Give the points.

Colts going with the 6th round pick Ehlinger the rest of the season

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This kind of reminds me of my dad racing home on Fridays me waiting at the door to throw my hockey equipment in the truck and head to Westboro for travel hockey.

Who has the better game plan and who emerges as the victor in the battle for New England supremacy?

Quotables and Notables: Wake Forest Game​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Injuries have decimated Boston College for the second season in a row. And, for a program still trying to accumulate ACC-caliber depth in the third year of head coach Jeff Hafley's stay, that kind of misfortune can be debilitating.

At then-No. 13 Wake Forest Saturday, BC was without three of its Week 1 starting offensive linemen, a starting wideout, plus two cornerbacks—and later three—among other players. Drew Kendall was sidelined with a broken wrist, meaning that Jackson Ness had to move over from guard to make his first career start at center. That came with growing pains, including a handful of procedural penalties.

In the back end, the Eagles had to move things around again. When corner Elijah Jones let the game with injury, nickel Josh DeBerry moved to the outside, opposite of true freshman Amari Jackson. Free safety Jason Maitre slid down to nickel, where he spent most of the 2020 season, and redshirt freshman Cole Batson slotted in at free safety.

The secondary did its best, with Batson even coming up with his first career interception, but Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman and the Demon Deacons' arsenal of wide receivers were too much for the shorthanded Eagles to overcome in a 43-15 victory.

QUOTABLES​

The closest BC got to tying the game was in the second half when quarterback Phil Jurkovec scrambled in for a touchdown, and then Batson came up with a diving, tip-drill interception that gave the Eagles the ball near midfield down, 28-15, late in the third quarter. Most notably because of a missed 2nd-and-6 wheel route pass to running back Pat Garwo III, BC failed to capitalize on the takeaway—a theme of the 2022 campaign—and Hafley trotted out his punt team on 4th-and-6 from the BC 46-yard line.

The Eagles had gone for it earlier in the game on 4th-and-11 from the Wake 37. After that, Wake drove 88 yards for a touchdown that put pretty much put the game out of reach. Postgame, Hafley explained that, due to field position, those fourth down situations can't really be compared.

"Totally different field position," Hafley said of the late third quarter scenario. Plus [37], be aggressive. Worst case scenario, make them drive 60 plus yards to score a touchdown."

Not only did the Eagles continue to struggle with scoring points off turnovers, but their red zone issues persisted as well. On BC's second drive of the game, it marched all the way to the Wake 5-yard line. Then things went sideways. Jurkovec threw a dangerous pass to the back of the end zone that could have been picked. Running back Alex Broome was stopped for a loss of two on the next play. After that, a false start penalty on right tackle Jack Conley backed BC up even more.

Hafley burned the second timeout of the drive before Jurkovec's 3rd-and-12 pass fell incomplete. The Eagles, who entered the week 103rd nationally in red zone touchdown percentage (52.94%), had to settle for a 29-yard field goal.

"We gotta score a touchdown there," Hafley said. "We're playing the No. 13 team in the country that scores 41 points a game. You get down to the five, and you have to score touchdowns to win the game."

This was the second year Hafley's defensive system faced an experienced and proven Demon Deacons offense that's among the best in the FBS. The slow-mesh yet high-octane unit had its way with BC. Hartman accounted for six total touchdowns. After starting 1-of-4, he completed 15 of his next 17 pass attempts, taking what the Eagles were giving him in zone coverage. A slew of back shoulder throws did the trick, too. Sixth-year Eagles defensive end Marcus Valdez was honest postgame about just how hard Wake's RPO-heavy offense is to defend, even when you've prepared for what's coming.

"They put everyone in bind: the backers in a bind, guys fitting in the run," Valdez explained. "We have run/pass fits. They have to stay in there, depending on the call. It sucks, honestly."

The play that restored wind in the Eagles' sails, or wings if you will, was the 61-yard touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Zay Flowers in the second quarter. It was only made possible by a peculiar sequence. First, Danny Longman dashed for 24 yards—nine more than his previous punt traveled—on a fake punt. BC went for it on the ensuing fourth down—the aforementioned 4th-and-11—and, although Jurkovec was initially strip sacked, Conley forced the ball out of the hands of Wake D-Lineman Jasheen Davis, who had recovered Jurkovec's fumble. Ness hopped on that fumble, and the Eagles were gifted with a fresh set of downs. Soon after, Flowers had his house call.

