College BattleGround - Forum: BC Hot Topics

College BattleGround on BC Athletics Once Again Posts Strong Graduation Success Rate

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 10:00:35 -0500

Eagles are 5th among FBS teams

Another year, another strong academic showing for Boston College’s student athletes.

Boston College athletics posted a 95 in the most recent release of the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate, good for 5th among FBS schools. The only schools ahead of BC were Notre Dame, Stanford, Northwestern, and Duke — the usual suspects.

Also impressive was the GSR for the football team, which clocked in at a 90, good for 9th best in the country.

According to BCEagles.com, Boston College has posted at least a 95 GSR across all sports every year since the GSR has been published, dating back to the 1998 matriculating class.

With some of the problems BC athletics is facing, it’s good to see that the Eagles still have their identity as a strong academic school in the top athletic conferences. Say what you will about the results on the field lately, but the strong academic tradition is a point of pride for the program and a big advantage in recruiting.

Congratulations to all of the BC teams for their strong showing! It’s definitely something to be proud of.

College BattleGround on Boston College 26 UMass 7: Cheers And Jeers

Sun, 11 Sep 2016 15:35:17 -0400

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday Boston College snapped their nine game losing streak, soundly beating the UMass Minutemen at Gillette Stadium. What did BC do well, and where did they struggle? Let’s take a look.

CHEERS

Jeff Smith: Thought it was pretty clear that he may be a legit wide receiver after the Georgia Tech game, now I’m sure of it. Two massive receiving touchdowns for the converted quarterback. He’s got the speed, which Addazio lauded throughout the summer, but what has surprised me are his hands, which seem as good as anyone else on the team. I wished BC went to him more often, because there were a handful of passing plays where he was wide open, but Patrick Towles didn’t look his way.

The Entire Front Seven: Could I call out an individual player here? Sure. But this group as a unit was about as dominant as you can get. They held UMass to -23 rushing yards and sacked Russ Comis eight times. Up and down you can appreciate their play, Zach Allen had a great game, Connor Strachan was all over the place again, I’m not sure that anyone on UMass could stop Truman Gutapfel. Just an overall impressive game by this entire group.

The Offensive Line: Another big game from this group. No sacks for the defense. Now the offensive stats wouldn’t lead you to believe that they were dominant, but watching it live it showed what these guys had to deal with. Because Addazio was mostly conservative in his approach, again, UMass was stacking the box with as many as 10 guys against the run (at one point they even had the safety cheating in as well). Until Addazio decides to open up the passing attack more, this is going to be the reality for this group.

Mike Knoll: Yes he missed an extra point. But I thought he looked about as confident for a field goal kicker as we have had since Nate Freese. Even when Lichtenberg is healthy, Addazio needs to leave Knoll out there. With the new holder, this may be the group to ride into the rest of the season.

JEERS

Patrick Towles: If I had a middle section entitled “meh” this is where I would put Towles’ game. He looked great on his passes to Jeff Smith and some of his throws to Charlie Callinan and Michael Walker, it was just he had two major flaws. One, that interception was real bad. He really tried to wing that in to a window that just wasn’t there, and if he read his progressions more, Jeff Smith was open on the outside. Secondly, and this is my bigger problem, was that his internal clock on when to throw the ball was super short (see the turnover on downs run). It felt like he didn’t even look at his first progression before he decided to tuck it and run. Now some of those may have been designed runs, but it didn’t seem like they all were. He needs to trust his offensive line to hold a little longer and he’ll see some openings in the defense.

The ultra conservative game plan: Look we all saw it, BC took 26 minutes to get onto the board, and for many in the stands it was starting to look bleak. Then Towles hits Jeff Smith for a long touchdown and hey BC is on top, then he hits him again and it feels like the game is out of reach. But in between there was a whole lot of half back draws into an overcrowded box. Hat tip to Addazio for refusing to bend from his plan, as he just continued to run that play, over and over again. Even when he knew that BC had a weakness they could exploit (no one could really cover Jeff Smith), he just stuck with running it. But BC won, and I’m sure he’s happy about that.

