Dennis Grosel Impresses In Debut In Losing Effort For Boston College
Sophomore quarterback Denis Grosel came within a play of pulling out a miraculous road win in his first collegiate action. Grosel entered the game in the second quarter when junior quarterback Anthony Brown came out with a leg injury.
When Grosel came in, he suddenly found himself the central component in Boston College’s back and forth shootout against conference foe Louisville with a chance to even the two school’s all time rivalry record at six wins a piece. The Ohio native did enough to tie the game at 14, then lead score 15 un-answered points to lead the Eagles back from a 28-14 deficit, then socre 10 unanswered to lead them back from a 38-29 deficit to take a late lead.
Then with a chance to complete a debut for the ages, Grosel fell one play short of putting the Eagles in field goal range with less than a minute left. He would ultimately finish the day 9-24 with 11 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 41-39 defeat.
Grosel’s performance may be a critical silver lining for Boston College moving forward as Brown, who suffered a similar injury in 2017, has not been given an update on when he will return.
A backup that came within a play of delivering the Eagles a come-back win on the road is one of Boston College’s few luxuries moving forward in an uncertain season. The Eagles have four straight games against conference opponents lined up, followed by a showdown against No. 9 Notre Dame.
A win today would have put Grosel and the Eagles in a much better position moving forward in their schedule but head coach Steve Addazio and company will have to settle for a serviceable performance in defeat.
Brown was seen on crutches following his injury, indicating a likely necessity by Grosel or possibly Matt Valecce to fill in as the starter until further notice. If so, he will get another chance to deliver Boston College a win, this time at home next Saturday against North Carolina State.
He most likely will start under center for a critical game as Boston College will need a win at home over the Wolfpack in order to avoid falling into the bottom half of the conference.