Lonergan returns to practice Wednesday for BC
BC fans got some good news on Wednesday morning when starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan returned to practice after missing Tuesday’s session.
The Eagles are preparing for a massive test against Michigan State on the road Saturday night (NBC, 7:30) and having everyone good to go is key.
Here’s a quick breakdown of Wednesday’s practice:
Early observations
Obviously, Dylan was the first thing I noticed walking in right around 9:15 as practice got underway. Owen Stoudmire was back again and overall, BC is in great shape it seems heading into Saturday night. I also thought the energy was a bit better than it was on Tuesday, with only one practice left Thursday before the team hops on a flight Friday afternoon.
Receivers
I know we’ve talked about it throughout camp, but this is a really, really deep group when healthy. All three guys at the top (Lewis Bond, Reed Harris and Jaedn Skeete), along with Luke McLaughlin, Ismael Zamor and Dawson Pough (just learned it’s pronounced PEW), there is plenty of skill at the QB’s disposal, whoever it is. the QB-receiver connections were really good during team periods and 7-on-7 (albeit with many scout team looks) as balls rarely – if ever – hit the ground on Wednesday.
Quarterbacks
All three (including Shaker Reisig) had strong mornings. As we all saw on Saturday, this offense can hum when the ball gets out quick. Particularly on the road, if the offense can play fast and Lonergan (or James) is decisive, they should be able to move the ball.
Running game
Bill O’Brien stressed how important it was to be better than the Fordham performance and it seemed to improve on Wednesday. I also think Bo MacCormack just continues to impress. He’s a great guy to have when you want to switch it up between Turbo Richard, Jordan McDonald and Alex Broome. Having such a deep RB room (there’s some good pass-catching backs in that group too, including Bo) makes this offense a lot harder to prepare for. I’d expect to see all of them on Saturday night in various roles.
Red zone
A lot of red zone success during some scout team stuff later in practice. I thought one of the biggest things on Saturday (I know, I know, it was Fordham) was the fact that BC regularly got seven instead of settling for three. It goes without saying that on the road against a Big 10 team that’s imperative, but I like the creativity this unit has down inside the 20, mostly because of how many targets they have. Don’t forget about the sudden surplus of tight ends either, they’ll be a factor in this game.
One more day of prep
BC is back outside Fish Field House on Thursday morning for its last game week practice. Looking forward to seeing how this team answers the bell in such a big spot early on in the season.