The UMass Public Address Announcer: I don’t know when Jeff Smith switched to #6 but it clearly confused the PA Announcer who didn’t seem to know who he was, twice announcing Sherm Alston with the touchdown catch. Sherm Alston transferred out of the program this winter.

Punt Returns: True Tyler Rouse had a a great return thrown in there, but for the most part he was fair catching everything, and there were definitely times where he had room to catch it and make a move. This is put here not as a dig at Rouse, who I still believe is great in this position, but just a fear that we are going to return to the days of Sherm Alston where they are going to be super cautious about making returns.

College BattleGround on QB Austin Burton Decommits From BC Flips To UCLA

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 16:37:37 -0400

Photo by George Frey/Getty Images

Boston College football received some bad news today, as 2017 football commit Austin Burton reportedly has flipped from the Eagles to UCLA

Burton, a 2* QB, originally from Newton, MA, moved to Florida this summer to enroll in West Orange High School in Florida. He is the son of local television sports reporter Steve Burton. Burton was one of two local QB’s that Boston College had landed for the class of 2017, the other being E.J Perry IV of Andover MA. Burton committed to BC at the beginning of the summer, and was quickly offered by UCLA.

This move by Burton puts Boston College in an interesting predicament. Do they try and grab another QB for this class, maybe getting someone to flip. It’s getting later in the process, and sometimes it’s harder for a school like Boston College to get commits if they haven’t been in contact with them. Or will the Eagles just take Perry and take their chances in 2017. They have been targeting some high caliber kids (Artur Sitkowski), and taking fewer QBs the class before may put BC in better shape with the 2018 kids.

Decommitments are part of the recruiting process, and this one will sting, especially if Burton comes on strong in Florida. But BC will move on, hopefully they find a solid replacement for this class.

Good luck in the future Austin.

College BattleGround on Boston College Football Kicks Off Summer Practices

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 17:00:55 -0400

It’s here! It’s here! College football is back!

Boston College football opened up their summer practices today at Chestnut Hill as they prepare for their 2016 season and their first match up with Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. While there isn’t much to report in terms of news, players and coaches were available after the practice and spoke with the media.

The first day of practice is all about basics and getting the rhythm and expectations of the drills according to Steve Addazio. "Just really day one, it's a lot of practice organization: how to move, how to practice, fundamentals..."That kind of stuff is important on day one, and just understanding the flow of a practice and getting back in that groove."

On the progression of the practices: “ "It's called the acclimation period – five days," Addazio said. "It's a combination of no pads, then shells, then full pads. And it brings you right through to the first full padded day on Friday, and then you scrimmage a little bit on Saturday.”

Players of course were really excited as well. Wide receiver Charlie Callinan was chomping at the bit to get back on the field “"It's awesome," he said. "I love being out with the guys and competing every day. I've been looking forward to this all summer since the end of spring.”

As mentioned yesterday, one of the biggest questions for this season has to do with the difference in schemes between new defensive coordinator Jim Reid and former defensive wiz Don Brown. According to Boston College defensive back John Johnson, he doesn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal at this point in the season at least "Schemes are schemes. It's pretty much the same thing. It's football. You just try to go out there and compete. That's all that matters."

BC will continue to practice this week, with a media day on Thursday, and a full scrimmage on Saturday. BC Interruption will be sure to have updates on all of these events as the week progresses.

College BattleGround on Boston College QB Patrick Towles “Dedicates” Season To Slain Gorilla Harambe

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 18:56:55 -0400

Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images

If you have been active on the internet over the past few months, you know the story of Harambe the Cincinnati gorilla, who was shot after a child slipped into his pen. The There have been a slew of memes, and all sorts of mentions on social media. Basically, name a story and Harambe has been thrown into some sort of joke involving it.

