Boston College Football

Boston College Football Notes – The North Carolina Game

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• A pair of ACC unbeaten teams square off Saturday in front of a national television audience as No. 11 North Carolina (1-0, 1-0 ACC) visits Boston College (2-0, 1-0 ACC).

• Saturday’s game will be broadcast nationally on ABC. Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, and Paul Carcaterra have the call.

• Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at 3 p.m. with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan, and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 137, XM channel 193, and online via SiriusXM channel 955.

• North Carolina is the first ranked team to visit Alumni Stadium since No. 24 Wake Forest defeated the Eagles 27-24 last season.

• UNC has played just one game in 2020 – a 31-6 blowout victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12. The Tar Heels game against Charlotte on Sept. 19 was canceled due to contact tracing that depleted the 49ers offensive line.

 

• Boston College and North Carolina meet for the eighth time in series history Saturday with the Tar Heels holding a 5-2 series advantage.

• It marks just the fifth ACC game between the two schools and the first since 2013. All-time, BC is 0-4 against Carolina in conference play.

• The last win for BC against UNC was a 37-24 victory in the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte.

• Saturday’s game marks the second time BC faces a ranked UNC squad. The only other meeting in series history when Carolina was ranked was a 31-13 victory for No. 25 UNC in 2009.

• In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College last week, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21.

• The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third-largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05).

• The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory.

• BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16).

• BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi’s first game-winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova.

• Jurkovec was 26-for-38 in the air for 210 yards and a touchdown plus a team-high 37 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

• It also marked the most completions by a BC quarterback in his first start at Alumni Stadium in more than two decades.  Previously, Matt Hasselbeck completed 25 passes in his first home start on Sept. 14, 1996, vs. Virginia Tech.

 

BC on ABC

• Boston College will make its 46th appearance on ABC since 1991 Saturday against No. 11 North Carolina.

• It is the first ABC game for the Eagles since a primetime matchup between No. 2 Clemson and the 17th-ranked Eagles on Nov. 10, 2018 at Alumni Stadium.

• The last BC victory on ABC was a 34-27 win against Virginia Tech on Nov. 2, 2013.

• Since 1991, BC is 24-21 when playing on ABC.

 

BC Versus Ranked Opponents

• BC is 31-112-1 all-time against ranked opponents. The Eagles defeated No. 25 Miami (unranked in the AP) 27-14 for their last victory against a ranked opponent in 2018.

• The last win against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 9 Southern California (37-31) in 2014.

• Since joining the ACC in 2005, the Eagles are 10-35 against ranked teams.

 

Starting A New Era on the Right Note

• Boston College opened the Jeff Hafley era with a convincing 26-6 victory at Duke on Sept. 19.

• It marked just the third time since joining the ACC in 2005 Boston College allowed less than 10 points in an ACC road game.

• For the first time since 2018, the Boston College defense held an opponent under 360 yards of offense in last week’s 26-6 win at Duke. BC held Duke to 351 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed since Miami gained 305 yards of total offense in 2018.

• For the 29th time since joining the ACC in 2005, BC allowed one touchdown or less in the victory over Duke.

• The six points allowed by the BC defense against the Blue Devils were the fewest yielded since a 35-3 win over Florida State (10/27/17).

• BC forced five turnovers in the Duke victory; marking the second season opener in a row with five or more after forcing five against Virginia Tech (8/31/19) last season.

• Phil Jurkovec became the first BC quarterback since Matt Ryan in 2007 to throw for 300 yards, multiple touchdowns and complete 70% of his throws in a game in leading BC to a 26-6 victory at Duke.

• Jurkovec made his first start at quarterback since Dec. 9, 2017, at HersheyPark Stadium in the Pennsylvania Class 6A state title game. Jurkovec led Pine-Richland to a 41-21 victory over St. Joseph’s Prep.

• The Notre Dame transfer finished 17-for-23 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. The 300 passing yards were the most by a BC player since Anthony Brown’s 304 at Wake Forest (9/13/18).

• In the second half against the Blue Devils, Jurkovec was nearly perfect. He completed 11-of-12 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including 10 straight completions.

• Jurkovec was just the 11th BC quarterback since 1996 to throw for 300 yards in a game.

 

Haf Time

• Jeff Hafley was named the 36th head coach in Boston College history last December.

• In just his first game as head coach, BC forced five turnovers and held Duke to just six points in the season-opening victory.

• Hafley led a dramatic turnaround in leading the defense for Ohio State in 2019 as the Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship and played in the College Football Playoff.

