Boston College

There was a towel on the field that did not belong. So in a flash, cult hero Red Lightning braved the downpour, assessed the situation and ran out to midfield in between the hashes to retrieve the impediment before the next play could begin. Showing off that now famous alacrity, he got there in a whisper and then slipped and took a terrific and lengthy dive on the slippery Doak turf. But in a perfect metaphor for the 2014 Noles, our bright bearded five star ball boy got himself upright and bolted off the field finishing the job on time and in enviable fashion.

On the second grade playground, Johnny knows that his arch nemesis Bart is going to bring three buddies to the after school "rumble". With four of these toughs coming after him, even his elementary math skills allow that he may want to recruit three other dudes to the party or it will get ugly early. What do you say we send Charles Kelly back to grade school for some math or recess tutoring? BC was not exactly an unsolvable offensive mystery on Saturday. They had anywhere from 7-9 big uglies up front and they, ummm, ran the football. So, our answer was to repeatedly line up with 5 defensive backs, except on first down when we...wait for it...had six DB's on the field. You know, just in case. Maybe with Florida and the Rambling Wreck coming up, we can spend some extra time experimenting with a brand new formation that delivers a 7 DB look. Sure, we will get gashed with 8 yard runs up the middle every time, but by goodness, we are going to be quick enough to shut down those jet sweeps.

It is a shame that Matthew Thomas decided to channel his inner moron with that hit in the second half. We were finally getting a glimpse of what all the fuss was about. He was shooting gaps and giving us a big play ability and real depth at the spectacularly undervalued position of linebacker in this defense. When Niles Lawrence-Stample went out, I don't think Eddie Goldman realized that he would be double teamed on every down the rest of the season. When he does happen to make a tackle, if you are sitting down, get up, because that had to be a superhuman effort. Jalen's impact is minimized when the other guys run the ball 68 times a game, but with his size I would use him on the edge and run blitz #8 from Walker's side to force the offense to MEJ and take my chances.

Television did not really do justice to the miserable Eeyore weather that we had on Saturday. Yeah, that mostly sunny 70 degree 10% chance of rain day must have delivered by an angry meteorology mob from Buffalo that wanted the South to begin to share in heaven-above misery. Another shameless plug for our Head Coach, but do you know what he has our special teams unit do every Tuesday; practice in downpour conditions. They replicate heavy rain with soaked balls and practice this simulation for hours once a week. Cason Beatty (holding for Roberto) has done this drill so much that he knows that his hands need to be wet so that when the wet ball hits them -  as he places the ball on the ground - he has a better grip on the leather and can twirl to get the laces just right for that lightning toe. Think that little bit of Boy Scout ridiculousness came in handy with 3 seconds to go and a season on the line? Crazy preparation...but thank you Coach.

Speaking of Jimbo, he was as agitated with the zebras as I have ever seen him. He absolutely went Gorillas in the Mist after the noncall with Rashad getting mugged on the sidelines. And for good reason, as this was a teenage girl getting beat up by a middle aged thug in between two cops in the park, while the cops were yelling over the top of their heads comparing Starbucks toppings. That glorious no call led to a broken drive which led to the horrible free punt and subsequent no call for offensive interference that happened (you guessed it) in between the same two bozos that apparently by now had settled on toffee nut over pumpkin spice. The second half of that contest was completely "game controlled" by this crack ACC crew.

It is crazy to say in a game where we set a new low for points in his tenure, but I am not sure Jameis has played better this season than he did Saturday night. His mates left 100 yards on the field in drops, and at least 14 points. I can't recall a single bad decision, including the one where he ejects the ref trying to hold up play. Two points on that tomfoolery. One the reply will show that the 25 second clock was already at 18 when this clown finally decided to acquiesce which means that he had no business still being there, and secondly if he is trying to stop play, his position is over the ball in between the lines, not playing drunk traffic cop behind the center. Shoving him aside like your fat uncle who is moving too slow at the Thanksgiving chow line was the nicest thing that Jameis could have done. Nick O'Leary was absolute money this week. From the velcro grab on the first toss to the TD that he snared on the play after Rashad took his talents to the locker room, it is nice to see what
happens when other wideouts grab enough attention that he is not doubled.

Until he fumbles his way out of the lineup, it is clear that Dalvin is our go-to back moving forward. He is a different runner now than he was even a month ago. Chalk and Bermuda no longer can bring him down, nor can arms with the wrong colors on. We do need to give Los some credit for humbly playing second fiddle, being ok with the tough two yard gains and body sacrificing blocks
that we need out of him now. I would guess that Mario is not completely healthy yet or I feel he would be getting a few more reps.

I said a few weeks back that to this amateur, Virginia had the best defense that we had played this far. I don't think you are going to get much of an argument this week on that point from our friends in Coral Gables. But, the Lizards are an altogether incremental step up in defensive class. Somehow, we need a Holiday Miracle on Tennessee Street the next few weeks and have Mr. Kelly find in in his two sizes too small heart to dump the Grinch-ian stubbornness and place some men near the line so HooVille can be safe for another season. If we insist on having 5, 6 or 7 elves on the field at once, then I can no longer protect him from the offseason Bumbles that will bounce him out of town.