at BC with 24 touchdowns, which was right around the top of the list back then, but has since been surpassed by numerous men, including his teammate, Barnette.

Random Fact

Boston College ran 74 offensive plays in their win over Maine in early September 2012.

Random Fact #2

Boston College ran 74 offensive plays in their season-ending loss to NC State, Frank Spaziani and Tom O’Brien’s final games as head coaches.

Random Fact #3

In 2012, Boston College was 74% efficient in the red zone (74.4% to be exact), scoring on just 29 of 39 tries. Those scores broke down sixteen touchdowns and thirteen field goals.

The countdown to the 2013 Boston College Eagles football season is now one-quarter over on this day, with just 75 to go. Speaking of the numbers 7 and 5, I bet a few of you will be hoping for 7-5 as a final record for this team. If it happens, and who knows in mid-June if it will, give Steve Addazio ACC Coach of the Year.

Who Wears 75 Now

Liam Porter, OL/TE, sophomore

Porter is a Natick resident and a former Natick High School star, just like one Mr. Doug Flutie, though Porter is quite a bit bigger than the Heisman Trophy winner at 6-6/276. Last season, he got into nine out of twelve games, and thanks to an eye-popping lack of depth, Porter ended up becoming a tight end.

He was not on the two-deep at the end of the year.

Notables Who Wore 75

• Josh Beekman, OG, 2003-06. 2006 team captain; spent most of his NFL career with Chicago Bears.
• Marc Colombo, OL, 1998-2001. 2001 team captain; first-round pick who played NFL ball for 10 years.
• Nate Richman, OL, 2008-11. 2011 team captain who gave the offensive line several good seasons.

A Lengthy Stretch of Decency

Joe Yukica’s head coaching tenure was noted by a number of decent to good years in terms of final record, but no bowl games. ’75 was no different, as the Eagles went 7-4.

Irish Spring Up

1975 was the first year in which Boston College played Notre Dame in football, thus beginning their Catholic school rivalry which is now mostly contained within the ACC and Hockey East. The Irish won that game, 17-3, which was featured on Monday Night Football.

And A Choke

Boston College’s 1975 meeting with Syracuse is tied for the third-biggest second-half meltdown in program history. The Eagles led that game by 11 at the midpoint but lost by 8.

Entering the Hall

In ’75, Chet Gladchuk, Sr. was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a key figure on some great Eagles teams in the early 1940s, and then went on to play in the NFL and CFL and finally returned to college as a coach. His son of his namesake later spent seven years as BC’s athletic director.

Finding the Endzone

No Boston College running back has scored six more times than Keith Barnette, whose final season was in 1975. That year, he set the record with 34 touchdowns, which still stands today.

Speaking of Rushing

In ’75, the Eagles’ Glen Capriola tied what was at the time a program record with four touchdowns in a game against Army. Montel Harris took care of that with five scores against NC State in 2009.

Two Straight Days With An Ayers Reference

Johnny Ayers’ season high for punt attempts was 75 in the great 2007 season, which is one of the highest totals in BC history. That team scored a lot of points, so punting that much is forgivable.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Picture Steve Addazio and his coaching staff in old housework clothes, wiping their brows as they pour concrete into a wall encompassing the whole of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When it comes to Boston College football recruiting, this is not far from the truth.

The Eagles lost out on a recruit earlier on Sunday, but they made up for it later by getting their sixteenth commitment of the 2014 class. That young man is Kevin Bletzer, a safety from Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury. Coach Kevin Lempa has been identified as the primary recruiter. It is surmised that Bletzer was offered after camp and accepted.

His website lays out some of his personal achievements. As a sophomore, and presumably as a junior, Bletzer was the starting strong safety on Catholic Memorial’s varsity football team, and was named one of Massachusetts’ top twenty players to watch by the Boston Herald for 2012. He also played some wide receiver, according to his Hudl page.

A three-sport athlete, Bletzer also plays hockey and lacrosse. Despite getting noticed for his athletic talents, the major recruiting agencies had not rated him. Nevertheless, this staff has done well in identifying and obtaining talent so far, and should be given the benefit of the doubt.