• A finalist for the Frank Broyles Award and the 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year, Hafley was the architect of a Buckeye defense that ranked first nationally in yards per play (3.9), second nationally in total defense (247.6 yards per game), third nationally in scoring defense (12.5 points per game), third nationally in sacks (3.92 per game), seventh nationally in rushing defense (99.5 yards per game), second nationally in passing yards allowed (148.1 yards per game) and first nationally in red zone defense (64.2%).

• Hafley’s first season in Columbus saw Ohio State jump from 72nd nationally in 2018 to first nationally in 2019 in yards per play.

• Hafley, who is coaching his 20th season in 2020, has extensive ties as an elite recruiter during his coaching stops at Pittsburgh and Rutgers. A native of Montvale, N.J., Hafley played four seasons as a wide receiver at Siena College from 1997-2000, graduating cum laude in 2001 with a degree in history. He earned his master’s degree from Albany in 2003.

 

Looking to Go 3-0

• Jeff Hafley is looking to become the seventh coach in Boston College history to begin his coaching tenure 3-0 at the Heights.

• The last time a BC head coach won his first three games was Jeff Jagodzinski in 2007 with wins over Wake Forest, NC State and No. 15 Georgia Tech to begin his career.

 

BC Head Coaches to Start Career 3-0

Jeff Jagodzinski                                                       2007

Joe Yukica                                                               1968

Jim Miller                                                                 1962

Moody Sarno                                                           1943

Joe McKenney                                                          1928

Frank Morrissey                                                       1918

 

The Nation’s Leader

• Junior tight end Hunter Long has been BC’s top receiving target in 2020 and he leads the nation in receptions for a tight end.

• Long has started the year with 16 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

• He was named to the John Mackey Award watch list after earning All-ACC third-team honors last season. The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.

• Long led Boston College with 509 receiving yards and 18.2 yards per reception in 2019. He finished the season with 28 receptions and two receiving touchdowns. His 72-yard touchdown reception at Louisville was the longest reception of his career a year ago.

 

National Tight End Receiving Leaders

Player                                Rec.            Yards               TD

1. Hunter Long (BC)           16              174                    2

2. Brevin Jordan (Miami)      15              212                    3

3. Noah Gray (Duke)            13              152                     1

Josh Pederson (ULM)           13              121                     0

 

QB1

• Phil Jurkovec became just the third BC quarterback since 2010 to throw for 300 yards in a game – and he did it in his first career game at BC.

• The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its “Stars of the Week.” Jurkovec was one of the eight quarterbacks to be honored after his breakout performance at Duke.

• The Davey O’Brien Foundation announced its Great 8 list of the top quarterback performances for week three of the 2020 college football season and Jurkovec was honored for his efforts at Duke.

• The transfer from Notre Dame finished 17-of-23 passing for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the Duke victory. He joined 10 other former BC signal-callers to throw for 300 yards in a game since 1996 (Chase Rettig, Anthony Brown, Matt Ryan, Chris Crane, Matt Hasselbeck, Paul Peterson, Scott Mutryn, Tim Hasselbeck, Brian St. Pierre, and Quinton Porter).

• In six games for the Fighting Irish in 2019, Jurkovec was 12-of-16 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 130 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry as Notre Dame’s backup quarterback.

• Jurkovec finished his prep career as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Pennsylvania history. Selected to participate in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, he was one of four finalists for the Felix “Doc” Blanchard Award, which recognizes a player on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl East roster “who exhibit prowess in the classroom and the field”.

• He finished his career at Pine-Richland High School with 11,144 total yards, 8,202 passing yards, 71 touchdown passes, and 68.4 completion percentage (523-of-765).

• His 11,144 yards, second-best in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League history, were compiled in only two and a half seasons (missed half of his sophomore year with a thumb injury). He threw for a career-high 3,969 yards in 16 games as a senior in 2017 and his 3,969 passing yards are the third-most in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League single-season history.

 

Remember This?

• Below is a comparison of the first career starts from Phil Jurkovec, Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley, Matt Ryan, and Chase Rettig under center at BC. Of the five quarterbacks, Jurkovec became the first of the group to win his first start at BC. The list includes the four top quarterbacks in school history in passing yards (Flutie, 10,579); (Foley, 10,039); (Ryan, 9,313); (Rettig, 8,263).

 

Doug Flutie (10/17/81 vs. Navy)                         

14-of-25, 118 yards, INT, 56.0 comp.%                     L, 25-10

 

Glenn Foley (9/15/90 vs. No. 17 Ohio State)

20-of-41, 179 yards, 48.7 comp.%                           L, 31-10

 

Matt Ryan (11/27/04 vs. No. 17 Syracuse)

24-of-51, 200 yards, TD, 3 INT, 47.1 comp.%             L, 43-17

 

Chase Rettig (10/16/10 at No. 16 Florida State)

9-of-24, 95 yards, 37.5 comp.%                              L, 24-19

 

Phil Jurkovec (9/19/20) at Duke)

17-of-23, 300 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 70.8 comp.%          W, 26-6

 

Saving the Best for Last

• Phil Jurkovec is second nationally among all quarterbacks with 368 yards passing in the second half. The Pittsburgh native is completing 77.8 percent of his passes (28-of-36) with three touchdowns in the second half in 2020.

