BC UMASS Postgame Thoughts

BC improved to 1-1 with a victory over UMASS.  BC did not start they way they wanted, as they allowed Umass to throw for a long touchdown, and were losing for most of the first half.  However, two long touchdown passes from Patrick Towles to Jeff Smith put the Eagles ahead for good.  In the second half, BC played well, scoring on 2 field goals, and a Jon Hilliman run, while shutting out Umass’ offense. 

When BC had the ball: BC put up 26 points on the scoreboard, the most of the year so far.  They were able to move the ball decently, and used some big plays through the air for scores.  On the ground, the Eagles struggled.  Starting runningback Jon Hilliman only rushed for 2.5 yards per carry.  He did have a nice 15 yard run for a touchdown, but outside that had only 39 yards on 21 carries.  That will not be enough for when BC plays against ACC opponents.  Hilliman struggles at ready holes, and often runs straight into the line.  When he is able to hit the correct hole, he can make people miss and drag bodies forward.  However, he has been unable to get going outside of 2 or 3 runs in the first 2 games of the season.  This would not be as big of a problem, but Hilliman is the only back receiving significant carries this season. Myles Willis works as an excellent change of pace back, but he only got 3 carries on the day.  He made good work with his opportunity, as he had a rush of 19 yards and 22 yards total.  Through the air BC was able to make the big plays to put themselves ahead.  Towles found Jeff Smith for 2 long td passes and was effective for most of the game.  Towles did a good job or realizing when to tuck it and run, and when to scramble and keep his eyes down field.   When BC opened up the offense, and threw the ball, it helped to take some pressure off of the run game.  They need to do this more often, and earlier against higher quality opponents.

When Umass had the ball:  The BC defense dominated the game on Saturday.  Umass had 122 total yards, and 58 of those were on 1 play.  Umass gained negative 23 yards rushing, and not counting sacks, still only had 33 yards on 23 carries.  The defensive line had an excellent game, and BC was able to get pressure without blitzing.  This will be big going forward, as they will be able to drop 7 into coverage and still get to the quarterback.  In the secondary, BC gave up a long pass play for a touchdown.  This was due to a blown assignment, and mis-communication.  Outside of that one play, the secondary played well, and had an interception that led to points for BC.  The defense looks every bit as good as last year, if not better.

Overall:  BC won a game that they should have won.  They made it a little nerve racking early, as they let Umass have a lead for most of the first half.  However, Jeff Smith had an excellent game at receiver, and the defense held Umass to almost nothing outside of one long touchdown.  The kicking game was improved as Mike Knoll knocked in 2 field goals. BC looked good heading into next week’s game against Virginia Tech.