Boston College 2006 Team Preview

He would never say it publicly, but Boston College coach Tom O’Brien knew his Eagles (9–3 overall, 5–3 ACC) deserved much better in their first year in the ACC than a trip to the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho. After tying Florida State for first-place in the Atlantic Division, the Eagles were victimized by bowl politics and banished to the ACC’s penalty box in Boise, where they defeated the hometown Boise State Broncos, 27–21.

This year, however, BC could struggle to get back to a bowl, any bowl, after losing nine starters (five offensive, four defensive) from last year’s squad that came oh so close to reaching the ACC’s inaugural championship game in Jacksonville, Fla.

"We lost a ton of experience and a lot of good football players," says O’Brien, whose record of six consecutive bowl wins, the nation’s longest active bowl winning streak, could be in serious jeopardy this season.

Senior quarterback Matt Ryan will take control of BC’s passing offense, ranked third in the ACC last year. Ryan started back-to-back games at Clemson and vs. Ball State for injured starter Quinton Porter, then supplanted the ineffective Porter in the last three games of the season. Tony Gonzalez returns as BC’s leading returning receiver and big-play threat after the departure of three of the top four receivers from a year ago. Ryan’s protection, and the efficient operation of BC’s running attack, could be compromised by a shakeup on the offensive line, where center Pat Ross and left tackle Jeremy Trueblood will have to be replaced by a pair of unproven backups.

Defensively, Boston College will have to plug some gaping holes on its front seven after losing senior end Mathias Kiwanuka, senior tackle Al Washington and linebackers Ricky Brown and Ray Henderson, who combined for 205 tackles (37.5 for a loss), 15 sacks, and three interceptions (all by Henderson).

LOWDOWN

Coach: Tom O’Brien (10th season, 66-42)
2005 record: 9-3 (Beat Boise State in MPC Computers Bowl)
ACC finish: 5-3 (t-1st Atlantic)
2005 I-A offensive rankings:
Rushing: 59th (145.0 ypg)
Passing: 35th (242.8 ypg)
2005 I-A defensive rankings:
Rushing: 5th (90.8 ypg)
Passing: 62nd (220.8 ypg)

DEPTH CHART

Offense (6)

WR  26  Tony Gonzalez  Sr.  2  Brandon Robinson  So.
WR  84  Kevin Challenger  Jr.  13  Taylor Sele  Sr.
LT  70  *James Marten  Sr.  73  Clif Ramsey  So.
LG  74  Ryan Poles  Jr.  67  Tom Anevski  Jr.
C  61  Kevin Sheridan  Jr.  78  Ty Hall  Jr.
RG  75  *Josh Beekman  Sr.  76  Pat Sheil  Fr.
RT  77  *Gosder Cherilus  Jr.  71  Carlos Huggins  So.
TE  96  Jon Loyte  Jr.  80  Ryan Purvis  So.
QB  12  *Matt Ryan  Jr.  10  Chris Crane  So.
FB  49  *Mark Palmer  Sr.  38  J. Survival Ross  Sr.
TB  30  *L.V. Whitworth  Jr.  32  Andre Callender  Jr.

Defense (7)

DE  57  *Nick Larkin  Jr.  99  Jerry Willette  So.
DT  58  Justin Bell  Jr.  93  Keith Willis  So.
DT  90  *B.J. Raji  Jr.  60  Ron Brace  So.
DE  86  Jim Ramella  So.  96  Brendan Deska  Fr.
SLB  48  Tyronne Pruitt  Jr.  43  Ray Lankford  Jr.
MLB  40  Jolonn Dunbar  Jr.  34  Mike McLaughlin  Fr.
WLB  16  *Brian Toal  Jr.  35  Robert Francois  So.
CB  27  *DeJuan Tribble  Jr.  21  Brad Mueller  Jr.
CB  9  *Larry Anam  Sr.  29  Taji Morris  Jr.
FS  24  *Ryan Glasper  Sr.  19  Paul Anderson  So.
SS  44  *Jamie Silva  Jr.  8  Marcellus Bowman  Fr.

