Boston College Football Week 2 Notes: The UMass Game

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For the first time since 1982, Boston College plays at McGuirk Stadium against UMass on Saturday.

• Saturday’s game will be broadcast regionally on NESN+. The game is also available via subscription on FloSports.TV. Jay Burnham, Andy Gresh, and Matt Goldstein have the television broadcast call on NESN+.

• Coverage on the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield 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 and WEEI 850 AM along with on Sirius channel 108, XM channel 202, and online via SiriusXM channel 965.

• Boston College moved to 1-0 on the season with a 51-0 win over Colgate last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. It was the 37th time in program history that Boston College has scored at least 50 points in a game.

• The last season-opening shutout for BC was a 54-0 victory over Northeastern on Sept. 5, 2009.

• UMass opened the 2021 season with a 51-7 loss at Pitt.

• Boston College and UMass meet for the 27th time in series history on Saturday. The Eagles lead the series 21-5 and have won 10 straight over the Minutemen.

• The last UMass victory over BC was a 27-0 victory in Amherst in 1978.

• In six meetings since 2004, BC is averaging 34.8 points per game against UMass, including a 55-21 victory in 2018 at Alumni Stadium.

• There are several BC coaching ties with UMass. Associate head coach and defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim came to BC from UMass in 2020. He served as UMass’ defensive coordinator in the 2019 season.

• Linebackers coach Sean Duggan served as the linebackers coach for the Minutemen in 2018 while former UMass running backs coach Savon Huggins joined the BC program in August as an analyst.

• Former BC assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jim Reid is on the UMass staff this season as interim defensive tackles coach.

• In 2018, Reid oversaw two of the nation’s most dominant ends in Zach Allen and Wyatt Ray.

• Allen was an All-ACC second-team selection and finished his career in the top 10 in school history in sacks and TFLs. He was a third-round selection by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft.

• Ray set a school record with 4.0 sacks in a game at Wake Forest in 2018 en route to All-ACC third-team honors. Ray went on to sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns following the 2019 NFL Draft.

• Reid’s BC defense in 2017 featured three players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft (Harold Landry, second round, Tennessee Titans; Isaac Yiadom, third round, Denver Broncos; Kamrin Moore, sixth round, New Orleans Saints.

• BC tied a single-season school record with 47 sacks in 2016, equaling the mark set in 1994 when Reid was also the defensive coordinator at Boston College.

• In 2016, he oversaw a defensive unit that featured the nation’s leader in sacks and forced fumbles (Harold Landry). Landry went on to be named to multiple All-America teams following the 2016 season.

500 Club

• Boston College finished the day with 525 total yards in the 51-0 win over Colgate – the 36th time since 1996 that BC gained 500+ yards from scrimmage. BC is 29-7 in those games.

• The 525 yards of offense were the most in the Jeff Hafley era for the Eagles.

• The six touchdowns from scrimmage were also the most of any game coached by Hafley at BC.

• BC averaged 9.4 yards per touch against Colgate, the second-highest total of the Hafley era. BC’s 9.9 yards per touch in the 2020 Virginia game were the most during the Hafley era.

300-Yard Passing Games

• Boston College totaled just seven 300-yard passing games from 2010-19, including just three games of 300+ passing yards since 2013.

• In 11 games under Jeff Hafley, BC has posted six 300-yard passing games.

Phil The Thrill

• In 11 games, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec is already fifth in school history with five 300-yard passing games.

• BC legends Matt Ryan and Doug Flutie hold the school record with 12, 300-yard passing games.

BC Career 300-Yard Passing Games

Player (Years) G 300-Yard Games

1. Matt Ryan (2004-07) 43 12

1. Doug Flutie (1981-84) 46 12

3. Glenn Foley (1990-93) 44 10

3. Shawn Halloran (1983-86) 46 10

5. Phil Jurkovec (2020-21) 11 5

6. Chase Rettig (2010-13) 46 4

50-Burger Served in Season Openers

• Boston College has served a 50-burger five times in the first game of the season after last week’s 51-0 victory over Colgate.

