Good article about Brian Toal, LB and RB for BC! Of course, there are other ways he can be considered a throwback than the ones mentioned here.
Plugged In: Boston College is Taking a Toal on Opponents - on Both Sides of the Ball
Junior Brian Toal plays linebacker and carries the ball on short-yardage situation for the Eagles.
Brian Toal scored the winning touchdown in the overtime win over Clemson in 2005. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
Sept. 8, 2006
by Bill Hass
TheACC.com
GREENSBORO, N.C. - He's not ready to be fitted for a leather helmet, but in some ways Brian Toal of Boston College is a throwback football player.
His primary job is wreaking havoc as a linebacker, but the Eagles also call upon him to carry the ball in short-yardage situations to gain a crucial first down or score a touchdown.
His entry into the game on offense has created a chant for the BC fans - "First and Toal." While Toal admits it's fun to hear, he tries to put it out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand. And there's nothing fancy about the way he carries the ball.
"I want to be physical, lower my shoulder and get the first down or the touchdown," he said. "Just keep the drive alive."
That worked well last season when, as a sophomore, he carried the ball 23 times and scored six touchdowns, which led the team. He also scored in the Eagles' opener last week, a 31-24 road win over Central Michigan.
This Saturday Boston College hosts Clemson at 3:30 p.m. in a game televised by ABC. One of the storylines will surely focus on Toal, and for good reason. He scored in overtime last year to give the Eagles a 16-13 win over the Tigers for their first victory in the ACC.
"It felt great," Toal said. "It was an unbelievable feeling going down there in that atmosphere (at Clemson) and being able to beat them."
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said he recalled Toal more as a linebacker than a ball-carrier.
"In our game, what I specifically remember was him as a defensive guy," Bowden said. "He made the one play on offense; he made a lot more on defense."
Indeed, Toal made six tackles that day, including an eight-yard sack and another tackle for a two-yard loss. He finished the season with 53 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one blocked field goal.
There was a time, up until the early 1960s, that college players were required to play both ways. Since two-platoon football arrived, the number of two-way players has been scarce. There have been some recently in the ACC, including Devin Hester at Miami and Deonto McCormick at Duke.
At Boston College, coach Tom O'Brien wanted Toal to put in a full season at linebacker before he got a chance to run the ball. At Don Bosco Prep in Wyckoff, N.J., Toal played tailback, linebacker and special teams.
"As he was being recruited, he talked about how he would still like to have the opportunity to run the football at some point in his career," O'Brien said. "I think it came down to the fact that if you look at our tailbacks they're 210 to 215 pounds and we didn't have a 230-pound back on our roster as we've had in the past. What we told him was that after his freshman year we would consider using him as our short-yardage, goal-line back - and that's exactly what we did."
Playing as a true freshman, Toal earned a starting spot by the fourth game and finished with 77 tackles, second on the team. And, although a year away from offense left his body comparatively refreshed, he had a feeling he could be doing more to help the team.
"The coaches talked to me about playing both ways," Toal said, "but I thought it was just recruiting talk. Then, when they approached me about being a short-yardage running back, I was real excited."
The Eagles unleashed Toal on offense in their second game of 2005, and he scored twice against Army. He also had two TDs against Virginia and one each against Clemson and Wake Forest. He might have scored more, but a late-season injury to his neck and shoulder curtailed his playing time.
After sitting out spring practice, Toal was cleared by doctors for the fall. He admitted being concerned about how he would react to his first real hit, but once that was out of the way he put it out of his mind. Toal also lost about 10 pounds and is playing at 228 this season, which he said makes him quicker in his lateral moves.
O'Brien has no reservations about Toal's two-way duties.
"He's been able to make things happen for us in those situations," O'Brien said. "One of the major selling points was that we told him if he got us a first down he'd probably get two or three more minutes of rest on the bench, and he thought that was a good idea."
Toal said he takes his biggest hits when he plays linebacker. The toll of playing two ways doesn't bother him because "there's a week between games to get healthy."
Last week Toal recorded an offensive touchdown and an interception, which happened to seal the Eagles' win, in the same game. The ultimate goal would be to score on both offense and defense.
"That would just feel amazing," Toal said. "I've thought about returning an interception or picking up a fumble and taking it in. But it's a lot easier to score on offense with those beasts we have on the line."
If Toal can score on both sides of the ball, maybe that leather helmet would look pretty good on him.
