UVA Set to Host Boston College Saturday on Homecomings

Oct. 16, 2017

Virginia Welcomes Boston College to Scott Stadium
– Virginia returns home on Saturday when the Cavaliers welcome the Boston College Eagles to Scott Stadium for Homecomings. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by regional sports networks.

It is Homecomings in Charlottesville
– Saturday is Homecomings at UVA and the Cavaliers own a 46-44-2 (.511) all-time Homecomings record.
– UVA’s last win on Homecomings was in 2015 when the Cavaliers defeated Syracuse, 44-38, in three overtimes.

Virginia vs. Boston College
– This is just the sixth meeting between Boston College and Virginia and the fouth in ACC play.
– The Eagles own a 5-0 edge in the series, including a 3-0 mark since joining the ACC.
– The 1994 meeting was in the Carquest Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.
– BC won the first ACC contest between the teams, 28-17, in 2005 in Chestnut Hill.
– The seven-year gap between meetings is currently the longest hiatus for any of UVA’s ACC opponents.
– UVA is not slated to play Boston College again until the 2024 season.
– This is only Boston College’s second trip to Charlottesville.
– Syracuse (one) is the only ACC team UVA has played fewer conference games against than Boston College (three). UVA also has played just three ACC games against Louisville, but its fourth matchup with the Cardinals will take place on Nov. 11.

Five Top Storylines
– Boston College is the only ACC team Virginia has never beaten, losing all five previous meetings, including three in league play.
– Virginia has held back-to-back FBS opponents (Duke, 255 and UNC, 257) below 300 yards of total offense for the first time since 2012 when over the course of three games UVA held Maryland (235), Wake Forest (213) and NC State (216) under 300 yards.
– FS Quin Blanding needs 17 tackles to pass Jamie Sharper and become UVA’s all-time career leader in that category. He needs two tackles to pass Angelo Crowell for No. 3 all-time at UVA.
– UVA is 5-1 for the first time since the 2007 season (started 7-1). The Cavaliers are looking to start ACC play 3-0 for only the second time since 2007 when UVA started league play 4-0.
– UVA has started off 2-0 on the road for the first time since the 2000 season when the Cavaliers won road games at Duke and Wake Forest.

Virginia – Boston College Connections
– UVA long snapper Joe Spaziani is the son of former Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani, who lifted the Eagles over the Cavaliers in the 2009 and 2010 meetings. Frank Spaziani also had his UVA ties, serving nine years as an assistant to George Welsh (1982-90), including being the defensive coordinator from 1985-90. Frank is now the defensive coordinator at New Mexico State.
– Boston College defensive coordinator Jim Reid served as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Virginia from 2010-12. Reid is no stranger to the Commonwealth after serving as the head coach at Richmond (1995-2003) and VMI (2006-07). Reid recruited the Richmond area for UVA and some current players like Malcolm Cook and Tim Harris came to UVA under Reid’s recruitment.
– UVA OT Jack English’s older sister, Kate, is a recent law school graduate of Boston College.
– UVA OG Jack McDonald attended Boston College High School, an all-male, Jesuit, Roman Catholic, college preparatory secondary school founded in 1863 with historical ties to Boston College.

UVA players from Massachusetts
– UVA has three players hail from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
– OG Jack McDonald (Quincy), OG John Montelus (Everett) and LS/QB Joe Spaziani (Hingham) all call Massachusetts home.

BC IS No Stranger to Mendenhall
– UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall is familiar with Boston College, facing the Eagles twice as the head coach at BYU.
– Mendenhall’s first game as a head coach in 2005 came against then-No. 22 Boston College, a 20-3 setback in Provo. Mendenhall’s BYU team lost only two games a year later in 2006, the first in double overtime to then-No. 25 Boston College in Chestnut Hill. The BC head coach for those two meetings was former UVA assistant coach and offensive coordinator Tom O’Brien.

Stranger in the Neighborhood
– No player on UVA’s current roster has ever played in a game against Boston College. Boston College and NC State are the only current ACC teams where that is the case. At least one player on UVA’s 2017 roster has played in a game against the other 11 ACC foes, including former ACC rival Maryland.
– OG John Montelus was a member of Notre Dame squad in 2015 that faced BC at Fenway Park. He was dressed for that game but did not play in the game.
– As for NC State, UVA is scheduled to travel to Raleigh next season.

UVA In Midst of a Four-game winning streak
– UVA has a four-game winning streak for the first time since the 2011 season when the Cavaliers reeled off a four-game winning streak en route to an 8-4 regular season finish.
– It is only UVA’s third winning streak of four games or more since winning seven in a row in 2007.
– The seven-game winning streak in 2007 is the last time UVA won five games or more in a row.
– During UVA’s four-game winning streak the Cavaliers have started the same five on the offensive line: LT – Jack English, LG – John Montelus, C – Dillon Reinkensmeyer, RG – Jake Fieler and RT – Brandon Pertile. The only four games those five have started together are the four games UVA has just won.