Eagles eye senior moment
Finale vs. Syracuse critical
Boston College wide receiver Kobay White feels obligated to honor Senior Day at Alumni Stadium with a peak performance. The 6-1, 200-pound, redshirt sophomore from Harrisburg, Pa., wants to secure a winning sendoff for the graduates and seniors when the Eagles (7-4, 4-3) hosts No. 19 Syracuse (8-3, 5-2) in a pivotal ACC Atlantic Division game tomorrow at noon. BC is coming off a devastating 22-21 late loss at Florida State while Syracuse got drilled by No. 3 Notre Dame in a non-conference match at Yankee Stadium. “We definitely have to send them out the right way, that’s our biggest goal and that is why we want to win this eighth game, so they can have a good bowl,” said White. “That would be a huge thank you from us to them.” BC has 20 players overall and 17 on the two-deep depth chart who will participate their final home game. Their service to the program will be recognized in a pregame ceremony with family members and head coach Steve Addazio. “My freshman year coming in these guys went 3-9 their freshman season,” said White. “For them to get this program jump-started and get us on the right path was huge.” There are added incentives packed into this Rivalry Week clash between two regional antagonists in a series that dates back to 1924. A BC win combined with a NC State win at North Carolina would create a three-way tie for second place behind No. 2 Clemson, the ACC’s likely participant in the FBS playoffs. A BC win could land the Eagles in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against a Pac-12 opponent, possibly Oregon or California, on Dec. 31. If BC loses, the Eagles could end up in the Military Bowl against an American Athletic Conference opponent, most likely Cincinnati, also on Dec. 31. “It is going to be a big game because we kind of need this win,’ said White. “We’ve been working really hard and everybody on the team collectively really wants to get that eighth win and take the next step in this program. “The rivalry makes this game even better to win because you don’t want to go the whole year losing to your rival.” Senior defensive end Zach Allen would have had NFL suitors if he elected to leave the program after last season’s 27-20 loss to Iowa in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Allen decided to stay and was a preseason All-ACC nominee. Allen is in the ACC’s top-10 in tackles for a loss (14.5), sacks (6.5) and fumble recoveries (2). Allen was recently named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, but his only interests are Syracuse and beyond. “We have a special class and that’s one of the reasons I came back, to play with these guys,” said Allen. “I really came for the people, the coaches and the players and this is easily been the most fun I’ve had playing football in my career.”