Boston College Notes – The Clemson Game

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• Boston College opens ACC play under the lights at defending conference champion Clemson Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. Clemson has won the last six ACC Championships.

• Saturday’s Homecoming game for Clemson will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. Dave O’Brien, former BC quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, and Kelsey Riggs have the television broadcast call on ACCN.

• Coverage on the Boston College  Sports Network from Learfield begins at 7 p.m. with Jon Meterparel along with former BC  standouts Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn on the call. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 850 AM along with on Sirius channel 108, XM channel 194, and online via SiriusXM channel 956.

• Boston College remained undefeated with a 41-34 overtime victory over Missouri last Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

• Clemson came up just short, falling 27-21 to NC State in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium.

• In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 31st time Saturday.

• The Tigers lead the series 19-9-2 and have won 10 consecutive games against the Eagles.

• BC’s longest winning streak in the series is four games. The most points scored in the series for BC were 40 in 1949 while the largest margin of victory for the Eagles was a 15-point win in 1983 (31-16).

• The current 10-game winning streak is the longest in the series for Clemson. The Tigers’ highest point total was 59 in 2019 in Death Valley and it also set the largest margin of victory (52 points) in series history.

• For the 14th time, Boston College and Clemson will play for a trophy. The BC Gridiron Club established the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy in 2008.

• The trophy features a leather helmet replica of those used by Charlie O’Rourke of Boston College and Banks McFadden of Clemson when they competed against each other in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.

• The Boston College Gridiron Club also presents a replica leather helmet to the MVP of the winning school.

• Since BC joined the ACC in 2005, seven of the 16 games have been decided by seven points or less. Clemson is 12-4 in ACC play against BC.

• The series began in the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1940. The Tigers defeated the 11th-ranked Eagles 6-3 as Charlie Timmons rushed for 115 yards.

• The 1983 win by BC featured 28 unanswered points as Doug Flutie threw for 223 yards and two TDs to hand Clemson its only loss of the year (9-1-1).

• The 2018 game marked just the third time in Boston College history that two teams ranked in the AP Top 20 squared off at home as the No. 17/14 Eagles hosted No. 2/2 Clemson.

• Last season, No. 1 Clemson erased a 28-10 second-quarter deficit for a 34-28 comeback victory in Death Valley.

• Saturday’s game marks the third straight season BC visits Clemson.

BC Versus Ranked Opponents

• BC is 31-116-1 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 10-39 against ranked teams.

• Boston College has not won a road game against a ranked opponent since a 27-17 victory at No. 20 Florida State on Nov. 15, 2008. The losing streak on the road against ranked opponents stands at 19 games for BC.

4-0

• Since the Associated Press rankings began in 1936, Boston College has started the season 4-0 just nine times. Dating back to 1980, BC has opened a season 4-0 only five times.

Scoring in Bunches

• Boston College has the nation’s No. 15 scoring offense at 41.3 points per game.

• The Eagles scored 96 points through the first two games of the year, the second-best start after two games in 123 seasons of football at BC. Only the 2015 team scored more points (100) through the first two games of the year, with both games against FCS competition (24 vs. Maine; 76 vs. Howard).

All Systems Go

• Boston College has been on fire in the first half of 2021, outscoring opponents 79-17.

• The first quarter has been BC’s second-highest scoring quarter of the season, outscoring the opposition 42-14 in the first 15 minutes of play.

• In the second quarter, BC has yielded just a field goal the entire season, holding a 37-3 advantage.

All He Does is Catch Touchdowns

• Boston College true freshman wide receiver Jaden Williams is second on the team with nine receptions in 2021 – and three of the nine have been touchdown catches.

• Williams is tied for third nationally among all true freshmen with the three touchdown receptions.

Noting the Win over Mizzou

• Boston College earned its first win over an SEC opponent since 2001 with a 41-34 overtime victory against Missouri Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

• The last win for BC against an SEC team was a 20-16 victory over Georgia in the 2001 Music City Bowl.

• Missouri was the first SEC team to play at Alumni Stadium since BC defeated Tennessee 20-18 on Oct. 31, 1987. The 1987 win over the Vols was the last home victory for BC against an SEC opponent before today. The Eagles are 17-20-1 all-time against SEC opponents.

• Boston College played just its 12th all-time overtime game and first since last season’s 31-30 win over Pitt at home. BC is 7-5 all-time in overtime.

• Missouri PK Harrison Mevis drilled a 56-yard field goal with no time remaining to force overtime. The last time an opposing kicker hit one from 55+ yards against BC was in the overtime win vs. Pitt last season. Pitt PK Alex Kessman was good from 58 yards to force overtime before the Eagles prevailed in overtime.

• BC last went 4-0 in non-conference play in 2016; beating UMass, Wagner, Buffalo, and UConn.

• The Eagles’ last non-conference win over a Power 5 opponent was over Maryland in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl.