Yesterday, graduate transfer Boston College quarterback Patrick Towles went to Instagram/Twitter to weigh in on his upcoming season. He proclaimed (probably joking) that he is dedicating his season to Harambe the gorilla, and as you can guess, it went viral

The responses to Patrick’s tweets were pretty funny. Here are a few:

Surely it was just a joke, and nothing to take seriously, but still something topical and rather funny.

Training camp opens on Monday, let’s hope that Patrick Towles will bring some of that Harambe magic with him to the Heights.

College BattleGround on Boston College QB Patrick Towles Named To the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 07:09:52 -0400

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Towles, BC’s transfer quarterback from Kentucky is surrounded by expectations this upcoming season. A year removed from being one of the worst offensive teams in the nation, BC has brought him in to revitalize the passing game that finished near the bottom of all college football. On Friday it was announced that he was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List for 2016.

What is this award? According to the BC press release: “The award was established in 1987 and is presented annually to the nation’s top college quarterback based on character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities and athletic accomplishments.” Former BC great Matt Ryan won the award in 2007, after a fantastic season.

Towles, a graduate student threw for 2,148 yards, nine touchdowns and fourteen interceptions. The hope going into this season is that the change of scenario and working with new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler will help him transform into a dynamic quarterback.

Other notable players on the watch list include: Sean Maguire (FSU), Deshaun Watson (Clemson), Thomas Sirk (Duke), Brad Kaaya (Miami), Nathan Peterman (Pittsburgh), and Mitch Tribusky (UNC).

College BattleGround on Boston College Football Preseason: New Face, New Attitude For BC Offense With Towles?

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 09:16:14 -0400

The 2015 season was a hard pill to swallow for a large number of Boston College football fans. As the ceiling fell in the on the season, the floor gave out. Each week, the team kept fighting, kept pounding. It wasn’t enough, however, and often overmatched on offense, they failed to secure a win after the fourth game of the season. It was humbling and frustrating to watch, but perhaps the biggest reason is because BC simply lost its swagger.

Swagger is one of those essential parts to the game of football, and it comes in different forms. There’s loud, boisterous swagger, something brought by the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s and exhibited by Southern California when they came out of the tunnel against BC two years ago. Standing up against the BC tunnel, jawing with players, there was something to a team walking into any stadium not only feeling like it could win but also feeling like it was going to win.

At BC, it’s a different kind of swagger. It’s the fiery coach getting his guys’ juice going, but it’s a tough, physical, workman-like approach to the game. In Steve Addazio’s two years, BC showed its swagger by simply outworking teams, grinding them down by punching a clock, putting on the hard-hat, and doing their jobs.

Last year, as the season got away from BC, they lost a little bit of that swagger on the field. The team never quit, kept fighting on every play, but the atmosphere, the proverbial air in the balloon? It was gone. As soon as an opponent scored, there was the feeling that BC would lose, and as far as statistics go, that’s what happened.

If the 2015-2016 offseason became typified by anything, it’s about a reclamation of that swagger. And to help stoke those flames, they rebuilt from the foundation up, starting with the quarterback position.

Patrick Towles is a very different player than what Boston College is used to. He has height at 6’5”, making him the tallest Eagle QB since Quinton Porter, but he has thickness at 250-plus pounds. He has massive size, something that makes him willing to stand in the pocket when faced with pressure.

Because he’s so big, he has a big arm. Before last season, he was a rising name on draft boards because of his ability to make all throws. He could throw downhill with some zip, and he could take something off to put some touch on a sideline route.

But what makes Towles so much different than any other QB in recent Eagle history is his “gunslinger” mentality. It’s gotten him into trouble at times, and he threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (six) in 2015.

It’s tough to overly fault Towles for some of the statistical struggles, though. Only two of his interceptions last year came in third down situations, and he went 29-52 (56%) on yardages of eight or longer. On situations where it was third and long but in between the sticks (8-10 yards), he went 19-31 (61%).

His tendencies also ran worse when he was asked to do more and more. He threw his most pass attempts on first down, which is also where he threw his most interceptions (seven). Of those seven picks, six came on yardage situations of 8-10 yards during the down.