"It was just a 1-on-1," Flowers said. "And I pride myself on winning 1-on-1 matchups, especially if he's off, and it's a deep ball. So it's just win my route and get in the end zone to help my team stay in the game."

Hafley added: "They play with very aggressive safeties, and you gotta take some shots to have them deepen up. And we were able to do it on that play, which was a really good throw and a really good catch, and it gave us momentum. And it kind of put us back in the game. We couldn't get it to one possession. It stayed at two possessions for a while, and then it got away from us."

With the loss, BC dropped to 2-5 on the season. The Eagles still have two top-25 opponents—North Carolina State and Syracuse—remaining on their schedule. And they rank toward the bottom of the country in most major offensive statistical categories. Even so, the players haven't thrown in the towel yet.

Similar to how BC played Clemson tight in the first half, the Eagles didn't really unravel versus Wake until late in the third quarter. The execution is far from what anyone inside or outside the program expected or wanted at the start of the year. The effort, however, can't be questioned. Hafley recalled postgame how, once he entered the locker room, he was impressed by what was taking place.

"We had one player who called up the whole team," Hafley said. "Most of the time in those situations that I've been in, you get guys kind of sulking in their lockers. Complaining, probably saying they're not playing enough. Probably saying something about a coach. And coaches doing the same thing. But I walked into the locker room, and we got a guy talking as positive as can be, keeping the team together. I almost didn't have to address the team. And that's impressive."

Valdez expanded upon the anecdote, saying that do-it-all graduate DB Jason Maitre was the veteran described above.

"He's a very good leader on this team," Valdez said of Maitre. "A guy I'd go to war with any day. He's great. I love him. He brought it up. And he said, we're gonna keep growing. We fought today. Our record is what it is, but what can we do? We can't sulk about it. On to the next game.

"At the end of the day, we can't pack it in. We gotta keep going."

NOTABLES​

— BC's Phil Jurkovec had as many passing yards (174) as Hartman in the first half. But, after starting 15-of-26, he finished just 20-of-38. Jurkovec also gained 41 yards on nine carries, however, he netted only 21 rushing yards because of sacks.

— Actually, the Eagles' leading rusher on the day was punter Danny Longman, who picked up 24 yards on BC's fake punt call in the second quarter.

— Five different Demon Deacons reeled in at least three receptions Saturday. Three of them found the end zone, too, with both Jahmal Banks and Taylor Morin each scoring twice.

— BC wide receiver Zay Flowers recorded his eighth career 100-yard receiving game—that's tied for second most in program history. He also matched a career high (set earlier this season) with 10 receptions.

— Eagles backup quarterback Emmett Morehead came in during the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand. That's the fifth time he's seen action this season, and BC was getting blown out in four of those games. Morehead was 4-of-7 for 38 yards.

— BC wideout Jaden Williams was out with injury, so true freshman Joe Griffin stepped up. He grabbed four passes for 50 yards in the loss.

— Eagles free safety Cole Batson made the most of his increased playing time. In addition to his interception—just BC's sixth pick of the year—he also had eight total tackles (tied for the team lead), including five solos.

— Led by defensive end Rondell Bothroyd (two TFLs), Wake piled up nine TFLs against BC as well as two sacks and five quarterback hurries.

— BC amassed 11 penalties for 104 penalty yards. Of those 11 penalties, four were false starts.

Or taking the program to 2 wins? Thanks Jeff.

BC Opens as 21-Point Underdog Against No. 13 Wake Forest​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Coming off its bye week, Boston College has opened as a 21-point underdog at No. 13 Wake Forest, according to Action Network.

Action Network has the over/under set at 61.5 points, and the BC moneyline is +950. The Eagles are 1-4 against the spread this season. The only time they covered was in their win over Louisville in Week 5 when they were two-touchdown dogs.

