Boston College 48 Georgia Tech 27: Grading the Eagles
Boston College jumped back into the win column on Saturday with a decisive 48-27 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. This was a total team effort, with each group making big plays throughout the game. Here are our grades for each positional unit.
(Because of COVID-19 this evaluation was done using the network TV feed. There certainly were moments the video missed. We did the best we could to evaluate what was visible. Also for grading: A: Great Game, B:Good Game, C: Average Game D: Below Average F: Poor Game)
(Because of COVID-19 this evaluation was done using the network TV feed. There certainly were moments the video missed)
Quarterback: A. Did Phil Jurkovec throw for 300 yards? No. But did he have to? No. Jurkovec executed the team's game plan perfectly. He was efficient with the ball, he ran the ball nicely (season high 93 rushing yards), and effortlessly avoided pressure. It was not a game he had to play super man, but he did everything he needed to do.
Running Backs: A. Jeff Hafley has preached all season that this team would be able to run the ball, and last night we saw what they are capable of doing. David Bailey had two rushing touchdowns, and looked big and physical, like many had hoped he would be. Not a knock, but curious why Travis Levy is getting more rushes than Bailey at this point. Levy had 19 touches, compared to 14 for Bailey---and I thought Bailey was a much better runner.
Offensive Line: A+. Ok, I admit, I was a little tough on this group last week, giving them a C-. But that was because I knew what they were capable of, and the high level they could bring to the field. They played lights out on Saturday. Jurkovec wasn't sacked, and didn't seem to ever be pressured. The run game had holes all game long. Jurkovec said after the game, they could have just run the ball all game, and the yards would have been there. The offensive line played at an elite level on Saturday night, and this is a huge boost moving forward.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: A. CJ Lewis was the star in the passing game, with two touchdown catches, giving him three on the season. Hunter Long had three catches, Jaelen Gill had a pair of catches. The reason they had a great game though was their run blocking. It is crucial to have wide receivers who are willing to block, and BC has it.
Defensive Line: B+. Overall a really good game up front by this unit. I tallied big plays by Shittah Sillah, Chibueze Onwuka, Max Roberts and Luc Bequette. They were solid in the pass rush, they held their own on the run. Only knock was the big roughing the passer call on Marcus Valdez that negated an interception. At the time GT was starting to creep back into the game, and this would have effectively ended the game. It was kind of a bang bang play however, but it seems like these types of plays happen a bit too often to the Eagles.
Linebackers: A. Max Richardson and Isaiah McDuffie were dominant in their performance on Saturday night. The pair combined for 12 tackles, but they also had a pair of big tackles for loss that changed the complexion of drives. They did a nice job containing Jeff Sims who only averaged 3.9 yards a carry, and Jahmyr Gibbs only averaged 1.1 yard a carry.
Secondary: B. One of those games where the group played well, but you can certainly see room for improvement. On one hand they had a pair of turnovers, including an incredible interception by Jahmin Muse. But on the other there were some issues in red zone coverage that allowed for two touchdown catches. They also lost Josh DeBerry early in the game on a very questionable targeting call. Definitely not their strongest game but did what they needed to do.
Special Teams: A. Only had to punt the ball three times all game, one was downed inside the five yard line. Aaron Boumerhi hit both of his field goal attempts. No kickoff or punt returns in the game.
Coaching: A. This is going to be a game where my grades are glowing. But this is because there were a set of objectives the team set out to do, and they hit almost every marker. Improved rushing attack? Check. Great job by the offensive line? Check. Balance on offense? Check. Defense improvement on tackling? Check. The staff clearly did what they needed to do to get this team prepared, and their gameplan was near perfect. When a staff gets a team ready, and they execute on the field like they did, that gets a high score from me.