• The last time BC scored 50 or more in the first game of the season was 2009 in a 54-0 win over Northeastern. The 2009 campaign is also the last time BC has won eight games in a season.

• BC moved to 14-3 in season openers since joining the ACC in 2005 with the win over Colgate.

50+ Points Scored in Season Openers

Opponent (Date) Final Score

St. Anselm (9/20/41) 78-0

Canisius (9/24/38) 63-12

Northeastern (9/5/09) 54-0

Catholic (9/27/30) 54-7

Colgate (9/4/21) 51-0

Of Note

• Jeff Hafley was introduced as BC’s 36th head coach on Dec. 14, 2019. In his first season on the Heights, Hafley finished with the most victories of any first-year head coach in college football in 2020.

• BC finished with a 6-5 record, and qualified for a bowl game, though the program ultimately declined to participate. More impressive than the marked improvement on both sides of the ball, was how the program under Hafley’s leadership handled playing in the COVID-19 pandemic. BC Football had just one positive from over 9,000 administered COVID-19 tests since the team returned to campus last June.

• On the recruiting trail, Hafley and his staff signed the top recruiting class in school history in his first season. The recruiting class ranking by ESPN was the best in school history since their rankings began in 2006. It was BC’s best showing in the 247 Sports rankings as well and the Eagles’ highest Rivals ranking since 2008.

• Hafley, one of college football’s top defensive minds, helped improve a BC defense 52 spots in the national rankings in total defense as the Eagles allowed 62 fewer yards per game than the previous year prior to his arrival.

• Nine Eagles were named All-ACC in 2020, including the first wide receiver to be named All-ACC first-team in Zay Flowers since 2012. Six of the nine All-ACC performers return for BC in 2021 (WR Zay Flowers, C Alec Lindstrom, OL Zion Johnson, OL Ben Petrula, OL Tyler Vrabel, DB Josh DeBerry).

• BC returned 20 starters in 2021, including all five offensive linemen. BC returns nine starters total on offense, eight on defense, and three specialists. The Eagles welcome back a total of 45 letterwinners from the 2020 squad.

• BC was 24th nationally in passing offense in 2020, averaging 284.2 yards per game.

• First-year starter Phil Jurkovec burst onto the scene as the starting quarterback for the Eagles last season. Jurkovec’s 2,558 yards over his first 10 starts were the most by any BC quarterback in school history.

• Jurkovec was the first player in BC history to total four, 300-yard passing games in his first five career starts at quarterback and the first BC quarterback with four or more 300-yard games in a season since Matt Ryan (2007).

• Johnson is coming off a 2020 season in which he was named to the All-ACC third-team at offensive tackle and was voted a team captain. The Maryland native graded out as BC’s top offensive lineman in 2020 after moving from left guard to left tackle in the preseason. He was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team and was one of three Boston College student-athletes recipients of the 2021 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

• Valdez was a 2020 All-ACC Academic selection after starting in all 11 games for BC. Voted a team captain as a junior, Valdez ended the season with 37 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries.

• Zay Flowers returns as one of the nation’s most electric players. An All-ACC first-team selection, Flowers had one of the most productive seasons by a wide receiver in Boston College history in 2020. He was 18th nationally and second in the ACC with 892 yards receiving, ranked 26th nationally with 56 receptions, and tied for 12th nationally with nine touchdown receptions.

• BC welcomed three grad transfers to the team this summer in Jacksonville State TE Trae Barry, West Virginia RB Alec Sinkfield, and Southern Illinois CB JT Thompson.

