BC’s Schwab wants hits to be hard
Boston College linebacker Ty Schwab enjoyed participating in the Pinstripe Bowl as a freshman special teams player in 2014.
The 6-foot, 230-pound Schwab will have an expanded leadership role on the BC defense when the Eagles (7-5) return to Yankee Stadium tomorrow to take on Iowa (7-5).
The senior from Merritt Island, Fla., is thrilled about playing his final college football game on a frozen baseball field in the Bronx. BC was beaten, 31-30, by Penn State on a missed extra point in overtime on Dec. 27, 2014.
“I’m ecstatic, and the whole team is ecstatic,” Schwab said. “We went there my freshman year, and it was an absolute ball. It was so much fun and they did a great job hosting us.
“I’m ready to play, and I’m ready to play Iowa. It is going to be a smash-mouth football game, and the whole atmosphere is really exciting. I started there as a freshman, and I’m happy to end there as a senior.”
Schwab likely will be accurate with his smashmouth assessment. The Hawkeyes are a Big Ten team to their core. Coach Kirk Ferentz takes a more deliberate, balanced approach to his offensive game plans than BC encountered in eight Atlantic Coast Conference games this season.
“Our whole season, we’ve played (against) no-huddle offenses,” Schwab said. “(The Hawkeyes) huddle, so that’s going to give us time to decipher where they are lining up and being able to set the front and make some checks and kind of get ready to go before they snap and rushing everywhere.
“I find that it is going to be a lot easier for us because when (ACC opponents) come out in nohuddle, we have to look to the sideline and get the call from the coach. The fact that they are not a tempo team, we can also catch our breath after the play and decipher and see what’s going on a bit slower and make sure we are precise in what we are doing.”
Iowa averaged 142.4 rushing yards and 197.8 passing yards per game, with 41 combined touchdowns while playing the sixth-toughest schedule in the nation. Iowa’s signature victory was a 55-24 thrashing of Ohio State on Nov. 4.
“This is a typical Iowa team, (and) that is why I respect it so much,” BC coach Steve Addazio said. “They are very fundamentally sound and schematically sound.”
Schwab started 13 games in 2016 and finished third on the team with 61 tackles. He took on greater responsibilities this season after injuries decimated the Eagles’ second line of defense.
Fellow linebacker Connor Strachan was lost for the season after two games because of a knee injury and was replaced by Kevin Bletzer of Medfield. Middle linebacker Max Richardson suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second half at Clemson and was replaced by true freshman John Lamot.
The situation became so dire that Addazio converted tailback Davon Jones to linebacker. Schwab brought stability to the unit and leads the team with 101 tackles to go with four sacks and 8.5 tackles for losses. He was named to the All-ACC third team.