BC (2-4, 1-3 ACC) is off to its worst six-game start since 2017. That year, however, the Eagles turned things around after then-head coach Steve Addazio's famous "It'll come together, and it'll be beautiful" postgame presser. BC finished the regular season 5-1, averaging 36 points per game in that span, continuing what is now a bowl eligibility streak of six consecutive seasons.

That streak is in jeopardy in 2022.

BC still has three of the ACC's five AP top-25 teams remaining on its schedule: No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 23 North Carolina State and No. 14 Syracuse.

The Demon Deacons (5-1, 1-1) also had their bye in Week 7. After falling to Clemson at home in a double overtime track meet, Wake Forest has bounced back with a pair of wins: first at Florida State and then against Army.

Wake has followed up a remarkable 2021 campaign—that saw the Deacons crack the AP top-10 for the first time in program history and reach the ACC title game—with similar success.

Quarterback Sam Hartman missed the first game of the season with a non-football medical condition, but, once he returned, he picked up right where he left off last year. Hartman has posted a 16:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season while averaging 9.4 yards per attempt, which is tied for the second most of any signal caller in the ACC.

That said, as much as the odds are stacked against BC—which has lost 24 straight games to AP-ranked opponents—in this matchup, road field advantage has been kind of a thing in this series.

The road team has won each of the last seven meetings. Overall, BC holds a 14-12-2 lead over the Deacons all-time. But Wake has won two in a row, dating back to 2019 (the teams didn't play during the COVID-19-affected 2020 campaign).

Last year, the Deacons blew out the Eagles, 41-10. It was the largest margin of victory for Wake in the series. In the week leading up to the regular season finale, the injury-riddled Eagles had 32 players contract the flu, including quarterback Phil Jurkovec. BC entered intermission trailing, 24-10. Its best chance to get back in the game was when star wideout Zay Flowers reversed for a highlight-reel, 73-yard touchdown at the start of the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the touchdown was nullified because of a bad blind side block call on Jurkovec.

Generally, however, these have been close games. Five of the last seven have been decided by one score.

This is the first of two straight road games for BC. The next is at UConn.

Expect a run and gun shootout approaching 100 total points.

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Only lost by 28 on the road. It is discernible; you negative bastards have to want to see it.

Dirstine Out for the Year, Kendall Out for Wake Game​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

It's like clockwork at this point. Practically every week this season, Boston College has lost at least one offensive lineman, either for a specific game or the year.

It happened again Saturday morning when ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the news that left guard Finn Dirstine is out for the year with a shoulder injury and center Drew Kendall is out for the Wake Forest game with a broken wrist.

Dirstine missed the previous two games, and, according to Thamel's report, the graduate student and former four star will have surgery in the near future.

Kendall, on the other hand, is expected to return this season. The timeline of that return, though, is unknown. Kendall broke his left wrist against Clemson on Oct. 8, and he had surgery last week, per Thamel.

It's important to note that the redshirt freshman—the crown jewel of head coach Jeff Hafley's 2021 recruiting class and the son of former BC star and NFLer Pete Kendall—snaps with his right hand.

So, here's a quick BC O-Line injury rundown:

— RG Christian Mahogany tore his ACL in late spring and is expected to miss the whole season
— LT Ozzy Trapilo injured his knee against Rutgers and missed two games but has since returned
— RT Kevin Cline tore his ACL at Virginia Tech and is out for the season
— LG Finn Dirstine suffered a season-ending shoulder injury ahead of the Louisville game
— C Drew Kendall broke his wrist against Clemson and could return later this season

In this chaotic game of musical chairs, BC's normally stable offensive line has taken a huge hit. The Eagles have already given up 22 sacks this season—tied for the 15th most in the nation—and their rushing offense is second-to-last in the FBS (69.5 yards per game).

Thamel reported that Jackson Ness, who started the last two games at left guard, will move to center Saturday at Wake. Ness filled in at center during fall camp when Kendall was out back then.

Still, Ness has never started a game at center. And he is one of two BC players who have been starting on the O-Line in 2022 but were playing D-Line at the beginning of last season. The other is right guard Dwayne Allick.

Former preferred walk-on Nick Thomas, who started in Trapilo's place at left tackle earlier this season, will play left guard versus Wake, Thamel reported.

