Three Things Jeff Hafley Needs To Fix About Boston College Football
With college sports on hiatus, let's look ahead at next season and really dive into the Boston College football team. While there are still question marks, the biggest being the eligibility of Phil Jurkovec, there are still aspects of the team that can be addressed. With a new head coach in Jeff Hafley, comes a new lens at looking at program. There will be many changes that Hafley and his staff will make, but here are three facets of their game he must fix.
3. Offensive Game-calling: Steve Addazio had his style, and Boston College followers know all too well what it looked like. Extra offensive linemen and tight ends, which turned into what can only be described as a hurry up goal line offense. It was pretty unique, not often did you see other schools run this. Against lesser opponents it worked like a charm, as players like AJ Dillon, Jon Hilliman and Andre Williams would wear down defenses. However, when they played better teams, ones with better depth it was a nightmare. Teams like Clemson and Florida State could sub out defensive linemen and linebackers to keep fresh, and BC's running attack would falter and the offensive would inevitably stall out.
Hafley needs to change this system. Now, what this may look like is anyone's guess. There have been rumblings that BC will return to a more pro style system, but that has never been confirmed. What I have heard is that BC will definitely be throwing the ball more often. No more relying almost exclusively on the run. If Jurkovec receives his waiver, hopefully new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. tailors an offensive gameplan around his signal callers strengths. BC has the weapons to line up four wide outs, or use Hunter Long as more of a passing target, and Hafley is going to take advantage of it. The tempo or speed of his system will be determined later during summer practices.
2. Place Kicking: Another hallmark of Steve Addazio's offenses was inconsistent place kicking. Calling it inconsistent actually might be giving it too much credit, as it was more of a liability that an asset almost yearly. In 2013 Addazio started off with Nate Freese who was phenomenal, hitting every FG he attempted. But every year since then has been an adventure, to the point where there were multiple seasons the kicker wasn't trusted anywhere on the field. On top of that extra points became a coin flip, which at this level should never happen.
Boston College is not a powerhouse program, and they are going to get in close games. The coaching staff needs to rely on their kicker to put up points. If Hafley wants to break through the seven win barrier that Addazio never could shatter, he is going to need a kicker that can put up field goals with consistency. And truthfully he has a good one, Aaron Boumerhi could certainly be the answer in 2020.
1. Situational Playcalling: This was one of the biggest issues with Boston College over the past seven seasons. Steve Addazio and his coordinators struggled on both sides of the ball when games got tight and every play mattered. If the offense was moving, all of a sudden he would resort to standard draw plays that would force three and outs,. On defense the pressure would immediately slow down, and instead of attacking the defense seemed to play more react to what was in front of them. Countless games were blown by these philosophies. From all accounts, Hafley seems like a bright young coach. If he can better handle these situations, BC will be in much better shape in these games.