Before last season, Tom O’Brien admitted that 2001 would be the year that determined whether his Eagles had moved from the building stage into the established program category.

Eight wins and a near-upset of top-ranked Miami later, BC enters 2002 on very firm ground. O’Brien has taken his team to three straight bowl games and built a solid foundation with several solid recruiting classes. The Eagles have never earned four consecutive bowl bids, but return 18 starters and plenty of momentum after last December’s victory over Georgia in the Music City Bowl.

The win over the Bulldogs ended a 21-game losing streak against ranked opponents and was BC’s first against a ranked opponent under O’Brien. It’s just the type of springboard that can take a team to the next level, although the Eagles aren’t focused on being fancy. One of the biggest keys to their success under O’Brien, an ex-Marine, has been doing the basics better than the majority of their opponents.

"The main thing we will try to accomplish is to get better as individuals," O’Brien said before spring practice. "It doesn’t matter what year in the program you are in. It’s a time to get better at the fundamentals of the game of football and that means working on blocking, tackling, catching and throwing. As individuals become better, we become better as a football team."

The offense will be under the leadership of the best quarterback in the conference not named Dorsey. Brian St. Pierre led the Big East with 25 touchdown passes and was the first player in the history of the league to be a unanimous second-team All-Big East selection. St. Pierre will need to take on a bigger role this season after the early departure of William Green, the nation’s second-leading rusher, for the NFL and loss of top receiver Dedrick Dewalt.

It won’t be easy to replace Green, who ran for 1,559 yards and five touchdowns and was taken with the 16th pick in the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Junior Derrick Knight appears to have the inside track for the starting job, but sophomore Brandon Brokaw and Penn State transfer Horace Dodd also figure to get their share of carries.

"We won’t modify the offense," O’Brien told The Sporting News, "but we won’t have a guy carry 25-to-30 times a game like Green. You may see two players share the load and each carry 15-to-20 times a game."

The Eagles have been a strong running team under O’Brien and while they may not have a 1,000-yard rusher for the fourth straight season, they will move the ball on the ground. Senior Jamal Burke is a reliable receiver, but the key to the passing game will be the emergence of other players who have yet to prove themselves in game situations. The line loses standout tackle Marc Colombo, a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears, but will be strong with four starters returning.

The defense should be quite stout with eight starters returning, including three on the line, two at linebacker and three in the secondary. Although the Eagles don’t have any stars, they do have a spark plug in middle linebacker Vinny Ciurciu and plenty of players who fill their roles and get the job done.

St. Pierre (6-4, 217), a native of nearby Danvers, was one of the first of O’Brien’s prime recruits in 1998. He came to BC after leading St. John’s Prep to an 11-0 record and the New England championship and earning Gatorade Player-of-the-Year honors in Massachusetts.

He bided his time as a red-shirt and backed up Tim Hasselbeck for two seasons before stepping in as a very effective starter last season. St. Pierre threw a touchdown pass in every game while completing 149-of-279 passes for 2,016 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"Brian improved greatly as the year went on," O’Brien said. "He’s become a tremendous leader and can become a great quarterback."

Sophomore Quinton Porter (6-4, 210), who saw limited action in seven games last season, is the backup. The 2000 Gatorade and USA Today Player of the Year in Maine, Porter has plenty of potential but still needs some time to develop. He threw a 60-yard touchdown and ran for another score, but also tossed two interceptions in BC’s spring game.

Sophomore Eric Boatwright (6-3, 226) is third on the depth chart.

O’Brien has indicated the Eagles may employ a tailback-by-committee plan this season and it doesn’t sound like a bad idea because all three prospects present different problems for opponents.

The speedy Knight (5-9, 205) showed the country what he could do when Green was suspended for the near-upset of Miami, running for 78 yards on 27 carries. He finished second behind Green with 337 yards last season and is the most tested of the trio.

Dodd (6-1, 217), a junior, ran for a game-high 73 yards and scored the decisive touchdown in BC’s spring game. He continued to improve throughout the spring, shaking off the effects of a two-year offensive hiatus -- one as a transfer and the other as a linebacker for the Nittany Lions.

Brokaw (6-2, 241) is a bruiser who gained 90 yards in four games last season.

Junior J.P. Comella (6-0, 240) returns at fullback after starting the final five games last season. The younger brother of Tennessee Titans fullback Greg Comella, J.P. caught nine passes for 58 yards last season, but is still waiting to make his first college carry after seeing action in 20 games the last two seasons.

Junior Greg Toal (5-11, 214), who played with Texas quarterback Chris Simms at Ramapo (N.J.) High School, started two games last season and is a solid complement to Comella. Sophomore Haven Perkins (5-11, 214) provides depth.

