Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Mt. Rushmore: Matt Ryan

We continue our profile of Boston College sports greats to arrive at our BC athletics make-believe Mt. Rushmore...

Name: Matt Ryan
Born: May 1985 in Exton, PA
Sport: Football
BC Era: 2004-2007


Why He's In
  • October 25, 2007 - Boston College 14, Virginia Tech 10 ... engineered one of the greatest comebacks in B.C. history (Eagles trailed 10-0 with 2:11 remaining)
  • November 17, 2007 - Boston College 20, Clemson 17
  • Didn't end up getting an invite to NYC for the Heisman Trophy presentation, yet trophy case still respectable: 2007 ACC Player of the Year, 2007 Manning Award, 2007 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
  • Led Boston College to its highest mid-season ranking in the AP Poll - #2 - in 2007
  • Matched program's highest single-season win total (11 wins matchinh the 11-0 1940 team)
  • Eclipsed the school's single season passing yards record by over 1,000 in 2007 (4,507 yards)
  • Also left school as Eagles leader in single season passing touchdowns (31 in 2007), career completions (807), single season completions (388 in 2007), single game completions (40 vs. Wake Forest 2006), and single season total yards (4,509)
  • Finished career with 9,310 passing yards and 56 touchdowns
  • Led the Eagles to 3 straight bowl victories (2005 Humanitarian Bowl on the blue turf, 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl)
  • Career record as a starter - 25-8 (.758)

Maybe Not?
  • One of the few guys on the Mt. Rushmore short list to actually get a 'NO' vote from a commenter:  "I love the guy and he was really good here, but there's gotta be 4 better in the history of the entire school.  If he makes it, its only because of the additional off-field achievements related to hype, PR, draft success, etc."  Ouch.
  • The Eagles got just as far this year as they did during Matt Ryan's senior year (ACC Atlantic Division champs and ACC Championship Game runner-up)
  • November 27, 2004 - Syracuse 43, Boston College 17 ... was thrown to the fire in his first start, quarterbacked the team to one of the most devastating losses in program history, but really, was it his fault?
  • Plus the 2007 ACC Championship game, that's 0 for 2 in games that could have wrapped up a BCS bowl berth
  • Someone had the brilliant idea to start Quinton Porter over Ryan to start the 2005 season!
  • Is there room for two Eagle QBs on one mountain?

X-Factor
YouTubage


So ... yes or no to Ryan?  

Also, keep the votes coming on the side bar poll and use the space below to explain those Write-In votes (11% of votes are write-ins!).

5 comments:

furrer4heisman said...

I'm an outsider, but I would vote yes simply because Matt Ryan made me question my belief in God.

Raj said...

just google image matty ice :)

enough said

mmb1980 said...

To me, Ryan's a no-brainer. But some may argue against having two former QBs, and there's no way Flutie doesn't make the cut.

RE: Write-in votes, mine was for either Dave Emma or Brian Gionta. Both meant much more to the program than Mottau IMO. Mottau has the Hobey, but Gionta should have won one, if not more. Mottau was error-prone and had questionable decision-making skills. Gionta is one of the best hockey players I've ever had the good fortune to watch in person and was easily the face of the program during his time there: 4 Frozen Fours, 3 National Championship Games, and one National Championship.

Brian said...

mmb1980 - makes sense. I have nothing against Gionta and agree that he was hands down the best hockey player I've seen play for the Eagles.

I didn't think Mottau had much of a shot to begin with but figured if we were going to place one hockey player on the ballot, it should be the one with the hardware (even though Gionta should have won multiple Hobeys).

To place an individual hockey player on a Mt. Rushmore is really tough for a school like BC given that we have had 2 legendary coaches in Kelley and York. The individual players just don't seem to stand out that much since they are only here for 4 years ...

Also not yet convinced about Ryan given it's simply too soon to measure the impact he had/will have on the football program. Will there be a "Ryan effect" on the school and the football program just like the "Flutie effect"? It will take time to find out the answer.

Lally said...

I'd view the BC Mt. Rushmore as a testament to who built the school's sports and solidified their reputation. Therefore, while Ryan is on the short list of the 'Best Evers' when it comes to BC, I'd have to place Snooks Kelley on the mount ahead of him.

He and York are both legendary in what they built at the Heights (and York is still going.. wow!). Doug Flutie, of course, is synonomous with BC football.

For basketball... I'm not too sure. Troy Bell is on some all-time lists in the Big East and that is nothing to take lightly for a Big East guard. But in the end, I'm torn.