Front Porch FootballBoston College and Goliath
by Chris Paschal
When people talk about David and Goliath, they always bring up how it was one of the greatest upsets in the history of mankind. They bring up the fact that David was just a shepherd while Goliath was the greatest warrior in the entire Philistine army. They bring up the fact that Goliath was supposed to single-handedly destroy anyone the Israelites were able to offer. They bring up the fact that the Israelites themselves were convinced David would be slaughtered at the hands of Goliath.
But very few people mention the fact that David was not only fearless but certain that he would slay Goliath. David literally told Saul that he was sure that he would slay Goliath because Goliath was no different from any other animal he killed while protecting his sheep. When Goliath trash talked David and threatened to feed him to the birds, David said back to Goliath, “I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”
That’s the mindset the Boston College Eagles must play with when facing Clemson. They must go into that game and say the reigning ACC Champions are no different from Wake Forest. They are no different from Holy Cross. They are no different from UMass.
Of course we all know that Clemson is a million times better than any of those three schools. In fact, most of us (including Boston College fans) would agree that Clemson is a million times better than Boston College. They have a roster littered with five-star talent. They have a defensive line full of players destined for long careers in the NFL. And they have a quarterback that’s gonna toss that thing, to quote the great Jameis Winston.
That being said, Goliath was a million times more physically gifted than David. The point is, the only shot Boston College has is if they fight with a spirit that very few teams possess. The 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team had that spirit. The Soviets were supposed to bury the United States. In fact, right before the Olympics took place, the Soviets had just massacred the United States in Madison Square Garden. But the American team had a fighting spirit and a belief that they were the greatest hockey team in the world. This helped lead them to not only a victory over the Soviets, but a Gold Medal, as well.
Heck, these Boston College Eagles had that spirit down in Miami in 1984.
This Saturday, the Eagles will be considered significant underdogs to the Tigers. Many, heck, most of the college football media, and all of the pundits will bet against them. But none of that matters. As long as they believe, they have a shot. They have to go about this game with a workman’s mentality. They can’t be cocky. They can’t trash talk or get chippy with Clemson. An old Irish proverb said it best, “it is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.” Boston College can’t be running its mouth before and during this game. Have a confidence like David, yes, but act like you have been there before.
Boston College alumnus, and Front Porch Football subscriber, Johnny Rooney texted me, “Alumni Stadium sold out. First time that’s happened in I don’t even know how long. They started selling beer in the stadium last year. It’s going to be Boston versus the world. After the NC State loss we were in a bad spot. Our first opportunity at a ranked team, and we blew it. But since then we’ve been clicking. If you think I don’t believe we can beat Clemson in our house, you’re crazy. Trevor Lawrence has never had to play on a cold winter night in Boston. Against a team that has nothing to lose. We’ll always punch back. Final Score: Clemson 28, Boston College 31.”
Image from Boston Globe.