The departure of Dewalt and Ryan Read, the Eagles’ fourth leading receiver, means Burke (6-1, 207), who has played in 33 games and three bowls for BC, will need to shoulder more of a burden after catching 25 passes for 320 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Senior Keith Hemmings (6-2, 209) made eight catches in 2001, but the rest of the receiving hopefuls have very little college experience.

"Jamal is a talented performer coming back and it is time for a number of other players to step up,’’ O’Brien said. "These players now have their chance. … They have to get into the rotation and help us."

Senior Shaun Toof (5-11, 164), junior Chris Barnes (6-0, 201), sophomores Grant Adams (6-0, 189) and Joel Hazard (5-9, 184) and red-shirt freshman Tony Gonzalez (6-1, 180) are all trying to crack the lineup. Toof and Hazard both caught touchdowns in the spring game.

BC, which has a tradition for turning out quality tight ends, has a couple of more in the fold.

Neither junior Sean Ryan (6-5, 259) nor senior Frank Misurelli (6-4, 264), had any college game experience at tight end before last season, now they make up one of the stronger positions on the team.

The offensive line also entered the 2001 season as a question and begins 2002 as a cornerstone, even though some position switches are expected.

"We have some very good players coming back on the offensive line and now the question is who are the best five guys," O’Brien said. " Dan Koppen will lead this group, but we need to figure out where we will go personnel-wise from there."

Koppen (6-3, 293), a senior center, has started the last two seasons and is the glue up front. A second-team All-Big East pick each of the last two years, BC has given up only 21 sacks in Koppen’s 23 games as a starter.

Senior Mark Parenteau (6-5, 308) showed his versatility by starting at three positions last season. Parenteau began the season at left tackle for two games, played left guard for five, moved to right guard for one and went back to left tackle for three games to close out the regular season. He started at right guard in the Music City Bowl, but starts the season penciled in at right tackle.

Junior Leo Bell (6-8, 306) enters the fall at left tackle after starting seven games at right tackle last season. Junior Augie Hoffman (6-2, 305) started at right tackle for the first half of last season before sustaining an ankle injury that hampered him the rest of the way. A tremendously strong player who won the New Jersey super heavyweight championship by setting a state record of 1,530 pounds in the bench press, squat and dead lift in high school, he tops the depth chart at right guard. Sophomore Chris Snee (6-2, 310), a third-team freshman All-America pick by The Sporting News, comes to camp as the starting left guard. Snee played right tackle and right guard early in the season, before taking over the left guard spot against Pittsburgh on Oct. 20 and holding it down for the rest of the season.

A leg injury limited junior Sandro Sciortino (5-10, 200) for most of his sophomore season, but he finished the season as the Eagles’ place-kicker and enters this season as the starter. Sciortino has a strong leg and made all eight of his extra points and 1-of-2 field goals last season. A solid kickoff man, he also converted two PATs and two field goals against Georgia in the Music City Bowl.

"Sandro showed us how good he can be late in the year and in the bowl game and just needs the confidence of another year of experience," O’Brien said.

BC also has a solid backup if something goes wrong with Sciortino. Senior Kevin McMyler (6-1, 195), the Eagles’ standout punter, handled the kicking chores for most of last season and performed admirably. McMyler made 7-of-10 field goals, including a 45-yarder, and converted 29-of-32 extra points to finish second on the team in scoring with 50 points.

The Eagles will miss sack leader Sean Guthrie, but return the rest of their 2001 starters on what should be a formidable unit.

His last two seasons have ended early because of injury, but senior Antonio Garay (6-4, 290) is still a force at defensive end. Garay started the first eight games before suffering a neck injury against Notre Dame.

The real strength up front may be at the tackle spots, where juniors Doug Goodwin and Tom Martin are entering their second full seasons as starters. Goodwin (6-1, 285), whose father, Doug, played two seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the 1960s, could blossom into a star after notching 50 tackles, including 12 for losses, and four sacks last season.

Martin (6-4, 280) finished seventh on the team with 55 tackles, including 34 primary stops, and continues to improve. Martin and fellow junior Keith Leavitt (6-6, 337), who was a projected starter at tackle last season, missed spring drills while serving a school suspension, but are expected to rejoin the team for fall workouts.

Senior Derric Rossy (6-3, 253) finished the season at right end after Garay went down, but will start on the left side this season. Rossy contributed 44 tackles and two sacks last season and forced a team-high three fumbles.

Junior Phil Mettling (6-2, 257) played in all 11 games last season, making 10 tackles, and provides depth at end. Red-shirt freshman Mathias Kiwanuka (6-6, 227) has gained almost 15 pounds since arriving in Chestnut Hill and hopes to contribute at end. Sophomore Tim Bulman (6-3, 258) made 19 tackles as a freshman last season and will be in the mix at tackle.

