BC Football Preseason Blog #2 Efficient 75-minute practice Friday

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BC returned to Fish Field House for the second practice of preseason camp on Friday morning. The 75-minute workout in helmets marked the second day of the five-day acclimatization period established by the NCAA. Saturday and Sunday will allow the Eagles to add shoulder pads for practice. Monday will mark the first day in full pads, but still without contact, per the five-day acclimatization guidelines. The first practice in full pads with contact is next Wednesday.

Friday’s practice was modeled after an NFL OTA as the pace and load was lighter on the players’ bodies. “So that was today,” said Hafley about today’s practice format modeling an NFL OTA. “Yesterday, we had a pretty hard practice, long practice, good practice. We’re trying to make sure everybody’s ready. And we don’t think that everybody’s ready to do two or three of those in a row right now.”

Hafley has player safety in mind for his philosophy on the structure of practice. “Today was a lot shorter, way shorter,” Hafley said. “The periods were cut, the plays were cut and I wanted everything to look fast, feel fast, the urgency on and off the field, the bend, the pad level, the eyes, the angles to leverage, but I didn’t want to be at full speed. You still get the mental reps, you still get great film and great practice. We had some great work in today, but it really takes off a lot of load on the players bodies.”

Practice Notes: Jeff Hafley spoke to reporters following practice via Zoom and discussed the competition for the starting spot at right guard. Another player to keep an eye on according to Hafley will be redshirt freshman Christian Mahogany. The Elmwood Park, N.J., native was impressive in practice during his true freshman campaign in 2019 and adds to an intriguing group of candidates that include Nate Emer and Finn Dirstine … the Boston College defensive line could feature a few new faces in 2020. Buffalo transfer Chibueze Onwuka was an All-MAC third-team selection last year and brings a bevy of experience to defensive tackle. He totaled 36 games played with 19 starts for the Bulls. Last season, he started 13 games at defensive tackle and totaled eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks … true freshman defensive tackle Cam Horsley earned some early reps in camp. The New Jersey native was one of the top defensive line recruits in the Garden State last season in addition to being a standout baseball player … speaking of newcomers, another true freshman who made an immediate impact during Friday’s practice was tight end, Charlie Gordinier … the Monmouth Beach, N.J. native moves well, especially for someone who is 6’5” and nearly 240 pounds. He was on the receiving end of a nice ball from Phil Jurkovec during the first team period of the day Friday …

Bryce Morais had a would-be sack if there was contact in teamwork … Jurkovec found a variety of receivers in the team periods, including a nice connection with All-ACC tight end Hunter Long and wide receiver Ethon Williams … Matt Valecce drilled a 25-yard completion to Jehlani Galloway during the team’s first-team period of the day Friday … defensive tackle TJ Rayam was active in the backfield, swatting down a pass for the defense … Jahmin Muse came down with an interception in the final period of practice … the Eagles turn up the intensity Saturday as the team throws on the shoulder pads for the first time.