Throwing in the Towel

I apologize for the infrequency of my posts the past week.  I just received internet back this Monday and was very busy yesterday with Election Day.  I have not had the chance to give my thoughts on the Florida State debacle which I had the opportunity to witness in person.  In short, it was depressing.

There is no energy left whatsoever surrounding this program.  The team is flat.  The fan base is too.  I had the misfortune of sitting in the student section for the first quarter of the game.  I convinced a few friends to relive the glory days once more, hoping that if we pulled the upset, it would be a fun time.  Instead, it was terrible.  There was no interest in the game from the student section.  For a Thursday night, primetime game, the student section was not even half full by the time kick off rolled around.  With ten minutes left in the end of the game, the majority of the student section was empty once again (I guess they had to go study...).  I remember being there and getting loud for big games, being rowdy and making Alumni as hostile as possible.  This was not the case among the students this year.  Not even at the beginning of the game when there was a chance we could do well.  I feel bad for the students right now.  Watching this team, with its defeatist coach, and really no end in sight (despite our wishes) is a difficult experience and the students are being robbed of one of the best things about going to Boston College.  For their sake, I hope they get to experience a winning team and an exciting coach before they graduate.

On one of the message boards, the question was asked, somewhat tongue in cheek, somewhat not, "When did Spaz throw in the towel?"  Possible answers were 7-0, 14-0, 21-0, etc. etc. Though the one that sticks out was "Before the game even started."  It is frightening to think that this is even a possibility, let alone the likelihood.  Spaz has shown, time and again, that he is outmatched and in over his head at his current job.  He clearly does not believe that his team can win.  What kind of coach believes that?  Part of a coach's job is to make his athletes believe they can beat anyone at anytime.  I once heard Mike Leach say, about coaching athletes, "Don't remind them that they're young.  Don't tell them what they can't do, tell them what they can."  We do have a young, inexperienced team, that fact is used constantly by the coaching staff and the Athletic Director to explain away our football woes, but what a real coach does, what a coach who believes in his team and their ability does is play to their strengths and make sure that those athletes believe that they can beat anyone.  Whether, in reality, they can or can't is irrelevant.  What is important is having a coach who wills his athletes to believe they are invincible.

With about ten minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, down by 24 points, Boston College had the ball.  There were few illusions among the fans that we would win this game, but at least we would go down fighting.  After two running plays, and a pass play, down 24 points with now about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Boston College lined up for a punt.  The yellow towel had been thrown in, the white flag waved.  Frank Spaziani had made the decision that he would not go down fighting, that he would punt the ball away and pin Florida State down in their own territory and let them run out the clock and end the game.  In that single move Spaz showed the entire nation, at least the ones still watching the game, but more importantly the entire BC community that avoiding a blow out, rather more of a blow out, was more important than fighting it out.  More important that showing his players that, even though they were down, they were still going to go after Florida State, still be aggressive.  Instead, Spaz threw in the towel.  The only question that remains is when he made that decision.  7-0, 14-0, 21-0, 28-0?  Or in August?

FUFSU

As I write this I am sitting in the dining car on Amtrak, Boston bound for the game tonight.  Despite our performance up to this point I am excited for this game.  BC- FSU games are always exciting and there is just something about Alumni Stadium at night.  The Thursday night primetime is also exciting.  The last time BC was in this situation was when we shellacked Virginia Tech in 2006.

This game is a big opportunity for BC.  Sure there are some MAC games and hockey on, but there is no baseball and there is no basketball.  The biggest thing BC will be competing with for viewers is The Office.  This is a national game, many eyes will be on us, especially eyes that wouldn't normally tune into a BC football game otherwise.  A win tonight could get people to take us more seriously, as well as put us on more solid footing for our last three games of the season.  Conversely, a loss tonight on a national stage could be the biggest nail in the Spaziani coffin and could draw more attention to how far the program has fallen.

I expect Alumni Stadium to be electric tonight.  Although the season has not gone as many of us have expected, this is still a night game against Florida State.  Many people marked this game on their calendar prior to the season and are making the effort to go.  FSU is also vulnerable.  Although they have rattled off three wins the last three weeks, those have been against Duke, Maryland, and NC State.  We may have lost to Duke, but I still think BC has more talent than these teams.  An electric Alumni Stadium and the cold bite of November could make this a trap game for the Seminoles.

Five Keys to Beating Florida State:

1. Run, run, run- An offense that was once predicated on the abilities of Montel Harris has now found a new identity in the last two weeks.  BC has shown that it can run the ball against defenses even without its star back.  If Deuce Finch can have even half the game he had last week and Amidon can still make plays with his feet out of the backfield, BC could get Florida State reeling early.  In 2008, BC was able to go into Doak- Campbell and win by running the ball down FSU's throat.  Doing the same thing tonight could put BC ahead.

2. Contain EJ Manuel- BC's victory in 2009 against FSU was very much a result of being able to contain and limit Christian Ponder.  Unlike Ponder, however, EJ Manuel is more of a dual threat quarterback, especially now that he is healthy.  Our ability to keep him in the pocket and force him to make his plays with his arm will be a deciding factor.  FSU is just as likely to run Manuel out of the backfield as they are the tailbacks.  BC needs to be prepared to limit his ability to run and force him to throw.  Solid pressure off both edges will force Manuel into turnovers and long yardage situations.

3. Force them to run- This key is partially dependent on our ability to limit EJ Manuel's passing and running.  But, in 2011, FSU is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.  Our rush defense is still stout this year, allowing 4.45 yards per carry.  Limiting FSU's passing attack and forcing their offense to pound it out in the trenches can keep BC in this game.  

4. Energize the Crowd- Alumni Stadium is not known as a particularly difficult place to play.  However, there are certain opponents that the fans "get up" for.  Florida State is one of them.  Keeping the crowd energized and loud and creating as much as a hostile environment as possible for Florida State will give BC a big edge.  A quick score to start the game or solid defensive stops will keep the crowd in it.  The crowd tonight may not be big, but it can be loud.

5. Punch them in the mouth- Not literally.  Mike Tyson once said "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."  Let's not forget that this FSU team was pre-season ranked in the top 5.  Then they got punched in the mouth by Clemson and have been in a bit of a spiral since.  These last three weeks they have been able to come back together and rattle off three wins, but not against the greatest competition.  BC could be the toughest team FSU has seen since playing Clemson in mid- September.  BC needs to get after FSU early.  A short week and a cold, hostile environment has already put FSU out of its comfort zone.  Punch FSU in the mouth early, and their game plan may being to unravel.

 I believe BC has a real chance tonight to come out with a win.  Since we joined the conference, the BC- FSU series has been an interesting one.  The series is split 3-3 since 2005.  The games have been hard fought and decided by an average of 8 points, the widest margin of victory being 11 points in 2005.  BC played a strong first half against Virginia Tech only to get run out in the second half.  Last week we played strong all the way through.  If we can play our Virginia Tech first half all game tonight, and continue our offensive success from last week, BC can win this game.