Eagles facing real challenge
They can't afford loss to N.C. State
- |
RALEIGH, N.C. - Forget, for the moment, the cast of characters. Forget North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien trying to beat his former players, or ones he recruited for Boston College, 33 of whom he says are on the Eagles' two-deep depth chart.
No, N.C. State could be coached by Conan O'Brien and the significance would be the same for BC. The Eagles are faced with their first must-win of the 2008 season.
When they kick off today at noon at Carter-Finley Stadium, the direction, if not the fate, of the Eagles' season will be at stake.
The season's first month produced three wins in four games for coach Jeff Jagodzinski's Eagles, but little else. The question marks about the offense remain, particularly at quarterback, as both starter Chris Crane and redshirt freshman backup Dominique Davis will play against the
Other than Georgia Tech, which beat BC, 19-16, the Eagles' competition - Kent State, Central Florida, and Rhode Island - has been mediocre at best.
N.C. State (2-3) is not regarded as an upper-tier Atlantic Coast Conference team, but it has a defense that can create problems for the sporadic BC offense. BC cannot realistically start its ACC schedule 0-2 and expect to compete for a division title, the benchmark for success Jagodzinski has used since he arrived at The Heights 22 months ago.
"This is a big game for us," said BC tight end Ryan Purvis. "A must-win if we want to get back to the ACC championship game because we already have one loss in the conference and this is a divisional conference game."
If BC loses, it will not only be 0-2 in the ACC, but it could be argued the Eagles will be underdogs for the remainder of their conference games, and perhaps even an underdog at home against Notre Dame Nov. 8.
Jagodzinski doesn't hide his concern over an offense that has sputtered, even in games the Eagles have won handily. It produced only 3 points in the first half against Central Florida before exploding in the second half of a 34-7 win, and it did not score in the first quarter against Rhode Island, a Championship Subdivision school, before putting things together in a 42-0 romp.
"I'm hoping to see our offense come out and do a lot better than we have been doing," said Jagodzinski, who might open up the passing game more against N.C. State. The Eagles attempted only nine passes against URI, but that was because the Rams couldn't stop the Eagles' running game once it got in synch.
One of Jagodzinski's favorite sayings is "Believe what you see." When asked what he saw during the first month of the season, he said, "A good defense." He then paused and said, "A decent running game." Conspicuously absent was any mention of the passing game.
Count on N.C. State to be stingy on run defense, which will put pressure on Crane and Davis to open up the game through the air.
"We have to be more balanced if we want to be successful in ACC play," said Purvis.
Jagodzinski says the Eagles are completely healthy, which means running back Josh Haden will be back.
After N.C. State, BC gets a week off, then jumps into a stretch of games that includes facing Virginia Tech and Clemson at home and North Carolina on the road. With a win against the Wolfpack, the Eagles reasonably could be in prime position to make a significant run.
With a loss?
That is what has had Jagodzinski and the Eagles on edge all week.
BC vs. N.C. State
When: Today, noon
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, N.C.
TV, radio: Ch. 38, WEEI
