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Associated Press

Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani had been an assistant coach at the school for 12 years.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Talk about an inauspicious start for Frank Spaziani's head coaching career.

Three months after he was hired as Boston College's new head football coach, Spaziani was informed that his best player -- senior linebacker Mark Herzlich, the ACC's 2008 defensive player of the year -- had been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and will miss the upcoming season.

"It's a big blow," said Spaziani, speaking at the recent ACC Football Kickoff. "We're not going to be able to replace him. There's going to be a drop off of 10, 20, 30, 40 percent at that position. That just means the other 80-some guys on the team are going to have to make up that percentage. We try to keep an even keel and not be too devastated about it, but we've got to deal with it."

Herzlich, who has responded well to treatment thus far, paced the Eagles in tackles (110) and had six interceptions last season, which tied for the national lead among linebackers. BC already had lost stellar tackles B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, a pair of high picks in last April's NFL Draft, and losing Herzlich left a bigger void on a unit that finished fifth in the nation in total defense in 2008.

Spaziani's problems hardly end there, however. On offense, the Eagles have no experience at quarterback as projected starter, Dominique Davis, was suspended June 2 by the school for academic reasons and has since transferred to Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College.

The leading candidate now is 25-year-old Dave Shinskie, who has played minor-league baseball the past six years.

"I did happen to see him throw, and I was happy to see that he wasn't a knuckleball pitcher. You don't want a quarterback who throws knuckleballs," Spaziani cracked.

"But he's mature and he's been around. The good news is he's 25 ... the bad news is he can buy beer for everybody on the team!"

The tumultuous offseason has left Spaziani a Herculean challenge as he takes over for Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired Jan. 6 for interviewing for the New York Jets' head-coaching position. A program that has played in the ACC championship game the past two seasons, losing to Virginia Tech both times, was picked last in the Atlantic Division in the league's preseason media poll.

"They've got to predict someone to go in the [toilet], why not us?" said defensive end Jim Ramella, responding to the doomsday predictions. "We've been the fall guy every year. "We know we're better than that. With our losses we can't sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. We've got to get up and do something about it."

Spaziani, 61, who has spent the past 12 years as a BC assistant, the last 10 as defensive coordinator, hasn't lost his humor despite all the bad news. When asked which side of the ball is BC's strength right now, he chuckled and replied: "Cheerleaders ... nice cheerleaders!

"The strength of our team is the strength of the BC player. I've seen these kids and I've seen their character, and that's why we've won. We might not be the best athletes at certain positions, and we might be down and weak in some areas, but we're going to have to go to that inner-resolve and make up for it somehow."

Spaziani, who coached under George Welsh at Navy (1975-81) and Virginia (1982-90), was passed over for the BC head job when Jagodzinski was hired in 2006. Eagles athletic director Gene DeFillippo cited Spaziani's loyalty when naming him to succeed Jagodzinski.

"What does it mean to me? Well, I don't have to worry about the price of bologna anymore," Spaziani cracked.

Can he turn bologna into steak? That may be his assignment this fall.