Who on earth could have imagined the Boston College Eagles being No. 2 in the country with an undefeated season?
The Eagles and quarterback Matt Ryan, that's who.
The Eagles made it eight wins in a row on Saturday with a thrilling 14-10 victory over the No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies. The win kept the Eagles' undefeated season intact and their hope for a national championship bid alive, something nearly unimaginable at the beginning of the season.
But even more shocking is the idea that senior Ryan, who completed only 25 of 52 pass attempts in the win over the Hokies, could be in the running for this year's Heisman Trophy.
For the first 57 minutes of Saturday's game against the Hokies, Ryan and the previously-potent Eagles offense amassed a total of - wait for it - zero points. Prior to the final two drives, Ryan had completed only 16 of 40 passes, and had certainly not showed any of the attributes of the Heisman-quality player. But as non-Heisman winners John Elway, Joe Montana and Tom Brady can attest, quarterbacks are defined by their ability to march down the field with little time left on the clock and deliver. Down 10-0 with 4:17 left on the clock and the ball at his own 8-yard line, Ryan had his work cut out for him.
"The Pizza Man," as he is often called, delivered.
After two consecutive 20-plus-yard passes to wide receiver Brandon Robinson, the Eagles were in Hokies' territory. After a huge 11-yard scramble by Ryan, the Eagles scored their first points of the game on a 16-yard touchdown pass to wideouat Rich Gunnell.
Down 10-7, the Eagles recovered their onside kick attempt. Ryan then went on his most impressive stretch of the night, completing four consecutive pass attempts for five, 20, 15 and 12 yards, respectively and carrying the offense to the Hokies' 14-yard line. After a 10-yard Eagles penalty, they had 27 seconds to score.
And with one brilliant 24-yard pass to tailback Andre Callender in the back of the end zone, Matt Ryan simultaneously erased a game of poor play, kept his team's season alive, and put himself in the running for the Heisman.
Though many critics assert that Ryan is overrated and not qualified for the most esteemed prize in college football, take a look at the facts:
He's fifth in the nation in total passing yards with 2,433, only 74 behind last year's Heisman winner Troy Smith who had 2,507, and Ryan still has four games to go.
He's led his team to score an average of 32 points per game and gain an average of 438.1 yards per game.
His play of late is hauntingly similar to that of Doug Flutie, the last BC player to win the Heisman. Ryan's touchdown pass to Callender is his own Flutie Hail Mary - perhaps even more impressive. The off-balance, against-the-grain pass required a spectacular feat of coordination, arm strength and accuracy, whereas Flutie's, though great, was a bit more of a heave-it-and-pray.
Above all, his team is 8-0 and No. 2 in the nation. In an Eagles offense highly predicated on passing, the onus is always on Ryan to get it done, and so far, he's been perfect. Historically, the Heisman candidate's status has been influenced by his team's success because it shows an intangible ability to win games despite good or bad statistics. This is exactly why Texas Tech Red Raider Graham Harrell, who has passed for 3,548 yards this season with 32 touchdowns and only seven interceptions and is by far the most accomplished offensive player in college football numbers-wise, has a slim chance of even being nominated for the award. The Red Raiders are 6-3.
The bottom line is that Ryan has very good stats, and through clutch performances like Saturday's, he has shown that he can lead a team through a hard battle, overcome all types of adversity, and pull out a victory. And nobody, especially Heisman Trophy voters, can ignore the similar traits that he has to players such as Flutie, Brady, Elway and Montana, all known for their abilities to win a game when it mattered most.
An undefeated season from the Eagles would assure Ryan's top-five status in the Heisman race, along with other current hopefuls including quarterback Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators, running back Darren McFadden of the Arkansas Razorbacks, quarterback Andre Woodson of the Kentucky Wildcats, and quarterback Colt Brennan of the Hawaii Warriors.
In order to complete the undefeated season, the Eagles will have to make it through the Florida State Seminoles, Maryland Terrapins, Clemson Tigers and Miami Hurricanes. With the win over Virginia Tech, these unranked teams shouldn't pose much of a problem to the Eagles, but with the way this season has gone so far, nothing is certain.
