Another game, another tough loss. Yesterday's loss to the Hokies was a game of two halves. The first half we saw the BC teams that have categorized BC teams in past years: solid defense and anemic offense. The second half was a completely different story, as the 2011 Eagles that we have all suffered through reared it's ugly head again. In the end it's just another terrible loss for BC, a game that could have been saved if it weren't for a littany of mental errors, and poor coaching decisions.
There were bright spots in this game; Rolandan Finch looked solid running the ball in the second half, Rettig made some good passes when the Hokies weren't swarming all over him. The first half defense was awe inspiring. They forced Virginia Tech to three three-and-outs to start the game, and was controlling the line of scrimmage stuffing David Wilson and putting licks on Logan Thomas on nearly every play.
But you could sense the momentum changed with two minutes left in the first half. Spaz ball reared it's ugly head, when BC was forced to call back to back timeouts when a wide receiver was lined up incorrectly. Chase Rettig then threw a stupid interception that was forced by Virginia Tech pressure. Spaz then completely had his cornerbacks go into prevent mode, and allowed Logan Thomas to gain 20 yard chunks and march the field with less than a minute left in the half.
During halftime I was listening to the radio and analyst Pete Cronin said the key for BC was tweaking their gameplan with some second half adjustments. At this point I knew the game as over. Frank Spaziani has not shown that he has the capability to adjust to anything. He just sticks with what he was doing, and continues doing it until Rome burns down. And god was I right.
David Wilson completely carved up the BC defense, as the Hokies marched to 27 unanswered points. The offense moved the ball at will, and the BC defense looked hapless trying to stop them. The offense continued to look meek, minus some great runs by Finch and a TD catch by Chris Pantale (FINALLY). But the offensive line allowed 5 sacks, and the pressure caused Rettig to make bad pass after bad pass. The game mercifully ended when Colin Larmond Jr. loses control of a pass, and VT runs the ball to run the clock off.
It was nice to see BC play well in the first half, but it was equally depressing to watch them completely fall apart in the second. Again most of the blame has to fall on the coaching. Spaz was completely overwhelmed by a better coached Frank Beamer team. Could BC win a game against Maryland or NC State? Sure. But these games are getting tough to watch, and this season is beyond hope.