• The last regular-season non-conference victory against a Power 5 foe was a 37-31 victory over No. 9 Southern California on Sept. 13, 2014.

Garwo’s Coming Out Party

• Redshirt sophomore running back Pat Garwo rushed for a then career-high 160 yards at UMass, becoming BC’s first 100-yard rusher since David Bailey at Syracuse (Nov. 7, 2020). Garwo’s previous career-best was 36 yards last season vs. Pitt (Oct. 10, 2020).

• Garwo became the first BC rusher over 150 yards since AJ Dillon (242) and David Bailey (172) did so at Syracuse (Nov. 2, 2019).

• Garwo averaged 10.7 yards per attempt, tied for the seventh-best single-game yards per carry average for a BC player since 1996.

RB1

• Pat Garwo ripped off a career-long 67-yard run for BC’s first touchdown to cap off a 99-yard scoring drive in the 41-34 OT win against Missouri.

• Garwo finished with his second 100-yard performance of the season and the second of his career with a career-high 175 yards on the afternoon. Entering the season, Garwo had 195 yards in 10 career games without a touchdown. In four games in 2021, Garwo has 412 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

• The 25 rushing attempts for Garwo were a new career-high, topping his previous best of 15 rushing attempts at UMass earlier this year. Garwo averaged 7.0 yards per carry for the game.

• Garwo is tied for second nationally with six rushes of 20+ yards. He has four rushes of 30+ yards, also tied for second in the country.

IGM

• Isaiah Graham-Mobley has provided plenty of leadership and physical play as the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker in 2021. A mid-year transfer from Temple in January, IGM has started all four games for BC in 2021 and leads the team with 28 tackles.

11 on the Tackle

• Junior defensive end Shitta Sillah is third on the team with 16 total tackles in 2021. The Somerset, N.J. native has played his best football of his career at the Heights to start the season.

• Sillah, who continued to develop in the off-season under head strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz, has upped his weight to 253 pounds entering the year.

Tight End Production Continues

• Hunter Long led all tight ends nationally in receptions and was second in receiving yards for tight ends in 2020 en route to becoming a third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft.

• Graduate transfer Trae Barry has jumped right in to help fill the void with seven receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

• He is 14th in the country averaging 22.7 yards per reception. Barry leads all tight ends nationally in yards per reception.

Injury Updates

• Boston College graduate place-kicker Aaron Boumerhi will miss the season with a hip injury and junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec could potentially miss the remainder of the year with a hand injury.

• Boumerhi was injured in the preseason and will not be able to return. He was the Eagles’ starting place-kicker the previous two seasons. In 2020, Boumerhi played in 10 games and connected on 16-of-20 field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards.

• Jurkovec injured his hand in the 45-28 victory at UMass and underwent surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital on Sept. 13.

• In 12 games, Boston College quarterback Jurkovec is already fifth in school history with five 300-yard passing games.

• The ACC Co-Quarterback of the Week on Sept. 7, Jurkovec finished with his fifth career 300-yard passing game in the season-opening 51-0 win over Colgate. Jurkovec was 16-for-24 for 303 yards with three touchdown passes and also rushed for 61 yards on five carries (12.2 yards per carry) against the Raiders.

• Graduate nose tackle Chibouze Onwuka tore his Achilles in preseason camp and will also miss the season for the Eagles. Onwuka was the team’s most experienced interior defensive lineman.

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 15 games under Jeff Hafley, BC has posted six 300-yard passing games.

ACC Players of the Week

• Boston College has had five ACC Player of the Week selections already in 2021.

In The Trenches

• Boston College’s starting offensive guards – Zion Johnson and Christian Mahogany – were both named to Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week following the Eagles 41-34 win over Missouri.

• BC rushed for 275 yards in the win over the Tigers.

• The offensive line in 2021 has been dominant – BC ranks fifth nationally in fewest sacks allowed (2.0) and the Eagles are 19th nationally in rushing offense (220.5 yards per game).

Phil The Thrill

• In 12 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.

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.

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.

BC vs. 2021

• Boston College is 133-118-6 all-time against its 2021 opponents.

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:

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.

Haf Effect

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

• 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. BC is allowing 128 yards less per game than the year prior to Hafley’s arrival.

Class of 2025

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

• BC has 10 true freshmen on its depth chart for this week’s game against Clemson.

• PK Connor Lytton was a perfect 4-for-4 on PATs in the 28-3 win over Temple. Against Missouri, Lytton was 2-for-2 on field goals, including his first collegiate field goal from 49 yards out.

• WR Jaden Williams leads the team and is tied for third nationally among true freshmen with three touchdown receptions.

• On defense, five true freshmen have seen consistent playing time in 2021. The defensive line has featured Ty Clemons (five tackles, one sack), Donovan Ezeiruaku (seven tackles, 3.0 TFL, two sacks) and Neto Okpala (one tackle).

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