Eagles' options are limited

BC needs more from QB Crane

BC quarterback Chris Crane focused on fundamentals while preparing to face visiting Clemson tomorrow. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

The Internet chatter is loaded with criticism, saying Chris Crane's run as Boston College's starting quarterback needs to come to an end. But if not Crane, a fifth-year senior who has been inconsistent, then who?

Redshirt freshman Dominique Davis, who had cameo appearances earlier in the season but has not played since the Rhode Island game Sept. 27 (a 42-0 victory in which the Eagles threw the ball only nine times)? True freshman Justin Tuggle, who is midway through what coach Jeff Jagodzinski hopes will be a redshirt season?

No clear-cut answers, or promises that anyone who replaces Crane will be better, which is why it will be status quo for tomorrow's game against Clemson at Alumni Stadium. To be sure, it has been a rough two-week stretch for Crane, with six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns and another that was brought back to the BC 1.

The Eagles survived five turnovers, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns, in a 28-23 win over Virginia Tech two weeks ago. They didn't survive Crane's three INTs last week in a 45-24 loss to North Carolina, which clearly makes the Clemson game crucial.

"It's fundamentals," said Jagodzinski. "You can't come back and give the defense a short field all the time. Two TDs off picks and putting them on the plus side of the field is not helping anybody."

Certainly, it's not helping Crane's peace of mind, although he says he has done his best to shrug off the criticism the same way he paid little attention to the praise when he threw for a career-high 428 yards and two TDs, and ran for three scores in a 38-31 win over North Carolina State Oct. 4.

When asked if he had thick skin, Crane smiled and nodded his head. "Pretty thick," he said. "You just have to get past it. When you make mistakes, your first instinct is to fix them right away, maybe do too much too soon. You just have to put it behind you and learn from your mistakes. Don't dwell on it. We know what we did wrong. I know what I did wrong. We're going to fix it. Hopefully, we won't make those mistakes against Clemson."

He remains a work in progress. What happened against North Carolina was not all Crane's fault, but a good deal of it was. What is not working has to be fixed - now - and with the personnel the Eagles have. "It's not like you have a waiver wire," said Jagodzinski, who said his use of Crane will be as much about "feel" as anything else.

If the offense is functioning smoothly, Crane will stay in the game. If it sputters or the rash of turnovers continues, the Eagles could very well go back to Davis. But there are no guarantees.

"The coach talked to me and said I didn't have to be as aggressive," said Crane. "I should have not put us in that situation in the first place. I tried to do too much. It's got to be on me to discern whether or not to throw it."

Crane said he has worked on fundamentals all week. So have the rest of the Eagles, going back to the basics - catching the ball, throwing the ball, running with the ball, blocking, and tackling.

It sounds simple. In some ways, it is not. What works against the scout team might not work against the speed of Clemson, which has fallen from a preseason top-10 pick and favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference to a team with a 3-4 record, which led to the resignation of coach Tommy Bowden two weeks ago.

"Sometimes you get a false sense of security," said Crane of the throws he makes in practice against the scout team.

"I told the guys that the rest of the season is going to be like a playoff," added Crane. "We don't have a playoff in college football, but this is close. Each games is a must-win."

Crane has heard the boos from disgruntled fans. All of that can change with one game, with one win, with one game-winning TD drive, such as the one he put together against North Carolina State. Or it can get worse with another flat effort, such as the one against North Carolina.

"We'll see what everyone is made of," said Crane.