2013 Boston College Football Unit Preview: Quarterbacks
By Joe Micik
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The quarterback position at Boston College is one that is settled. This year.
Is, therefore, there any purpose to this article? Certainly. Though Rettig is the quarterback this year, and justifiably so, there is a backup battle brewing behind him that could help start the longer-term contest: namely, who will be the Eagles’ starting quarterback in 2014.
The Starter
Chase Rettig, senior
Rettig is one of those guys where you can’t help but wonder what might have been. Sure, he still has one further year to shine, but like Doug Flutie told us earlier this month, his having to learn his fourth new offense in four years might set him back again. I’ve often called Rettig a victim of circumstance, first in having a lousy coach and then in having a number of short-term, replaceable offensive coordinators, all with different ways of doing things. At least he’s familiar with Ryan Day, but even so, it might be a little bumpy.
None of this is to say, however, that Rettig can’t succeed. He can, and if coached properly the whole offense can look far more passable than it had in the last few years. It would take a gargantuan season to pass Doug Flutie’s record of 10,579 career passing yards, but with one strong push, Rettig can leave Chestnut Hill with his head held high and a decent shot at professional football.
The Backup Battle
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY SportsJosh Bordner, junior
Bordner slid up the depth chart during the Spaz years and eventually became not just the backup, but a quasi-wildcat situational quarterback. Thing is, few of those appearances went well and the idea went on the shelf. Some people seem to think Bordner is an Addazio-type quarterback with his size and penchant for running with the ball, but in complete fairness, BC needs to see a lot of development from him before he can be considered a successor to Rettig, not to mention his understudy.
Mike Marscovetra, senior
Admit it: you didn’t know Marscovetra was still on the team. Well, neither did I, but he is, and he’s in the mix. Both of these backups have struggled in live game situations but thrived in spring games. If only all games were like in April.
The Veterans
Christian Suntrup, junior
Suntrup has, for all intents and purposes, fallen off the face of the college football earth. Word is that his development has not been where it should be, and for a guy to go from heralded recruit into basically a fourth-stringer behind Rettig’s immediate backups does not say many good things. We don’t know the inside story word for word, but we do know Suntrup is not in the mix and that’s disappointing for us all, for a variety of reasons.
Austin Lommen, redshirt freshman
Lommen was a preferred walk-on who redshirted last year and now enters his first year of eligibility. Unlikely we’ll see him in any live game action.
The New Guys
James Walsh, freshman
Walsh is an Ohioan who may be headed for Redshirtville.
Mack Lowrie, freshman
So might Lowrie, a local who went to Roxbury Latin, just a few minutes from STG Headquarters. Highly unlikely either one will play in 2013.