After months of toil, trials and tribulation, it appears that Boston College has a starting quarterback for 2009 after all.
Redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle – who spent the spring giving then-starter Dominique Davis a run for his job — has been working with the first team in practice, indicating that he will be under center when BC faces Northeastern in the season opener on Sept. 5.
First-year coach Frank Spaziani still won't tip his hand definitively — he told The Boston Globe, "It's going to be a slash. It's still somewhat of a fluid situation." — but all signs and reasoning point to Tuggle as the starter, at least for now.
Davis, who took over at the end of 2008 when starter Chris Crane broke his collarbone, was expected to take the reins this year, but after being suspended indefinitely for academic reasons, he chose to withdraw from the school. David Shinskie, a 25-year-old former minor league baseball player, was expected to take his place, but he cracked a rib in practice earlier in the week.
That leaves Tuggle, true freshman Mike Marscovetra and junior Codi Boek, who transferred to BC from junior college last year.
There is still a chance that Shinskie could start on Saturday, depending on how he performs during practice this week. If he is ready to go by Tuesday, he may have a shot; if not, the nod will likely go to Tuggle.
"I'm getting comfortable with the offense and starting to pick up schemes pretty well," Tuggle told the Globe. "I just buckled down, tuned in, and I am starting to play the way I know I can play…. I haven't played a real game in more than a year and I feel excited about [getting a chance] to lead this team to victory if Coach Spaziani chooses me."
