Boston College Football Countdown: 53 Days to Go
By Joe Micik
Just 53 days stand between you and the start of the 2013 Boston College Eagles football season. 53 looks a lot better than 70 or 80 a couple weeks ago, now doesn’t it.
Who Wears 53 Now
Leonard Skubal, LS, redshirt freshman
This number is currently occupied by Leonard Skubal, a long snapper from Boca Raton, FL. With a vacancy at said position after Sean Flaherty graduated, Skubal might well get the part on special teams this season in his first year of eligibility.
He also played linebacker for St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, which has been one of the most consistently excellent high school athletics programs in the country.
Notables Who Wore 53
• Bill Romanowski, LB, 1984-87. Formerly a fierce NFL all-pro linebacker.
• Tom McManus, LB, 1989-92. Played for Tom Coughlin at BC and in Jacksonville.
• Mike Morrissey, LB, 2007-10. Played in all 26 games his junior and senior years.
• Rocco Canale, G, 1940-42. “The Walking Billboard.”
Four Spiffy Catches
Spiffy Evans had 53 receiving yards (four receptions) in Boston College’s win over Maine in Week 2 of last season. He would also go on to a record-breaking punt return touchdown in that game.
An Ugly Game
Boston College had 53 rushing yards on 23 attempts in their 21-6 loss to Notre Dame last season.
Two Streaks Ending
Boston College’s stretch of bowl victories ended against Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl in 2008, which meant Vanderbilt’s streak of no bowl wins at all ended as well — it had been 53 years. The worse news is that BC has not won a bowl since.
A Solid Second Place
The second-longest field goal in BC history is a 53-yarder from John Matich in 1998 against Miami.
Geaux Tigers, Apparently
The Boston College Eagles haven’t tangled with the LSU Tigers often, but the last time they did was in ’53. Of course, long before the days of Les Miles eating grass on its sidelines, LSU was ranked #3 in the nation at the time and they beat BC 42-6.