• Only Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman has thrown for more yards in the second half this season with 393 yards.

• Jurkovec’s three touchdowns in the second half are tied for third in the country while his 191.14 QB rating is 11th among all players in the nation.

• In the fourth quarter in two games, Jurkovec is completing 73.9 percent of his passes (17-of-23) for 148 yards and a score.

 

Flowers in Full Bloom

• Zay Flowers totaled five receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown in BC’s 26-6 win at Duke. It was the first 100-yard receiving game for an Eagle since Kobay White’s 121 yards at Florida State in 2018.

• Flowers was named the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week for the first time in his career following the Duke game.

• The 162 yards receiving by Flowers were the seventh-most by a BC player since 1996.

• Flowers averaged 32.4 yards per reception. No receiver in BC history had more receiving yards on fewer receptions than Flowers in a single game.

• Flowers was the first BC receiver since 2012 (Alex Amidon) to have over 150 yards receiving in a game.

 

Make Way for Marcus

• Marcus Valdez was a key part of a BC defense that held Duke to six points and 351 yards of total offense in the Eagles’ 26-6 win over the Blue Devils. He finished with five tackles, one sack, one QB hurry, and a key fumble recovery inside the BC 10-yard line to end a Duke drive.

• For the first time since 2018, the Boston College defense held an opponent under 360 yards of offense. BC held Duke to 351 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed since Miami gained 305 yards of total offense in 2018.

• The six points allowed by the BC defense were the fewest since a 35-3 win over Florida State (10/27/17).

 

Oh Captain My Captains

• Boston College head football coach Jeff Hafley announced the results of a team vote to select captains for the 2020 season. The players’ vote concluded with senior running back Travis Levy, senior offensive linemen Zion Johnson and Ben Petrula, senior linebacker Max Richardson and junior defensive end Marcus Valdez selected as team captains.

• All five players were named team captains for the first time in their careers.

• Levy enters his fourth year at Boston College and has been a mainstay over his career on special teams along with seeing time at running back and wide receiver. He has played in 38 career games and was second on the team in 2019 with 1,059 all-purpose yards.

• Johnson, who was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele, is coming off a dominant season in 2019 for the Eagles. The 2020 All-ACC preseason selection quickly blossomed into one of the ACC’s best offensive linemen in 2019 after transferring from Davidson.

• Another 2020 All-ACC preseason pick, Petrula captured All-ACC second-team honors at offensive tackle in 2019 after collecting All-ACC honorable mention accolades a season ago. He started all 13 games at right tackle and allowed just one sack the entire season.

• Richardson is on several national award watch lists entering his final year at BC. He was eighth nationally with 72 solo tackles in 2019 en route to being named to the All-ACC second-team. He led the ACC in solo tackles and ranked among the conference leaders in total tackles (108).

• Valdez has played in 25 career games entering his junior season for the Eagles. A starter at defensive end, the New Jersey native finished 2019 with 26 tackles, 7.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries.

 

BC vs. 2020

• Boston College is 83-123-2 all-time against its 2020 opponents.

 

Duke                                                                         5-3

Texas State                                                 First meeting

North Carolina                                                            2-5

Pitt                                                                         14-17

Virginia Tech                                                          10-18

Georgia Tech                                                               2-7

Clemson                                                                9-18-2

Syracuse                                                                 21-32

Notre Dame                                                              9-16

Louisville                                                                   5-7

Virginia                                                                     6-0

 

Welcome to the Heights

• BC welcomed six transfers to the team this off-season. In addition to Phil Jurkovec, the Eagles landed wide receiver Jaelen Gill from Ohio State, defensive lineman Luc Bequette from Cal, defensive lineman Chibueze Onwuka from Buffalo, defensive back Deon Jones from Maryland, and Maine defensive end Maximillian Roberts.

• Gill was ruled immediately eligible as a transfer from Ohio State University in June. He has three seasons of eligibility with the Eagles.

• Last season with the Buckeyes, the Westerville, Ohio native played in six games as a redshirt freshman. Gill scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 32-yard reception at Rutgers. He finished the season with six receptions for 51 yards and was named an OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-BIG Ten selection.

• Bequette joined the BC program in September after transferring from Cal. The Arkansas native was granted a sixth-year of eligibility for the 2020 campaign following the 2019 season, getting a year of eligibility back for a 2016 redshirt freshman season in which he played in only four games before being injured.