The 2014 recruiting class, with many months to go until signing day in February, is now officially larger than the final 2013 recruiting class, and it is expected to grow further. Bletzer becomes the seventh Massachusetts recruit to join it.

We welcome him to Boston College.

Nov 3, 2012; Winston Salem, NC, USA; A Boston College Eagles player raises his helmet during kickoff in the first quarter against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB

TE Trey Klock has just announced his decision to turn down offers from Boston College, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple to play for Georgia Tech.

Trey Klock has been one of the more talked about tight end prospects around these parts for multiple reasons. For one, just look at his pure size-6’4, 260 pounds. His prowess as a blocker even had some schools looking at him aa a defensive lineman, most notably Georgia Tech.

However, while he has good hands for the ball, his speed is a bit below average with a 4.9 40 time. ESPN describes Klock as having “marginal ability to create consistent separation from defenders in man coverage. After the catch he’s a big, strong kid who can fight through tackles for extra yards, but displays marginal ability to elude or pull away from would be tacklers.” Klock “doesn’t display dynamic, big-play ability, but a target with strong hands who can help move the chains as a receiving target and with further development contribute best as blocker.”

Honestly, Trey Klock would’ve been a good pickup as Boston College’s 16th commit, but anyways good luck at Georgia Tech and best wishes for the rest of the recruiting season.

The Georgia Tech offer came into Klock’s hands on May 30th, and I guess he liked the school enough to commit to four years there.

Anyways, there are bigger fish to fry and I definitely don’t think we’ve seen the last of Coach Steve Addazio’s recruiting magic.

We’ve got the spirit of 76 here on the Boston College Eagles football countdown, as there are only 76 days remaining until the start of the 2013 season.

Who Wears 76 Now

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

This North Reading native has spent the last several years protecting Chase Rettig. He appeared in 884 of the team’s snaps in 2012, including special teams.

Vardaro has become the starting left guard for the Boston College Eagles, and finished the 2012 that way, making it 20 games started in a row entering this year. It seems very unlikely at this point that the upperclassman will be eclipsed, but you never know what might happen in summer training camp.

Notables Who Have Worn 76

• Chris Snee, OG, 2001-03. Longtime starting lineman for New York Giants; Tom Coughlin’s son-in-law.
• Darnell Alford, OL, 1996-99. In the NFL for four seasons.
• John Frechette, T, 1962-64. 1965 AFL draft pick of Boston Patriots.
• Gary Kowalski, OT, 1980-82. Played for Rams and Chargers.
• Frank Morze, T, 1951-54. Spent eight seasons in the NFL.

A Pretty Good Year

The 1976 Eagles were decent, all things considered. Boston College was 8-3 that season but managed not to make a bowl. Then again, back in those days, there weren’t 827 postseason bowls, including those sponsored by auto care companies, fast food restaurants, and/or cheap internet domain registrars who attempt to use Danica Patrick to seduce new customers. You had to actually be great to get something out of it back then, which is both admirable and boring.

For Pete, Too

Boston College fans have gotten to know quite a lot about Pete Cronan in the last several decades as he’s been the radio color commentator for the football games for about 25 years. Before that, he played for the Eagles and had a distinguished career at linebacker. In ’76, he was named ECAC Player of the Year and became the first Boston College Eagle to win said award.

Yet Another Broken Record

Up until 2012, Andre Callender held the Boston College record for most receptions in a season with 76 (2007 season). Alex Amidon just clipped him with 78 last year.

Crowded Atop The Leaderboard

In ’76, Kelly Elias tied an Eagles record with three interceptions against West Virginia. He currently shares that program mark with fourteen other players.

Messing With Texas

BC only played one game against a ranked team in 1976: a 14-13 win over the #7 Texas Longhorns. The Eagles would end up being ranked for three weeks that season.

About That…

Boston College getting ranked early in the 1976 season was the first time they had been ranked in a game in 21 years. After dropping out of the poll, they would not enter the Top 25 again until Doug Flutie graced the Heights in 1982.

