Thursday, December 30
Colorado is quietly confident
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. --_ Boston College's first bowl team in five
years has nothing to lose against Colorado, and the Eagles like it
that way.
Some oddsmakers installed them as 10-point underdogs in the
Insight.com Bowl even though BC went 8-3 -- two games better than
the Buffaloes.
Whether the disdain is due to tradition -- Colorado is in a bowl
for the 12th time in the last 14 years, while BC has been to just
four bowls in the same span -- or perceived strength of schedule
doesn't matter to the Eagles.
"Everybody roots for the underdog," defensive lineman Chris
Hovan said. "You know, it's quite a challenge to have somebody
favored like that. I'd say we're going in with all the motivation
we need."
Hovan could serve as a poster child for both the idea of
motivation and BC's defense.
The hardest-training player in coach Tom O'Brien's experience,
Hovan is the first three-time all-Big East Conference pick in
school history.
He is listed as a defensive end, but lines up anywhere along the
line to throw wrinkles into an opposing offense's game plan and get
away from incessant double-teaming. The strategy this season helped
Hovan make 20 of his 75 tackles behind the line, including 11
sacks.
"He's a very good player," Buffaloes quarterback Mike
Moschetti said. "He's dominating inside, and then he goes out and
dominates people outside. You have to figure out where he is all
the time. He's relentless."
Nevertheless, the Buffaloes (6-5) are quietly confident that
they match up well against a team they have never played. They won
three of four down the stretch before a 33-30 overtime loss to
Nebraska that cornerback Ben Kelly said left his teammates
desperate to finish with a victory.
"We think we can put a better unit on the field," said Kelly,
who led Colorado with five interceptions and nine deflections. "On
either side of the ball. But we know they're a great team. At 8-3,
they had a better record than we did. With that record, they might
be wondering why they're the underdog."
The loser of the game Friday in Arizona Stadium will finish in a
two-game skid.
The Eagles also lost their last game, a 38-14 whipping by
national championship contender Virginia Tech. It was the only
blowout defeat for BC, which won three straight after a three-point
loss to Miami before winding up with the Hokies.
His team's success surprised even O'Brien, who approached the
season hoping only for a winning record after going 4-7 each of his
first two years with the school on Boston's Chestnut Hill.
"These kids have really been through a lot in the last couple
of years," he said.
The turnaround was aided by the determination of players who
figured they had something to prove.
Center Butch Palaza said members of the team gave up their
summer vacation to stay on campus and work out.
"They gave up the chance to be home with their families or at
the beach or whatever," said Palaza, who went into the season
knowing he had to replace Damien Woody, a first-round draft pick by
the New England Patriots.
"They just stayed around and stuck it
out, and that's why we went 8-3."
