Is the past ancient history?

BC has fate in own hands but 2004 debacle looms

MATT RYANHe has proven his worth - everywhere

Sometimes history does repeat itself. Or comes close enough to make people take notice.

Let's flash back four years ago. Nov. 20, 2004, to be precise.

Boston College, in its final season in the Big East before jumping to the Atlantic Coast Conference, is playing Temple when its senior starting quarterback is injured (broken hand) in the second quarter. An untested freshman comes off the bench and leads the Eagles to victory, 34-17.

After the game, the BC coach says: "We have our fate in our own hands," which is very true, because all the Eagles need to do the following week is knock off an average Syracuse team to clinch the Big East title and earn their first Bowl Championship Series bid in the Fiesta Bowl.

Fast forward to Nov. 22, 2008. Boston College is on its way to beating Wake Forest when its senior starting quarterback is injured (fractured right collarbone) in the second quarter. An untested redshirt freshman comes off the bench and leads the Eagles to victory, 24-21.

Instead of former BC coach Tom O'Brien, senior QB Paul Peterson, and freshman QB Matt Ryan, the key figures in last weekend victory were BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski, senior QB Chris Crane, and redshirt freshman QB Dominique Davis.

After the game, Jagodzinski basically says the Eagles control their own destiny, which is true since a victory tomorrow at Alumni Stadium against Maryland will clinch the Atlantic Division crown and send them into next week's ACC title game in Tampa for the second consecutive season.

Now here is where the story gets tricky, and if you are a Boston College fan, you hope that history does not repeat itself.

In 2004, Ryan, who had thrown a total of three passes before he was forced into action in the Temple game, went 24 of 51 for 200 yards, 3 interceptions, and no touchdowns in a 43-17 loss to Syracuse, one of the more deflating games in recent BC history.

In can be argued the Syracuse game is ancient history. It should not be a big deal in terms of BC's preparation for Maryland, but the fifth-year seniors were there and they can impart words of wisdom to their younger brethren.

"It is eerie," said senior tight end Ryan Purvis, who was a scout-team freshman in 2004. "The parallels. Hopefully, it won't be the same outcome."

And unlike four years ago, the only thing a win tomorrow guarantees is an opportunity to play in a BCS game, but the goal here should be to focus, which this team has done very well. This week, Davis has taken a crash course, trying to elevate his game to postgraduate level.

Maryland (7-4) is coming off a deflating 37-3 loss to Florida State, which officially knocked the Terps out of the division race.

"There's still a lot to play for, an eight-win season," said Maryland junior QB Chris Turner, trying to put a positive spin on a season that has turned south. "We still want to go to a good bowl."

Enough motivation on the road against a hungry team? We will find out.

The point is simple. BC is a better team than Maryland, and it is playing at home with a title at stake. But it guarantees nothing.

In the wacky world of college football, the best team doesn't always win.

As bad as Notre Dame has been this season, does anyone think the Syracuse team that beat the Irish in South Bend last week is better? Is Oklahoma 44 points better than a Texas Tech team that beat Texas, which beat Oklahoma by 10 points earlier in the season? Is BC the best team in the Atlantic Division, in a conference where the "best team" label seems to change weekly? Does anyone really want to take on a North Carolina State team that looked like the worst team in the conference a month ago, but now has won three straight, including a demolition of a North Carolina team that handed BC its worst loss (45-24) of the season?

Stuff happens and teams advance and retreat.

If BC wins tomorrow, there seems little question that Jagodzinski should be ACC Coach of the Year. He won the Atlantic Division race last season, but he had a veteran team, led by Ryan, who finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting and this season is quarterbacking the Atlanta Falcons.

This year has been a much bumpier ride with four starters suffering season-ending injuries, including his starting QB. Clearly, it is a group effort, with BC defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani having another off-the-charts season in mixing and matching combinations, but Jagodzinski is the guy who takes the heat when things go wrong and he should receive the praise when things go right.

For BC, the regular season has hit its final crossroad. Whether the Eagles will repeat history or write a new chapter is what will make tomorrow's game so intriguing. And it will determine whether the Eagles get a chance to clear the one hurdle that has been missing for 24 years - getting to a major New Year's Day Bowl game and winning (outright) their first conference championship.

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