It goes beyond passing, though. For a big guy, Towles has an ability to scramble, meaning he is more than capable of pulling down the ball and taking off with it. This is a 250-pound guy who is capable of picking up 10 yards on the ground, and he’s regarded as incredible athletic. He enters the year as the 19th best QB prospect in college football, per NFL Draft Scout. Against Missouri, even though he went 22-27 for 250 yards, he averaged three yards per carry with 21 yards on nine carries.

At BC, he won’t be asked to do that much. While he’s the centerpiece of the offense, the Eagles have a much more seasoned running game, meaning he’ll likely be tasked with doing substantially less. He’ll be asked to pass more on second and third down than he would be on first, though he does give the team the option to do it.

Even if BC runs a traditional, pro-style attack, it’ll encompass more rushing than the Wildcats. Shannon Dawson employed a pass-oriented offense that utilized more downfield looks. It was successful early in the year, namely when Kentucky beat Missouri and opened up 4-1, but after five straight losses, the Wildcats made a change to prospect Drew Barker going into a game against Charlotte. Still, they came within one game, in which they still scored 24 points in a loss to Louisville in which Towles re-entered the lineup, of bowl eligibility.

In 2016, one of the underlying storylines will be how Towles gives this team its swagger back. His ability to make plays is something they lacked last year, and it’s something that could open up the rest of the offense. At the end of the day, he’ll probably only need to “make” two or three tough plays per game, substantially less than what Kentucky asked of him, but if he can do that, it could be a return to prominence for the Eagles this season.

College BattleGround on The Dudes Strike Back 2016: Better Get To Know #74 Jimmy Lowery

Wed, 27 Jul 2016 10:43:19 -0400

Lowery is expected to move in and start at tackle

Name: Jimmy Lowery

Position: Offensive Tackle

Number: #74

Year: Graduate

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 290 lbs.

Hometown: Burr Ridge, Ill

High School: Lombard Montini (Eastern Illinois Transfer)

2013 Stats: Started all 14 games at right tackle and was named a 1^st Team All-American by Phil Steele.

2014 Stats: Started the first five games at right tackle before suffering a season-ending injury.

2015 Stats: Started all 12 games at left tackle for Eastern Illinois and was 2^nd Team All-Ohio Valley. Lowery did not allow a sack in the final 8 games of the year.

2016 Projections: Lowery is expected to move in and start at tackle. College football guru Phil Steele has some high expectations for Lowery as he has him slotted on his 4^th Team All-ACC Team. Lowery was not here for spring practice so there is still a lot of unknown about Lowery right now, especially if he will start on the left or right side. He will have to get a few practices under his belts before anything is set in stone on which side of the line that he’ll play on.

How'd He Get Here: Lowery spent the last four years at Eastern Illinois and had a 5^th year of eligibility remaining. The offensive tackle decided to challenge himself in the ACC for his last year of eligibility.

Twitter Feed: You can follow Jimmy on Twitter @jlowe_9

Tweetable: Lowery’s tweets are protected.

Uniform History: A number of different linemen have worn the #74 jersey over the years. Most recently it was offensive tackle Dave Bowen. Doug Brzezinski wore the #74 jersey from 1995-98, captaining the Eagles during his senior season. A third round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1999 NFL Draft, Brzezinski would play six seasons professionally with the Eagles and Carolina Panthers. The #74 was also worn by another NFL Draft pick, OT Anthony Castanzo, from 2007-10. The Colts first-round draft pick begins his sixth season with Indianapolis in 2016.

Linkage:

Top Transfers of 2016 (Athlon)

Improvement on OL is Essential (BC Interruption)

College BattleGround on The Dudes Strike Back 2016: Better Get To Know #83 Charlie Callinan

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 16:14:31 -0400

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Charlie Callinan

Position: Wide receiver

Number: #83

Year: Junior

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 239 lbs.

