Picked six: Talking Boston College with BCInterruption

My children have already informed me a dozen times that Christmas is tomorrow. They seemed less certain when the First Responders Bowl was taking place—turns out, it’s the day after tomorrow...so you can wear your new Boise State Snuggie whilst watching our Broncos do work in Dallas. Seems to be a city that’s hospitable to Broncos if you know what I’m saying.

At any rate...it’s a busy week, so our normal game-week festivities have taken a back seat to egg nog binging and whatever “wassailing” is. To help out, A.J. Black from Boston College’s SB Nation site BCInterruption agreed to answer six questions to shed some light on their team and the bowl game. I answered a few for their fine folks as well if you’d like to check that out.

1) After a hot start and then a 3 game skid to end the season, do you view the season a success or do the Eagles need some work?

I think it was a season of peaks and valleys. BC started off the season very strong with big wins over UMass, Holy Cross and Wake Forest, but then got steam rolled by Purdue and lost pretty convincingly to NC State. They then tore off some big wins against VT, Miami and Louisville and hosting College Gameday against Clemson. In the national spotlight, Christian Wilkins suplexed our starting QB sending him to the hospital and that game was over after that. They blew a very winnable game against a bad FSU team, and got rocket shipped against Syracuse. In the end it has been a typical Steve Addazio season, finishing it off at 7-5 (his 5th time out of 6 years). I think BC fans want to see this team do better, and with the current administration we aren’t sure if that is possible.

2) Aside from (running back) AJ Dillon, who are the offensive playmakers for the Eagles that the Broncos should be wary of? (Detailed notes on HOW exactly to stop them would be appreciated)

There are a few players to watch out for. Tommy Sweeney is a dynamic tight end, who will be heading to the NFL at the end of the season. When he is going he can be a game changer, with great hands, size and speed. However, Addazio gets a little run happy, and Sweeney can disappear. Jeff Smith is also another name to watch for, as he can run the end around, and as a former QB, Addazio loves to use him for trickeration. Don’t be surprised if you see a flea-flicker with him, or a WR pass to try and get a big chunk play. Quarterback Anthony Brown is the definition of Jekyll and Hyde. He has games where he looks fantastic, but in other games he struggles to move past his first read, and misses wide open receivers.

3) What advantages do you feel BC has over the Broncos? What disadvantages?

I think BC matches up poorly against Boise State. Facing an opponent that is stout against the run basically limits BC’s offense, and I doubt Addazio will adapt. BC also struggles against good QB’s, so I believe Brett Rypien will be very successful.

4) Are you happy with your bowl destination/opponent?

Honestly, given the end of the season and the options that were being thrown around, this is a slam dunk. Love that they get to go to Dallas and face a team that is ranked and BC has some history with.

5) When can you tell when guys are being dudes...and is there anything better than that?

Ok, I’m going to be the Grinch here, and say that I am done with this saying. I am not the biggest Steve Addazio fan, and hearing this still go around drives me crazy (It was actually a Don Brown quote to start). Let me just use this question to complain more about our head coach. He’s a good recruiter, good talent evaluator, but runs a tempo goal line offense, that involves running the ball on 1st down 82% of the time with about three tight ends a set. He is terrible at in game decisions, never takes responsibility for his mistakes, and has used “youth” and “Injuries” as excuses for the past six years. The whole “Be A Dude” thing, was great when his whole schtick didn’t feel forced and contrived.

6) Culture swap! What’s one bit of Boston culture you’d love to share with Idahoans and what bit of Boise/Idaho culture do you think BC fans could get behind?

We have some great craft breweries. Every week I include a beer pairing with the game, and some of the best have been Trillium Brewery, Treehouse Brewing Company and Lord Hobo. If you guys ever get out here, taking a beer tour is an absolute necessity. In terms of Idaho culture, I think a lot of Bostonians could get behind the country feel. Many of us head north to New Hampshire and Maine for breaks, I know from experience that Idaho is beautiful.