Big Turnovers Highlight BC's "Relentless Defense"

"The staff, the players rose to the occasion today and played relentlessly"- Steve Addazio on the BC Defense

One of the biggest questions heading into yesterday's game against Virginia Tech was the play of the defense. There were question marks on two of the units (the secondary and defensive line), both considered young and inexperienced during the summer. So many rightfully wanted to see how they would respond in the opener, especially against a solid squad like Virginia Tech. For the most part we got some of our answers to these questions on Saturday.

The defensive line struggled to get pressure allowing Ryan Willis way too much time in the pocket, but did pretty well against the run only allowing 98 yards in the game and forcing Tech to become a one dimensional offense. Tanner Karafa made a big interception to end a drive, while Joey Luchetti had a sack, and TJ Rayam looked impressive in his limited time at defensive tackle, and Marcus Valdez was involved in the fumble that gave the offense great field position in the first half. While they couldn't consistently make plays, the defensive line made big plays when it mattered, a factor that clearly helped BC win this game.

The other unit that was important to watch was the secondary. Sophomore Brandon Sebastian was about as lockdown as they come yesterday, effectively sealing off his receiver, playing a physical style of cornerback that led to an interception. On the other side Tate Haynes had a decent game as well. The defense all over did a fantastic job with the bend but don't break philosophy. They allowed Ryan Willis to throw for over 350 yards, but forced 5 turnovers.

The two areas that need to improve is the aforementioned pass rush. BC was able to get to Willis at times, but they had to throw some risky blitzes at him which left man to man coverage that he was able to pick apart when the blitz didn't get to him. Addazio talks more about it below, but BC needs to get more pressure from their front four. Someone on the edges is going to need to step up as a pass rusher, Richard Yeargin/Marcus Valdez/Brendan Barlow really couldn't get much pressure from the edges. In the secondary, the safeties are going to need to tighten up, they bit on multiple Ryan Willis play fakes that left the corners alone. This will be something that should continue to improve as the team hopefully continues to gel.

The linebackers played great, Joe Sparacio had a key interception in the end zone while John Lamot lead the team in tackles, Max Richardson also looked strong on the field, and continued to improve on his strong play from last year. Lamot looks like a hammer out there, with big physical tackles and he just looks instinctual making sure tackles and sticking to his target. Their play was a key boost especially with Isaiah McDuffie unavailable as he continues to rehab and prepare to play.

Addazio gives his two cents on the defense below. Listen to what he had to say:

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