BC's Wade springs to QB lead
Quarterback Darius Wade has considerable understanding of the Boston College offense and the motivation to run it his way.
The 6-foot, 204-pound sophomore slinger from Middletown, Del., ran the first offense during the Eagles’ opening day of training camp yesterday in Chestnut Hill.
“I’m hoping to work on the efficiency of our passing game,” said Wade. “I want to continue working my game and pick up on the fundamental things I need to work on.
“I need to work on my feet and become sound in all aspects to help me going into the season. Camp is where we figure out our identity and what works and what doesn’t work and to get a grasp on how we are going to move forward.”
Wade rose to the top of depth chart with a strong effort during spring ball, but the upgrade came with no guarantees.
Wade began putting his mark on the BC offense while in a contentious battle with classmate Troy Flutie, a skilled roll-out passer and scrambler with a BC pedigree. The duel will continue during the trials and sweat of August, ultimately determining who will be under center against Maine in the season opener on Sept. 5 at Alumni Stadium.
“In spring (Wade) had the best command of the offense and really that is simply it,” said BC coach Steve Addazio. “He could function at the highest level so to me you want to have a guy, if at all possible, to come out of the spring as the starter.
“That doesn’t mean you’re the starter for life. It just means you came out of spring taking the most starting reps. He has to grow and continue to develop or somebody else could rise up and beat him out and that’s life.”
Wade gained access to the inner workings of the BC offense last season as an understudy to Tyler Murphy, who set the ACC quarterback record for rushing yards in a season with 1,184.
“I felt like I learned a lot and got a whole year of experience, not game experience, but practice and it taught me a lot,” said Wade. “It showed me the speed of the game and the different intangibles I have to have and the things I really need to work on.
“That includes reads and going through my defense progressions. I felt that the year I (spent) sitting back and learning was really helpful.”
Wade can make plays with his athleticism, but he is not a readoption quarterback like Murphy. Wade will be less likely to run and intends to define his tenure as a passing quarterback.
“If I wanted to run the ball a lot I just would have been a running back,” said Wade. “I definitely want to throw the ball and that is why I play the position and I love the position.
“I can throw the ball well and I hope this season I can showcase that.”
Wade was the Delaware Player of the Year his senior year at Middletown High School, as he threw for 2,735 yards and 35 touchdowns.
He appeared in three games for BC last season, completing 3-of-8 passes for 23 yards.