Hangtime, Or A Good Bounce

Remember Johnny Ayers, the Boston College punter back in the day? His personal best for punt yardage was 76 yards against West Virginia in 2004, which is still one of the longest punts in Eagles history.

Drafted in ’76

• Don Macek (San Diego Chargers; 2nd round)
• Mike Kruczek (Pittsburgh Steelers; 2nd round)
• Fred Steinfort (Oakland Raiders; 5th round)
• Keith Barnette (Minnesota Vikings; 5th round)

September 22, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Temple Owls head coach Steve Addazio on the sidelines in the first quarter of the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Christy-USA TODAY Sports

Between all of the verbal commits the Boston College Eagles have been grabbing, one of the ongoing stories has been if and when BC target Trey Klock will commit. Well, it all comes down to today when the tight end out of Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown, PA will announce his decision.

Out of the twelve offers Klock has recieved, he has knocked down the list to five finalists: Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Rutgers, Temple and Boston College.

From his visit to Boston College:

Boston College! pic.twitter.com/rbFccrUoBA

— Trey Klock (@TreyKlock15) April 20, 2013

Hopefully, Klock will smell the roses and #BeADude. We’ll have a full recap whenever Klock makes his decision.

Just a note:247 Sports has 17 recruiting analysts making predictions on Klock and 15 have predicted a BC outcome. I wouldn’t be worried.

Nov 10, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls Temple Owls head coach Steve Addazio during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Cincinnati defeated Temple 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

When you’re out this summer, sipping a nice (rhymes with Matty ICE) chilling with your buddies and someone peeps in about some random recruit Steve Addazio stole from their school, don’t look dumbfounded anymore. Soaring to Glory is starting a series detailing BC recruits for 2014 in basketball, hockey, and football, along with previewing the 2013 recruits later this summer. So sit back relax enjoy what the Heights has in store for it in 2014. 

Last season, with Coach Frank Spaziani at the helm, the defensive line was basically equivalent to a sieve against opposing offensive lines. The lack of burst off the line could be equated to four BU Physics majors with pillows.  A little too harsh? Let’s take a look at the statistics: The Boston College Eagles racked up a total of 6 sacks in 12 games good enough for dead last in not only the ACC but in the whole FBS. Even St. Francis(PA) of the FCS beat us with 7 sacks. On the other hand, opposing teams racked up 36 sacks against Chase Rettig. In terms of other damning statistics, the total rush defense ranked 111th in the FBS, while allowing opposing teams to convert on third down nearly fifty percent of the time(49.77%).

Frank Spaziani responded to this obvious deficiency on the line by recruiting two projects in Truman Gutapfel and Kevin Kavalec. Solid three star recruits, but projects nonetheless.

New Head Coach Steve Addazio saw the problem from the very beginning at his introductory press conference basically declaring that Eagles defense under his command would attack opposing offenses from the snap and take no prisoners.

Running backs coach Al Washington and Defensive Coordinator Don Brown too that philosophy to heart when they were able to persuade North Carolina defensive end Harold Landry to verbally commit to come to the Heights in 2014.

So when Harold Landry committed to Boston College on April 5th after an unofficial visit to the school, he was still relatively unknown among the college recruits. Boston College was the first major school to offer him on March 14th. In the time between March 14th and his verbal commitment four other schools offered, with Duke being the most prestigious.

It looked as if Harold Landry was just another one of those class-filler commits. But that all changed five days later when  South Carolina offered followed by schools like Florida State, Clemson, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Miami, Auburn, Missouri, among others. It took a commitment to Boston College for other major schools to take notice of the Pine Forest High School defensive lineman-outside linebacker hybrid.

ESPN describes Harold Landry as a defender with a “nice initial burst off the ball…[playing] with a good motor…..and a lean, wiry build with room to pack on some more needed mass with further physical development.” Landry’s vital statistics are 6’3 and 232 pounds. According to his page on the Hudl recruiting service, he runs a 4.62 40, can bench 300 pounds and has a vertical leap of 35”(which would have been good for 3rd among defensive ends at this year’s NFL Combine).