The lineup against the Demon Deacons should look like this:

LT - Ozzy Trapilo
LG - Nick Thomas
C - Jackson Ness
RG - Dwayne Allick
RT - Jack Conley

Now, four of BC's five Week 1 offensive line starters have missed time this season—the only not to is guard/tackle Jack Conley. The Clemson game marked the first time this year that the Eagles had the same five starting up front in consecutive games this season.

We'll be seeing another new combination Saturday afternoon.

Makes UConn a trap game for BC.

Just committed to the Eagles!!

This board, like the program, is dead.

For anyone going to the ND game, is there a favorite Chicago bar among BC fans to arrange the bus trip to ND? I’ve been a couple of times and it seems like all of the BC folks try to stick together. But this year I’m going with three ND fans (don’t hate on me) and I don’t want to be the only guy wearing my BC gear on the bus. Any advice welcome. Go Eagles.

The Big Play Could Be BC's Best Friend or Worst Enemy at Wake​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Boston College ranks 14th in the ACC in both scoring offense (20.0 points per game) and total offense (305.8 yards per game). The Eagles' third-down conversion rate (30.59%) is 121st nationally. And their average third down distance has been 7.8 yards or greater in five of their six games this season.

The first year of OC John McNulty's offensive system has hardly been graceful, in large part because of a revolving door on an already-depleted and inexperienced offensive line.

Even so, however, the Eagles have still produced 25 plays of 20-plus yards from scrimmage in 2022. That's tied for the ninth most in the ACC. And their seven plays of 40-plus yards are fifth most in the conference.

It's incongruent with the rest of the Eagles' offensive statistics, but it speaks to the ability of their skill players.

BC has been able to generate big plays against just about anyone this season. It recorded three pass plays of 20 or more yards against No. 5 Clemson, and it would have likely had another had Jaden Williams not dropped a nice sideline pass from quarterback Phil Jurkovec in the first quarter. The week before that, against Louisville, the Eagles piled up three 50-plus-yard pass plays and seven runs of at least 15 yards.

"Against good defenses, you can't just dink and dime the whole game and expect to win," BC wide receiver Jaelen Gill said Tuesday. "You gotta hit those type of explosives. I think it's real important. With our offense, we have multiple players that can make big plays. It's just a matter of getting the ball in those guys' hands."

As was the case versus Clemson—a game in which the Eagles finished with just three points—BC has often struggled to capitalize on the big play this season. That's where its 52.94% red zone touchdown percentage factors in.

Regardless, the fact of the matter is, the Eagles (2-4, 1-3 ACC) are producing more explosives than you might think, and that's one of the few on-paper advantages they have over No. 13 Wake Forest (5-1, 1-1) this week.

"This is where the challenge of defending them is," Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson said Tuesday, via Wake Forest Athletics. "Zay Flowers is who he is, he's elite. But all those other guys are really good players, too. And, at some point, they're going to have a single matchup.

"They've made big plays against everybody."

Unfortunately, for Wake Forest, explosives are its defense's pain point. The Demon Deacons have allowed 34 plays of 20-plus yards from scrimmage this season, tied for the 11th most in the ACC this season.

Of those 34, eight have gone for 40 or more yards. The only other team in the league to concede more 40-plus-yard plays is Louisville, which BC torched for a season-high 448 yards at the start of the month.

Eagles wide receiver Zay Flowers—who entered the week first or tied for first in the ACC in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns—is tied for fourth nationally with four receptions of 40-plus yards. Then there's Jaden Williams and Jaelen Gill, both of whom have a 50-plus-yard catch to their names this season.

"What they do on their offense is they want to run the ball, but they want to take shots," Clawson said.

Of course, running the ball has been the problem for BC. The Eagles are second-to-last in the FBS in rushing offense, averaging a mere 69.5 yards per game on the ground. It goes hand-in-hand with their inability to protect Jurkovec. When BC can't establish itself on the ground, it becomes increasingly one-dimensional on offense, and opponents ramp up the pressure.

If the Eagles' run game gets going, though—which it has in their two wins—Jurkovec has more time to throw, and those big plays start rolling out. Explosives could be BC's best friend Saturday, particularly against a Wake secondary that's been beat up by injuries.

Conversely, the big play could also be the Eagles' worst enemy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina—defensively, that is.