Returning Firepower for the Eagles

(Percentage of 2020 statistics returning)

Category % Returning Top Returner

Passing Yards 100 Phil Jurkovec (2,558)

Rushing Yards 55 Travis Levy (321)

Receiving Yards 76 Zay Flowers (892)

Offensive Line starts 100 Ben Petrula (48)

Tackles 62 Josh DeBerry (44)

TFLs 57 Marcus Valdez (5.5)

Sacks 52 M.Valdez, Jason Maitre (2)

Interceptions 80 Jahmin Muse (3)

BC vs. 2021

• Boston College is 130-118-6 all-time against its 2021 opponents.

Colgate 1-0

Massachusetts 21-5

Temple 29-7-2

Missouri First meeting

Clemson 9-19-2

NC State 10-7

Louisville 6-7

Syracuse 22-32

Virginia Tech 10-19

Georgia Tech 3-7

Florida State 5-13

Wake Forest 14-11-2

Looking Back at 2020

• The Eagles finished 6-5 with near upsets of No. 1 Clemson and No. 11 North Carolina.

• Nine Eagles were named All-ACC in 2020, including the first wide receiver to be named All-ACC First-Team in Zay Flowers since 2012.

• Tight end Hunter Long was named a Second Team All-American by multiple outlets as he led all tight ends nationally in receptions and finished the year second in receptions.

• Isaiah McDuffie ranked fifth nationally in total tackles while Max Richardson ended the season 11th as Boston College was one of two schools in the entire country with two players finishing in the top 11 in tackles.

• Long was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins while McDuffie was a sixth-round selection by the Green Bay Packers. Richardson (Las Vegas Raiders) and Max Roberts (Los Angeles Rams) also signed as free agents.

Preseason Honors Roll In

Junior WR Zay Flowers

• Pick Six Previews Preseason All-American (Fourth Team)

• Preseason All-ACC

• Biletnikoff Watch List

• Maxwell Award Watch List

Graduate OL Zion Johnson

• AP Preseason All-American

• Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American

• Pick Six Previews Preseason All-American (Second Team)

• Outland Trophy Watch List

• Preseason All-ACC

Junior QB Phil Jurkovec

• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List

• Manning Award Watch List

• Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

• Maxwell Award Watch List

Graduate OL Alec Lindstrom

• The Athletic Preseason All-American (Second Team)

• Pro Football Focus Preseason All-American (Second Team)

• Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Team (Second Team)

• Pick Six Previews Preseason All-American (Second Team)

• Athlon Preseason All-American (Third Team)

• Lombardi Award Watch List

• Rimington Trophy Watch List

• Outland Trophy Watch List

• Preseason All-ACC

Junior OL Tyler Vrabel

• Outland Trophy Watch List

Famous Bloodlines

• Boston College has several players with famous bloodlines on the 2021 roster:

Javian Dayne Son of Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne

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 Joe Tessitore

Tyler Vrabel Son of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

This is Boston College Football

• 28 bowl appearances

• 212 NFL Draft picks

• 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 redshirt 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 2021 Boston College Eagles will again be led by a strong unit up front. Rated by some analysts as having one of the top offensive line units in the country, BC returns all five starters from 2020 up front.

• Preseason All-Americans Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom spearhead the talented group. In all, the group has combined for 130 career starts up front, including graduate student Ben Petrula, sophomore Christian Mahogany, and redshirt junior Tyler Vrabel.

QB1

• Boston College junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec was among the top 30 quarterbacks nationally named to the watch list. Jurkovec was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List.

• He was the starter in all 10 games he played in at quarterback last year for the Eagles. His 2,558 passing yards over his first 10 starts were the most by any BC quarterback in school history.

• The Pittsburgh native finished 26th nationally with 255.8 passing yards per game and ended the season completing 61 percent of his passes and throwing 17 touchdown passes (30th nationally). He was second among all Boston College quarterbacks since 1996 with 255.8 yards per game, trailing only Matt Ryan’s 321.9 yards per game in 2007.

Big Play Zay

• Boston College junior wide receiver Zay Flowers was named to the watch list, the second major preseason award watch list for the Florida native. He was also named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List as well.

