Miami Ends Regular Season at No. 16 Boston College
Nov. 20, 2007
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MIAMI HURRICANES (5-6)
at (16) BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (9-2)
When: Saturday, November 24, 2007, at noon ET
Where: Alumni Stadium (FieldTurf, 44,500) in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
TV: The game will be televised regionally on ESPN with Pam Ward (play by play), Ray Bentley (analyst) and Rob Simmelkjaer (field reporter).
Tape Delay Telecast: On CSS at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, with announcers Jason Solodkin and K.C. Jones.
Local Radio: The Hurricanes Radio Network (WQAM 560 AM) will carry the game live with Joe Zagacki (play by play), Don Bailey Jr. (analysis) and Brian London (sideline reporter).
National Radio: ESPN Radio will broadcast the game live with Dave Barnett (play by play), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Joe Schad (sideline reporter). The game will also be on XM Radio.
Radio En Espanol: The game will broadcast in Spanish on WWWK 105.5 FM and WPIK 102.5 FM with Joe Pujala (play by play) and Joe Martinez (analysis).
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) and Boston College (www.bceagles.com)
THIS WEEK’S GAME:
The site is different, but the scenario is exactly the same as it was a year ago. On Nov. 23, 2006, the Miami Hurricanes were 5-6 and needed to defeat a 9-2 Boston College team at the Orange Bowl to earn a bowl berth. They did, winning 17-14 and went on to play in a bowl game for the ninth consecutive season.
This Saturday, in Chestnut Hill, Mass., the two teams meet with the exact same records. Miami needs a win to become bowl eligible (although a bowl berth is not a certainty). Boston College, meanwhile, has already clinched a berth in the ACC Championship game the following week and does not need a victory for anything more than rankings and prestige.
The Miami-Boston College game will be played at noon and be televised nationally on ESPN. This is Miami’s first trip to BC since 2001. The Hurricanes have not lost in Chestnut Hill since 1975 and have not lost to Boston College anywhere since 1984 in the infamous Doug Flutie “Hail Mary” game. Overall, UM has a 15-game winning streak over BC on the line.
The Hurricanes have lost their last three games and need a victory to avoid having their first losing season in 10 years. Last Saturday the Hurricanes lost at Virginia Tech 44-14, allowing 24 unanswered points in the second half after turning a 17-0 first-quarter deficit into a 20-14 game early in the third quarter.
Boston College improved to 9-2 with a 20-17 come-from-behind victory on the road at Clemson in which they scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Eagles are ranked No. 16 by the Coaches and No. 18 in the AP poll. They are 14th in the BCS rankings.
The Hurricanes got their passing game untracked last week, passing for 215 yards. But this time they had trouble rushing the ball, gaining minus-two yards on the ground — and that could pose a problem this week against Boston College, which has the No. 1-ranked run defense in the nation. In the NCAA rankings, Miami is 108th in total offense, 63rd in rushing, 109th in passing and 100th in scoring offense. On defense, UM is 28th in total defense, 47th in rushing defense, 21st in pass defense and 53rd in scoring defense.
Boston College is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Ryan, their quarterback who has passed for 3,584 yards and 25 touchdowns. Ryan has five receivers who have 38 or more receptions, led by tailback Andre Callender, who has 55 catches for 562 yards and four TDs, and wideout Brandon Robinson, who has 50 receptions for 720 yards and five TDs. The Eagles rank 25th in total offense, seventh in passing, 104th in rushing and 46th in scoring. On defense, BC is 25th overall, first in run defense, 108th in pass defense and 25th in scoring defense.
THE OPPONENT:
Boston College is 9-2 this season in their first year under new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. The Eagles have played in bowl games the last eight years.
THE COACHES:
Randy Shannon is 5-6 in his first season at Miami. Boston College’s Jeff Jagodzinski is 9-2 in his first season.
A HURRICANES VICTORY OVER THE EAGLES WOULD:
Give Miami their sixth victory of the season and make them eligible for a 10th consecutive bowl berth. It would also give them a 3-5 mark in the ACC and give them a 24-3 lead in the series with Boston College.