Special Teams

K  20  Ryan Ohliger  Jr.
P  46  Johnny Ayers  Jr.
KR  2  Brandon Robinson  So.
PR  27  DeJuan Tribble  Jr.

(#) Indicates number of returning starters
* Indicates returning starters

2006 SCHEDULE

Aug. 31  at Central Michigan
Sept. 9  Clemson
Sept. 16  BYU
Sept. 23  at NC State
Sept. 30  Maine
Oct. 12  Virginia Tech
Oct. 21  at Florida State
Oct. 28  Buffalo
Nov. 4  at Wake Forest
Nov. 11  Duke
Nov. 18  Maryland
Nov. 23  at Miami

OFFENSE

Quarterback Matt Ryan came into his own last year, going 5–0 as a starter and leading the Eagles to a 27–21 victory over Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl. For the season, Ryan threw for 1,514 yards (with a 62.1 completion percentage) and eight touchdowns (with five INTs) and added five scores on the ground.

Despite losing two playmaking wideouts in Will Blackmon and Larry Lester, BC’s top two receivers last year, Ryan will be complemented by the big-play talents of senior Tony Gonzalez, junior Kevin Challenger and sophomore Brandon Robinson, who showed flashes of brilliance last year in a limited role.

Returning juniors L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender, who combined for 1,515 yards rushing last season, will give BC a solid tandem in the backfield. But the running game’s smooth execution will hinge on the development of an offensive line that lost two key starters: left tackle Jeremy Trueblood and center Pat Ross, who both earned second-team All-ACC honors last season.

If neither Kevin Sheridan nor Ty Hall emerges as a suitable replacement at center, then senior right guard Josh Beekman could go into preseason camp as a possible solution.

DEFENSE

BC’s front seven will have a tough time duplicating the defensive presence of rush end Mathias Kiwanuka and relentlessness of middle linebacker Ray Henderson.

Junior linebacker Brian Toal, who popularized the "First-and-Toal Offense" as BC’s short-yardage goal-line specialist, is expected to step up but could be hampered by a nagging shoulder injury that limited him in the spring. Junior defensive end Nick Larkin, meanwhile, played opposite Kiwanuka and more than held his own.

Hard-hitting junior Jolonn Dunbar will replace Henderson in the middle while undersized but athletic junior Tyronne Pruitt will step in for Ricky Brown at the strong-side linebacker spot.

BC’s secondary could prove to be  a strength for the Eagles with the return of junior shutdown corner DeJuan Tribble, senior free safety Ryan Glasper and junior strong safety Jaime Silva, a headhunter who led the team with 87 tackles last year.

SPECIALISTS

Three years ago, when snapper Francois Brochu was sidelined for the season by a fractured wrist, BC’s kicking game suffered a catastrophic breakdown at the critical point of delivery. Now that Brochu has departed, will it be more of the same as the Eagles try to find a replacement? Junior Ryan Ohliger, who suffered a crisis of confidence last year that saw him temporarily lose his job at midseason, does not need any surprises on the snap, nor does junior punter Johnny Ayers.

Though the versatile Will Blackmon has departed, Tribble remains as a game-breaking return specialist.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Eagles deserved better than the MPC Computers Bowl in their first year in the league, but if BC hopes to extend its streak of six consecutive bowl victories, the longest in the nation, it will have to survive the loss of nine starters (five offense, four defense).

Then there’s a grueling 12-game schedule that includes Thursday night games at the beginning (at Central Michigan Aug. 31), middle (vs. Virginia Tech Oct. 12) and end (at Miami Nov. 23) of the season.

Ryan must stay healthy, a re-tooled offensive line must jell, and BC’s defense must plug gaping holes in its front seven for the Eagles to keep pace in the Atlantic Division.

This Boston College team preview was pulled from our 2006 National College Football preview magazine. To order this or the 2006 ACC Regional preview magazine - with expanded team page coverage and conference features - click here