Football Observations: Boston College vs Clemson

Ok...so...the ending of that game...was...umm...

Ok, so where to start....

Look, I’m just going to not talk about how the game ended last night because that only leads to darkness, sadness, pain, and a lot of very unhealthy anger, and the internet is no place for any of that.

The biggest observation is that we, as a Boston College community, all know that the Eagles are OFFICIALLY one of the top teams in the ACC. I don’t know how it happened but it is the TRUTH. BC was the better team last night, we know it, Dabo Sweeney knows, all of Death Valley knows it. Next week’s game against NC State is MASSIVE. If BC can beat NC State then they will be in prime position. Clemson will likely lose another ACC game, as will Wake Forest or Louisville...hopefully. Nobody can convince me that this team, even with Dennis Grosel, can’t win the remainder of our games after his performance last night and win the Atlantic Division.

All offseason all we talked about was “Can the defense hold up?” Last night the defense not only held up, but came through with the big sack by Jason Maitre at the end of the fourth to give BC a chance. BC gave up a big TD, yes, but only surrendered 6 second half points. The D-line bulled their necks and made a number of key stops. In my opinion, this was a break-out game for the defense. Once again, when it mattered the defense made the plays that needed to be made. It was great to see special teams make a big play with the blocked punt and I hope that the unit continues to make an impact throughout the season.

The offense...well, I think it was clear from the false starts that this was the first time in over a year that this team played in a truly hostile environment. Grosel did throw for 311 yards which is encouraging, the 23-40 and 2 interceptions...not so much. The run game did not materialize at all but BC found a way to hang in there, something I wasn’t sure they could do before last night’s contest. While he did not have his best game (as stated above) Dennis Grosel managed to drive BC down the field through the air to get the ball in position to win the game...

...so it didn’t work out (sobs) BUT it is another example of how BC can win with Grosel, he can step up when we need him. Grosel (and the team as a whole) is probably having a rougher morning than all of us today and I encourage everybody to give him (and the team) as much support as possible because the season is far from over. Even with all the mistakes the offense made, the Eagles were still there at the end, and that is the best silver lining I can give. On the road in a hostile environment, against a team much better than BC on paper, and with under a minute left in the fourth the Eagle were right there.

It’s been years since BC has had such a disappointing defeat, and the reason for that is that it has been years since this program has had so much to be excited for. This season is just beginning and there is still so much to be hopeful for. Do not think of what has been lost but what BC can still attain. Eagles need to put this disappointment behind them because next week, it is gut check time. NC State is legit and it is a game BC has to win.