To Beat UNC, Boston College Will Need To Improve
Boston College currently sits at 2-0, but this weekend they will have their toughest task as they prepare to face off with #12 North Carolina. The Tar Heels (1-0), feature what is projected to be one of the best offenses in the country. On top of that, their defense had a strong opener in a convincing 31-6 win over Syracuse.
Head coach Jeff Hafley has talked extensively about the improvements he still needs to see in the team. After last weekend's last minute win over Texas State he spoke on what he saw "When you watch this film, again, it's about us and little things that if you really look at the tape closely, and if we do our job, this doesn't come down to the last play the game at all."
With a tough opponent in front of them, what does Boston College have to fix in order to beat North Carolina? First off, the defense needs to get off the field. Against the Bobcats, the Eagles allowed four drives of 8 plays or more. For a few reasons that is playing with fire. First off, a team like UNC will capitalize more on drives like this, they will find the end zone and build big leads.
Also these type of drives negatively impact the offense as well. "I don't think they ever gotten in a routine where they weren't getting the ball quick enough," Hafley said. "They weren't getting into any rhythm really until the end of the game when we started getting three and outs."
Hafley also points to self inflicted mistakes that cost the defense. There was a 3rd and 10 that the Eagles jumped offsides, or a missed sack that Texas State quarterback Brady McBride turned into a first down. "It's all self inflicted down the field. And if we do our job, we're off the field," he explained.
On the offensive side of the ball, Boston College needs to get going earlier in the game. Through two games the Eagles are averaging seven points a game in the first half. Against Texas State they had 109 total yards of offense, that simply won't cut it against a team like UNC. Part of this was because they were trying to do too much. When Jurkovec settled down later in the game, he found his success in the underneath game. Instead of trying to throw long passes to Hunter Long, who was in some cases triple covered, he took what the defense gave him, and it worked. He needs to have that mindset against UNC. Keep it simple, and let the game come to him.
The most puzzling aspect of the offense so far has been the run game. Through two games BC ranks 66th in the country (out of 72 teams). Running back David Bailey has been ineffective, averaging 3.2 yards a carry. But it hasn't been just Bailey who has struggled. The entire running back group hasn't been able to find holes in the offensive line, averaging 2.48 yards a carry as a team. As we have mentioned here before, the line hasn't been nearly as dominant as we had expected. If Jurkovec is going to settle in quicker, the Eagles need some sort of reliable rushing attack as well.
One impression you get from this coaching staff is their attention to detail. On top of that, they talk a lot about pushing to improve in areas where there is clearly room for it. After a big win, albeit one that was sloppy for three quarters, Boston College has multiple areas they need to improve in. It's up to Hafley and his staff to clean that up before kickoff against the Tar Heels.
Video and Photo Courtesy of BCEagles.com
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