American Football Database
American Football Database
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2009 Boston College Eagles football
Emerald Bowl, L 13–24 vs USC
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
DivisionAtlantic Division
2009 record8–5 (5–3 ACC)
Head coachFrank Spaziani (1st as head coach, 12th overall season)
Offensive coordinatorGary Tranquill (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorBill McGovern (9th season)
Home stadiumAlumni Stadium
(Capacity: 44,500)
Seasons
← 2008
2010 →
2009 ACC football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Atlantic
#24 Clemson x   6 2         9 5  
Boston College   5 3         8 5  
Florida State   4 4         7 6  
Wake Forest   3 5         5 7  
NC State   2 6         5 7  
Maryland   1 7         2 10  
Coastal
#13 Georgia Tech* x   7 1         11 3  
#10 Virginia Tech   6 2         10 3  
#19 Miami   5 3         9 4  
North Carolina*   0 4         0 5  
Duke   3 5         5 7  
Virginia   2 6         3 9  
Championship: Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34
December 5, 2009
(vacated)
† – BCS representative as champion
  • North Carolina vacated 8 wins, including 4 ACC wins.
    Also, Georgia Tech's ACC Championship Game victory was vacated by the NCAA on July 14, 2011.
    Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College in the 2009 season as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Frank Spaziani. He replaced Jeff Jagodzinski who was fired after the 2008 season. The Eagles finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in ACC play and lost in the Emerald Bowl 24–13 against USC.

Preseason[]

Mark Herzlich[]

Mark Herzlich, a senior linebacker and the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, revealed on May 14 that he had been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a cancer most commonly found in bone or soft tissue. In his statement, he indicated he was unsure what his illness would mean for his football future.[1]

Season Highlights[]

In the Eagles 52–20 win over NC State, Sophomore RB Montel Harris set two single-game school records when he rushed for 264 yards and 5 TDs.

On October 3, College Gameday came to Boston College for the Eagles' game against the Florida State Seminoles. During the broadcast, star LB Mark Herzlich, who was forced to miss the entire 2009 season after being diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, publicly announced that he was cancer-free. BC went on to beat the Seminoles by a score of 28–21.

Early in the season, Boston College won in thrilling fashion as the Eagles defeated Wake Forest 27–24 in OT. Boston College had the ball first in OT and kicked a field goal. On Wake Forest's possession, the Demon Deacons had a First and Goal from the 3 yard line. Amazingly, Isaac Johnson stripped Riley Skinner and Wes Davis recovered the ensuing fumble to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

True freshman Luke Kuechly was pressed into service as a weakside linebacker due to the unexpected departure of Herzlich and became a national sensation. He led the team and conference and finished second in the nation in Total Tackles with 158. Kuechly was named to the CFN All-America Team, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and the Defensive MVP of the Emerald Bowl.

Schedule[]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 5* 2:00 PM Northeastern Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA ESPN360 W 54–0   33,262[2]
September 12* 2:00 PM Kent State Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPN360 W 34–7   25,165[3]
September 19 12:00 PM at Clemson Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy) Raycom L 7–25   77,362[4]
September 26 2:00 PM Wake Forest Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPN360 W 27–24 OT  40,892[5]
October 3 3:30 PM Florida State Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA (ESPN College GameDay) ABC W 28–21   40,029[6]
October 10 12:00 PM at #5 Virginia Tech Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (Rivalry) Raycom L 14–48   66,233[7]
October 17 3:30 PM NC State Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ABC W 52–20   35,261[8]
October 24* 3:30 PM at Notre Dame Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Holy War) NBC L 16–20   80,795[9]
October 31* 3:30 PM Central Michigan Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPNU W 31–10   34,128[10]
November 14 3:30 PM at Virginia Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA ESPN360 W 14–10   44,324[11]
November 21 12:00 PM North Carolina Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPN2 L 13–31   41,272[12]
November 28 3:30 PM at Maryland Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD ESPNU W 19–17   35,042[13]
December 26* 8:00 PM vs. USC AT&T ParkSan Francisco, CA (Emerald Bowl) ESPN L 13–24   40,121[14]
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

References[]

  1. "BC linebacker Herzlich fighting cancer". ESPN.com. May 14, 2009. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4166736. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  2. "Northeastern Huskies vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100320140259/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292480103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  3. "Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292550103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  4. "2010 Clemson Football Media Guide". Clemson University. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/clem/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/football_media_guide_2010.pdf. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  5. "Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292690103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  6. "Florida State Seminoles vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292760103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  7. "Boston College Eagles vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292830259. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  8. "North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292900103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  9. "Boston College Eagles vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100413124822/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292970087. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  10. "Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Boston College Eagles Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293040103. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  11. "Boston College Eagles vs. Virginia Cavaliers Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293180258. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  12. "Saturday, November 21, 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels – Boston College Eagles Box Scores, Game Results & Summary". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/football/ncaaf/game/NorthCarolina_BostonCollege/2009/11/21. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  13. "Boston College Eagles vs. Maryland Terrapins Box Score". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293320120. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  14. "Boston College Eagles vs. USC Trojans Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100320131314/http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=293600030. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
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