Wake can hang in a shootout with the best of the best—as seen last month in its 51-45, double-overtime loss to Clemson—and that's not so coincidentally because its offense can erupt at any moment. There's a reason why the Deacons rank 105th nationally in time of possession. They might have a slow-mesh offense, but they score quickly.

Explosives help. Thanks to a veteran passer in Sam Hartman and an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, Wake has logged 17 plays of 30-plus yards this season, tied for the fourth most in the ACC. Hartman has the third-highest Pro Football Focus big-time throw percentage (7.9%) in the league right now.

Headlined by AT Perry, and his 482 receiving yards, the Deacons have five wideouts with at least 15 catches right now.

"Their wide receivers are as deep as anyone we've played," BC head coach Jeff Hafley said.

Hafley went one step further: "I think, collectively, this is the best wide receiver group that we have played."

With the rise of burner Donavon Greene and fellow perimeter threat Jahmal Banks, plus slot guys Taylor Morin and Ke’Shawn Williams, Hartman has his options. He's not giving the ball way, either. Despite posting an average depth of target of 12.8 yards—the highest in the ACC, per PFF—Hartman has only thrown two picks versus 16 touchdowns in 2022.

"We gotta make him drive the length of the field," Hafley said of Hartman. "We have to eliminate explosives. They love those RPOs where they're not only throwing the short ones, but they're taking shots down the field, and they make a lot of people pay."

BC can't get gashed by the big play, or else it might have another Florida State runaway loss on it hands.

On the flip side, attacking Wake downfield could be the upset recipe Saturday. The trick is, finding a way to run the ball and protect Jurkovec so he has time to hit those explosives.

That's been easier said than done this season.

Eagles Looking to Get Right After Off Week: 'It's Two Different Halves'​

Andy Backstrom • EagleAction
Publisher Edit
@andybackstrom

Adversity isn't new for Boston College.

Not when Jeff Hafley began his head coaching tenure during a pandemic. Not when the Eagles have been ravaged by injuries each of the last two seasons, the first of which saw them lose four straight games before rallying for bowl eligibility.

"I feel like we were ready for it," senior defensive back Josh DeBerry said of the challenges a 2-4 BC has faced in 2022. "There's always going to be some type of adversity. You don't know exactly what it's gonna be, but you just gotta be prepared for it."

DeBerry continued: "I feel like we're prepared for it, and we're prepared to bounce back."

The Eagles' bye week probably came a week too late, head coach Jeff Hafley admitted following their 31-3 loss to No. 5 Clemson in Week 6. Nevertheless, it was an opportunity for BC to hit the reset button and get some players back from injury.

Still, because the Eagles had so many players hurt—and, in turn, so many underclassmen contributors in the first half of the season—the off week was atypical.

Hafley conceded early this week that the bye wasn't "as productive as you would want it to be because we're so banged up."

"We got as much work in as we could," he said. "Some guys were on the road recruiting. Others really looked hard at the film to try to figure out what we could do better scheme-wise, coaching-wise, and if there's any personnel movements we have to make.

"It wasn't wasn't like a vacation, that's for sure."

The recruiting aspect of the off week is particularly interesting. The recruiting world almost never stops, and, as Hafley says, it's "always the key."

But since he wanted to stay around his players, he didn't recruit until the latter part of the off week, and, even then, he remained in Massachusetts.

During the bye week, Class of 2023 defensive end Brian Simms III from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, decommitted from the Eagles. Still, they are on track for their third straight top-40 recruiting class, according to Rivals.com.

This cycle, the Eagles' 18-player class ranks 38th nationally and eighth in the ACC.

"Last night, I was probably on the phone with 15 to 20 guys," Hafley said Tuesday. 'You have to make time for it. It's easy to push it aside, but you can't."

He added: "We gotta finish this class out because it's a really good class that we're excited about. We gotta find some other guys. But there's nothing more important. We gotta stay on it. That's how you build a roster."

Staying in state during the bye not only allowed Hafley to reconnect with Massachusetts high school football coaches, but it also afforded him the time necessary to assess BC's offense and defense schematically. He and the staff took inventory of who's available health-wise at this point of the season, who can do what and how they can maximize those players' strengths, Hafley explained.