• Flowers put together one of the best seasons by a BC wide receiver ever in 2020. An All-ACC first-team selection, Flowers was just the second BC wide receiver to be named first-team All-ACC in school history (Alex Amidon, 2012). He finished 18th nationally and second in the ACC with 892 yards receiving, ranked 26th nationally with 56 receptions, and tied for 12th nationally with nine touchdown receptions.

• The speedster from Fort Lauderdale finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season in 2020 with six receptions for 162 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the 31-30 victory in overtime over Pitt.

• Flowers became the first BC player with three receiving touchdowns in a game since Kelvin Martin at Holy Cross (11/22/86).

• He tied the school record with five other players with three touchdown receptions.

• The 166 yards receiving by Flowers were the fifth-most by a BC player since 1996.

• Flowers’ 77-yard score was the first of 70 or more by an Eagle since Hunter Long’s 72-yard score at Louisville (10/5/19).

• 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. He became the only BC wide receiver to ever be named the ACC’s WR of the Week for the second time in a season after his performance in the Pitt win.

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

Barry Gallup ’69 Sports Medicine Center

• William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Patrick Kraft announced in June that the sports medicine center for Boston College Football will be named the Barry Gallup ’69 Sports Medicine Center.

• The 4,000 square foot suite inside the Yawkey Athletics Center is undergoing the renovation thanks to the support of private donations.

• Gallup’s name is synonymous with Boston College football. Now in his 42nd year as a member of the staff, Gallup, one of the best receivers in school history, served as a BC assistant coach for 20 years (1970-90) and as Northeastern’s head coach for nine years (1991-99) prior to returning to his alma mater as assistant athletics director for football operations in May 2000.

• After starring on the football field at Swampscott High for legendary coach Stan Bondelevitch, earning All-America honors as a senior, he entered BC in 1965 and would become the greatest receiver in the school’s history before graduating in 1969. He set school marks for receptions with 87 and receiving yards, 1,325 (Mel Briggs eclipsed both of the records in 1973). He had 735 yards and established a season record for catches (46) as a senior (a mark eventually broken by Gallup protégé Brian Brennan in 1983). He also played two years of college basketball for legendary Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy.

• Upon college graduation, Gallup turned down an offer to play with the Boston Patriots and began his career in teaching and coaching, working in the Swampscott school district. In 1970, he embarked upon a 20-year coaching career with the Eagles when he became a part-time assistant coach at BC. He became a full-time assistant in 1973, coaching the team’s defensive line. His role changed to receivers and tight ends coach and head recruiting coordinator when Jack Bicknell arrived as head coach in 1981.

• Among the additions to the state-of-the-art sports medicine suite for BC Football in the renovation will include an increase in treatment tables, taping areas, additional rehabilitation space along with built-in saltwater therapy pods, and a new hydrotherapy room featuring three recessed treatment pools; hot, cold and a treadmill tub.

• The first renovation of the sports medicine suite since it was built in 2004 will also include a new nutrition and hydration area in the football locker room along with two enlarged exam and procedure rooms.

Air it Out

• Boston College has picked up where it used to excel -passing the football. Known for having some of the nation’s top quarterbacks from Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley, Matt Hasselbeck to Matt Ryan, BC was always known to have one of the top passing offenses in the country.

• After ranking in the 100s for the majority of the last 10 years, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti installed a pro-style passing attack with significant, improved results. BC was 24th nationally in passing offense in 2020, averaging 284.2 yards per game, after ranking 113th in the country in 2019 (176.0 yards per game).

• BC is 10th nationally in passing offense after the Colgate game.

BC Passing Offense Year-By-Year Comparison

Year Yards per game National Rank

2021 347.0 10

2020 284.2 24

2019 176.0 113

2018 215.3 81

2017 166.3 114

2016 143.8 120

2015 110.9 125

2014 129.3 124

2013 154.8 114

2012 258.5 45

2011 169.3 100

2010 171.2 97

Give Me That

• Boston College was 10th nationally with 21 turnovers gained in 2020. The Eagles’ 12 fumble recoveries ranked second in the nation while the team’s nine interceptions were 35th in the country.