Landry’s high school statistics from this past year also paint a picture of the athlete BC needs on the defensive line as he 8 sacks to complement 73 tackles on the year.

From the Fayetteville Observer:

“They’re going to play me at the open side defensive end where they can get me in one-on-one situations to rush the passer,” Landry said after participating in the Rivals.com Camp Series sponsored by Under Armour in Charlotte at Mallard Creek High School. “That’s what they want me to do – rush the passer. But when they go to a 3-4 formation, they want me to play outside linebacker….I really looked at their depth chart and I feel like I can go there and start as a true freshman. The coaches there were the realest I’ve met so far, and Boston is a great city.”

It is also obvious, and stated by his high school coach Bill Sochovka that Landry gave extra consideration to Boston College because they were the first major program to find him, before the floodgates of offers opened.

The ability of the Boston College staff to recognize talent before other major schools has obviously  become much stronger this year and it helps them when trying to sway a recruit to come to their school.

When Landry started receiving offers from Florida State, Ohio State and several SEC schools, I thought he would be gone in a second. But, his constant rebuking of offers, most notably his colorful response to his UNC offer, have inspired Eagles fan that just maybe Boston College can have power while recruiting high school prospects.

For now, we can only hope that Harold Landry will stay with Boston College and that all of those recruiting rating sites will give him the proper 4 star ranking that all of the major schools have obviously pinned him as(He is currently ranked as three stars by 247 and Rivals).

Anyways, welcome to the Heights and don’t forget to #BeADude!!!

Keep on following Soaring to Glory throughout the summer as we educate you on all the prospects signed and committed to Boston College for the next two years in hockey, basketball, and football. Maybe even baseball…….

Lucky 7s today on the Boston College Eagles football countdown as just 77 days remain until the opening kickoff. As readers learned last week, information for each game which is shared on this site will be organized into game capsules, which you can visit here when individual game previews begin about 70 days from now.

Who Most Recently Wore 77

Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Emmett Cleary was one of Boston College’s most reliable offensive linemen in recent years, helping to bolster the Eagles on the edges. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but Cleary gave BC four good years.

Cleary was not drafted in 2013, but he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts shortly thereafter, where he was involved in rookie camp.

Notables Who Wore 77

• Gosder Cherilus, OT, 2004-07. 2007 team captain; first-round draft pick in 2008.
• Dan Koppen, OL, 1999-2002. 10-year NFL veteran.
• Harry Ball, T, 1957-59. 1960 draft pick of Green Bay Packers.

No Mo’ Joe

’77 was the final year of the ten-year reign of Joe Yukica as Boston College head coach. The Eagles never made a bowl under his reign and never finished the season ranked, but to his credit, BC only had one losing season under Yukica. 1977 was a 6-5 season.

Abundant Riches

1977 was a year of malaise and all that — I wasn’t there so I wouldn’t know but I hear the 70s were just awful, aside from the first two Godfather movies and Horshack — but team captain Rich Scudellari made out pretty well. In 1977, this Boston College linebacker won the Scanlan Award, Academic first-team all-American honors, and the College Football Hall of Fame scholar-athlete award. He would later go on to win Eagle of the Year in 1979 and get inducted into the BC Varsity Hall in 1995.

It Was A Lot At The Time

Boston College’s quarterback in ’77 was Ken Smith, who at the time had the second-most BC passing touchdowns in a season with 17. That’s the same number of touchdowns Chase Rettig had last season. He also set the BC record for five touchdown passes in one game that season; Doug Flutie broke the mark in 1984.

But It Wasn’t All Good

Ken Smith may have thrown 17 touchdowns in just nine games in ’77, but he also threw 20 picks. At the time, that, too, was a school record.

Try Getting Downfield For *That*

The longest punt in Boston College history was a 77-yard kick, done twice. The first time was by Jim Walton in 1976, and the second was by John Cooper in 1980.

Good Pass Defense, or Lots of Running?

In ’77, the Eagles set a record for fewest passing yards allowed in a game: zero against Villanova (we can only hope for a repeat on August 31). They tied the mark the next season.