Hometown: Westfield, NJ

High School: St. Peter's Prep

2013 Stats: Redshirted

2014 Stats: Callinan played in thirteen games, starting in nine. Finished the season with 13 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown pass against Virginia Tech. Not a stat that was listed, but he was a valuable run blocker on the edge, that helped to spring multiple big runs during the season.

2015 Stats: Started 10 of 12 games for the Eagles in 2015, recorded 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

2016 Projections: Charlie is going to be a starter this year again. He has good size, and has shown a tendency to use his big frame to get to the ball. With Patrick Towles or Darius Wade throwing him the ball, this may be the first year where he has a legit throwing QB targeting him throughout the season. If he can stay healthy there is no reason his reception numbers shouldn’t increase.

How'd He Get Here: A three-star recruit out of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, Callinan chose the Eagles over claimed offers from Connecticut and Rutgers. Other big names, including Michigan State, Notre Dame and Penn State showed interest in the 6-foot-4 receiver. Recruited by Bill McGovern.

Twitter Feed: You can follow Charlie on Twitter @C_Callinan.

Tweetable:

Thank you to the #FlynnFund for providing BC student athletes with such great opportunities!

— Charlie Callinan (@C_Callinan) August 26, 2015

Uniform History: Harry Dowes an end in the 60's, Bob Rush and Scott Giesleman a tight end in the 70's and 80's respectively, Ivan Boyd, a FL from 1990-93, Scott Dragos a tight end in the 90's. Tim Sherwin a captain in 1983, also donned it. Superfan/walk on kicker Steve Aponavicius, the leading kicker in BC history, also wore it. Most recently wide receiver Alex Amidon wore it until 2013. If I missed anyone please let me know!

Linkage:

Know A Dude 2015: #83 WR Charlie Callinan (BC Interruption)

Know A Dude 2014: #32 WR Charlie Callinan (BC Interruption)

New Jersey WR Charles Callinan Commits To Boston College (BC Interruption)

An Interview with Charlie Callinan (mgoblog)

Highlights:

Video- Charlie Callinan's touch down catch against Virginia Tech (ESPN)

College BattleGround on The Dudes Strike Back 2016: Get To Know #92 DT Kevin Cohee

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 14:43:27 -0400

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Kevin Cohee

Position: Defensive Line

Number: #92

Year: Sophomore

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 257 lbs.

Hometown: West Roxbury, MA

High School: Roxbury Latin

2013 Stats (HS): Twice earned All-Independent School League honors...twice served as team captain...registered 20 tackles, including one sack, and two interceptions...recorded one interception returned for a touchdown...played for head coach Patrick Ross...also excelled on the lacrosse field. (bceagles.com)

2014 Stats: Redshirted

2015 Stats: Played in the first two games of the season on special teams.

2016 Projections: Cohee is listed as a defensive tackle on the official BC roster, at first I thought he was a little undersized, but he fits the profile of DT’s BC recruited under Don Brown. Most of the DT’s hover around that 260 pound frame. Ray Smith is probably going to be the starter this year next to Truman Gutapfel, but there is a going to be a void on the two deep that Cohee could find a spot on.

How'd He Get Here: Recruited by both Frank Leonard and Kevin Lempa, Cohee chose Boston College over a bevy of northeast programs. Also in the mix were Connecticut, Rutgers, and UMass. NC State also gave him a sniff. UConn gave Cohee his first offer before he ever visited BC, but he waited out the whole process before selecting the Eagles.

Twitter Feed: N/A

Uniform History: #92 isn't exactly a well-worn digit, but the names who did bring back some memories. Steve Jiordano wore the number as a tight end in the 70s, and Nick Gianackos wore it during the Dan Henning era. The most recent to don 92 was Dillon Quinn.