Climbing Up The Ladder in the BC Record Book

• Phil Jurkovec tied for 10th in BC single-season history with 17 touchdown passes in 2020 and finished eighth in school history with 205 completions last season.

BC Single-Season Passing Touchdown Leaders

Player Season Touchdown Passes

1. Matt Ryan 2007 31

2. Doug Flutie 1984 27

3. Brian St. Pierre 2001 25

Glenn Foley 1993 25

5. Glenn Foley 1991 21

6. Anthony Brown 2018 20

7. Frank Harris 1969 19

8. Paul Peterson 2004 18

Brian St. Pierre 2002 18

10. Phil Jurkovec 2020 17

Chase Rettig 2013 17

Shawn Halloran 1986 17

Doug Flutie 1983 17

Ken Smith 1977 17

BC Single-Season Passing Completion Leaders

Player Season Completions

1. Matt Ryan 2007 388

2. Matt Ryan 2006 263

3. Chase Rettig 2012 253

4. Brian St. Pierre 2002 237

5. Shawn Halloran 1985 234

6. Glenn Foley 1993 222

7. Paul Peterson 2004 221

8. Phil Jurkovec 2020 205

9. Mark Hartsell 1995 189

10. Matt Hasselbeck 1997 188

All Eyes on Five

• Phil Jurkovec was 26th with 2,558 passing yards in 2020. He was 11th in Boston College single-season history in passing yards after just 10 games.

• He threw for more yards than any BC quarterback in a season since Chase Rettig’s 3,065 yards in 2012.

• Jurkovec was second among all BC quarterbacks since 1996 with 260.4 passing yards per game in a season.

BC Single-Game Passing Leaders (Since 1996)

Player Years G Yds YPA YPC YPG

1. Phil Jurkovec 2020-21 11 2,861 7.95 12.95 260.1

2. Matt Ryan 2004-07 40 9,313 6.91 11.54 232.8

3. Chase Rettig 2010-13 46 8,252 6.64 12.05 179.4

BC Single-Season Passing Yardage Leaders (Since 1996)

Player Season YPG Games

1. Matt Ryan 2007 321.9 14

2. Phil Jurkovec 2020 255.8 10

3. Chase Rettig 2012 255.4 12

4. Matt Ryan 2006 245.2 12

5. Paul Peterson 2004 235.8 11

6. Brian St. Pierre 2002 229.5 13

7. Matt Hasselbeck 1997 223.9 10

8. Scott Mutryn 1998 201.6 11

9. Brian St. Pierre 2001 183.3 11

10. Tim Hasselbeck 2000 181.0 10

Haf Effect

• Jeff Hafley made an immediate impact on Ohio State’s defense in 2019 and he did the same thing at Boston College in 2020.

• The year prior to Hafley’s arrival at Ohio State, the Buckeyes ranked 71st nationally in total defense and 50th in scoring defense. In 2019, Hafley guided the nation’s best defense allowing just 259.7 yards per game, an improvement of 143.7 yards per game from 2018. Ohio State yielded just 13.7 points per game in 2019, fourth-best in the nation.

• Hafley and the BC defensive coaching staff have turned things in the right direction on the Eagles’ defense last season. BC allowed 62 yards less per game last season compared to 2019.

Defensive Improvement with Hafley

YPG YPP PPG Total D Scoring D

OSU 2018 403.4 5.77 25.5 71st 50th

OSU 2019 259.7 4.13 13.7 1st 4th

BC 2019 478.7 6.33 32.2 125th 101st

BC 2020 416.8 6.11 28.4 73rd 60th

BC 2021 189.0 3.50 0.0 11th T-1st

Class of 2025

• A total of 16 true freshmen played in the opener against Colgate.