Boston College Football Countdown: 12 Days to Go
By Joe Micik
Boston College football is only 12 days away. But you probably knew that already.
Today’s article is semi-dedicated to one of the most important wearers of #12 in the school’s history, and one of the more consequential figures in modern Boston College football.
Who Wears 12 Now
Nobody
Yes, #12 is vacant. Not retired, just vacant. Maybe they plan to retire it, which might not surprise you when you learn the last guy to wear it.
Notables Who Wore 12
• Matt Ryan, QB, 2004-07. If I have to tell you who he is, you wouldn’t understand.
• Ed Doherty, QB, 1941-43. 1943 team captain; spent 15 years as a college head coach.
• Keith Hemmings, WE, 1999-2002. Became BC’s leading receiver by his senior season.
• Mark Kamphaus, QB, 1986-89. Twice the BC starting quarterback.
• Scott Mutryn, QB, 1994-98. Also a BC starting quarterback.
#12: The Career Stats
Matt Ryan ended his BC career as one of the most productive offensive players the school has ever had. Ryan’s career line was as follows:
807-for-1347, 9,313 yards, 56 TD, 37 INT
#12: Yardage
Ryan ranks third all-time in Boston College yardage by a quarterback. It is actually conceivable that Chase Rettig could catch up to him by the end of this season.
#12: Touchdowns
Ryan’s 56 touchdown passes also rank third in Boston College history.
#12: Records
Matt Ryan threw 31 of those touchdowns in his senior year of 2007, which beat Doug Flutie’s 1984 program single-season record of 27.
His 4,507 passing yards that season are also a single-season record by a substantial margin.
Rarefied Air
Matt Ryan joins Doug Flutie as the all-time leader in 300+ yard passing games in BC history, each with 12.
Scoring
In ’12, Chris Pantale, Dave Dudeck, and Spiffy Evans all scored 12 points.
Now That We’ve Established That
Let’s avoid all other mentions of the ’12 season today. It was, on every level, an unmitigated disaster.
Dozens Wild
Tony Gonzalez, Anthony DiCosmo, Kevin Challenger, Mike Roarke, and Sean Ryan all ended their Eagles football careers with 12 touchdown receptions.
Picks
Tony Thurman owns the program’s single-season record for interceptions with 12.
The Comebacks
Boston College has twice come back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter: vs. Pittsburgh (1988) and at Holy Cross (1980). Those were the biggest fourth-quarter comebacks in BC history in terms of deficit.