“Obviously, our heart goes out to Anthony (Brown). He’s a big part of the future of our program, and he’s a great competitor. He’ll be back ready to roll next year, and we’ll have had a great year behind his belt to prepare for another great year from now.” BC Head coach Steve Addazio said.
It was terrible news for Super Fans during a season that can be simply described as a roller coaster. BC started the season 2-4 but hit their stride at start the second-half of the season with three straight ACC wins before the loss to the Wolfpack.
Brown was a big part of that resurgence. In the Eagles 41-10 victory at Virginia, he finished 19-of-24 for 275 yards and three touchdowns. He was named a to the “Stars of the Week” by the Manning Award for his performance.
Graduate junior Darius Wade will take over under center for Eagles when they take on UConn at Fenway Park on Saturday looking for their sixth win to give them bowl eligibility. True freshman EJ Perry will be the backup. Wade began the 2015 season as the starter before an injury against Florida State in the third game of the season Shortened his campaign.
“There is a lot of overwhelming emotion that hits you at once.” Wade said of the unfortunate shared experience he and Brown have. “I told him to keep his head up, and rehab every day you can and get back as quick as possible.”
In seven appearances, this season Wade is 23-of-40 passing for 225 yards. Filling in for Brown, who left with an unrelated injury, in the Eagles 45-42 victory over Louisville Wade was useful as a game manager. However, last week against NC State the Eagles could not find their rhythm offensively after he entered the game.
Even though Wade was effective as a game manager against Louisville Addazio does not plan to limit his role as a quarterback. “I do not have a mindset that all of a sudden now we’re going to manage it. We’re going to put our foot on the pedal and attack it.”
Expect Boston College (5-5, 3-4 ACC) to use a heavy dose of the running game in their attack. UConn is ranked 85th in the country allowing 185 yards per game. Eagles running back AJ Dillon eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season last week during his 36 carry 196-yard performance. The true-freshman also broke Montel Harris’ freshman rushing record for yards in his season of 920. Dillon, who is a Connecticut, native now has 1,039 yards through just 10 games.
The Huskies have dealt with a season-ending injury at quarterback as well. It was announced earlier this week that fifth-year senior quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has played his last football game after dealing with a series of concussions.
David Pindell has taken over as quarterback for UConn (3-7, 2-5 AAC). Last week against No. 18 UCF the junior dual-threat displayed his versatility throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-31 passing and running for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Huskies also have two game-breaking freshmen in their backfield. Kevin Mensah is a Massachusetts native that leads the team with 448 yards rushing and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Redshirt Nate Hopkins leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
A lot was made this week of Brown’s injury and rightfully so. However, against NC State the Eagles also lost defensive captain safety, Kamrin Moore. Addazio, did not know the status of Moore’s availability for this week. Moore joins a long list of defensive starters who have gone down this season. It is still unknown when defensive end Harold Landry will return.
Zach Allen has seemed to take over as the star of the defensive line for Boston College. The junior ranks first nationally among defensive linemen with 78 tackles and lead the team with nine tackles against NC State. He will be looking to contain Pindell throughout the game.
The game is a part of the 2017 Fenway Gridiron Series. Last weekend Dartmouth beat Brown 33-10 and UMass defeated Maine 41-31 at the historic ballpark. Boston College is the road team despite playing just miles away from campus. The Eagles were also the road team in 2015 when they were defeated by Notre Dame 19-16.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to play UConn here in Fenway. Having played in that game before. It’s always a great venue, an exciting venue,” Addazio said.
The 2015 game was the first time in 47 years that a football game was played on Yawkey Way. BC played home games at Fenway until 1956. Many professional teams tried to call the field home as well, including the Boston Patriots who would move to Foxboro and become the New England Patriots.
Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 18, on CBS Sports Network.