Ciurciu certainly personified the old saying about preferring to hit people than be hit during his first season in uniform with the Eagles. Ciurciu (5-11, 240) played fullback at Clemson for two years before transferring to BC, but wanted a chance to play defense. A special teams standout with the Tigers and two-way starter at linebacker and fullback in high school, he started all of last season at middle linebacker and led the team with 87 tackles. Ciurciu played his best against the best, registering double-digit tackle totals against Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Miami. He also intercepted two passes, made four tackles for losses and had four quarterback hurries. Junior J.D. Schmidt (6-3, 240) and red-shirt freshman Jon Misiewicz (6-2, 210) back up Ciurciu.

A back injury kept Josh Ott out of the first three games last season, but the junior certainly finished strong. Ott (6-2, 225), the Eagles’ starting Will linebacker, capped things off by making seven tackles, an interception, fumble recovery and deflecting a pass against Georgia to earn a spot on Sports Illustrated’s All-Bowl Team. Ott also finished fourth on the team with 75 tackles and made two interceptions during the regular season. Senior Jerome Leadbetter (6-0, 222), who made nine tackles last season, is an experienced reserve.

The big concern for BC was finding a replacement for Scott Bradley, a three-year starter, at Sam linebacker. The coaches tried several players and head into the fall with junior Brian Flores (5-11, 206), a reserve free safety, listed as the starter and red-shirt freshman Ray Henderson (6-3, 195), who was recruited as a quarterback, as his backup.

The Eagles are in good shape here as cornerback Trevor White and safeties Ralph Parent and Doug Bessette all started every game last season for a secondary that ranked 10th in the nation in pass efficiency defense and 12th in pass defense.

White (5-8, 184) does not have great size, but has been a solid contributor since his freshman season. He recorded 49 tackles, 31 solo, and an interception last season.

Sophomore Peter Shean (5-9, 177) has the inside track for the other cornerback position. Shean played regularly as a red-shirt freshman in 2001, making 39 tackles and two interceptions. He started the Temple and Virginia Tech games. Red-shirt freshmen Larry Lester (5-7, 169), Nathanael Hasselbeck (5-11, 179) and Jazzmen Williams (5-8, 183) should see their first action. Hasselbeck is the younger brother of former BC quarterbacks Matt and Tim Hasselbeck.

Parent (6-2, 206) has started every game the last two seasons. He has good size and is a heady tackler, who made 75 tackles from his free safety spot to tie for third on the team. Bessette (5-11, 203) tied for second on the Eagles with 85 tackles and two interceptions. Junior Paul Cook (5-11, 201), who made 23 tackles and an interception in 2001, is a reliable backup.

McMyler is an experienced vet who led the conference with a 43.2 average and placed 20 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line last season. Entering his fourth year as a starter, he has improved every year and has a career average of 40.0.

"Kevin is the best punter in the Big East and will only continue to get better," O’Brien said of the Dallas native.

The Eagles could stand some improvement in their return games. Burke averaged 21.0 yards on 24 kickoffs last season and Dewalt, who must be replaced, managed just 5.3 yards per return on 18 punts. Adams, who lost a yard on his only punt return last year, is the favorite to hold down the job this season. Brochu returns as the long snapper.

O’Brien and staff continued to build on their reputations as top recruiters by landing a consensus top-25 class.

The Eagles signed 17 players, including two who enrolled in time for spring drills, and added real quality on the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary.

Defensive end Jim Unis (6-4, 225), the Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts, was ranked among the top 40 players in the country after compiling 115 tackles -- including 28 for losses -- and 11 sacks at Gloucester (Mass.) High School.

Shadu Moore (6-4, 305) of Paterson Catholic in Paterson, N.J., was rated the No. 2 offensive lineman in the East and sixth best in the country by PrepStar.

Will Blackmon (6-0, 175), the Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island and a top-50 overall prospect on some lists, brings tremendous athleticism to Chestnut Hill. He rushed for 24 touchdowns as a senior, but will play defensive back for the Eagles after making 100 tackles and four interceptions in his final season at Bishop Hendricken High School.

BC also pulled Karim El Nokali (6-4, 205), a talented quarterback prospect, out of Pittsburgh.

The Eagles won’t overwhelm anyone with style points this season, but they should grind out more than their share of victories and be a regular in the weekly Top 25 polls.

The schedule features five bowl teams from 2001, but the Eagles play seven home games, including Stanford, Virginia Tech and Syracuse -- games that will have a big impact on the conference standings. Like everyone in the Big East, BC is a notch or two below Miami, but the Eagles don’t have a lot of holes and will not be an easy opponent for anyone on their schedule. Eight or nine wins should be expected, along with a fourth straight bowl bid.