Curtis: Well that certainly went a way that shouldn’t surprise anybody. BC couldn’t get out of their own way as they basically handed Pitt the game on Thursday with bad defense and questionable playcalling. What stood out to you guys?
Arthur: It felt like BC really was sleepwalking the whole game. Not a lot of energy and a bunch of really silly mistakes are what did BC in, ultimately. I don’t know what Khari Jackson was thinking when he made the hit that got him thrown out for targeting but man it didn’t do the secondary any favors when he did.
Kieran: Gosh it kinda felt like of couple of people here knew exactly what was going to happen. Sleepwalking is the perfect way to describe it. BC has a tendency to get itself into bad situations in these types of trap games, and it’s just unfortunate they couldn’t do enough to be a subpar Pitt team.
Niraj: Hafley is exactly who we’ve thought he was. People don’t change. It’s actually impressive how bad the secondary is, despite that being his forte. As for the offense, the play-calling hasn’t had much flow to it all season. There was a tendency to shift away from what was working in the red zone. After the Louisville game, Hafley said it looked like guys were waiting for someone else to make a play. Seems as though if TC doesn’t have an individual moment of brilliance or someone’s producing a turnover, this just won’t work. It’s going to be a long 2 years.
Curtis: I’d have to agree with what you all said. It’s just really disappointing to see they couldn’t capitalize on their momentum, even if those wins were against subpar competition. They just keep getting exposed and there are a whole host of issues from top to bottom that have been a trend in Hafley’s tenure. And there’s no injured OL to point to this time for the failings.
Do you think there’s anything we should be looking for as the regular season comes to a close against Miami?
Kieran: I think we just want consistently good play across every unit. The offense, defense, and special teams have all proven they’re capable of playing at a high level this season. Unfortunately, the three of them haven’t synced up very often. Miami has lost 3 in a row and is reeling; they are not the team people thought they could be and BC is very capable of beating them. A good win against the Hurricanes would be a nice way to end the season.
Arthur: I think I’ve seen a BC team playing like they’ve accomplished everything they’ve set out to accomplish. Maybe that’s not fair, but I think I haven’t seen an energy that I’ve seen in other games earlier in the season. I just want to see some life out of this team.
Curran: I want to see Castellanos put together a mistake-free game. He just hasn’t been playing well at all lately; play-calling issues aside it feels like he’s regressing. Sure, an injury might be bothering him, but it’s been weeks since he’s broken 200 passing yards and he’s thrown 7 picks to only 4 TDs in the last 6 games. He is the future of the team. A lot rides on his ability to improve. There are virtually no expectations now — all the momentum from the win streak is long gone, Hafley is probably now on a warmer seat again (thought we all know he won’t get fired), and we’re playing a decent Miami team. Let’s see what TC can do.
Niraj: I just want to see some energy. Can’t allow any unit to come to out flat. Out talent-ed sure, it happens. (Though I’d prefer not to be torched through the air with whatever coverage we’re playing). We’ve had improvement in playing more ‘mistake free’ football then Khari Johnson goes ahead and defines targeting for the world
Curtis: Personally I’d like to see BC actually lean on their run game and get a few drives going into the redzone just by bulldozing some people over. I know they’re capable of it, but too often they get too cute and try to make pass plays happen that usually just set them up for third & long.
Niraj: Play to your strengths, I agree wholeheartedly
Curtis: Alright, score predictions?
Curran: Let’s be honest, most of what we want to see — fast starts, consistency on both sides of the ball, limiting penalties — have been consistent issues for most of Hafley’s tenure. I think Miami wins relatively comfortably, 31-20
Niraj: Miami 40 BC 24
Kieran: Last game of the season? Why not go out on top? Miami is favored by 8, but I’ll say BC 24 – Miami 23.
Curtis: If the BC defense keeps playing like this, I don’t think the BC offense can keep up. Miami 34 Boston College 27