2010 Virginia Tech Football: Boston College Q&A with BC Interruption

Our good friend acquaintance hated foe (forgot it's BC Week) Brian from BC Interruption took time from trying to find a pair of lamps for the two nightstands in the bedroom that not only matched the curtains, but also provided adequate lighting, to fill us in on the Eagles in anticipation of Saturday's game. Here are my answers to his questions. 

GC: The Eagles are one of two unbeaten teams in the ACC entering Week 4. How far do you think BC will go before dropping its first game?

BCI: If the Eagles can get past the Hokies this weekend, I think this year's team can go far. After Virginia Tech, the Eagles host Notre Dame in the Holy War before heading out on the road for back-to-back ACC Atlantic road games against N.C. State and Florida State. That Florida State game has me worried, especially given the Eagles track record on the road last season.

So if BC wins this weekend, I think they will jump out to a 5-0 start before falling to the Seminoles in Tallahassee. If BC falls to Virginia Tech this weekend, I can see the Eagles losing a few games early on as they try to get their bearings on this young season.

GC: What's accounted for Montel Harris' relatively slow start this season?

BCI: If by slow start this season, you mean not averaging over 100 yards a game through the first two games, well OK then. (Ed. Note: Yes. I think very highly of Harris and thought he should have entered Beast Mode against football superpowers Weber State and Kent State.)

Seriously though, Harris was able to get a good number of yards in the Kent State game, despite some very inconsistent play from the Eagles' offensive line. His 80 yards on 29 carries in the Kent State was all Montel, as his line wasn't doing him any favors.

I think teams will continue to stack the box and force Dave Shinskie to beat them through the air, and I think BC has struggled early to make adjustments in the ground game. The Eagles offensive line played a bit better in the second half of the Kent State game, so Eagles fans are hopeful that that second half performance is more indicative of the type of play we'll see on Saturday against the Hokies.

GC: Who do you want to see at quarterback for BC: Dave Shinskie or Mike Marscovetra? Why?

BCI: I personally want to see Mike Marscovetra at quarterback. Well, at least I want to see more of Marscovetra at quarterback. Spaz played Marscovetra for only a few plays in BC's win over Kent State, and the offensive line didn't give either QB much time in the first half to work.

Shinskie is prone to some early game jitters and isn't mobile enough to handle sustained pressure when the Eagles offensive line breaks down. Shinskie looks better as the game wears on, particularly in the second half of the Kent State game, where he made some adjustments and moved the Eagles offense better.

I just think that Shinskie's early-game jitters will continue to manifest themselves to the point where an opponent that is much better than Weber State or Kent State punches the Eagles in the mouth early, and BC can't recover.

I'd like to see Marscovetra start a game to see if he's any better at handling the pressure and controlling these early-game jitters.

GC: The BC D looks stout again this season. Does the Eagles'defense have a weakness, and if so, what is it?

BCI: If there's a weakness on defense this year, it's on the defensive line. The Eagles were woeful at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks last year, and have only been marginally better in 2010. Though I will say that DE Alex Albright had an outstanding game against Kent State, and I hope that that's a sign of things to come for the oft-injured end.

The Eagles D' has been very strong at linebacker, with Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich leading that unit. The defensive backs have been very good as well, led by senior Wes Davis.

GC: Does it embarrass you that your fan base doesn't really show up for BC football games and you guys have to compensate by breaking ACC rules and pipe in crowd and band noise during play?

BCI: Ha. This question reminds me of a scene from Superbad.

Greg the Soccer Player: What the hell, Evan?
Evan: Greg, it's soccer.
Greg the Soccer Player: F-k you, man.
Seth: F-k off, Greg. Why don't you go piss your pants?
Greg the Soccer Player: That was like 8 years ago, asshole!
Seth: [yelling] People don't forget!

GC: Where do you think the BC-Virginia Tech rivalry ranks among the football rivalries in the ACC?

BCI: Within the ACC, it's got to be near the top. Florida State vs. Miami is THE football rivalry in the ACC. After that, I'd probably go with Virginia-Virginia Tech second with the BC-Virginia Tech ranking third in my book.

The unique thing about the ACC is that the fiercest football rivalries are actually played in non-conference action. No intra-ACC rivalry comes close to the intensity and hatred of Clemson-South Carolina, Georgia Tech-Georgia or Florida State-Florida. Georgia Tech-Clemson has been an OK series, but that series has been lopsided in the expanded ACC and that game doesn't hold a candle to each programs' end-of-season in-state rivalry game with the SEC.

Maryland doesn't have much in the way of a rival, though if their series with West Virginia or Navy continues, that's got to become the rivalry for the Terps.

The rivalries on Tobacco Road are nice and all - N.C. State-North Carolina, Duke-North Carolina, Duke-Wake Forest - but honestly, none of those programs have made enough noise in the ACC for those games to have much meaning.

The rivalry between the Eagles and the Hokies has only intensified since both programs joined the ACC. BC holds a 3-2 edge in the regular season series, but Virginia Tech has gotten the better of the Eagles in two ACC Championship Games. It's definitely a game that Superfans circle on the calendar as one of the games of the season.