NCAA 11 Dynasty (Season 1, Week 1) - PS3
Boston College Quarterback Sets New Record
By Stevie Johnson
Midway through the second quarter, this game looked a little dicey for the Boston College Eagles. The score was tied at 14 apiece but that is when quarterback Mike Marscovetra took the squad on his shoulders en route to a convincing 49 to 14 victory. Marscovetra led the Eagles to three straight touchdowns in the latter half of the second quarter, including a masterful drive of 47 yard drive that took up just 1:06 and helped put the game out of reach.
Many critics, including yours truly, were a bit appalled at the notion that the run-and-shoot offense was coming to Boston College. Sure, coaches like June Jones have had success and the Warren Moon led Houston Oilers were a lot of fun to watch but nobody has won a championship at a high level of competition with this offense. While the questions remain about how effective this offense can be long term, all that matters today is that Mike Marscovetra broke the single game passing yard mark of 520 yards for the BC Eagles. A record set way back in 1982, by the greatest quarterback Boston College has ever seen in Doug Flutie. Marscovetra finished the game going an astounding 38 of 51 for 581 yards and 7 touchdowns. The only blemishes were two costly interceptions, one that led to an Oklahoma State touchdown, and a sack on the very first play of the game. Marscovetra had these comments on breaking Flutie's record, "I'm honored to have been able to do what I could on the field today. The receivers, the offensive line, the coaches, everybody really stepped it up and we got a win. I'm hoping Billy [Flutie] is not too mad at me for breaking his father's record."
The running game mostly struggled with Sterlin Phifer and Montel Harris accounting for just 46 yards on 16 carries between them. Wide receivers Clyde Lee and Donte Elliott combined for 375 yards on 22 catches but Marscovetra still found eight receivers in total, proving that a most effective offense still has to spread the ball around.
The defense was a very pleasant surprise as head coach David Hunter noted, "We got a great pass rush and were really able to turn up the heat. Once our offense started clicking, that allowed us more opportunities to try and create havoc and our guys did their jobs well." Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, left outside linebacker Mark Herzlich, and defensive end Alex Albright each recorded a sack.
While Oklahoma State managed just 268 yards of total offense, running back Kendall Hunter was a brief bright spot rushing for 41 yards on 9 carries. Receiver Josh Cooper also displayed big play ability, getting 132 yards on 5 catches including a big 75 yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Upcoming Schedule: Boston College will play their first home game, inviting Kent State on September 4th at 12:30 PM ET.