While the coaches were taking a big-picture look at the first half of the season, the players had a chance to get away for a bit. Hafley emphasized how helpful it is for players to refresh, even briefly, and, if they're able, see their families.

"It was very important, just from a health standpoint, being able to heal and get everybody back right," said DeBerry, who had the wind knocked out of him after a Clemson player landed on him during the second half of the Week 6 matchup.

Hafley wanted his players to be excited about coming back to Fish Field House, and he made it clear this week that they're as motivated as ever to turn things around. He also noted that the 28-point defeat to Clemson wasn't indicative of the improvement the Eagles—who beat Louisville, 34-33, the week before—have made this season.

"The way they fought and the way they played in those last two games, these guys are doing everything that they can," Hafley said. "They're not making excuses. They're not pointing fingers. They're not blaming it on injuries. They're just trying to get better. And they are."

BC did record a season-high 448 yards of total offense against Louisville, and it played its best defensive half of the year versus Clemson. Poor offense and special teams against the Tigers, plus a lopsided second half, left a bad taste in BC fans' mouths, though.

Except, that was two weeks ago, and that was the first half of the season.

"It's two different halves," DeBerry said. "This is a time for us to pick it up and get like a fresher start to the season in the second half and get things back rolling again in the right direction."

Good grades for some edge guys but not as many over the 60.0 default starting point on offense.

nm

By the Numbers: Comparing BC and Wake Forest​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Creating takeaways is an emphasis for Boston College in the second half of the season. The Eagles forced just six turnovers in the first six games, and they scored zero points off those turnovers.

Unfortunately for BC, it's going up against a Wake Forest team this week that barely coughs up the rock. In fact, the No. 13 Demon Deacons are tied for fourth nationally and tied for first in the ACC in turnover margin per game.

That's just one of the many on-paper advantages Wake (5-1, 1-1 ACC) has over BC (2-4, 1-3) this week. Here's how the Atlantic Division foes compare, by the numbers:

SCORING OFFENSE
BC: 20.0 points per game (113th nationally, 11th ACC)
Wake Forest: 41.2 points per game (14th nationally, 2nd ACC)

TOTAL OFFENSE
BC: 305.8 yards per game (118th nationally, 14th ACC)
Wake Forest: 440.5 yards per game (39th nationally, 4th ACC)

RUSHING OFFENSE
BC: 69.50 yards per game (130th nationally, 14th ACC)
Wake Forest: 147.67 yards per game (72nd nationally, 9th ACC)

PASSING OFFENSE
BC: 236.3 yards per game (71st nationally, 8th ACC)
Wake Forest: 292.8 yards per game (27th nationally, 3rd ACC)

SCORING DEFENSE
BC: 29.0 points per game allowed (T-84th nationally, 13th ACC)
Wake Forest: 25.5 points per game allowed (63rd nationally, 10th ACC)

TOTAL DEFENSE
BC: 371.7 yards per game allowed (60th nationally, 9th ACC)
Wake Forest: 384.3 yards per game allowed (73rd nationally, 11th ACC)

RUSHING DEFENSE
BC: 152.7 yards per game allowed (78th nationally, 10th ACC)
Wake Forest: 149.3 yards per game allowed (74th nationally, 9th ACC)

PASSING DEFENSE
BC: 219.0 yards per game allowed (53rd nationally, 7th ACC)
Wake Forest: 235.0 yards per game allowed (75th nationally, 10th ACC)

PENALTIES
BC: 5.3 penalties per game (T-31st nationally, 2nd ACC)
Wake Forest: 4.7 penalties per game (T-12th nationally, 1st ACC)

TURNOVER MARGIN PER GAME
BC: -0.67 (T-109th nationally, T-12th ACC)
Wake Forest: 1.33 (T-4th nationally, T-1st ACC)

TIME OF POSSESSION
BC: 29:40.00 (69th nationally, 10th ACC)
Wake Forest: 27:55.67 (103rd nationally, 11th ACC)

SACKS
BC: 2.00 sacks per game (T-72nd nationally, 10th ACC)
Wake Forest: 2.50 sacks per game (T-33rd nationally, T-6th ACC)

