Happy Game Day! We have all day until kickoff so I figured why not squeeze in a little more pregame coverage. Joseph Celia of BC Interruption joined me for a little Q&A. Let’s get to it.
TOC: The big story from BC’s offseason was getting Dylan Lonergan in the portal and him winning the QB competition. Did you think he would win the job or did you think Grayson James, who got a handful of starts last year, would keep it? Based on what you saw in week 1, how much are you buying into Lonergan right now?
JC: I definitely felt that Lonergan would win the job. Coming from Alabama, arguably the mecca for college football, I definitely got the sense he would have learned a lot there, even if he was buried in the depth chart there. His skills align with what Bill O’Brien wants to do with his offense so it made the most sense. Bill O’Brien is an offensive guru and I trust his judgement when it comes to his decision making, especially when it comes to QB’s. Not to mention that O’Brien also has a little history with Lonergan back when he coached at Alabama. BC is only one game in so I’m tampering my expectations right now. It’s tough to not get excited but I need to see more before I’m ready to fully buy in on Lonergan. The skill and talent is totally there, I just want to see more.
TOC: You have a running back named Turbo. Is that an appropriate name? We did not see much of the running game last week because you were too busy throwing all over Fordham. Will there be any balance to your offensive game plan moving forward?
JC: Believe it or not Turbo Richard is the guy I’m most intrigued by this year. He was hurt for a time last year so I’m excited to see what he brings to the table after Treshaun Ward and Kye Robichaux are no longer on the team. It’s easier said than done to tell Richard to emulate what the former did, he has to bring it on himself to do that. I’m a fiend for running backs, and I think Richard can fit the scheme well now that he’s healthy. I think last week was purely based on the tempo of the game as to the running game not being super effective. Fordham, despite giving up a whopping 66 points, allowed only 2.5 YPC last week. Granted some of those come from kneel downs from Lonergan. I’m hoping O’Brien can balance the offense out more because I think it’s imperative (especially in college) to solidify as many facets of the game as possible. If you’re too top heavy on one area of the ball, what happens if you can’t get things going? Luckily last week the air game worked out, but it won’t always be that way.
TOC: Tell us about your defensive formation? Which unit is the strongest? Who is most likely to give MSU’s offense some trouble?
JC: The D-Line saw a lot of turnover this year, but their linebackers and secondary are the strongest group. Overall I’d say the one to give most trouble would be the linebacking crew, especially LB Daveon Crouch.
TOC: Boston College is also in year two of a new coaching regime with Bill O’Brien. How did his first season, when the team finished 7-5, compare to your expectations? What were your expectations going into year 2?
JC: I liked a lot of what I saw from Bill O’Brien. I believe week 2 or 3 (some point last year early) BC was nationally ranked and I think a lot of that stems from O’Brien. O’Brien is a culture guy, and I think he excels great at the college level. My expectations this year were that he focuses a lot on the offense and get the most out of it, especially Lonergan.
TOC: What is the #1 thing Boston College needs to do on Saturday to beat Michigan State?
JC: Similar to your second question, I think it’s to balance the offense more. Michigan State’s secondary allowed only 188 yards receiving last week, despite going into the year that unit was projected to be shaky. Balance the offense out more, and get Turbo going.
TOC: Predict the final score.
JC: I’m going to say Eagles 23, Spartans 20.
TOC wishes to thank Joe for his help with this article. Here’s hoping his answer to question #6 is wrong.
