Andre Williams and the Boston College Eagles take on the Central Florida Knights in Week 2 of the 2011 College Football season at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday night at Bright House Networks Stadium.
Event: Boston College Eagles vs. UCF Knights - NCAA Football, Week 2.
Date/Time: Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 8:00 p.m. EDT.
Location: Bright House Network Stadium (44,323), Orlando, Florida.
Broadcast Info: Saturday's game between Boston College and UCF will be aired on national television on the CBS College Sports Network, with James Bates doing play-by-play, Aaron Taylor providing analysis and Brooke Collins on the sidelines.
The game can also be heard on the radio on the WEEI Sports Radio Network, with the game airing on AM 680 WRKO due the the Boston Red Sox game. Jon Meterparel will provided play-by-play, Pete Cronan will provide analysis and ex-BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre will be on the sidelines.
Series Info: Boston College leads the all-time series against UCF, 1-0, with Saturday's game marking the second meeting between the two teams in their history. BC defeated Central Florida, 34-7, in the other prior meeting on September 20, 2008. In the win, quarterback Chris Crane ran for two touchdowns and threw another TD and Montel Harris rushed for 112 yards on 13 carries.
Last Week: Boston College dropped its season opener against Northwestern, 24-17, despite the absence of Wildcats starting quarterback Dan Persa. BC had ample opportunity to pull out a win, but was unable to execute for the majority of the second half. Despite the loss, starting quarterback Chase Rettig threw for 375 yards on24-of-44 passing and Andre Williams rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Luke Kuechly led the Eagles on defense, recording 18 tackles and picking off Wildcats quarterback Kain Colter once. Kuechly extended his streak of games with 10 or more tackles to an FBS-leading 23 games.
Central Florida also won its opener, obliterating Charleston Southern, 62-0, at Bright House Networks Stadium. Jeffrey Godfrey had two rushing touchdowns and threw for 316 total yards and finished the day with 560 total yards on offense. UCF scored on each of its first five possessions to build a commanding 35-0 lead.
Storyline: Boston College enters Saturday's game at a disadvantage, as it is already missing may of its top players on both sides of the ball. Offensively, star back Montel Harris is out of action for the second straight week of the season. Defensively, defensive tackles Kaleb Ramsey and Dominic Appiah will both miss the game with lower body injuries. Defensive end Connor Wujciak is also out, cornerback Donnie Fletcher is doubtful and defensive tackle Harris Williams is listed as questionable. For the Eagles to win, they'll need to overcome their injuries.
Players To Watch: For BC, there are plenty of players to watch for on both sides of the ball, but three players in particular should determine how successful the Eagles are on Saturday night. It all starts with the quarterback, Rettig, who racked up huge numbers in BC's season-opening loss to Northwestern, but was relatively inconsistent with 20 of his 44 passes resulting in incompletions. For the Eagles to be successful, Rettig will need to be accurate. In addition to Rettig, Williams will need to have a good game in the backfield, as he did in the opener. A huge part of the Eagles' offensive strategy is running the ball effectively, and with star senior back Montel Harris out again, it is even more important for Williams to find the holes in the offensive line.
Defensively, the Eagles' revolve around Kuechly, who is widely considered one of the nation's best linebackers. If Kuechly is on his game, the Eagles should be able to effectively bottle up Godfrey and the ground game.
UCF's top player is undoubtedly its quarterback - Godfrey. Not only is Godfrey a threat on the ground, but he is also a viable threat when he puts the ball in the air. If Godfrey puts up a performance like he did in Week 1, BC may be out of luck.
Prediction: BC suffered an embarrassment in Week 1. They don't want it to happen again, and I believe they will do what they need to in order to pull out a win. Final Score: BC 28, UCF 21.
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