THIRD DOWN CONVERSION RATE
BC: 30.59% (121st nationally, 13th ACC)
Wake Forest: 44.58% (43rd nationally, 6th ACC)

OPPONENT THIRD DOWN CONVERSION RATE
BC: 36.36% (T-55th nationally, 7th ACC)
Wake Forest: 38.38% (68th nationally, 12th ACC)

RED ZONE TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE
BC: 52.94% (T-103rd nationally, 10th ACC)
Wake Forest: 63.64% (T-66th nationally, T-3rd ACC)

OPPONENT RED ZONE TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE
BC: 62.50% (84th nationally, 12th ACC)
Wake Forest: 57.14% (T-56th nationally, 9th ACC)

LONG SCRIMMAGE PLAYS (20-PLUS YARDS)
BC: 25 (T-96th nationally, T-9th ACC)
Wake Forest: 33 (T-55th nationally, T-5th ACC)

PUNT AVERAGE
BC: 41.64 yards per punt (79th nationally, 8th ACC)
Wake Forest: 37.91 yards per punt (125th nationally, 13th ACC)

PFF OVERALL GRADE
BC: 68.7 (111th nationally)
Wake Forest: 94.0 (6th nationally)

PFF OFFENSE GRADE
BC: 61.9 (114th nationally)
Wake Forest: 84.7 (T-9th nationally)

PFF PASS GRADE
BC: 56.0 (109th nationally)
Wake Forest: 88.3 (5th nationally)

PFF RUN GRADE
BC: 73.5 (T-101st nationally)
Wake Forest: 71.0 (117th nationally)

PFF DEFENSE GRADE
BC: 71.5 (89th nationally)
Wake Forest: 93.2 (5th nationally)

PFF COVERAGE GRADE
BC: 59.1 (T-110th nationally)
Wake Forest: 89.5 (20th nationally)

PFF PASS RUSHING GRADE
BC: 68.1 (T-89th nationally)
Wake Forest: 92.0 (1st nationally)

PFF RUN DEFENSE GRADE
BC: 77.6 (T-52nd nationally)
Wake Forest: 88.4 (17th nationally)

What Did Wake Forest HC Dave Clawson Say About BC?​

Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson isn't putting too much stock in last year's 41-10 beatdown of Boston College.

After all, the Eagles had 32 players affected by the flu, including quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who was still missing grip strength on his throwing hand that he fractured earlier that season.

BC turned the ball over three times, and the Demon Deacons pulled away, not long after Zay Flowers' potentially game-altering 73-yard touchdown run was called back because of a bad blind side block call.

Clawson said Tuesday that Wake caught BC at the right time last year, considering how many players the Eagles were down. He knows the Deacons will get a different version of BC this time around.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they are far from injury-free in 2022, either. Regardless, they do pose some challenges to a Wake defense that has struggled with the big play.
Clawson talked about BC's offensive talent and a lot more. Here's what he said:

Introductory Statement​

"Boston College has always been a very competitive football game. I think it starts with their head coach. I’m a big fan of Jeff Hafley. I’ve known Jeff for a lot of years. He started his career at Albany like I did. I think I’ve got a few years on him. But he was on Greg Schiano’s staff for a long time. And I used to always go visit Tampa Bay when Greg was there, and I used to sit in Jeff’s meetings because I just loved the way that he taught. I thought he had a great relationship with his players. And I really think he’s one of the good guys in college football. He’s doing it for the right reasons.

And I think they have a talented football team. It starts with their offensive skill. The collection of offensive skill they have is one of the very, very top of the ACC. From the quarterback, [Phil] Jurkovec, who probably would have got drafted last year and came back. Zay Flowers might be as good of a skill player as we’ll play all year. He can start for anybody in the country. He is elusive. They play him everywhere. They’ll line him up as No. 1, as a slot, as a wing, in the backfield. They’re going to get him the football. And he is really hard to get down. He makes people miss in space. He’s one of the very elite players in the country, not just the conference. And the one thing he’s doing this year, even better than a year ago, is making contested catches. He’s going up and competing for the football. And the other receivers—[Jaden] Williams, [Joe] Griffin, Jaelen Gill—these guys are all really high-level ACC players. They got a big tight end transfer from Notre Dame: 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, George Takacs. He’s very impressive, too. They’ll line him up as a receiver.

