Crane looks to emerge from Ryan’s shadow
For the last four years, Chris Crane’s core responsibilities as an understudy were to analyze game film, carry a clipboard on the sidelines and patiently wait for an opportunity to play – two of those years in the shadow of Matt Ryan.
Now Ryan is in the NFL, and Crane finally has received his long-awaited opportunity to be the starter at Boston College.
Still, Crane is under an intense amount of scrutiny as the starter. This season, several eyes will be analyzing his every move, hoping he can live up to the expectations of his predecessor.
Last year, Ryan helped the Eagles rise to No. 2 in the nation at one point, was 11-3 as the starter and threw for 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns. As a result, the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and eventually named him the team’s starting quarterback.
But most Eagles fans have not quite adjusted to the commencement of the Crane era in Ryan’s absence. During last weekend’s game against Central Florida, the fans vehemently booed Crane while he went 6-of-14 for 45 yards with one interception in the first half.
Trailing 7-3, BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski benched Crane for two offensive series. But Crane returned in the second half, passed for a touchdown, rushed for two more and rallied the offense to 31 unanswered points in the 34-7 win.
Crane admits he usually isolates himself from the scrutiny, as a means to escape Ryan’s shadow and ignore the criticism.
‘I try to not look at any of the media, listen to it, read it, or think about it,’ Crane said. ‘I pretty much just stay with my friends and my family, and do what my coaches ask me to do.’
While Crane acknowledges that he can’t completely elude the comparisons between himself and Ryan, he wants to make one thing clear.
‘We are two different quarterbacks,’ Crane said.
The statistics corroborate Crane’s notion. In three games, he has rushed for 85 yards and four touchdowns, while passing for only two. During Ryan’s four-year tenure at Boston College, his rushing average totaled a paltry 58 yards, but he set school records in single-season passing yards (4,507) and career completions (807).
Essentially, Crane relies on his mobility more than Ryan. Once he breaks the pocket, his first impetus is to run. When Ryan broke the pocket, he usually scoured the coverage and looked for a target.
In fact, the disparity between their styles is so great, that Jagodzinski had to change the offensive playbook to adapt to Crane’s mobility. Senior wide receiver Brandon Robinson, who has caught passes from both Ryan and Crane, can attest to the change in philosophy throughout the years.
‘The biggest difference is that Chris is able to option the ball and run with it,’ Robinson said. ‘He looks like the typical drop back quarterback, but he is a dual threat. Whereas with Matt, we never really did that because he didn’t really have the legs for it.’
Regardless of the variance in playing styles, Crane continues to seek guidance from Ryan, as he handles the pressure of finally being Boston College’s starter.
‘He’s been pretty busy himself recently,’ Crane said of Ryan. ‘But he basically just says play your game, endure the ups and downs, and things will turn out all right.’
The No. 1 nod has been a long time coming for Crane, backed up Quinton Porter and Matt Ryan the past four years. It was a difficult transition for Crane, who had long been accustomed to the limelight as a four-year starter at Trinity High School.
‘It would be very frustrating for anyone who is an athlete or who is a competitor,’ Crane said. ‘Some people just have to wait their turn, and the only thing you can do is don’t let the frustration get the best of you. You have to basically sit there, learn as much as you can, bide your time, and when your shot does come, you have to take it.’
Despite the promotion, Crane’s mindset and weekly routines remained the same. He continued to prepare for games, just like if he was still the backup.
‘I’ve basically done the same things from every year,’ Crane said. ‘I mean every starter and backup should be preparing just about the same way because the backup will always be one snap away from playing the entire year.’
Ball State receiver likely to recover
Ball State senior wide receiver Dante Love suffered a career-ending cervical spine fracture during last weekend’s game against Indiana. After catching a short pass from quarterback Nate Davis, Love had a head-to-head collision with Hoosiers cornerback Chris Adkins and was knocked unconscious.
He remained motionless for 15 minutes, so the medical staff strapped him to a backboard and transported him to Bloomington Hospital. The doctors performed a five-hour surgery on Love, hoping to evade the possibility of paralysis.
A day after the surgery, Ball State released a statement, saying that the doctors expected Love ‘to live a normal and happy life,’ but his football career would come to an abrupt end. Before the accident, Love entered the game as the nation’s leader in receiving yards per game, averaging 144.3 yards.
Game to Watch: No. 8 Alabama at No. 3 Georgia
In a battle with SEC and national championship implications, Georgia returns home this weekend to face Alabama. This weekend, fans should have their eyes on a pair of freshman wideouts – Alabama’s Julio Jones and Georgia’s A.J. Green.
The 6-foot-4 Jones was the No. 1 wide receiver recruit of the 2008 freshman class according to Scout.com. Through four games, he’s caught three touchdowns and leads the team with 132 receiving yards. But so far this season, Green has overshadowed Jones, catching 16 balls for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
