11:00 AM on Saturday on ESPNU

This game is clearly the game of the week in the Big 10 and probably one of the top five all weekend, primarily as most schools have scheduled creampuffs. The line is BC -3.

BC returns a great defense, but an underperforming offense. The runningback Montel Harris is a true ACC stud, but won't be playing this game due to a knee injury. His backup Andre Williams is also a very good option, but tweaked his ankle last week so his status is uncertain. The offensive line is normally a strong point, but is actually pretty young this year. The QB situation is not that great, but I suppose he'll have another year under his belt, so it should be a bit better than last year.

Northwestern's situation is really strange. NU is being really coy about Persa's status. I think you'll see more Kain Colter (and perhaps all Kain Coleter), which I don't think will be the end of the world. We have a pretty experienced offensive line. The RBs have yet to really separate themselves. The wide receiver spot is the strongest squad. Defense looks very different from last year other than stud defensive end, Vince Browne and safety, Brian Peters.

I originally thought this game was going to be a win for NU, but with Persa's status uncertain, I am very scared now. Kain showed he has some game in the Illinois game last year, but is it enough to take on a pretty good BC defense? How is the new NU defense going to be? Could it actually regress from a horrible 2010? We'll find out on Saturday.

Watkins played during the Illinois game. I don't think Colter say the field.

Vegas doesn't seem convinced that Persa is missing any time. The over/under is also the second lowest for the entire weekend (Kent State/Alabama is a half-point lower), which is interesting. I do think that it's going to be pretty sloppy, as one offense gets its bearings and the other offense is just really not good.

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Fire Phil Emery

You don't think the throttling in Southern California will be the Game of the Week?

http://www.sippinonpurple.com/2011/8/30/2392631/gettin-familiar-with-boston-college#storyjump

From my boy Roger Sherman:

Oh, yeah, football.

Time to look at them Boston College Eagles that will be taking the field in a few days. Of course, most of this is irrelevant, since what really matters is Dan Persa's Achilles, but, fie with that. This is our weekly time where we discuss our upcoming football opponents and disparage them greatly. I have missed it much, the disparaging. We will discuss Boston College's hilarious offense and terrifying defense.

Thus far: Silly category! It's the first week of the season! So let's talk about Boston College last season. One can divide BC's season into three distinct acts:

Act the First: Playing Weber State and Kent State, two easy victories. Dave Shinskie was the quarterback, though he did throw two interceptions against Weber State. Was it foreshadowing?

Act the Second: Yes, it was foreshadowing. Virginia Tech shut out BC, who would go on to lose five straight, including a 31-13 loss to Notre Dame and a 44-17 loss to NC State.

Act the Third: Montel Harris emerges as the hero. BC rolls off five straight victories against the chaff of the Big East, with Harris eating up 100+ yards on the ground in four of the games before missing the season-closer against Syracuse due to injury.

Epilogue: A 20-13 loss to La Pistola of Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Altogether, not an inspiring season: seven wins, but only one comes against a winning team from a BCS conference (Syracuse). The offense was piddly, only averaging 18.5 points per game, but the defense was downright steadfast, only allowing 19.5.

Us and Them: Only three appearances between the Iggles and the Wildcats, and two of them have been shutouts. NU won 45-nil back in 1961 when NU was good at football, 31 years later, BC returned the favor with a 49-0 shutout when NU was bad at football. The 1993 rematch, as detailed on LTP yesterday, saw a come-from-behind 22-21 victory by a Cats team that would finish 2-9 over a BC team that finished 9-3.

When they got the ball: So, yeah, BC was mighty bad on offense last year. But luckily for them, their offensive coordinator, Gary Tranquill, must have agreed, because he retired. They went out and got Kevin Rodgers Rogers as their offensive coordinator, the former Minnesota Vikings QB coach, who taught Brett Favre everything he knows about having his career ended by Corey Wootton and ignoring Joe Webb. Changes are afoot, and the Eagles' offense will no longer revolve around draws to Montel Harris. For example, Boston College's season-opening depth chart features three WR's rather than two and a fullback. Passing!

Sophomore Chase Rettig is the QB, however, his freshman year stats aren't exactly awe-inspiring. He was actually third on the team in QB rating behind Shinskie, the noted 27-year old junior who gives me the jibblies and Mike Marscovetra, who completed a team-high 58.6 percent of his passes. Rettig completed only 51.3 percent - yeah, another 20 percent and he'd be Dan Persa, almost. He's not particularly mobile and threw nine picks to only six touchdowns, never surpassing 230 yards in an outing. Long story short, 12-for-16 with two picks for 133 yards against Wake Forest isn't exactly inspiring my awe-detectors. This all said, the Boston Globe seems to think he's getting better with age.

Rettig's targets are pretty middling too: only one receiver with more than 500 yards, two with more than 30 catches. Sophomore Bobby Swigert had the game of the season with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame only three games into his collegiate career and senior Ifeanyi Momah - also a part-time defensive end - is on my ticket stub, but nothing to write home about. They also have a sophomore named Alex Amidon whose only skill appears to be catching one pass every two games for 35 yards and a touchdown, so I'm crapping my pants hoping this isn't that game. He also frequently looks to tight end Chris Pantale over the middle.

Montel Harris is the team's feature player, which is quite a downer, because he's injured. Andre Williams is his backup at running back, and although he sprained an ankle, he's purportedly good to go. Don't sleep on Dre, just look at what he did after Harris was injured last season: 108 yards on only 12 carries against Virginia, 185 - yeah, 185 - against Cuse on 42 carries. The sophomore is explosive, even if he ain't Harris.