They just have so many weapons. [Pat] Garwo is a really good tailback. And they can spread the ball out. Their challenge this year has been they just have a younger offensive line. BC’s always had a great offensive line. They graduated a fair number of guys. They have had a couple of injuries. But I think it’s a unit that’s improving, when you put on the Louisville game. And they’re very athletic. These guys can move their feet. They have the makings of a very good offense.

Defensively, they have nine starters back. The other two guys were part-time starters. It’s an older, experienced group. And they know what they’re doing. Jeff’s very involved with the defense, and it’s a different style of defense than we normally see. They play a lot more single-safety coverage, which presents new challenges to us."

Q: In last year’s game against Boston College, Phil Jurkovec had the same number of passing attempts that he did rushes with only three completions. How do you mitigate that balance with Jurkovec but also having Garwo in the backfield?​

"A year ago, half their team had the flu. I don’t know this for sure—I had heard the quarterback had the flu. And I thought he played really gutsy just to play. I think we caught them at a good time last year. They weren’t at full strength. They had a flu strain going on. They were down a lot of players. Jurkovec is a really good player. What they do on their offense is they want to run the ball, but they want to take shots. And he has a strong arm. He can make plays with his feet. I think he’s a really strong competitor. And he willed them back into that game last year. We were covering them pretty good, and they were down some people, and he took off on a couple of runs that put them right back in the game.

We didn’t get the best version of him a year ago because of illness. He was also coming off that hand injury. So he wasn’t the same quarterback for our game that he was at the beginning of last year or he is now. It’s a different challenge. We’re getting him closer to full strength."

Q: You mentioned BC presenting a unique defensive look with the single-safety coverage. What it’s been like coming off the bye week and preparing for that look that you haven’t seen so far?​

"Well, we’ve had a little more time to get ready for it, which helps. But it’s a challenge. They try to dictate things to you. They know exactly what they’re doing in the defense. This is the same defense that Coach Hafley ran when he was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State with a lot of success. And now they’re into their third year with it, and they really know what they’re doing. They kind of present similar looks and then play multiple coverages. The blitz package is very complementary to their base looks. And so it’s a lot of looking the same, but it becomes different. It requires a lot of post-snap reaction.

When you know what a team’s in, it’s always easier. With these guys, what you see isn’t always what you get. I’d say they’re very good at disguise. And, again, because of what they do, they dictate certain things that they’re going to take away from you."

Q: You mentioned Boston College’s tight end. How do you handle him in coverage when, at certain points of the season, Wake has struggled against tight ends?​

"[Takacs is] a big target. So part of the problem is they line up there with Flowers—if you said, ‘Who are the top one, two or three receivers in the ACC?,’ he would be certainly on that list, whether he’s the best, second best, third best. He’s a returning first-team All-ACC receiver who’s gotten better. And then the Ohio State transfer, Jaelen Gill, has really, I think, gotten better. He’s bigger, physical, kick returner. And then the Jaden Williams guy, who was a freshman last year, is almost a younger version of Zay Flowers. He is going to be a high-end player, too. So the problem is, you have these three really good receivers, and then when they’re in 11-personnel, they have this tight end who’s 6-foot-6, 250 pounds who’s an excellent pass catcher who they can line up as a receiver.

There’s times that they put the three receivers to the field, and they split him out to the boundary, and it presents some matchup issues. It’s not just the tight end position, but it’s the fact that you’ve gotta give those other receivers so much attention that you can’t double everybody. And he can beat you. And then you start playing all nickel coverages and all two-highs, and Garwo’s a really good back. He was good last year. He’s downhill, and he’s physical. They’ve got five tailbacks. They’ve always been able to recruit good tailbacks there. A lot of times it’s been those 230-pound guys that run you over. But these guys are downhill, one cut—they can make you miss, and they can run you over.

And so this is where the challenge of defending them is—Zay Flowers is who is, he’s elite. But all those other guys are really good players, too. And, at some point, they’re going to have a single matchup. … They’ve made big plays against everybody. They made big plays against Clemson and Louisville and good football teams."