September 2014 Boston College Football Review

Our September 2014 Boston College football review is full of highs and lows, almost equal in number, in what was a crazy month for the Eagles.

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Inclusive of the August 30 opener against UMass, Boston College is now 3-2 as they sit idly waiting for NC State in a few weeks. Had you told yourself prior to the UMass game that the Eagles would go to NC State at 3-2, you might have said “I can picture that.” You just would not have believed how they got there.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: Bad Homecoming

Our Recap: Eagles Embarrassed by Panthers, 30-20

Amidst the pomp and circumstance of Boston College’s home opener, complete with fireworks and the ESPN cameras, Boston College lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers in their first meeting since both were in the Big East.

The Eagles, who had looked very effective running the ball against UMass, saw little explosiveness against Pitt aside from a few big rushing plays. On the other hand, James Conner reminded Boston College a great deal of their old running back, Andre Williams, in rushing for 214 yards against the Eagles.

Pittsburgh dominated the Boston College offense, which generated only 276 yards, but on defense, the story was poor tackling. Pitt seems like an elusive enough team, but the Eagles struggled with fundamental technique, failing to bring Panthers playmakers down.

With USC coming next, the loss caused a number of Eagles fans to re-evaluate their views on the season.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: A Night of Greatness

Our Recap: Eagles Stun #9 Trojans With 37-31 Win

That somber re-evaluation ended just eight days later, when the Eagles went from a flat performance to the best game they have played in the Steve Addazio era.

Boston College got pushed around on both sides of the line of scrimmage the last time they played the USC Trojans, but on September 13, it was the Eagles doing the controlling. The Eagles rushed for over 450 yards against mighty USC, holding them to only 20 rush yards of their own in a special game in Boston College football history.

What seemed the most shocking thing of all is that it was a 180-degree departure from the Pitt game. Perhaps USC overlooked them, but the Eagles wanted it badly and it showed.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: Taking Care of Business

Our Recap: Eagles Trounce Black Bears, 40-10

The Maine game the following week started slowly for Boston College, but as time wore on, the tempo picked up, and what was a tie game in the second quarter soon became a 30-point rout.

Boston College rushed for over 400 yards again, sticking with their formula of rotating different running backs in and out while calling some successful sweeps and reverses. The Eagles only played well for about two and a half quarters, still feeling the USC hangover, but at 3-1, there seemed little about which to worry.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: Back to Square One

Our Recap: Eagles Choke Late, Lose to Rams 24-21

So much for the building momentum. Against Colorado State, the Eagles resembled the team that lost to Pittsburgh, unable to make any tackles and failing to establish the run after halftime. The Rams adjusted on both offense and defense, but Boston College did not, resulting in a last-minute comeback for Colorado State to push the Eagles to 3-2.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: Where Are We Now?

The Eagles book-ended the month with lousy performances, though they are probably “on-schedule” in terms of making a bowl game at 3-2. However, they could have used the Colorado State game, which unlike Pittsburgh was eminently winnable up until the very end.

Beating a top ten team in their own building to losing to an okay Mountain West team at said venue in the span of two weeks shows you what kind of month it was for the Boston College Eagles: inconsistent. September was a preview of what kind of ride it’s going to be for the Eagles. What we can also add is that they are not going to have much fun in ACC play if they cannot figure out how to tackle and/or are unwilling to make adjustments.

September 2014 Boston College Football Review: Looking at October

The Eagles will open the month with a bye, followed by an October 11 game in Raleigh at NC State. That will be followed by a pivotal contest against the Clemson Tigers on October 18, their only home game of the month. Boston College concludes the month with a winnable October 25 game at Wake Forest.