No need to defend job

Every week, it seems Boston College's fourth-ranked defense has been able to hang its hat on one statistical superlative or another.

In the season opener at Brigham Young Sept. 3, the Eagles held the pass-happy Cougars to 8 yards rushing and even fewer points (3) after BYU barraged the Eagles with 60 pass attempts.

The following week in BC's home opener, the Eagles' defense was dealt a slap in the face when Army marched 80 yards in 12 plays to score on its opening possession. The Eagles responded, though, by holding Army scoreless for the remainder of the game and allowing only another 170 yards total offense, while forcing three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 interception).

Then, in its ACC debut against Florida State Sept. 17, BC's defense gave a strong acquittal of itself in a 28-17 setback, holding the Seminoles to 13 yards rushing.

At Clemson the following week, in the cement cauldron that is Death Valley, BC astounded everyone by shutting out the Tigers on all 11 of their third-down conversion attempts in a stirring 16-13 overtime triumph.

And last week against Ball State, BC's defense posted its first shutout in two years, 38-0. The winless Cardinals were held to 46 yards rushing and allowed the Eagles to ring up a season-high six sacks, including a career-high three by senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka.

''All the games, we went in there and just challenged them," said BC defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, ''and every week, they've responded."

Spaziani, who is in his ninth year at the Heights, is the architect of a defensive unit that is ranked second nationally in rushing defense (53.0 yards per game) and fourth in total defense (248.4 yards per game) and scoring defense (10.2 points per game).

This week, the 18th-ranked Eagles (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will be supremely challenged when they resume conference play by hosting Virginia Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

Though the Cavaliers (3-1, 1-1) absorbed their first loss of the season in a 45-33 setback at Maryland last Saturday, Virginia prides itself on its power-running game under fifth-year coach Al Groh.

''I think, thus far, the defense against the run has allowed us to do some things and to create some third-down situations that we've been successful in," said BC coach Tom O'Brien. ''I think that's the best thing we've done and that's got to carry over this week because, as I've said, this is the best rush team we'll have played this year."

Virginia ranks second in the ACC in rushing offense, averaging 176.2 yards per game (4.5 per play).

''We have set goals before the game, but our primary thing is to stop the run," said junior strong safety Ryan Glasper. ''If we don't stop the run, then the offense has its way with you.

''I'm sure their coach is going to come out with the mind-set that he's going to prove to everybody that we shouldn't be the No. 2 rushing defense in the country," said Glasper, who sat out last week's game nursing an injured left ankle but is expected to start Saturday.

When it comes to stopping the run, however, few teams have done it better this season than the Eagles. ''Statistics are always skewed, but we're going to find out real quick about that one," Spaziani said.

Only Virginia Tech ranks ahead of BC in the league's defensive statistics in total defense (226.4 yards per game), and scoring defense (8.0 average). On third downs, BC's defense ranks third in the ACC (just ahead of the Hokies), having allowed just 18 of 70 conversions, stopping all but two of the last 25 it has faced.

''They're very swarming," Groh said, when asked for his impressions of BC's defense. ''They have a lot of guys who are very active on their defense. Their linebackers are all downhill linebackers, that is, they're attacking the openings at the line of scrimmage just as if they were running backs.

''They cause a lot of problems on first and second downs through penetrations and linebacker run-throughs. They get a team behind schedule and then they turn Mathias loose, or they turn those blitzes loose."

The secret of BC's defensive success is no secret, really, to its players. ''A lot of us have been together for so long and we have a special team," said senior linebacker Ray Henderson, BC's leading tackler with 26 stops (17 solo). ''We know everything we need to know about a team, even what kind of gum they chew, it's that precise. And Coach Spaz, he always has a great game plan and he always seems to make the right calls that put us in the right spot."

Said Spaziani, ''We've given it a real solid effort. Once you don't give a solid effort, it shows up on defense first, for whatever reason. But we've come to play every week and really have responded. We've really flown around and hustled and guys have paid attention to what we're trying to say and have taken criticism.

''So now we're ready to move on to the next challenge."

And the next superlative.