Linkage:

Get To Know The Dudes 2015: #92 DL Kevin Cohee (BC Interruption)

Get To Know The Dudes 2014: #92 DL Kevin Cohee (BC Interruption)

Kevin Cohee commits to Boston College (BCInterruption)

Kevin Cohee Player Profile (MassPrepStars)

College BattleGround on TE Drew McQuarrie Commits To Eagles, And Where Does BC Stand With QB Targets

Thu, 23 Jun 2016 09:47:23 -0400

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

As we reported yesterday, New Hampshire recruit Drew McQuarrie has committed to the Eagles, but not as a QB the position he is listed as on most recruiting services. Instead according to McQuarrie, the Eagles have recruited him as a tight end. He has good size and frame (6’5 215 lbs) to be the type of tight end BC needs moving forward. He is the 2nd tight end in this class, joining San Diego native Patrick Brown who committed in the spring. You can check out McQuarrie’s HUDL below

With McQuarrie going to tight end, that leaves the Eagles with room for one more QB in the class of 2017 if they choose to go that route. They have a few options moving forward, and some of their most recent movement have been with QB’s, so it appears that if they get interest they will be taking one of the following:

CJ Lewis (CT) 3*: A dual threat QB from the same high school as Brandon Sebastian. He was just offered on Wednesday. Given his twitter convo’s, he seems to be very interested in Boston College. Currently holds offers from Buffalo and lesser schools such as UConn.
Austin Burton (MA/FL) 2*: A very interesting quarterback to watch, he is possibly the highest rated QB in Massachusetts, but here’s the kicker, he’s moving to Florida. Last season he played in Newton, but over the spring he announced he will be playing in the Sunshine State for his senior year. Will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a completely different level of play.
Tate Haynes (CA) NR: No other current offers for this dual threat QB. He was offered a while ago, not sure if BC would want him at QB.
Jack Sears (CA) 4*: Would love to see him at BC, but the kid has a ton of big time offers at this point. Probably a real long shot.

College BattleGround on Boston College Football Recruiting: 2017 DE Marcus Valdez Commits To Eagles

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 18:46:41 -0400

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The camp season is in full swing for Boston College, and they continue to grab commits from kids in the class of 2017. This time Boston College has landed a commitment from 2017 DE Marcus Valdez

‼️ ‼️ ‼️ pic.twitter.com/vIsBzUgHJG

— Marcus Valdez (@marcusjvaldez) June 22, 2016

Valdez, who attends Don Bosco in New Jersey, is a 2* recruit that has a good chunk of solid offers. His offer sheet includes Syracuse, Rutgers, Duke along with Kent State, Navy, Army, Bowling Green and FAU. Clearly this is the territory of Anthony Campanile, who's brother was once an assistant coach of the school. Valdez is currently 6'1 243lb.

Additional notes: Commit DE Kwity Paye camped at Notre Dame over the weekend, but as of this writing he has not received an offer. If he receives a Fighting Irish offer, this will be a situation worth watching.

* Also, Boston College received a commitment in the past 24 hours from New Hampshire QB Drew McQuarrie, who confirmed today to this writer that he was recruited as a tight end. BCI will write up this commitment in the next 24 hours.

* There were quite a few additional offers out this week after the camp, be sure to follow me at @BCHysteria to find out more about the recruits .

	Name	Hometown	Position	Rival Rating	Other Offers
1	Kwity Paye	Warwick, RI	DE	3*	BYU, Toledo
2	Travis Levy	Sandy Spring, MD	RB	3*	Vanderbilt, Toledo, Army, UMass, Buffalo
3	Ben Stewart	Indianapolis, IN	S	3*	Cincinnati, Iowa, Central Michigan, Ball State
4	Patrick Brown	San Diego, CA	TE	2*	San Diego State, Hawaii
5	Brandon Sebastian	Cheshire, CT	S/ATH	3*	Rutgers, Syracuse, URI, Temple, Connecticut
6	Ben Petrula	Jersey City, NJ	OT	3*	Virginia, Wisconsin, UNC, South Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky, Temple, UCF, Rutgers
7	EJ Perry IV	Andover, MA	QB	2*	Massachusetts, Ohio, Lehigh, Bryant, Yale, Brown
8	Paul Theobald	Orange, NJ	LB	3*	UCF, Rutgers, Northwestern
9	Isaiah McDuffie	Buffalo, NY	OLB	3*	Syracuse, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, UConn
10	Alec Lindstrom	Dudley, MA	C	NR	UMass
11	Noah Jordan Williams	Syracuse, NY	WR	3*	Syracuse, Buffalo
12	Drew McQuarrie	Weare, NH	TE	NR	N/A
13	Marcus Valdez	Ramsey, NJ	DE	2*	Duke, Syracuse, Rutgers, Navy, Army, Kent State, Bowling Green

