North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: B.C. Picks Pack's Pocket
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Boston Prior to Saturday afternoon, a Tom O’Brien coached team hadn’t lost a game at Boston College’s Alumni Stadium since the Eagles were upended by Florida State in 2005. B.C. won at home again on Saturday, but this time at O’Brien’s expense.
If you would have told O’Brien before the game that his NC State defense would hold
NC State had 15 possessions on Saturday, seven of which resulted in giveaways. Five were interceptions thrown by quarterback Harrison Beck. Beck also fumbled the football away in the second quarter when he was sandwiched in the pocket by a hard-charging Eagles rush. Punter Nathan Franklin accounted for the seventh turnover when he simply dropped a snap early in the third quarter.
The final was 37-17
“You have to do a better job in your decision making,” O’Brien said. “You’re going to throw a couple of interceptions, but you can’t throw five. You can’t fumble the way we fumbled the ball, especially on a punt catch backed up the way we were. I think Beck thinks he can throw the ball anywhere. Those falling backwards and throwing interceptions are what kills me. You’ve got to know where you are.”
Taking the ball away from opposing offenses has become a B.C. specialty. Last season, when O’Brien was
They’ve been playing the same defense for seven years,” O’Brien said. “They know how to play the defense and Frank does a good job of anticipating what the other team likes to do with their zone. I think they played man-to-man only twice tonight. They sit there, they get a good read on the quarterback, get a good push and make the ball come out of his hands and they pick them off.”
In fairness to Beck, who was making his first career start, an inordinate amount of pressure was placed on his shoulders since NC State’s running game was stuffed most of the day. In the opening half, the Pack was knocked backwards, rushing for minus five yards. By the end of the third quarter, that total was minus nine. NC State eventually ended the game with 56 yards on the ground primarily because Andre Brown was able to break off a 47-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter when the outcome had already been decided.
“We’ve got to be able to run the football,” O’Brien said. “We haven’t found a way to do it. Magic isn’t going to make us run the football any better. Going on the practice field, working hard and staying after it is the only way we’re going to get better.”
Beck’s day was very much like his preseason. During four scrimmages, many of his big plays in the passing game would ultimately be offset by mistakes. Saturday was no different. His 321 yards were the most passing yards for an NC State quarterback since Philip Rivers tallied 475 in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl. Ultimately, however, those yards weren’t nearly enough to overcome the five interceptions. One of those picks was returned 14 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Jolonn Dunbar to give a
But the interception that had O’Brien shaking his head the most came near the end of the second quarter with the Wolfpack trailing just 17-10. After driving the Pack from its own 33 to the Boston College 17, Beck was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Taji Morris.
“The one before the half really hurt,” said O’Brien. “We’ve got to get at least three [points] in that situation. I know that isn’t going to affect B.C. because they’re going to keep playing. But it’s going to help us.”
As he headed towards the visitors locker room on the west side of Alumni Stadium after the game, O’Brien, the man who had rebuilt the Boston College program and turned it into a big winner, was met by a mixture of applause, catcalls and boos by a vocal student body. He then looked up, waved and disappeared into the tunnel.
His only concern now is to teach NC State how to win a football game, something the Pack hasn’t done since it defeated
“I only count it as two losses because I’ve only been here for two of them,” O’Brien said. “It’s on me, it’s on this staff and it’s on this team to turn this thing around.”
