BC's Matt Ryan Rebounds, Looks Forward

In a college football season filled with many upsets and turnovers in the rankings, one player who rode on the roller coaster that was the 2007 season was Boston College's senior quarterback, Matt Ryan.

BC opened up the season at 8-0. At that point there was significant Heisman Trophy buzz for Ryan and national championship talk surrounding Boston College.

That was before Matt Ryan threw three interceptions in a 27-17 loss to Florida State on Nov. 3, which was followed by two interceptions and a 42-35 loss to Maryland the next week.

The losses ended the Heisman and national championship talk, but Ryan and the Eagles bounced back, winning their next two games over Clemson and Miami, and securing an ACC Atlantic Division crown.

In a rematch with Virginia Tech after the Eagles won the regular season matchup 14-10, Virginia Tech got its revenge in the ACC title game, winning 30-16 and ending Boston College's hope for a bid in the Orange Bowl.

Matt Ryan threw for three touchdowns against Michigan State en route to a 24-21 BC victory, which extended the nation's longest bowl streak to eight.

It's been a real roller coaster season for you with a lot of highs and some disappointments. You guys were undefeated at one point, there was Heisman talk, national championship talk, and then you have two losses. How did you right the ship after that?

I think one of the things that kept us going was that from the beginning of the year, our goal was to win the ACC and win a conference championship. You know, we were on a roll, we were 8-0 and ranked at No. 2 in the country, and it was still our goal at that time to go and win the ACC. And we lost to Florida State, we lost to Maryland back-to-back. But our goal was still intact even after those two losses. And while they were tough and they take away from some of the stuff we could have done this year, it's easy to bounce back knowing that we're going down to Clemson with a chance to win that game and to give ourselves a chance to play in the ACC championship game. The motivation remained the same from the beginning of the year on, and we fell short of our goal a bit at the end of the year, but all in all we had a really good year. We won 10 regular season games, which is something that hasn’t been done at BC since 1940. We had a very veteran team, and guys stayed focused and stayed concerned with the task at hand, and eventually we just kept grinding and won a couple games late in the year to give ourselves a chance.

BC has never won the ACC since joining in 2005, but this year's team came within one win of the title. Is that something that you take a lot of pride in?

I think so. We were the Atlantic Division champions and made it to the ACC championship game. We fell short just a little bit of our goals, but we played hard and we won 10 games and we did some really good things. While there were no moral victories, and we're not into finishing second -- we want to finish first -- but we still played hard and did some really good things this year. It will be a year that I will look back on in the future as one that I thought was a success and a lot of fun.

You have had some nice awards recently, winning the ACC Player of the Year award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award. How did it feel to have your name next to someone like Unitas?

It's an incredible honor to win that award. Johnny Unitas is widely considered the best quarterback of all time, and to be mentioned in that light is unbelievable to me. I'm extremely honored and, as well, the people that have won that award, the fraternity of players that have won that award, is something that I am honored to be included in. It was a lot of fun to be down in Baltimore and to accept the award from Johnny Unitas Jr., who was very hospitable to me and my family while I was down there. It was a ton of fun and really an amazing honor for myself.

What quarterbacks did you grow up admiring?
I always loved watching Brett Favre when I was younger. He was a ton of fun, and just kind of threw it all over the place and was just a real competitive guy. I remember really liking John Elway, too, in grade school. I remember the Super Bowl where Favre and Elway played each other, that was a ton of fun to watch for me. I just remember John Elway playing so hard down the stretch. Both of those guys I really enjoyed watching when I was younger. Since I've been in college, I've been able to watch Tom Brady play the past couple of years here in Boston and it's been unbelievable. He's having a pretty phenomenal year this year. I really enjoy watching all of the guys that are successful at the quarterback position. I really enjoy watching the game.

How did it feel to pass Doug Flutie’s BC season passing record?
It was very cool. ... He really put the school on the map and set the standard for quarterback play -- what great quarterback play was supposed to be at Boston College. Just to be there with him and mentioned in the same sentence is pretty unbelievable. I've gotten to know Doug really well. He's been very supportive and has given me plenty of advice, and I've really appreciated getting to know him.

Can you talk about the transformation of the offense this year?
The coaching staff, as well as the players, have done a really good job in terms of the transition from last year to this year. We worked really hard and the coaching staff worked really hard to kind of figure out what we had and what the strengths of our offense were and what guys can make plays. And then the guys really worked hard to understand the terminology and worked hard to understand the concepts that were being put in, and what the coaches expected of the players. There was a great combination of the two sides working with each other, and it's been a lot of fun to work in this offense this year. We throw the ball around a ton, and as a quarterback I think that is everybody’s dream. I've certainly enjoyed working in this offense and really feel fortunate to have worked with (offensive coordinator) Steve Logan and Jeff Jagodzinski this year.

What was your initial reaction to the new offensive philosophy? Was it exciting to know you were going to be relying on your arm more this year?
I really enjoyed playing for the old staff as well. Tom O'Brien and (offensive coordinator) Dana Bible did a great job at BC and taught me a ton. And at the same time, you have to go with what's coming in. And as a quarterback, when you have a guy that is coming in that is aggressive and likes to throw the ball, it’s very exciting. So I was excited about the opportunity to play with these coaches and really enjoyed working with them this year.

You must answer a lot of the same questions throughout the year. Is there anything that you wish you were asked more, or want to talk about more?
(Laughs) Actually, I've never been asked that question. ... I’ve been in the position this year where I have done a lot of media stuff, and it's been very flattering. I think there are so many guys on our team that are deserving of so much recognition. They do so much for BC and for our offense and for our defense as well, that any chance I get to put those guys out there and let everybody know that it's the consummate team game, and so many people do so many things for BC, I think that's the most important thing I could get across.

What are your thoughts about your career at BC being over? Has it set in yet?
It's starting to set in and it's pretty amazing that five years, with the redshirt year, have gone by. I've really enjoyed my time here. I'm ready to move, but there's a part of me that's going to miss BC. I feel like I really owe this place a lot because it has given me a great opportunity in life.

How much is the NFL draft entering in your mind? There is always buzz about that. Is that something you are trying to focus on once this game is over?
There's still one more go at it at BC, and while I am excited about the future, the upcoming future, and hopefully I will get an opportunity to play, I'll worry about that in two weeks or three weeks and try to figure it out then. Really, just the focus is on trying to play well against Michigan State, and trying to get a win.

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