ACC Football Preview: Boston College
In this story:
There are 15 ACC members playing football, with one school having a preview each day. All Hurricanes is going to provide an overview of the other 14 ACC programs during the course of the next two weeks.
The objective is to discuss the head coach’s career, the program’s overall recent record, including postseason performance, plus the key players and their statistics that are coming back in 2022.
This list of ACC football programs will be done in alphabetical order, one per day. Up first, a school Miami Hurricanes fans are quite familiar with, located in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Boston College Eagles
Key Question: Can the Eagles get into the upper echelon of the ACC and at least be a contender for a major bowl?
Head Coach Jeff Hafley
In his two seasons at Chestnut Hill, Hafley has a 12-11 record. Prior to Boston College, he spent 11 years as a college assistant including Pittsburgh (2006-10) and Rutgers (2011).
Hafley also spent seven years experience as an NFL assistant (Tampa 2012-13, Cleveland 1014-15, and San Francisco 2016-18), and was the Ohio State Co-Defensive Coordinator (2019) prior to coming to Boston College.
Hafley is known as an aggressive coach and one of the top young minds in the college game. The Eagles have been competitive since he arrived on campus two seasons ago, and there are some steady expectations to consider.
This is a team with a couple of potentially big-time future NFL players, and it’s year three under Hafley’s direction. The continuity of the program is good, and that means opportunities to win more.
Recent History
2021 record: 6-6.
Last 10 years: 56-66, 46.8%.
Postseason record last 10 years: 1-4, with a victory in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl.
The Eagles are not a team that’s likely to be in the college football playoffs anytime soon, but they are a program that can beat just about anyone with their physical style of play. That’s Boston College hysterically, too.
Physical, tough, hard-nosed football. That’s the style of play most often employed by the Eagles.
Top Players and Statistics
For one more season, Boston College has quarterback Phil Jurkovec behind center. The future NFL quarterback was injured for six games last year, and decided to come back to Chestnut Hill prior to heading off to the NFL.
In 2020, Jurkovec played in 10 games and threw for 2,558 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw for 914 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions during his injury-shortened 2021 season. Those numbers could spike this fall with more experience, and the help of some talented players.
With speedster Zay Flowers at receiver, Jurkovec certainly has one of college football’s biggest weapons to throw the football to. Over the past two seasons, Flowers has 100 receptions, 1,638 yards, and 14 touchdowns. If Jurkovec was present during that entire span of two seasons, the statistics for Flowers would likely be higher.
The offense should be good, especially through the air. It will be helped by the rushing attack bringing back a key player as well. Pat Garwo III ran for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns last season, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
He could be the key to Boston College’s overall offensive success because Garwo III can draw defenders into the box, leaving more room for Jurkovec to pass the football. The defensive side of the football has good news and bad news.
BC finished 31st in total defense last year, allowing 22.2 points per contest. That’s a good trend, but the Eagles are not likely headed to a major bowl unless the points allowed total goes under 20 per contest. That’s certainly an obtainable goal coming off a season in which the Eagles were No. 3 in passing defense by allowing only 173.5 yards through the air.
Headliners for returning starters in the secondary include Josh DeBerry at nickel and Jaiden Woodberry at safety, both seniors. They were the anchors for the pass defense last fall, with DeBerry recording two interceptions and eight tackles for loss, while Woodberry produced two interceptions and a fumble return for a score.
Another key member to watch is Elijah Jones, a cornerback that comes back for his senior campaign after registering five pass breakups last season.
If the rush defense, which was porous by allowing 170.3 yards per game and being ranked No. 92, can show significant improvement this could be a difficult team to beat. The Eagles did lose four of their six players from the defensive line and linebackers, so it remains to be seen just how good the rush defense will be.
The schedule will not be friendly, however, as home games include Louisville and Clemson, with road trips to Virginia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Notre Dame. To say the least, Boston College will be challenged this fall.
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