BC excels, despite low preseason expectations
BLACKSBURG – So much for preseason rankings.

In July, Boston College was picked to finish sixth in the ACC’s six-team Atlantic Division. It appears its demise was strongly miscalculated.

The Eagles (4-1, 2-1 ACC) – No. 5 Virginia Tech’s opponent Saturday at Lane Stadium – are in second place of their division, thanks to recent wins against Florida State, an overwhelming favorite to win the Atlantic in the preseason, and Wake Forest, another top contender.

So how was BC so underrated in the preseason?

Well, few expected its defense to play so well with the losses of Ron Brace and B.J. Raji to the NFL and 2008 ACC defensive player of the year Mark Herzlich to illness. And who could have known freshman quarterback Dave Shinskie would be this good?

He’s helped soften the blow of all the team’s offseason departures. In addition to Brace, Raji and Herzlich, the Eagles lost head coach Jeff Jagodzinski to the NFL, and quarterback Dominique Davis, the team’s starting quarterback in the 2008 ACC title game, decided to transfer.

“They lost a lot of good players, and they lost a couple they weren’t expecting to lose – key guys,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “I think they’ve done a heck of a job.

“The last two games, they’ve been good. They beat Wake Forest. They beat Florida State. This quarterback (Shinskie) has made some plays for them, and you put his throwing ability with those running backs and that offensive line and their ability to run the football, they’re a tough football team. They’re a good football team.”

Pesky Eagles
Boston College has been Virginia Tech’s peskiest opponent the last three seasons.

Of the Hokies six ACC losses since the start of 2006, three have come at the hands of the Eagles.

BC has beaten Tech in each of the last three regular-seasons, though the Hokies avenged the 2007 and 08 losses by beating the Eagles in the ACC championship game both years.

“I think the way it ended up the last two years, we’d prefer it to be that way – if we’re going to get beat, get beat in the regular season and us win the championship,” Beamer said.

The teams square off again Saturday at Lane Stadium in what could be another ACC title game preview. The Hokies (4-1, 2-0) currently lead the Coastal Division, while the Eagles (4-1, 2-1) are near the top in the Atlantic.

Both teams have reached their success in similar ways over the years, playing aggressive defense and ball-control offense, with a heavy emphasis on the run game.

“I think we’re both hard-nosed, tough, aggressive,” Beamer said.

But for some reason the Eagles have had the upper hand in the regular season. In league play (counting ACC title games), BC is one of only three ACC teams the Hokies don’t have a winning record against. N.C. State (1-1) and Florida State (1-2) are the others.

Here’s Tech’s year-by-year ACC record since joining the league in 2004 (losses in parentheses)

2004: 7-1 (N.C. State)
2005: 7-2 (Miami, Florida State)
2006: 6-2 (Georgia Tech, Boston College)
2007: 8-1 (Boston College)
2008: 6-3 (Boston College, Florida State, Miami)

BC has beaten the Hokies in each of the last three regular seasons and four out of the last five.

Here’s Tech’s record against each ACC team since joining the league. This record includes ACC championship games.
Miami 4-2
Duke 6-0
BC 1-3 (3-3 overall counting ACC title games)
GT 4-1
UNC 5-0
Maryland 3-0
N.C. State 1-1
Virginia 5-0
Clemson 2-0
Wake Forest 2-0
Florida State 1-1 (1-2 counting 2005 ACC title game)

Fancy footwork … and footwear
Ryan Williams’ and Josh Oglesby’s sartorial choices often correspond with their running styles – Williams going for more flashy clothes and shoes and Oglesby picking a more conservative look.

But when Oglesby, a sophomore tailback, showed up for interviews with the media Tuesday, he wore a pair of eye-catching purple sneakers.

Was he trying to make a statement after his best career game against Duke on Saturday?

“Nah, I’m still the same. I just have a lot of nice clothes. I like to dress up a couple times during the week,” said Oglesby, who rushed for 59 yards and scored his first two career touchdowns against the Blue Devils.

Williams, Tech’s starting tailback, and Oglesby, his top backup, both have large collections of shoes. Williams, a “self-described fashionisto” according to the Hokies’ game notes, owns close to 100 pairs of Nike shoes, including old school Air Jordans and Air Force Ones.

Oglesby said he has a more diverse shoe collection.

“I don’t collect sneakers. I collect shoes,” Oglesby said. “We talk about clothes a lot. We’ve got a lot in common, but our styles are kind of different. He’s a little flashy. I’ve got a little more grown-up style.”

When asked how much his shoe collection is worth, Oglesby laughed and said, “I couldn’t tell you that. I might have people trying to break in my apartment.”

Nicknames galore
Hokies sophomore wide receiver Jarrett Boykin earned the nickname “Meat Hands” last year for his rather large mitts, which are so big they sometimes rip through his XL gloves.

His teammates have given him some other nicknames as well.

“It changes from time to time. It just depends on whoever it is and what mood they’re in. (They’ve called me) Meat Hands, Meat Hooks, Boat Oars. Its crazy,” Boykin said.

Those large hands came in handy Saturday against Duke when Boykin used them to snag a second-quarter touchdown.

He went over the back of defensive back Leon Wright and wrestled the ball away from him before they both fell into the end zone.

“I remember having one foot in bounds. When I was coming down, my goal was just keep some of my body in bounds,” Boykin said. “He was fighting for the ball, and I just ripped it out.”

Boykin’s career-high 144 receiving yards against the Blue Devils were the most for a Tech player since Eddie Royal’s 147 against Virginia in 2007.