Season Preview Notes: Boston College Football

Season Preview Notes: Boston College Football

By Anthony Iati

Kickoff to 2016 Boston College Football is 12 days away. WZBC Sports will have all the coverage from Dublin, Ireland, ahead of and during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on September 3. Until the Eagles clash with Georgia Tech, however, let’s take a more general look at the upcoming season.

Game BC can least afford to lose: This may be a surprising answer, but November 26 at Wake Forest. As the final game of the season, and a conference game at that, the Eagles could enter Winston-Salem with bowl eligibility on the line. After losing a tough 3-0 game to the Demon Deacons at home in 2015, BC badly needs to rebound against one of the weaker teams in the ACC.

(Honorable mention: September 10 at UMass)

Departed player they will miss most: Free safety Justin Simmons gets a slight edge over middle linebacker Steven Daniels. BC returns strong talent and good depth both in the defensive backfield and at linebacker without this duo. Both Simmons and Daniels were key leaders on Don Brown’s top defense in 2015, but Simmons gets the nod due to his knack for forcing turnovers. Given the sluggish play of BC’s offense throughout last season, it was Simmons’s ballhawking that kept the Birds in numerous close games.

(Honorable mention: Daniels, Connor Wujciak)

Offensive player they can least afford to lose: Running back Jon Hilliman. To me, this one is not close. Hilliman was a revelation for the Eagles offense in 2014, and the team missed his reliability in 2015 when Hilliman sat out the final eight games due to injury. After three offensive skill position players transferred out of the program, the running back depth will be severely tested should Hilliman get hurt again. Coach Addazio believes in Tyler Rouse, Myles Willis, and Richard Wilson, but Hilliman is the starter if healthy and is a guy who can carry the load on a young offense.

(Honorable mention: Thad Smith, Charlie Callinan)

Defensive player they can least afford to lose: Outside linebacker Matt Milano. The senior has been named to the Butkus Award Watch List, honoring the nation’s best linebacker, as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, given to the college defensive player of the year. Milano is a known quantity on a stingy Eagles defense. He has amassed 83 career tackles, including 20.5 tackles for a loss in 37 collegiate games. Last season, Milano led BC with 17.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. The Eagles can’t afford to lose Milano on defense or even special teams, where the Orlando native blocked two punts in 2015. 

(Honorable mention: Connor Strachan, John Johnson, Harold Landry)

New coach with the biggest impact: Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler gets the nod here. The struggles of the Eagles’ offense in 2015 have been well-documented, but Loeffler is determined to change the narrative in his first year on the Heights. A noted quarterback guru with a strong background, Loeffler will be asked to bring improvement and excitement to a unit led by QBs Patrick Towles and Darius Wade. 

(Honorable mention: Jim Reid, Paul Pasqualoni)

Offensive MVP will be: Quarterback Patrick Towles, a graduate transfer from the University of Kentucky, appears in line to start under center for the Eagles against Georgia Tech. BC endured a QB carousel in 2015 due to injuries and ineffectiveness. The coaching staff would like nothing more than to see Towles lock down the starting job and use his experience, size, and mobility to power the Eagles’ O. While this remains a run-first offense, Towles could be the unit’s MVP due to the upgrade he should bring at the game’s most important position.

(Honorable mention: Hilliman)

Defensive MVP will be: It’s hard to pick against Milano, for all the reasons detailed above. He is far from the only candidate, however. Landry, Johnson, and Strachan all bring immense talent and upside. It bodes well for Jim Reid’s defense to return a foursome like this– not to mention a healthy Kamrin Moore, Truman Gutapfel, Isaac Yiadom, and Ty Schwab. 

(Honorable mention: see above)

Special teams MVP will be: Boston College fans should be excited to see what Michael Walker can do in his sophomore season. As a freshman, the wide receiver/special teams ace averaged 28.5 yards/return, including a 67-yard runback. The Eagles figure to play a lot of close games, meaning field position could make all the difference. Walker is a really valuable piece of the team, and with uncertainty at kicker and punter, he should stand out in a positive way.

Stay tuned for a WZBC Sports podcast about the Georgia Tech game, as well as more articles about the 2016 season here on wzbcsports.com