When we got the ball: Best rushing defense in the country? Best rushing defense in the country,both in yards per game and per carry, allowing a measly 2.68 yards per attempt. How? Luke Kuechly, aka Keak Da Sneak, is the best player in the ACC according to ESPN (Harris was No. 5) and led the nation in tackles and solo tackles last year. He's 6-foot-3, 237, and ready to kill you. He "collects tackles like fraternity guys hoard t-shirts", which means... *walks over to t-shirt drawer* *looks past all the pinnies* *opens second t-shirt drawer* HOLY CRAP THIS GUY COLLECTS A LOT OF TACKLES. (This apparently makes Bryce McNaul the sorority girl who throws on one of your rush shirts in the morning before leaving while you're still asleep so as not to look to obviously walk-of-shamey on the walk back home and never offers to give it back or even exchange it for one of their million billion sorority t-shirts.) What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, Keak Da Sneak. He's easily an all-American, earned four conference player of the week honors last year, and has had at least ten tackles in 22 straight games. Prepare to hear his name. He doesn't have spectacular physical attributes and only had 1.5 sacks, but his instinctive nose for the ball is something that doesn't just happen. Simply put, the middle of the field is not safe.

He's joined at linebacker by Kevin Pierre-Louis, he of the tri-name, and Steele Divitto, who replaces Mark Herzlich and therefore is the only linebacker Phil Steele didn't put on his all-ACC lists, despite, you know, the name. On the line, defensive end Max Holloway led the team with four sacks last year and a whopping 14 tackles for loss, although half the line graduated.

You'll be pleased to know that despite that menacing front, there are problems with BC's defense. Well, hold up, let me correct that: BC's passing defense could be worse than their rushing defense. Tied for fifth in the country last year allowing only 5.8 yards per attempt, and 20 picks, eighth in the country. Their two best ballhawks are back, Donnie Fletcher at corner and Jim Noel at safety, who combined for nine picks. And those ridiculous linebackers did their job, as Herzlich and Kuechly combined for seven as well. Noel was supposed to move to corner from safety, but the dismissal of Okechukwu Okoroha and transfer of Dominick LeGrande - who was supposed to start - saw Noel forced back to safety and Hampton Hughes, a former walk-on who was switched to safety less than two weeks ago starting opposite him. Still not a pass defense to trifle with, though, with Fletcher in the mix.

No.

I hope his irony meter didn't go spinning out of control on that one.

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Fire Phil Emery

Kain played a few downs as QB (replacing Watkins). Showed a couple nifty moves in the Illinois game. At Wisconsin, he played a bit more and even had some passing attempts. He actually looked pretty good, but clearly better at running than passing. I'm told his camp has been focusing on his reads and his release. Clearly he is more dangerous with his feet, but don't underestimate his arm. He had a torn labrum in high school, so I'm guessin with another year of healing, he should be better.

I'm not sure I saw any reference suggesting that Northwestern had an inspiring season either. Your definition of ironic maybe closer to Morissette than Webster.

I'm not down on Colter, though another year on the bench would probably help. His bowl game was more than reasonable under the circumstances.

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Fire Phil Emery

Compared to Watkins, he's a better fit for the offense.

I'm going to South Bend for a decent startup game versus South Florida.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It's on NBC5 and on 890 WLS-AM at 2:30p, GD, the Notre Dame/South Florida game from South Bend. The game of the weekend in the first Saturday of college football is at the "House that Jerry (Jones) Built" in Arlington, TX. LSU & Oregon get the ABC treatment Saturday night at 7p.

Just to be clear, I said "This game is clearly the game of the week in the Big 10 and probably one of the top five all weekend,"

So..............none of the rest of you are going to be in Dekalb at the only top-5 game in the midwest this weekend?

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In the past fifteen minutes, the line has swung from BC -3, +105 to BC -3, -103. The over/under all fell from 46 to 45. Neither is earth-shattering, but that's a Persa uh oh.

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Fire Phil Emery

I'm more interested to see if Boise shows up against a team from a real conference at 7 on ESPN.

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It's really divided on the NU messageboards on whether he will play or not... and if he does, how many snaps he takes. I wouldn't be surprised if Persa doesn't play a down. Those extra four weeks will be really important. I think we can beat EIU, Army, and that juggernaut "The Bye" without him. I'm not so sure about BC, though.

Vegas has taken the game off the board.

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Fire Phil Emery

Persa is not going to play. Kain Colter is the QB. I heard it from someone close to the program.

Yikes. Not at all?

I know I've argued that Persa is overrated before but that doesn't mean he's not a fun kid to cheer for. Hopefully he comes back soon.

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Fire Phil Emery

My source just says he thinks a 100% Colter is better than a 70% Persa. He may be wrong, but I doubt it.

He's right.

My guy... #ColterStrong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcwlgNNdW3c

Persa's game depends on his ability to move the pocket to find throwing lanes. Hard to do with a bad wheel. You go with Colter and live with the youth.

And you live with beating a BCS team on the road with your sophomore backup QB!

Colter did well enough. Credit Mick McCall for developing an offensive scheme to pay to Kain's strengths. Kain could eventually be good, but he looked exactly the way a true sophomore should look in his first collegiate start... he has a long way to go. Credit NU's defense for holding strong. BC's QB, however, was pretty abysmal. Although if you give him an hour back there, he can make a decent play.

Unfortunately no one really stood out running the ball. Our offensive line actually did pretty well against a very good run defense. That Kuechle guy for BC is a gamer.

In the end, I'm really pleased with what I saw, but I have NO delusions about us competing for a Big 10 championship.

hey that was a good win, MUD. i liked seeing that. was at the turf room watchin it.

IB,
I think I won a sig bet from you, right?

Indeed you did. State your terms, sir.

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Fire Phil Emery