Football Notebook

Duece is Loose

After spending time in Frank Spaziani's doghouse since a goal line fumble against Northwestern and then only getting seven carries last week, Deuce Finch is finally back for Boston College. Although the Eagles lost on Saturday to Virginia Tech 30-23 in overtime, Finch returned to form with 133 yards on the day.

"I'm just happy to be out there with my teammates," Finch said. "This week, the offensive line did a great job opening holes, and all I had to do was just hit them."

Finch couldn't take all of the credit for his impressive day. For one of the few times this season, the BC offensive line created holes for its running back and Finch used his power and speed to gain ground. It didn't happen often or effectively enough, but the running game looked better than it had most of the season.

"I thought Deuce was doing what Deuce is supposed to do," said head coach Frank Spaziani. "We were very happy for him and for us."

Clancy Leaves Mark

Fifth-year senior and middle linebacker Nick Clancy returned to the field against the Hokies for his final home game after suffering a concussion against Notre Dame last week. Going in to the game, Clancy tried to avoid the emotional aspect and focus on his job like it was any other Saturday.

"By the time Thursday came around, I felt fine, I was ready to play, so I came out like it was any other game," Clancy said.

After the game, though, Clancy couldn't deny the importance of this game as he walked away from Alumni for the final time as a player.

"There was something about this week," Clancy said. "I wanted it so bad, to leave Alumni on a good note."

Having to leave the field with a loss was a huge disappointment for the linebacker who has improved significantly throughout the season, finishing the game with 20 total tackles, 17 of them solo and three of them for loss.

"It doesn't get much worse than that being the last home game, to fight hard until the very end only to come up short."

Clancy admitted that although the preparation was the same, once the ball kicked off it felt like more than just another game.

"It hurts," he said. "We prepare the same for every game, but I really wanted this one bad. I just wanted to end on a good note and walk away from my last game at BC with victory."

Spaziani, overall, was proud of the effort all of the seniors gave, including Clancy, even if the results didn't show.

"We think the seniors came to play and played hard," Spaziani said. "How efficient they played remains to be seen, but they played hard and so did everybody else. We're playing hard."

The seniors will get one more chance to go out on a high note when they face NC State on the road this weekend. It won't be a home game, but it will be a final opportunity to leave the program in a satisfying way.