Five Questions That Must Be Answered by Boston College's Offense
On Saturday, the Boston College Eagles face off with the Duke Blue Devils at high noon. This is the kickoff of not only a unique season due to outbreak of COVID19, but the start of the Jeff Hafley era in Chestnut Hill. Earlier this week we assessed the defense, and listed five questions they will need to answer on Saturday. Today, let's look at the offense and see where unknowns still need to be cleared up.
1. What kind of decision maker is Phil Jurkovec?
Jeff Hafley has yet to name a starting quarterback, but I would be shocked if it wasn't the transfer from Notre Dame. All year long we have read and heard about Jurkovec being a gifted athlete. But we need to see what he can do when he is being rushed, or how he reads coverages, or the touches on passes. And how patient will he be in making his reads. Will he make a few reads before running, or is he the type to tuck and run quickly. Those big in game moments are what make a good quarterback a great quarterback, and we need to see how he looks in those situations.
2. How can David Bailey handle being the every down back?
Last season "The Buffalo Boys", running backs AJ Dillon and David Bailey were phenomenal moving the ball in Steve Addazio's ground and pound offense. With Dillon off to the NFL, it's Bailey's turn to be the feature back. We saw a bit of this last year in the Birmingham Bowl, which Dillon sat out, but in this new offense, how will Bailey handle the increased wear and tear? He may not have the carries that came in a Steve Addazio offense, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him run the ball 20-25 times on Saturday. How will he hold up?
3. How good is this offensive line?
Lots of these questions may be answered easily if the offensive line is as good as advertised. Interestingly, Matt Applebaum and Jeff Hafley moved three of them out of position from last year with Tyler Vrabel going to right tackle, Zion Johnson left tackle, and Ben Petrula to guard. When asked about it today Alec Lindstrom said it was a testament to the versatility of the players on the line. If this group can keep Jurkovec clean, give him time, and open holes for David Bailey they could really help shake the rust off this offense. But they will have a tough task in front of them, Duke's defensive line played really well against an incredible Notre Dame offensive line on Saturday.
4. What is Jaelen Gill's role going to be in this offense?
This remains one of the biggest question marks going into this season. It seems like the staff is remaining mum (as they should be) about what role the speedy Ohio State transfer will play. In his introductory press conference, Gill said he would play any role BC needed, whether that was h-back, running back or slot receiver. He's listed as a wide out for Saturday, but how will he be used?
5. Will BC be able to quickly shake off the rust?
As mentioned in yesterday's post, rusty and sloppy play was a problem league wide last week. On top of that, Boston College is put in the unenviable spot of opening their season, with a new coach, against Duke led by a veteran coach that already has a hard fought game under their belt. The offense needs to click quick, and not spend a half or three quarters trying to find their groove. If it takes a while, Duke could build up an early lead and that might be too much for this team to overcome.
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