BC Game 10

Thud.

The sound of ACC Championship dreams came crashing to earth this week – as our Noles in our o-so-lucky black togs – played like Supermodels at the Ponderosa buffet, they knew what to do, they were just scared of the results. Once again, the frenetic ACC had handed us a chance to win out and make this a significant season, and we left our best punches in the FSU Student Union…

How about a day that begins with the Drum Major of the Marching Chiefs proudly high stepping to the 50 only to be derailed by the ridiculously high chalk on the 40 and lands unceremoniously on his butt to kickoff yet another black Saturday. The FSU students in 40 plus degree weather appropriately attired in t-shirts, shorts and sundresses were loud early, but as their blood alcohol level and the defense both descended downhill, this enthusiasm waned.

Referee Ron Cherry (okay I am done with black comments – even though you wanted one badly here), made sure he was noticed by his favorite fans by missing a Monroe Street mugging on a key BC series. Tony Carter had beaten his WR and was in perfect position to grab the pick. He was shoved once – and failing to fall down – was grabbed and thrown down by his desperate rival. If there has ever been a more obvious offensive pass interference call in Doak, I have not seen it. Instead of a pick, or at worst 2nd and 25, it was yet another in a geriatric knitting Olympics pattern of third down conversions for BC that led to their second score. That is about the only real excuse I have in my arsenal for what transpired this weekend. The rest of this mess is the hands of the players and coaches who – let’s be honest – got whipped.

An offense that had been progressing every week went backwards like Micheal Jackson moonwalking on crack. Christian Ponder stared at his receivers like they were his last meal at Joliet, and when you are playing a zone reading team, that is a recipe for death. You simply have to force your helmet to look off your primary WR and make those safeties and LB’s drift the other way. Passing lanes then open up and you do not have to force any bad balls. I told Deb after our first failed three and out that this might be a game that we should turn to Drew. It just flat out takes experience to know how to beat a zone, and our young two QB’s showed against Wake that they do not have it yet…and w/o the fightin’ five blocking on the outside for our bubble screens there was simply no where else for our QB's to turn but downfield. Yes, Jimbo should have found some more creative ways to get our skill boys on the edges, including some more misdirection runs or screens, but it was obvious for the first time all year, out young OL pups got crushed and his options and at-bats were limited by his accomplices in this crime - the defense.

Even given all the above, our bumbling offense still produced 17 points. In my humble opinion, having seen legendary BC signal caller Chris Crane on many occasions this year, that point production should have been enough to win. It was not, because our defense was awful. BC had the ball almost 40 minutes. And the most maddening of those 40 was the final 9 where they ran two (not 8, not 13, not 27) plays over and over ad nauseum chewing up the entire field before scoring with 20 seconds left. Hey Mickey, maybe after they ran it the first 12 times in a row – whaddya say we bring one of those safeties up in the box to help out with the tackle. Nah, that would never work…Yes, we stopped them once on third down, but a personal foul on Derrick Nicholson (who by the way had never in his four year Nole career had a personal foul until that moment – and said that a BC player was twisting his surgically repaired knee and he shoved the guy away from his body before his ACL would have exploded) kept the fateful drive alive. I will give #30 a pass on that one, but the tackling that this team exhibited this week was beyond pitiful. It was Down’s syndrome kid left alone on a wintry street corner with no jacket pitiful.

Well, what have we got now. We have a Maryland team that is undefeated at home this year – also playing for the chance to go to Tampa – who runs physically and plays a smart zone defense (Wake me up and give me a BC powder - where have I heard that formula before!) We have a Rhodes scholar safety who will jetting in and hopefully make the fourth quarter and another safety who in his ebullient post-interception celebration blew out his knee chest bumping on the same 40 yard chalk that ate up the drum major. We have one freshman tackle with a dislocated elbow and another who needs to put his roller skates in the closet. We have a bunch of southerners wearing blankets in a cold Yankee prime time game.

Sounds like it is time to circle the wagons. This is where Coach Bowden is often at his best. Desperation is our friend, and I like our chances.

Go Noles!