BC can expect loud reception

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff, 10/18/2003

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Tom O'Brien says he doesn't intend to don any protective headgear or body armor when he leads his Boston College football team into a noisy and hostile Carrier Dome for today's Big East game against the Syracuse Orangemen.

But, the BC coach said, he does intend to take one precaution against those irate Syracuse fans still upset over BC's decision last Sunday to defect from the Big East and accept an invitation to become the Atlantic Coast Conference's 12th school.

"I'm not going to stand next to Gene," O'Brien said, jokingly, referring to BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo, who was named as a defendant in a second lawsuit Tuesday filed by four Big East schools against BC and four ACC officers.

"Whenever I see him, I'm going to walk the other way. No offense, Gene."

The sniping began earlier this week when Syracuse chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw took a parting shot at BC president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., labeling him a "double agent" for playing both sides of the Big East/ACC fence. It only seemed to add a new level of rancor to this longstanding Big East rivalry, which has never lacked for intensity on the field, and now will not lack for any off of it.

"Syracuse is always a big game for BC," said junior quarterback Quinton Porter, who earned a share of Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading the Eagles (4-2, 1-1) to a 38-13 romp at Temple last week, passing for a career-high 308 yards and three touchdowns. "We compete with them in recruiting and we compete with them, obviously, for a bowl game. So, basically, we're coming out with that in mind. We have our goals -- a piece of the Big East championship and a bowl game -- and the next obstacle is Syracuse."

The Orangemen (3-2, 0-1), meanwhile, will attempt to rebound after suffering a 51-7 loss in their conference opener last week at Virginia Tech. Although BC has won three of its last four games against the Orangemen, including last year's meeting at Alumni Stadium, 41-20, the Eagles expect Syracuse to be emotionally charged for this game, potentially the last BC visit to the Carrier Dome.

"The team's been fine," O'Brien said. "I don't think they've been fazed by this at all, unless I'm reading them wrong. I think they practiced well and have been intent on Syracuse. The only problem we had at practice [Wednesday] was the wind was blowing so hard we couldn't even stand up. I'm sure the wind isn't going to be blowing in the dome like that."

But the Eagles, no doubt, will encounter some gale-force verbal bluster from angry Syracuse fans.

"There's no telling how they're going to react to this," said BC senior running back Derrick Knight, who rushed for 158 yards last week to vault ahead of Syracuse's Walter Reyes as the nation's leading rusher, leapfrogging from third to No. 1 with a 147.7-yard average. "I'm sure we'll hear it from their fans, especially, but I'm not sure how [it will translate] to the kids on the field. It definitely adds a new dimension, but what it's going to be like, I have no idea."

After playing in front of large and hostile crowds at Penn State and Connecticut, O'Brien is confident his team can handle the adversity. During the Big East coaches' teleconference Monday, O'Brien noted how "the bull's-eye on our chest just got a whole lot bigger," referring to the anger his team was likely to face from conference opponents for the remainder of the season.

"We'll have to see it every week, probably," O'Brien said. "I think this team is mature enough that we'll handle it, but sometimes that can backfire for an opponent. It can help you get ready to play [harder], because the excitement level picks up, the enthusiasm picks up, and when they start calling you names, you might take exception to it."

When the Eagles arrive at the Carrier Dome today, they'll close up ranks, circle the wagons, all while making certain to keep a safe distance from their genial AD. Just as a precaution.

"That's an environment we're not opposed to going into," said Knight, referring to BC's 3-0 road record this season. "Going on the road, it's an us-against-the-world, take-on-everybody mentality. It's a high-energy atmosphere and we'd like to think we're very good at staying focused, maintaining our composure, and going in and silencing the crowd." . . .

BC's charter plane from Boston to Syracuse last night was delayed for several hours because of mechanical problems. With the delay, the team didn't get into Syracuse until well after midnight. The BC-Syracuse game starts at noon today.

Mark Blaudschun of the Globe staff contributed to this report.