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Found a review of the game and just wondered if anybody had any thoughts on this game....I know it's the first game of the season but would like to play something on this?????FACTS & STATS: Site: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,199) -- Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Television: ESPN 2. Home Record: Boston College 0-0, Central Michigan 0-0. Away Record: Boston College 0-0, Central Michigan 0-0. Neutral Record: Boston College 0-0, Central Michigan 0-0. Conference Record: Boston College 0-0, Central Michigan 0-0. Series Record: Boston College leads, 1-0.
GAME NOTES: The Boston College Eagles and the Central Michigan Chippewas have the honor of kicking off the 2006 Division I-A season at Kelly/Shorts Stadium Thursday night. Tom O'Brien begins his 10th season at the reins of the BC football program. He needs only two wins to tie Joe Yukica's school record for most wins by a head coach (68). Last year, the Eagles finished 9-3 and earned a bowl win over Boise State. The strength of that unit was the defense, which ranked seventh nationally in the scoring department. If O'Brien's squad is going to finish strong again in 2006, it will again be on the shoulders of the defense. As for Central Michigan, 2005 was not a spectacular season by any means, but it was a start. With a 6-5 overall record (5-3 MAC), CMU finished with a winning record for the first time since 1998. Head coach Brian Kelly, now in his third season, is expecting more from his players in 2006. With seven starters returning on each side of the football, his expectations are not unreasonable. This is the second meeting between these schools, with BC coasting to a 43-0 blowout win in the initial meeting back in 2002.
Offensively, the Eagles are hoping for big things from junior signal-caller Matt Ryan. Thrust into the starters' role last year, Ryan did not disappoint, completing 62.1 percent of his passes and leading the Eagles to a 5-0 record. He also ran for five scores. Despite losing his top two targets at wideout, Ryan will have a solid arsenal of playmakers in Tony Gonzalez, Kevin Challenger and Brandon Robinson. Gonzalez caught 28 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns as a junior last year. Robinson is just a sophomore, but the coaching staff has lauded his home run potential in the open field. In the backfield, L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender are back. The two combined for 1,515 yards on the ground in 2005. However, the team's top two linemen from a year ago have graduated, and it will be up to a couple of youngsters to step in and fill those roles.
The Eagles' defense was downright nasty in '05, but they've got their work cut out for them to repeat that success in '06. The team's 15.9 points allowed average ranked seventh in the country. Much of that credit was due to All-ACC defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and middle linebacker Ray Henderson, who have both departed. Filling Henderson's shoes will be junior linebacker Jolonn Dunbar, known for his bone-crunching hits. Joining Dunbar in the middle of the field will be junior standout Brian Toal, who followed up a tremendous freshman season with a solid sophomore campaign. Replacing Kiwanuka is junior defensive end Nick Larkin, who performed admirably in Kiwanuka's shadow with six sacks in 2005. In the secondary, three starters return, led by solid cover corner DeJuan Tribble and safety Jamie Silva (team-high 87 tackles in 2005).
At Central Michigan, quarterback Kent Smith is no longer around to rewrite the record books. In his place steps sophomore Brian Brunner, who possesses an untested but capable arm. Protecting Brunner will be an offensive line that returns four starters. In the backfield, sophomore Ontario Sneed is back, along with his 1,065 rushing yards he collected as a true freshman. With Smith gone, Sneed will likely carry the load on offense, though Brunner has several wideouts who are up to the challenge. The biggest name is freshman starter Bryan Anderson, who has an attractive combination of size and speed. He will be complemented by last year's starters, Obed Cetoute (27 rec, 364 yards, two TDs) and Damien Linson (56 rec, 832 yards, four TDs).
A potent CMU defense that ranked 20th against the run last year returns seven starters. The strength of this group is on the defensive line, where returning MAC Defensive Player of the Year Dan Bazuin (74 tackles, 26.5 TFLs, 16 sacks) is a one-man wrecking crew from his defensive end spot. Elsewhere on the D- line, tackle Steven Friend and rush end De'Onte Burnam are back to complement Bazuin. The coaches like what they've seen from redshirt freshman Larry Knight as well. The linebacking corps features three familiar faces in Thomas Keith, Doug Kress and Isaac Brown, all starters a year ago. The only question is in the secondary, where two new corners must be thrown into the fire. Pacino Horne is a converted safety, while Josh Gordy is a redshirt freshman.
Boston College has several holes to plug on both sides of the ball due to graduation. With a year under his belt, Matt Ryan needs a strong start to boost his confidence as he continues to get comfortable with the offense. But that may be difficult with the likes of Dan Bazuin zeroing in on him all night long. On the other side of the coin, the key for CMU is also the quarterback. With returning starters scattered all over the offense, Brian Brunner needs simply to avoid costly mistakes. Look for the Chippewas to keep this one close, especially early on, as they play in front of their home crowd on a national stage for college football's opening game. In the end though, the Eagles simply have too much firepower for the Chippewas.
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