Boston College Football Countdown: 89 Days to Go

There are now 89 days remaining until Boston College football kicks off its 2013 season against the Villanova Wildcats. That means you’re approximately 88 days from the first pick of the season; I went 10-2 in that department last year, and I’m relatively certain of my selection for Week 1 already, but let’s just say I expect to start the year 1-0, just like the Eagles.

Who Wears 89 Now

Mike Naples, FB/TE, senior

Naples is entering his final year at Boston College, having appeared in 20 games so far as an Eagle. In 2012, he played in eight games and had his best season yet statistically, which isn’t saying much because it was three catches for fifteen yards.

He has typically not been a target of Chase Rettig, nor has Naples been used as an offensive weapon — he played 136 snaps last year and was only targeted a few times. His usefulness to the team seems more along the lines of a fullback or a blocking tight end rather than a receiver. Steve Addazio has a proclaimed soft spot for the tight end position, which might mean more snaps for the senior out of New Jersey, though he was being used primarily as a fullback last year; by the end of the 2012 season, he was second on the depth chart there to converted linebacker Jake Sinkovec.

It should also be noted that Malachi Moore, sophomore DE, was listed at the end of the 2012 season on the depth chart as having #89 though his official listing has him as one of two players wearing #87. Moore finished the year with four tackles and one sack.

Notables Who Wore 89

• Mark Chmura, TE, 1988-91. One of the top TEs in BC history; Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame member.
• Todd Pollack, TE, 1994-97. 6th-round pick of New York Giants; never accumulated any NFL stats.
• Mark Roopenian, DT, 1977-80. Watertown Hall of Famer who played for Buffalo Bills.
• Sean Ryan, DE/TE, 2000-03. Seven-year NFL veteran; was in on the head injury lawsuit against the NFL.

Cowboy Down

Jack Bicknell had some great years as Boston College football’s head coach, but 1989 was the worst. In it, the Eagles went just 2-9, beating just Temple and Army. There were a number of competitive games, however: six games were decided by a touchdown or less, and the Eagles’ biggest loss was by 19 points to #23 Pittsburgh in Week 1. He would get canned following another poor season in 1990.

Defense On the Field Forever

89 was the number of plays Wake Forest ran against Boston College in the Eagles’ 28-14 loss on November 3. Sadly, that was only the fourth-most plays run against the Eagles in a game that season, and BC’s offensive plays peak was in Week 1 against Miami (85).

Running It Back

One name that has been somewhat forgotten at BC in recent years is that of Tim Frager, formerly the Eagles’ record holder in kickoff return yards in a single season. In 1989, he had the most kickoff returns (you would, too, if your team gave up that many scores) and set the mark for most yards on the kick return. Will Blackmon broke both in 2003.

Unseated By A Walk-on

1989 was the final season for BC kicker Brian Lowe, who held the all-time record for Eagles scoring at 262. Steve “Superfan/Sid Vicious” Aponavicius broke it in 2009 with 290. No Eagle has made more field goals than Lowe to this day (57), but Nate Freese (50) is positioned to claim that record in 2013.