A Look Back
Boston College won three in a row to close out the season and finish 9-3 overall and tied with Florida State for first in the ACC's Atlantic Division with a 5-3 league mark … made its seventh consecutive bowl appearance, defeating Boise State 27-21 in the MPC Computers Bowl … finished the season 18th in the AP poll and 17th in the Coaches poll and became the school's first team since 1984 to remain ranked in the Top 25 the entire season … ranked No. 12 in the Sagarin Computer poll with the nation's 22nd-toughest schedule.
Who’s Gone
The Eagles lose 10 starters (5 on both sides of the ball) with 286 career starts, including WR Will Blackmon and DE Mathias Kiwanuka … Blackmon led the team in receptions (51-for-763 yards) and finished his career as the second all-time leading kickoff returner in NCAA history with 2,803 yards on 144 returns … Kiwanuka had 16.5 tackles for loss, including 9.5 QB sacks and earned first-team All-ACC honors despite missing two games due to injury.
Senior Offensive Guard
Josh Beekman
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A Look Ahead
Head Coach Tom O'Brien welcomes back 13 starters among 37 lettermen, including the Eagles’ top two rushers, starting quarterback and three two-year starters on the offensive line ... in addition, A.J. Brooks, a talented 6-0, 199-pound sophomore who redshirted last season after rushing for 319 yards and 5.6 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2004, returns ... FS Jamie Silva, the team’s leading tackler (87) from a year ago is one of six returning starters on defense.
Numbers
3 - Wins needed by Tom O'Brien to become the school's all-time winningest coach … with a record of 66-42 (.611), O'Brien is the second-winningest coach in school history behind only Joe Yukica, who won 68 games from 1968-77.
5 - Matt Ryan was 5-0 as the starting quarterback in 2005 … completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,514 yards and eight touchdowns and finished the season third in the ACC and 36th overall in passing efficiency.
6 - Boston College has won its last six bowl games and has won 40 games over the past five years.
74 - The Eagles return three starters on the offensive line - OG James Marten (24), OG Josh Beekman (26), OT Gosder Cherilus (24) - who have combined for 74 career starts.
78 - Linebacker Brian Toal carried the ball 23 times in 2005, picking up a team-high six touchdowns and 12 first downs for a success rate of 78 percent … was second on the team in scoring (36) and fourth on the team in tackles (53).
90.8 - The Eagles return six starters from a defensive unit that led the ACC and was fifth nationally in rushing defense yielding 90.8 yards per game - the Eagles' lowest per game average since a 70.3 mark in 1990.
387.8 - Boston College led the ACC in total offense last year, averag-ing 387.8 yards per game … the Eagles were third in passing (242.8) and fifth in rushing (145.0).
1,515 - Combined rushing yardage of L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender as sophomores in 2005 … Whitworth started all 12 games at tailback and was fifth in the ACC in rushing with 807 yards … Callender had a team-high three 100-yard games and finished 10th in the ACC in rushing with 708 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry.
After nine seasons as the Gregory P. Barber and Family Head Football Coach at Boston College, Tom O'Brien has led the BC football program to a record of 66-42. O'Brien is only the third coach in BC football history to win 55 games or more (Jack Bicknell won 59 from 1981-90 and Joe Yukica won 68 from 1968-77). O'Brien became BC's 32nd head football coach on December 13, 1996. Since then, he and his staff have engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent college football history. Under the tutelage of O'Brien, the Eagles have won eight or more games for five consecutive seasons for the first time in BC football history and seven or more games for seven consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. He has also led his team to a school-record seven straight bowl games and has won six straight, the longest active bowl game win streak in America. O’Brien’s 2005 team turned in a 5-3 league record and a 9-3 overall mark in its first season in the ACC, finishing tied for first with Florida State in the Atlantic Division. The Eagles capped the season with a 27-21 victory over Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl. O’Brien led the 2004 Eagles to a share of their first-ever Big East football title, finishing with a league record of 4-2 and an overall 9-3 record. O'Brien is also leading BC in the classroom, winning the American Football Coaches' Association's 2004 Academic Achievement Award with a 100 percent graduation rate. When he came to Boston College, O'Brien set out to make his teams champions in the classroom, on the field and in the community. His record in all three areas speaks for itself. On a personal note, O'Brien received the John F. Kennedy Memorial National Award, given to "an outstanding American of Irish descent for distinguished service to God and country." It was presented by the St. Patrick's committee of Holyoke, Mass., in 2005. O'Brien began his coaching career at Navy where he coached the team's tackles and tight ends for seven years (1975-81). Before coming to BC, O'Brien was the coordinator of the record-setting University of Virginia offense for six seasons and a member of the highly regarded Cavaliers' football staff since 1982.
