2011 Miami Hurricanes Football: Miami vs Boston College

The 2011 version of Miami-Boston College may have been scheduled on the day after Thanksgiving on national television to conjure up images of Doug Flutie and Bernie Kosar, but this game pales in significance to that classic, which was one of the great college football games of all time. Boston College is in the midst of its worst season in recent memory and enters the game 3-8, 2-5 in the ACC. Miami will also not be playing in a bowl game, but not because the Hurricanes are not eligible. Last week’s last second win over South Florida made the Canes 6-5, 3-4 in the ACC, and bowl eligible, but Miami has announced that it will not be playing in a bowl game, voluntarily forgoing a bowl in order to placate the NCAA in advance of its ruling on the off-the-field scandal that commanded much attention over the offseason. Since they won’t be playing in a bowl game, a win for Miami will secure a winning record on the season, while a loss will mean a .500 season for the Canes.

Miami is led by senior quarterback Jacory Harris, who is finally living up to expectations. Harris has 2,241 yards and is completing passes at a 65 percent clip, with a solid 19 to 5 touchdown/interception ratio. Surely he’s been helped by the Canes’ strong running game. Lamar Miller has had an outstanding season, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and rushing for 1,158 yards and 8 TDs. Tommy Streeter and Travis Benjamin lead the receiving corps with 41 and 38 receptions, respectively, and 764 and 534 yards.

> Check out our great selection of Miami Hurricanes Apparel & Merchandise!

Boston College has been a huge disappointment, in part because star running Montel Harris has hardly been able to pay due to injury, but in reality, a fully healthy Harris would probably not have made much difference in the bottom line, because BC’s offensive line is a shadow of the dominant units they fielded a few years ago. Chase Rettig has struggled to lead the team behind a sieve of an offensive front, and is barely completing half his passes and only 5.8 yards per attempt and a 10 to 9 TD/INT ratio. BC’s receivers are a dependable, if not flashy group, but they are not gamebreakers. Colin Larmond is averaging 15.6 yards per catch and Bobby Swigert leads the team with 40 catches, but at its core, this is an average group at best.

Boston College’s only real star, after Harris’ injury, is linebacker Luke Keuchly, who should win every individual award he’s eligible for, and is running away with the national lead in tackles. Kuechly has an outside shot at breaking the season record for tackles. The record is held by Texas Tech’s Lawrence Flugence, who had 193 in 14 games in 2002. Keuchly is going to have only 12 games, yet he’s already at 182 tackles, and an 11 tackle game against Miami would match his lowest production on the season, when he had only 11 against UMass. Keuchly also sits at 16.54 tackles per game, which would easily shatter the NCAA records for tackles per game in a season, currently held by West Virginia’s Rick Sherrod at 15.6 in 2001. Keuchly’s amazing season is about the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Eagles.

Miami Hurricanes vs Boston College Eagles Football Preview