• Bequette played in 42 games over the last four campaigns after redshirting as a true freshman in 2015 and started all 38 contests over the past three seasons. His Cal totals included 130 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss (-57 yards), 10.0 sacks (-53 yards), three pass breakups, three passes defended, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four quarterback hurries and one blocked kick.

• He had career highs of 52 tackles, two pass breakups, and two passes defended as a junior in 2019. Bequette recorded career highs of 6.5 tackles for loss (-31 yards), a team-high-tying 5.0 sacks (-29 yards), two quarterback hurries and one blocked kick as a sophomore in 2018.

• Jones appeared in the first 10 games of the season with six starts at safety in 2019 at Maryland. He tallied 34 tackles (22 solo), one forced fumble, and a pass breakup. He played in 21 career games with the Terps.

• Onwuka transferred to BC over the summer after a standout career at Buffalo. He totaled 36 games played with 19 starts for the Bulls. In 2019, he started 13 games at defensive tackle and was named All-MAC Third Team.

• Roberts joined the team in September and made an immediate impact in his first game against Texas State. The Ohio native finished with five tackles, 2.0 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks in his BC debut against the Bobcats.

 

Returning Firepower for the Eagles

(Percentage of 2019 statistics returning)

Category                                                     % Returning                               Top Returner

Passing Yards                                            45%                                Dennis Grosel (983)

Rushing Yards                                           43%                                  David Bailey (844)

Receiving Yards                                          65%                                  Hunter Long (509)

Offensive Line starts                                    71%                                         Three with 13

Tackles                                                      75%                             Max Richardson (108)

TFLs                                                          74%                             Max Richardson (14.5)

Sacks                                                        82%                              Max Richardson (3.5)

Interceptions                                              60%                                      Mike Palmer (2)

 

Famous Bloodlines

• Boston College has several players with famous bloodlines on the 2020 roster:

 

Javian Dayne                                                    Son of Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne

Tate Haynes                                                       Son of NFL Hall of Fame DB Mike Haynes

Jacob Kraft                                                        Son of Patriots President Jonathan Kraft;                                                  Grandson of Patriots Owner Robert Kraft

Tito Pasqualoni                                                                           Son of Paul Pasqualoni

John Tessitore                                      Son of ESPN announcer and BC alum Joe Tessitore

Tyler Vrabel                                                           Son of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

 

This is Boston College Football

• 28 bowl appearances (including 18 of the last 21 years)

• 13 Consensus All-Americans

• 10 College Hall of Fame Members

• Three Conference Players of the Year

• Tradition-filled program that has included players who have won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Outland Trophy, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Manning Award, Dick Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Award, Doak Walker Award

 

Family Ties

• Boston College true freshman offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo is a name familiar to longtime BC fans. A four-star recruit from nearby BC High, Ozzy is the son of Kim Trapilo and the late Steve Trapilo, who passed away in 2004.

• His father was an All-American offensive lineman at BC and later played in the NFL. Steve was a captain on the 1986 BC squad.

• One of the most famous photos in BC history was taken by the Miami Herald in 1984 as Doug Flutie was carried off the field by Steve after his famous Hail Mary to defeat the Hurricanes 47-45 in the Orange Bowl.

 

O-Line U

• Known for having a rich history of offensive linemen, the 2020 Boston College Eagles will again be led by a strong unit upfront. Rated by some analysts as having one of the top offensive line units in the country, BC returns four starters from a group last season that ranked eighth nationally in rushing offense (253.2 yards per game) and allowed the fourth-fewest sacks per game in college football (1.00 per game).

• Preseason All-ACC selections Zion Johnson and Ben Petrula spearhead the talented group. Junior center Alec Lindstrom and redshirt sophomore Tyler Vrabel also return as starters. All four players earned All-ACC honors in 2019. In addition, Vrabel was named a Freshman All-American as one of the top freshmen in the country at his position.

 

Max(ed) Out

• Senior linebacker Max Richardson returns as one of the top linebackers in the country in 2020 after a standout season in 2019. The Georgia native was eighth in the country with 72 solo stops a season ago and led the Eagles with 107 tackles.

• The 107 stops were the most by a BC defender since Ty Schwab in 2017 also totaled 107 tackles.

• He posted a team-high 14.5 TFLs and added 3.5 sacks, two pass break-ups, and one forced fumble in 2019 en route to All-ACC second-team honors.

 

Don’t Call it a Comeback

• In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21.

• The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third-largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05).

• The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory.

• BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16).

• BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi’s first game-winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova.

 

No-Fly Zone

• Boston College is tied for eighth nationally with 49 interceptions since 2017. The Eagles have three interceptions already in two games this season.

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