That was an absolute crime against humanity; let me count the ways:*The defense gets torched for 21 points off the bat and special teams proved themselves to be largely useless (aside from Quigley and Freese). That big of a hole was too much for them to get out of.
*Chase Rettig was starting to look OK, but then, he gets injured and leaves for the rest of the game. For all we know, it could be longer than that. When he was in there, I sensed a certain level of confidence and football IQ. I did not get that from his replacement, Mike Marscovetra. Well, he stunk out loud, and his receivers couldn’t catch anything, anyway. He is not an FBS quarterback.
*On a broader scale, BC’s offense sucks, and is the worst BC offense I’ve ever seen. These guys make me pine for the days of Quinton Porter and Paul Peterson. Gary Tranquill should resume his retirement at Del Boca Vista immediately: his unit made one of the worst statistical defenses in the country look pretty damn good. Further, this offensive line is absolutely awful. I don’t think these guys could block Dr. Ruth.
*The running game got absolutely nothing going tonight. Montel also looks like he isn’t headed for a good year, which is quite a shame given all of the preseason hype following a very good 2009. His line isn’t helping him out at all.
*On an even broader scale, this team’s coaching sucks. Spaziani has no discernable guts that I can see, and his team was woefully unprepared for this game. Wasting time at the end of the half and then punting – just like punting at the end of the game last week – is a sign that you’ve quit or that you just don't know what the hell you're doing. He should not be this team’s head coach.
*The refs were totally in Notre Dame’s back pocket. BC had at least five or six bullshit calls go against them, including two phantom pass interferences.
*I understand that there are still 8 games, and Rettig could come back and salvage things (if his injury doesn't prevent him from doing so), but BC looks like a team headed for mediocrity this season. The Atlantic is improved – how the hell are we going to make any headway against these other teams when our offense can’t even get first downs? You can pretty much forget about contending in this division; I think the last two games have proven that it’s not happening this year. This is now FOUR unimpressive performances in four games (unless you call so-so wins over Weber State and Kent State “impressive”). If BC played real teams in those first two games, they're probably 0-4 or 1-3 right now. With Marscovetra and/or Shinskie at the helm, I don't think we're looking at more than 5 or 6 wins total.
*BC hockey drops the puck on the exhibition season tomorrow. It may be time to start focusing your efforts there. At least you KNOW that team has a shot.
Good article, as always. My seat in section X is in danger of going empty - not really, but I am pretty ticked off.
ReplyDeleteRettig looked like the first real QB we've fielded this season. He was throwing behind his receiver at first, but once he settled down he looked legit. His pass to Swigert was the first ESPN-worthy play of the season, in my opinion, but then he banged his knee and then Mike "I almost went to William and Mary" Marscovetra came in and was as FCS as always.
The O-line looks bad. Costanzo was called for holding for the 2nd game in a row (and he's had at least one other penalty). Isn't he supposed to be a top-10 draft pick?
The receivers looked worse than the O-line, and this includes the tight ends. Coleman disappeared, Momah is junk, and Amidon was Mr. Stonehands. And I thought Pantale was supposed to be a solid receiving tight end. He's another dropper.
The defense did what it always does: give up 5 yard passes to athletic receivers on curl routes, get blown off the blocks by the opposing o-line, and lose track of the RB on screens and passes to the flat. It's happened in all 4 games and it will continue to happen going forward. We have serious trouble tackling in the open field. Our D is decent against running teams but terrible against pass-heavy attacks. It's why ND could run on us - we needed to drop back in coverage on nearly every play because Crist was picking us apart early.
6-6 sounds right if Rettig can return. 4-8 or 5-7 if it's Marsco/Shinskie.
Your analysis was pretty good as well. I agree with all of what you've said.
ReplyDeleteCastonzo is losing big bucks with every week this abortion goes forward. The offensive line is supposed to be the hallmark of this team, but it has turned out to be the worst part of all. I would imagine he's tumbling down Kiper's board right now.
No doubt about it now, BC will struggle mightily to make a bowl game. I'm not at all confident with this bunch going forward. I think we need thorough coaching changes, but let's be realistic, we're not going to get them.
Let's get one thing straight. PLEASE, don't ever use Quinton Porter and Paul Peterson in the same sentence on this blog ever again. Peterson was awesome, and Porter had every negative quality of Shinskie & Marsco.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, the offensive line is completely baffling. Throw any CAA team up against Alabama and they're going to gain a few yards here and there, even if they don't score. How can we be completely ineffective. Doesn't make sense.
But with all of our QB issues, the WRs and O-Line need to step up and make plays. Dropped balls and missed blocks can't happen. They have to be even better than normal.