Wake Forest Football: Boston College Team Overview
Despite the bye week, the Deacs rose to No. 13 in the AP Poll with several ranked teams losing on Saturday. Wake Forest will return to play this weekend at Truist Field, facing a historically competitive foe in Boston College.
Wake has won the last two contests with BC and will look to advance to 2-1 in conference play with a win over the Eagles.
Let’s take a look at the Boston College Eagles.
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Matchup History:
Beginning in 1941, the Deacs and Eagles have met 28 times. Wake has won 12 times, lost 14 times and finished in a tie twice.
Last season, Wake Forest coasted to a 41-10 victory over BC on Nov. 27 to clinch the Atlantic division title.
Boston College in 2022:
Through six contests, BC holds a 2-4 record and a 1-3 conference record. Allowing 29 points a game, the Eagles rank 84th nationally in scoring defense.
After losses to Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Clemson thus far, the Eagles’ 2022 season has quickly turned sour. With six games remaining, and three ranked matchups ahead, the Eagles have the chance to create chaos amidst the ACC with an upset or two.
The Eagles’ lone conference win came on Oct. 1 in a 34-33 nailbiter against Louisville. In this contest, QB Phil Jurkovec threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, while WR Zay Flowers hauled in five catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. To have a chance to upset Wake, Jurkovec and Flowers will need to replicate this production against an improved Wake defense.
Boston College X-Factor: The arm of Phil Jurkovec
Senior quarterback Phil Jurkovec has had a great tenure at Boston College but has had a tumultuous start to this season. Amassing 1335 passing yards, ten touchdowns and six interceptions through six games, Jurkovec has proven to deliver “boom or bust” performances this season.
In four conference matchups, Jurkovec has thrown for more than 300 yards just once and has been held under 200 passing yards in the other three contests (three losses). Jurkovec’s success through the air has had a direct impact on the Eagles’ chance of winning, as Jurkovec threw for 308 yards in BC’s win over Louisville and netted 320 passing yards in their 38-17 win over Maine.
Against Wake last year, Jurkovec was held to only 19 passing yards on eleven attempts in a dominant 41-10 Wake Forest victory. The success of Jurkovec’s passing game will dictate the Eagles’ chance at an upset in Winston-Salem.
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Offense:
The Eagles have struggled to gain momentum offensively and have averaged just 20 points per game. As the 113th-ranked scoring offense in the country, the lack of offensive production from the Eagles has led them to a lackluster start.
Quarterback Phil Jurkovec is now in his senior year after transferring from Notre Dame in early 2020. In his time at Boston College, Jurkovec has completed 59.8% of his passes for 4,807 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
Jurkovec has been inconsistent this year, but the offense has thrived when he’s been able to connect with Flowers, his top wideout.
The ground game has been disastrous for the Eagles, putting up just 2.18 yards per carry and 68 yards a game. Of the 131 FBS teams, only Akron has fewer rushing yards per game than BC. Pat Garwo III has tallied 240 yards on 73 attempts and two touchdowns as the leading rusher.
With little aid from the rush attack, the overall success of the Eagles’ offense this Saturday will depend on the play of Jurkovec under center and his ability to get Flowers the ball.
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Defense:
The Eagles defense has regressed since last season, allowing 29.0 points and 371.7 yards per game compared to 22.17 points and 344.3 points a game in 2021.
The defense is anchored by the linebacker unit of senior Vinny DePalma and junior Kam Arnold. Arnold has tallied 41 tackles (20 solo), 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions. DePalma has recorded 47 tackles (30 solo), and a forced fumble.
Outside of the linebacker corps, the Eagles’ secondary is very talented. Featuring senior defensive backs Jaiden Woodbey and Josh DeBerry, this duo boasts both talent and experience. Collectively, DeBerry and Woodbey have notched 65 tackles, five pass deflections, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Giving up 30+ points in their last three matchups, the Eagles have struggled to slow down opposing offenses. The BC defense will have a difficult task ahead dealing with the daunting Wake Forest offense on Saturday.
Surrendering 41 points in last year's contest with the Deacs, the Eagles' defense was on the field for over 36 minutes of play. In order for the Eagles to stand a chance, their defense will need to keep Wake’s offense off the field and limit the success of Sam Hartman’s deep ball.
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