Francois is playing a different tune

BC linebacker replaces Toal in starting lineup

Robert Francois's role will increase with the loss of starter Brian Toal. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

It was two weeks into training camp this summer and Boston College wide receiver Billy Flutie needed a diversion. Sitting in his dorm room, Flutie picked up his guitar and started to strum a riff he had been working on for the past few days. Linebacker Will Thompson walked by and heard the music.

"I liked it," said the redshirt freshman, whom his teammates nicknamed "Broadway" after hearing him sing "My Girl' during an impromptu freshman talent show. "It was a catchy tune."

So Thompson started putting together some lyrics - about BC linebacker Robert Francois, who could intimidate teammates who didn't know him well with a stare and whose quiet demeanor in the locker room effectively masked his personality.

Suddenly, a song was created, "Ro Fran Don't Touch Me," and Flutie and Thompson became a traveling minstrel show as they went from room to room, giving samples of their collaborative effort.

For the next two days, the tune went around the locker room, drawing laughs as everybody except Francois heard it.

When "Ro Fran Don't Touch Me" finally found its way to the 6-foot-2-inch, 253-pound Francois, there was a moment of uncertainty - and then laughter.

"Some of the stuff was exaggerated," said Francois with a laugh. "But I loved it."

"Ro Fran Don't Touch Me," which Thompson said is soft rock, might make its way back on the charts by Saturday when the Eagles face North Carolina in Chapel Hill, since once again Francois's role has changed.

When Brian Toal went down for the season with a broken leg in the first quarter of last Saturday's 28-23 win over Virginia Tech, the Eagles' defense had to adjust again, and Francois was elevated to starter.

The fifth-year senior from Highland, Texas, says he is simply doing what he has done since he arrived at BC out of Governor Dummer Academy as a linebacker, tight end, and wide receiver in the fall of 2004.

"Just contributing," said Francois yesterday. "With all the injuries we've had, everybody plays. It's not that big a deal."

But in some ways, it is for Francois, who came from Texas to Massachusetts because it offered him a chance to play more and get more exposure for his skills - which included sprinter's speed (he was the New England Class C 100-meter champion in 2003) - before he added some bulk.

In his final season at Governor Dummer, he was a tight end/safety. After redshirting his freshman season at BC, Francois became a linebacker in waiting, earning recognition on special teams and as a fill-in. His role has not changed drastically as BC's linebackers evolved into a unit of five or six quality players, the deepest position on the roster.

This season the Eagles began with Toal, Mark Herzlich, and Mike McLaughlin as starters, but Francois was getting playing time in various roles. Now he will get more, much more, as he finishes his career at The Heights.

Francois is not the most vocal player on the Eagles, and his reputation as quiet but tough, which spawned "Ro Fran Don't Touch Me," has some merit.

"He's always been a team player," said defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani. "He's a quiet player, does everything you ask. He always wants to play. The players look to him like a leader. He does everything. He never gripes."

Spaziani referred to the time Francois was not playing as well as he could and his playing time had diminished. "His gripe was, 'Hey, Coach, what can I do? How can I help?' "

Spaziani smiled as he said, "You can make a living with those guys."

The forecast for Saturday's game calls for showers . . . BC is a 3-point underdog, which marks the first time this season the Eagles have had that status . . . Although there won't be an official injury announcement until today, the Eagles went through practice yesterday with starting left defensive end Austin Giles and starting free safety Wes Davis both in shorts and not participating . . . With one more victory, the Eagles (5-1) will become bowl-eligible for the 10th straight season.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.