UMassacre

In Boston College’s 1977 meeting with UMass, the Eagles turned the Minutemen over eight times, which is one short of the program’s all-time record. BC won the game, 34-7.

There are now 78 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2013 football season.

So often last year, we said of the Boston College Eagles that it was their worst season in over 30 years. Well, ’78 was that season, and even though the bottom line was bad — very bad — it probably wasn’t as bad as you think (at least not relative to what we just experienced).

But first, the usual:

Who Wears 78 Now

Nobody

Big ol’ gap in the roster there. Go get it, 2013 freshman newcomers.

Notables Who Wore 78

• Thomas Claiborne, OG, 2007-10. Once an All-ACC lineman for the Eagles.
• Augie Hoffman, OG, 2000-03. 2003 team captain; played briefly for New Orleans Saints.

So, About That ’78 Season

1978 was Boston College’s worst in terms of win percentage of all-time — goose eggs across at .000. You end up with that with an 0-11 season, in case you were wondering. It’s one of those seasons Boston College fans remember for all the wrong reasons.

The Thing Is…

There actually was some talent on that ’78 roster. It included faces like Mike Mayock, Fred Smerlas, Joe Nash, and several others. Things may have been thoroughly lousy that year in BC football, but the composition of the team wasn’t all bad.

And Another Thing…

’78 was Ed Chlebek’s first year as Boston College head coach. His teams actually got better until he got fired, which is decidedly the opposite track of our most recent head coach not named Addazio.

They Did A Few Things Right, At Least

Keeping with the theme of how the ’78 Eagles were bad but probably not as bad as their record made them look, that team holds the program record for fewest passing yards allowed per game — BC only gave up about 65 yards on average through the air. That team still gave up a lot of points, but were done in by their 13.9 points scored per game.

Comparing ’78 to Today

The 1978 season was a godawful blight on Eagle kind with some terrible offense (where have we heard that before?), but from then on, the trajectory was looking more or less up, especially heading into the early to mid-1980s. Right now, the Eagles are at rock bottom, but we have already seen some evidence that improvement will someday come. Like in 1978, happier times seem far away, but they will come around again.

Getting the Call

1978 saw former football figures D. Leo Daley and Larry Eisenhauer inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

All that stands between you and Boston College football is 79 days. That’s 79 days for you to enjoy your summer and also 79 days for the Eagles to rack up some more impressive recruiting feats before the start of the season. Given how the latter is going, there will probably be a few.

Who Wears 79 Now

Win Homer, OL, redshirt freshman

Homer has yet to appear in a game for Boston College, though that will almost certainly change in 2013. A high school standout in Virginia, he was one of BC’s most highly-rated recruits in the 2012 class.

Notables Who Wore 79

• Mark MacDonald, OT, 1982-84. 1984 team captain; 5-year NFL veteran; BC Varsity hall of famer.
• Dan Britten, OT, 1990-92. Signed by Philadelphia Eagles after leaving BC.
• Gordon Browne, OT, 1971-73. 1974 New York Jets second-round draft pick.

At Least They Won Some Games

The ’79 Eagles were just 5-6, but a massive improvement in terms of wins over the 1978 Eagles who had a disastrous 0-11 campaign.

And They Were Opportunistic

The 1979 Eagles created more turnovers than any other BC team to this day, forcing 46 in just eleven games that season.

But Then There Was The Schedule

1979 happens to be the last time in a season that Boston College football faced no ranked opposition during the course of the year. Though, to their credit, they did beat Army at West Point, which is apparently not so easy anymore.

No Fair Catches Here

Kelvin Martin had a grand total of 79 punt returns during his Boston College career, which ranks second all-time behind Kenyatta Watson. Martin was arguably the most electric punt returner the school has ever had.

Getting a Leg Workout

With how the Boston College offense performed in the last few seasons, and given the propensity of the former coach to not take chances, it’s no wonder that a punt record was set in 2010. Ryan Quigley booted 79 footballs that year, which is the most ever in a single season at Boston College.