NEWTON, Mass. -- In big-time college football, wins are precious. Coming off a miserable 2012 season, Boston College and its fans know that firsthand.
So after every BC win this season, head coach Steve Addazio and the Eagles will hold a victory dinner for the team.
The reward for winning their ACC opener against Wake Forest on Friday night came Sunday evening. On the menu? Prime rib, roasted chicken and stuffed fillet of sole.
“It wasn’t like, lasagna and ravioli, but it was good,” Addazio joked in his meeting with the media Monday. “The guys liked it. What we do is we sit down as a team, we watch the TV copy of the game -- I think the kids enjoy watching the TV copy of the game -- laugh a little bit, have a great meal, celebrate a great victory and put it to bed and get ready to roll.
“A guy told me a long time ago, when I was coaching high school football, ‘You need to learn how to enjoy the wins, they’re hard to get. You don’t sit on them forever, but you need to enjoy them. Don’t not enjoy those wins,’ ” he said. “Because when you’re a little compulsive sometimes you have that mindset, as soon as it’s over you get that pit in your stomach and you want to get rolling again. I think you try to really fight that. Never take that for granted, the thrill and what went into winning a football game, and just roll by it.”
A lot went into the 24-10 win over the Demon Deacons, including two goal-line stands by the defense and a massive performance by Andre Williams in the run game (204 yards). Addazio was particularly impressed by the fact the run game allowed BC’s defense to play only six snaps in the fourth quarter, with the offense controlling the ball and running out the clock on Wake Forest.
Addazio gave the team Monday off, after meetings, film study and some light on-field work Sunday.
“I didn’t want to wait till Monday to see the team from Friday night,” he said, explaining the decision. “So I thought, let’s get the players in. And then I said, ‘You know, I think this will be a good thing. We’re traveling six hours on Thursday, we’re gonna come in Sunday, we’re gonna watch the tape, we’re gonna put that game to bed, we’re gonna go on the field, we’re gonna start the implementation of USC, who are they, what are they all about, blah blah blah blah blah.’
“Monday, get a day off, really get fresh, let’s come back Tuesday and it’s gonna be one hell of a day Tuesday and Wednesday and then we board the plane and go [Thursday].”
While USC (1-1, 0-1 Pac-12) has lost a bit of its luster after a surprising 10-7 home loss to Washington State in Week 2, dropping out of the AP Top 25, the Eagles (2-0, 1-0 ACC) haven’t changed their opinions on just how good a team they’ll be facing on Saturday afternoon (3 ET on Pac-12 Network).
“We’ve spent a lot of time right now watching them on tape on both sides of the ball,” Addazio said. “They’re an extremely talented football team. I mean, they’ve got great-looking players. They’re big and they’re fast and they’re physical. I think their defense is exceptional. So we’ll really have a pretty significant challenge here.”
Divitto, Patchan banged up
Addazio said he anticipates having both linebacker Steele Divitto (elbow injury) and left tackle Matt Patchan (hip injury) for Week 3 after both had to leave the Wake Forest game with injuries.
“I think they’ll be fine, a little banged up but I don’t think there’s anything huge there,” he said.
Kimble working way back
When senior tailback Andre Williams had to leave the Eagles’ opener against Villanova, and Addazio wanted someone to share the load with backup David Dudeck, he called on true freshman Tyler Rouse instead of junior Tahj Kimble.
In fact, Kimble wasn’t seen at all in either of BC’s first two games, as he continues to recuperate from knee surgery last season.
“I think Tahj is working really hard,” Addazio said. “He got all the way through camp. I think he’s sore, a lot. I think he’s, without question, not 100 percent. These things have a tendency to take about a year, sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more.
“But he’s working hard and I like the fact that he has a great attitude and he’s working at it. When he feels good you can see that little bit of burst in him. He’s pushing through it and I hope that he can keep coming, and he will.”
Asked whether that means Eagles fans shouldn’t expect to see Kimble in the next few weeks, Addazio said that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“Could see him in a week, God forbid we get a couple injuries you’ll see them all,” he said. “He’s just not 100 percent right now. I don’t have the clock on that. I just don’t know.”
Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.