As the season opener against Boston College draws near, I decided to take the time to give a light-hearted preview to help you better know our enemy this week:
1. Where they are in the standings/rankings:
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Conference Record | Overall Record |
| Atlantic Division | W | L | W | L | ||
| Clemson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Florida State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wake Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Boston College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Undefeated (and unranked)...just like us. A venerable clash of the titans. Historically speaking we own these jokes. However, we actually have a losing record against them since joining the ACC. Feel free to step away from your computer screen and kick your dog after reading that previous sentence. Another thing to remember is going all the way back to the '90's, Miami struggles at Chestnut Hill. So don't expect a blow-out.
2. What happened the last time Miami played B.C.?
From the AP:
Tim Reynolds said:
Man...for far too long good kids on this team, who bust their ass and give it their all, have been leaving UM on a sour note. That **** needs to stop like 8 years ago.
Last year we jumped out to an early lead with a few explosive plays. Eventually B.C.'s defense settled in and forced Jacory into some really bad decisions (including 4 interceptions) in an extremely under-whelming finale. The worst of which might have been the "big reveal" in the 4th quarter that Golden had signed a 700 year extention. They probably planned this announcement to come out with Al wearing a conductor's hat on the train we were expecting to run on B.C....whoops.
The announcement came out and was obviously intended to be some sort of move to get fans excited that Al would be here a long time...but when you're getting pushed around by B.C., knowing that the head coach has long-term job security isn't really a priority. When it was announced on TV the cameras quickly panned to Shalala's suite, no clue as to why. The image of Shalala's troll-like arms flapping together with a big smile on her face as we were losing is still burned into my mind. It was insanely awkward to say the least.
3. Who to be scared of:
fox sports
Chase Rettig:
This is where I was going to put Montel Harris, but he's no longer on the team. Therefore, Rettig gets the nod by default. Not because he's any good, but that's the point. Making mediocre-to-bad QB's look like Joe Namath is what Miami defenses do best. Being a starter since his fresman year, he will have complete command of the offense and confidence in himself. Last year he was 13/17 (76.5%) for 196 yards and 2 tds...76 % completion percentage???? Get the **** out of here man.
4. Player that will score against us:
AP Photo: Michael Dwyer
Andre Williams:
At first this is where I was going to put Mackey Watch List Tight End Chris Pantale, but he broke his damn foot. Then I was going to go with their leading rusher and the guy that ran for 96 yards against us last year in Rolandan Finch, but he hurt his foot too. Then I was going to put leading receiver Bobby Swigert, but he fucked up his knee. So I decided to go with Andre Williams. He was expected to be the featured back last year when Montel Harris wasn't available, but nagging injuries hampered him, which allowed Finch and Tahj Kimble to steal carries from him. Now with Kimble and Finch nicked up, Williams will be the man in the backfield. At 6-0 feet 220 lbs. he's got a good amount of size to bring with him through the trenches and was able to muster 52 yards on 13 carries against us last year.
5. Person that will piss you off:
Doug Flutie
First off, Doug Flutie fucking sucks. Second, no one has ever made an entire career out of one play like Doug Flutie. David Tyree comes close, except his moment actually took place in the NFL. Be prepared for the Hailmary to be run on a loop on your TV screen, whether we're winning or losing. Oh...and Larry Marzetti > Doug Flutie. Infinitely better human being too (class of '65).
6. Official Internet meme for this game:
Schrute Facts
I'm going to be doing one of these for each opponent on the Monday before each game. I'll also be doing a Gameday Preview along with a full recap the day after. They will be pretty similar to my Link City posts, which I will still try to do throughout the season...however, they will mostly focus on college football news around the country (polls, big games, and other craziness). I'll keep doing these until I get tired of it, or if they're so bad that DMoney and LuCane shame me into stopping.
[video=youtube;pele5vptVgc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pele5vptVgc[/video]
