# 2009 Boston College Eagles football team

The 2009 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Frank Spaziani. He replaced Jeff Jagodzinski who was fired after the 2008 season. The Eagles finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in ACC play and lost in the Emerald Bowl 24–13 against USC.

## Preseason

Mobile quarterback Anthony Haney (New Jersey recruit) was injured in an early preseason practice due to a career ending arm injury

### Mark Herzlich

Mark Herzlich, a senior linebacker and the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, revealed on May 14 that he had been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a cancer most commonly found in bone or soft tissue. In his statement, he indicated he was unsure what his illness would mean for his football future.

## Season Highlights

In the Eagles 52–20 win over NC State, Sophomore RB Montel Harris set two single-game school records when he rushed for 264 yards and 5 TDs.
On October 3, College Gameday came to Boston College for the Eagles' game against the Florida State Seminoles. During the broadcast, star LB Mark Herzlich, who was forced to miss the entire 2009 season after being diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, publicly announced that he was cancer-free. BC went on to beat the Seminoles by a score of 28–21.
Early in the season, Boston College won in thrilling fashion as the Eagles defeated Wake Forest 27–24 in OT. Boston College had the ball first in OT and kicked a field goal. On Wake Forest's possession, the Demon Deacons had a First and Goal from the 3 yard line. Amazingly, Isaac Johnson stripped Riley Skinner and Wes Davis recovered the ensuing fumble to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
True freshman Luke Kuechly was pressed into service as a weakside linebacker due to the unexpected departure of Herzlich and became a national sensation. He led the team and conference and finished second in the nation in Total Tackles with 158. Kuechly was named to the CFN All-America Team, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and the Defensive MVP of the Emerald Bowl.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Northeastern* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN360 Dave Popkin, Jon Ritchie | W 54–0 | 33,262 |
| September 12 | 2:00 p.m. | Kent State* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN360 Paul Severino, Drew Haddad | W 34–7 | 25,165 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | at Clemson | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy) | Raycom Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood | L 7–25 | 77,362 |
| September 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN360 Ryan Rose, Jeff Genyk | W 27–24 $^{OT}$ | 40,892 |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Florida State | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA (College GameDay) | ABC/ESPN2 Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Holly Rowe | W 28–21 | 40,029 |
| October 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Virginia Tech | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (rivalry) | Raycom Tim Brant, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood | L 14–48 | 66,233 |
| October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | NC State | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ABC Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese | W 52–20 | 35,261 |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at Notre Dame* | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Holy War) | NBC Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan | L 16–20 | 80,795 |
| October 31 | 3:30 p.m. | Central Michigan* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPNU Todd Harris, Charles Arbuckle | W 31–10 | 34,128 |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | at Virginia | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ESPN360 Ryan Rose, John Gregory | W 14–10 | 44,324 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | North Carolina | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN2 Pam Ward, Ray Bentley | L 13–31 | 41,272 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at Maryland | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | ESPNU Todd Harris, Tom Luginbill | W 19–17 | 35,042 |
| December 26 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. USC* | AT&T ParkSan Francisco, CA (Emerald Bowl) | ESPN/ESPN Radio Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore, Todd Harris/Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione, Joe Schad | L 13–24 | 40,121 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Drafted Players

| 2010 | 5 | 27 | 158 | Matt Tennant | New Orleans Saints | C |