Bad taste in BC mouths

BOISE, Idaho -- When Boston College accepted (grudgingly) the invitation to make its seventh consecutive bowl appearance in the MPC Computers Bowl against Boise State in Boise, one of the selling points of this far-flung, cold-weather bowl was the warmth and hospitality the 19th-ranked Eagles could expect from the local denizens.

And while BC (8-3) has been designated the ''home" team and will wear its maroon jerseys, the Eagles are not likely to enjoy anything in the way of a home-field advantage. That will belong to Boise State (9-3), which will look to extend a 31-game winning streak on the famed blue turf of its 30,000-seat Bronco Stadium, where the Eagles noticed nary a BC logo on the field.

That was the first perceived slight.

Another came Monday night during a bowl function, the Beyond the Game Dinner, where BC's entourage was limited to a certain number of guests. Meanwhile, it seemed like come one, come all for Boise State.

''That's when it was apparent to me this was not just another bowl game," said senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka. ''We were playing a road game."

BC was subjected to yet another slight during the banquet when speakers at the podium turned the function into an impromptu Boise State pep rally by concluding their remarks with, ''Go Broncos!"

Mike Atkins, chief executive officer of MPC Computers, even took a shot at ''the arrogant Boston media," and called out BC radio play-by-play man Jon Meterparel for alleging referring to the game as ''The Empty-Seat Computers Bowl" -- which Meterparel denies.

Where is the warmth and hospitality?

''It started to get a little obnoxious [Monday] night, but we're going to go out and do our talking on the field," said senior linebacker Ray Henderson. ''We're not going to do or say things to undermine them. We're just going to go out and play the way we're capable of playing and hopefully it'll show up on the scoreboard."

The Eagles feel as though they're playing more of an away game than a bowl game at a neutral site.

''Definitely," Henderson said. ''It's a lot like North Carolina last year, where it was pretty much us against the world. We're taking that as a motivational tool, especially after the banquet.

''Everybody's real fired up and excited to get out there and prove to everybody that we do belong here and they are going to get the No. 19 team in the country. That's what they asked for, so they're going to get our best shot."

The Eagles, who own the nation's longest active bowl winning streak at five games, will likely get the Broncos' best shot as well as they attempt to win one last time for their Colorado-bound coach, Dan Hawkins.

''Philosophically, I've always talked to our guys about finishing," said Hawkins, who compiled a 53-10 record and won four consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles in his five seasons in Boise. ''No matter what happens, you want to finish. We want to start fast and we want to finish strong in everything we do. From that standpoint, it's important for me to finish and it's important for our football team to finish."

''Either way you go," Kiwanuka said. ''A streak is going to end."

BC's defense, which ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and eighth in the nation against the run (95.2 yards per game), has allowed just five rushing touchdowns. Boise State, meanwhile, has 35 rushing touchdowns, the fifth-most in the country.

''Something's gotta give," Henderson said. ''We just want to go out there and do what we've been doing to teams and shut them down. We're ready to go. We're really fired up."

BC sophomore quarterback Matt Ryan didn't need any extra motivation.

''I know, personally, I had plenty of motivation coming in before [Monday] night," said Ryan, who is 4-0 as a starter this season and will be making his first start in a bowl game. ''Like I said, if [Monday] night added fuel to the fire for the guys, then so be it."

''The first day we were here, everybody greeted us with open arms," Henderson said. ''We were walking around the stadium and people were stopping by to say hello and whatnot. Once a couple of days went by, and they started to realize the game was getting closer, that kind of petered out a little bit.

''But we don't care how they treat us or what they say to us. We're here to play a football game and we're here to win a football game.

''After the banquet, we want to go out and prove to this team that we're not just some soft East Coast team. We're coming out here and we're going to put it on them the best we can and hopefully we'll come out with the win."