College BattleGround on Boston College Football Schedules Home and Home With Stanford

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:44:56 -0400

Brad Bates has inked his second scheduling deal with a P5 opponent, though this one is set for a way's off in 2028-29

Boston College athletics confirmed on Monday that BC and Stanford have scheduled a home-and-home football series.

The games will be played early on each season: Sept. 2, 2028 at BC; Sept. 15, 2029 at Stanford, per FBSchedules.

The Eagles will be playing the Stanford Cardinal in 2028 and 2029 in a home-and-home series. While we were (way, way) off on the dates, the series was first proposed here at BC Interruption less than a year ago. Who knew we had that kind of power?

After signing up for a two game series with Purdue in January for 2018 and 2020, this marks the second big Power 5 scheduling deal from Brad Bates' administration in the last 6 months.

The two-game series with the Cardinal, while way off in the future, sets up a mutually beneficial (and compelling) east vs. west matchup of two of the strongest academic schools in the Power 5 conferences. While the college football landscape will undoubtedly look very different a decade from now, Stanford is likely to remain as one of the premier programs in the country, and the rock-bottom years of BC football will be a distant memory (er... in theory).

Let's hope a big number of BC fans join the team on its trip to Palo Alto.

College BattleGround on Boston College vs. Georgia Tech Game In Ireland Threatened By Sanctioning Issue?

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 04:58:19 -0400

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Some paperwork and some administrative issues persist with BC-Georgia Tech on the horizon

Yesterday afternoon, Steve O'Rourke of The Journal in Ireland caused a bit of a stir with a tweet stating that the BC-Georgia Tech game scheduled for Dublin was "still unsanctioned":

.@PTHosford & I have an exclusive on @thejournal_ie at 10pm outlining that September's college football game in Dublin is still unsanctioned

— Steve O'Rourke (@steveohrourke) June 12, 2016

Once the actual story was published on the Journal website, it seemed to be a little less big of deal than the tweets would have suggested.

The Irish American Football Association is required to sanction the BC-GT game as the official governing body of the sport in Ireland. However, they have not done so at this time, in part because Irish American Events Limited, which is putting on the game, owes the IAFA €11,500 in legal fees. According to the report, the IAFA is setting a Thursday deadline to receive the funds.

Full details are available in the Journal report, but organizers remain confident that the game will go on as planned. According to the article, the sanctioning process for the last college football game in Ireland took approximately two weeks.

As of right now, this seems like nothing to worry about, but this isn't the first time Irish American Events Limited has come under scrutiny. The GAA, which had previously put on college football games in Ireland, called it a "shell company" when they, and not the GAA, were given government support to host this matchup.

We'll keep our eye on this news as it develops.

College BattleGround on Boston College In Top 7 For 3* OG Viktor Beach

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:23:14 -0400

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston College football received some good news on Wednesday as a big time Florida offensive lineman placed Boston College in his current Top 7 list.

Viktor Beach, a 2017 6'5 285 OL, listed on his HUDL film as an offensive guard, from Fort Myers, Florida went to Twitter to give his list.

Currently Rivals has Beach as a 3* OL (interestingly enough it doesn't have BC listed on his current offers list). There are some tough schools on this list, but Beach appears to value his religion alot (based on his tweet), so maybe that would work in Boston College's favor.

BC has one other O-Lineman in the Class of 2017, 3* Ben Petrula from New Jersey. These lists sometimes change on the whim of the student, especially when new offers are received, but Beach seems to be the kind of recruit that BC would attract.

You can check out Beach's film below. If any other news pops up we will be sure to post it here.