Notre Dame 45 Boston College 31: Grading the Eagles

Grading out the Eagles after this week's loss to the Fighting Irish.

Boston College lost to their rivals Notre Dame on Saturday 45-31 in the Red Bandanna Game. Here are our grades for the game. 

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: NO GRADE. Before the press conference I was going to give Phil Jurkovec a C, but based on the fact that he has played through a separated shoulder in his throwing arm, I can't in good conscience grade him here. Sure he missed a lot of throws but he talked after the game about changing how he had to change his throws based on the injury. Hopefully with a week off, he will be able to continue to recover and be ready for the next game against Louisville.

Running Backs: B. Thought that David Bailey and Travis Levy both looked good against a strong ND front seven. Unfortunately for the Eagles they were playing from behind for most of the game, so the running attack kind of went out the window. 

Wide Receivers: C+. Zay Flowers made an incredible touchdown catch on a ball that he had to show incredible dexterity to grab. Jaelen Gill had 105 receiving yards and CJ Lewis had a nice grab as well to start the offense. But this group struggled for two reasons. One, ND's defensive backs/linebacker blanketed them, and two Jurkovec struggled to get the ball on target. Slightly above average game for the group. 

Tight End B-. Hopefully when Jurkovec is feeling healthy again he will hit Hunter Long on all these passes that announcers say he is open on. He was invisible through the first half, but started to see some action closer to the end of the game. Got to get him more involved. 

Offensive Line: B. I mentioned this in my offense instant reaction, but I thought this group played really well. However, the botched snap was a game changing mistake that even Hafley admitted put them far behind the eight ball. If BC scores there they at a minimum are down 24-19 at half, and get the ball to start. Huge mistake that killed them. 

Defensive Line: D. The two positives was the forced fumble and fumble recovery by Chibueze Onwuka and Brandon Barlow. But other than that, they couldn't get any pressure on Ian Book, the running game gouged them for almost six yards a carry. And the tackling was poor again. Someone mentioned this felt like the Virginia Tech game again, and at least on defense I agree. 

Linebackers: D. Max Richardson had a fumble recovery, and Isaiah McDuffie had 16 tackles, but this was not a good game for this group. They struggled with Notre Dame's speed and were chasing most of the game not attacking. If BC was going to stop the Irish, this group needed to play much better. 

Secondary: C-. This was one of those games that BC had no answer to the opposition's biggest weapon. Once Brian Kelly figured out that no BC defender could matchup on Ben Skowronek, it was just pitch and catch for Ian Book. Skowronek is only 6'2 but played MUCH bigger, and his play was the difference maker on offense. 

Special Teams: C+.  Aaron Boumerhi went 3/3 on field goal attempts and was one of the most consistent players all day. BC tried two onside kick attempts and both were called back due to penalties. The first onside the play was called back on a review, which seemed odd, the second looked bang bang, but a player was offsides. But both were dangerously close to being properly executed. 

Coaching: C+. I loved the aggressiveness of this staff. Second game in a row against a top 10 team that Hafley pulled out some tricks to try and give his team an edge. This time those plays didn't work out, but at least they tried. 

Given that Jurkovec is banged up, I had real no issues with the offensive play calling other than the 4th down conversion attempt with Travis Levy ---which was a big mistake. On defense, look, you can say "they should blitz more", but that is going to open up even more issues on the defense. They need more weapons on the defensive side of the ball, something recruiting will hopefully address moving forward. 

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