<h2>Cancer free Mark Herzlich at BC's spring game</h2>
CHESTNUT HILL -- Mark Herzlich's brow was drenched on Saturday
afternoon after Boston College's annual spring game.
Missing
last season after being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer
called Ewing's Sarcoma, he finally returned to the team this spring but
sat out Saturday's scrimmage because he's mostly been limited to
conditioning drills.
The cancer-free linebacker still got
his workout as hoards of well wishers sought autographs and pictures in a
sun-splashed Alumni Stadium.
When the crowd finally
thinned, Herzlich recalled his first Jay McGillis Spring Game in 2007
after he played 13 games as a true freshman at middle linebacker.
"I
started playing the WILL [linebacker] the spring of my freshman year,"
Herzlich said, "so I was getting used to a new position, getting used to
playing with the guys on the field.
"Feeling more
confident in there can help a lot."
The offense prevailed
(42-41) in a scoring system that awarded defense and offensive plays on
Saturday but more importantly a handful of inexperienced players learned
what it's like to make big plays on Saturday afternoon in Alumni
Stadium.
"It lets them know that in a game situation they
can actually do it," Herzlich said. "Coming out here and making plays in
a game situation is pretty big."
Perhaps nobody made more
big plays than on Saturday than senior defensive end <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=236595" target="_blank">Ifeanyi
Momah</a>, especially considering he's a converted wide receiver. Momah
had two sacks, including a strip sack in the third quarter that tied
the game at 26 points apiece.
"I feel more comfortable
after going through those practices," Momah said. "The coaches coached
me up the right way and I just applied it to the field."
Sophomore
defensive back A.J. Currelley also played well on the defensive side of
the ball with two interceptions.
"Last year I wasn't even
sure if I could be on the team, this year I'm on the field," the
walk-on said. "It just makes me feel comfortable. I know this is where
I'm supposed to be."
Offensively, sophomore quarterback <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480665" target="_blank">Mike
Marscovetra</a> led the way in the big-play department, including a
44-yard bomb to senior <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=187964" target="_blank">Ryan
Lindsey</a> (3 receptions for 81 yards). The diving catch down between
the hashes set up the only touchdown of the afternoon: a 15-yard pass to
senior tight end Jordan McMichael.
"When you throw it in
practice you get fired up, obviously, but when you're out here and
you're really playing in a game and there are fans in the stands it
feels great and you just go crazy," Marscoveta said.
"If you can hit a few big plays it's always going to make you
confident. You get more into the game."
Marscovetra
finished 13-for-16 passing with 149 yards but isn't exactly eclipsing
sophomore <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=480401" target="_blank">Dave
Shinskie</a> (6-of-12 passing for 50 yards) on the depth chart anytime
soon.
His coaches said there's a long way to go before
the Sept. 4 season opener against Weber State.
Both
freshman quarterbacks also got solid looks with Joshua Bordner going
7-for-12 passing for 83 yards and Chase Rettig going 4-for-12 for 48
yards and two picks.
All those passing yards were a big
vote of confidence for the receiving corps, a faction tagged as the
team's biggest question mark.
"It's the youth thing," BC
head coach Frank Spaziani said. "Just when you start to pigeonhole
somebody to do something, somebody comes through. That's why they're
young and unpredictable."
BC could remain unpredictable
despite the fact they are coming off an eight-win season in which the
Eagles went to the final week of the regular season before being
eliminated from contention for their third consecutive ACC division
championship.
Herzlich's return to full form this August
will be a big determining factor in the Eagles' success. The Butkus
Award finalist and Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the
Year from two seasons ago hasn't had any contact since his return to the
team this spring.
"It was frustrating when I was suiting
up for practice because once I'm suiting up I want to go out and get in
there," he said after he was finally done signing autographs. "But it
was the smart thing to do to sit out [today]. There's no need to risk
any injuries right now.
"By August I'll already have been
working out with the team all summer and doing all of the drills so it
will kind of be just like naturally going into the next year like
usual." <h3>NOTES</h3>Former Boston College center Matt
Tennant was the only Eagle taken in this weekend's NFL Draft. Tennant
went in the fifth round on Saturday to the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=nor" target="_blank">New Orleans
Saints</a>. "That's great for him, we're happy for our players,"
Spaziani said. "I'm sure he'll be a great addition to the program there
and I'm sure he'll do great." ... At halftime, senior cornerback DeLeon
Gause was given the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually
to a deserving defensive player."
