Ron Brace
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Ron Brace (born Ronald Jeffery Brace III on December 18, 1986) plays defensive tackle for the Boston College Eagles in the NCAA college football tournament. Brace has emerged to become one of the leaders in Boston College's defense. The bulky 300-pounder, who "made a living" in shot-put events back when he was in high school, has put all his strength taking down the opposing team's rushers. But unlike most defenders his size, Brace is pretty agile and quick to his feet as proven by his solid play during his junior year when he broke out as one of the Eagles' leaders in terms of tackles for losses. His efforts during the 2007 season made him one of the linemen to watch in 2008.
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Personal Life
Ronald Jeffery, a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, is the son of Varda Lewis and Ronald Brace Jr. He enrolled as a psychology major in the College of Arts & Sciences at Boston College.
High School
Brace attended Worcester Burncoat High School in Worcester, MA where he was a standout in both football and track teams. Brace was a two-time captain for Burncoat's track and field team and was the school's record holder in shot put. After winning the 2002 state indoor shot-put championship, he went on to bag the state shot put title in 2003 and 2004. While playing for the Burncoat football team, Brace served as a team captain for coach Chris Moriarty and was named as the team's most valuable player as a senior. In addition, he was also a three-time Inter-High and T&G All-Star and was selected to the 2003 all-state team. Brace capped his high school career with an appearance at the 2004 Massachusetts Shriners Football Classic.
College
SuperPrep's fifth-best prospect in New England and Scout.com's two-star rated lineman was signed by Boston College in 2004 alongwith 18 other recruits.
2004
Redshirted.
2005
Despite a foot injury suffered during the preseason, Brace was able to see action during the year as a back-up to Al Washington on the two-deep at left tackle. He was listed at about 360 pounds entering training camp.
He made his collegiate debut against BYU and was able to record his first career tackle on an assist in the 20-3 win. He also saw action the following week and had a solo stop against Army in the 44-7 follow-up win. After sitting out the Eagles' first loss of the season at the hands of Florida State, Brace managed to see some minutes in the 3-point win at Clemson and tallied another solo. He sat out a couple of games and returned to the field against Wake Forest tallying two assists, then added another assist and a solo in losses at Virginia Tech and North Carolina, respectively. He also chipped in a season-best three tackles (two solos) and his first collegiate tackle for loss in the regular season finale at Maryland before finishing the year with another solo stop in his postseason debut at the MPC Computers Bowl against Boise State. In eight appearances, Brace was able to tally 11 tackles.
2006
Entering the preseason camp, Brace trimmed down from 354 to 332 with the help of a dietary plan from a nutritionist which he said made him quicker and improved his lateral movement. He and defensive tackle B.J. Raji combined to form a massive run-stop combo.
He made his first start at Central Michigan and recorded an assist in the Eagle win then had another stop in the double overtime win over 18th ranked Clemson at home. He sat out the BYU game, returned at N.C. State but went "stat-less" throughout the game, before recording a season high 3 solo tackles, including one for a loss, in the shut-out victory over Maine. He also added an assist in the 22-3 win over Virginia Tech, matched his season high of 3 stops in the 14-21 loss at Wake Forest, had one assist with half a tackle for loss in the 28-7 win over Duke, added another assist in the win over Maryland, then capped the regular season with 4 stops and i TFL in the 14-17 defeat at Miami (Fla.). Against Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Brace eclipsed his season high in tackles after making five stops with a tackle for loss in the slim 1-point victory. He finished the season with 20 tackles, including 11 solos, and 3.5 tackles for loss.
2007
Brace was one of the four returning starters on BC's defensive line entering his junior year. He made his season debut against Wake Forest and had two stops in the 38-28 win. The following week, he only had a tackle (for a four yard loss) in the win against N.C. State then had four more, including his first career sack for a 7-yard loss in the road win at Georgia Tech. In the next three wins over Army, Massachusetts, and Bowling Green, Brace contributed two tackles each, with a tackle for loss against the Minutemen and an assist on a sack against the Falcons. In the win at Notre Dame, Brace took down quarterback Jimmy Clausen for a sack that lost eight yards, giving him 2.5 sacks on the season which was a career high. Against the Hokies, Brace chipped in an assist to help the Eagles preserve a 14-10 win and kept BC's undefeated streak alive. Unfortunately, Florida State played the spoiler's role the following week and handed Boston College its first loss of the season with Brace registering two assisted tackles and his fifth tackle-for-loss on the season. Against Maryland, Brace recorded a season high 4 tackles, including one for a loss, but his and his team's efforts were not enough to prevent the Terps' upset bid. He did not put anything on the board against 15th ranked Clemson, but nonetheless provided the defensive presence to help snap the team's two-game slide with a 20-17 win.
Against Miami, Brace recorded his seventh TFL of the season (which resulted in a loss of five yards) and ultimately helped the Eagles hold down the Canes to a gain of only 281 yards in the 28-14 regular season-ending victory. In the ACC Championship game, Brace registered three tackles (one solo) and assisted on a tackle-for-loss but his efforts could not hold off the 6th ranked Hokies from claiming a 16-30 win. In his third consecutive bowl game appearance, Brace contributed two tackles and had a quarterback hurry to help the Eagles preserve its bowl-game win streak with a 24-21 victory over Michigan State at the Champs Sports Bowl. He finished his junior season with 27 total tackles (14 solos), 7.5 TFLs (third on the team), and 2.5 sacks (4th on the team). He received All-ACC accolades as an honorable mention for his defensive efforts during the season.
2008
The incoming senior defensive tackle was named to the Watch List for the 2008 Outland Trophy, an award given to the best interior lineman in college football.
Career Stats
| Tackles | Tackles for Loss | Sacks | ||||||||
| Year | Solo | Asst | Total | Ttl/G | TFL | TFLYds | TFL/G | Sacks | SckYds | Sck/G |
| 2005 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 1.38 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.13 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2006 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 1.82 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.32 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2007 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 1.93 | 7.5 | 32 | 0.54 | 2.5 | 20 | 0.18 |
Achievements
2008
- Outland Trophy Preliminary Watch List
- Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC 4th Team
2007
- Phil Steele All-ACC Third Team
- Rivals.com All-ACC Second Team
References
- BC Camp Preview: DL
- Ron Brace Boston College Profile
- Ron Brace CfbStats.com
- Ron Brace Scout.com Profile
- Young Eagles earning their wings
Categories: Boston College Eagles football players | NCAA Defensive Tackles | NCAA Defensive Linemen
