2022 BC Position Series Preview: Quarterbacks
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Phil Jurkovec really wasn't supposed to be at Boston College for the 2022 season. The expectation was that he'd build off his breakout 2020 campaign and go either Day One or Day Two in this year's NFL Draft, standing out in a weak quarterback class.
That, of course, didn't happen.
Instead, Jurkovec suffered a season-threatening fracture to his throwing hand at UMass in Week 2. He missed the next six games before making a surprise return for the Eagles' annual Red Bandana Game against Virginia Tech. Jurkovec rescued the Eagles' season, snapping their four-game losing streak—during which they averaged a putrid 10 points per game versus ACC competition—and led them to back-to-back victories, clinching bowl eligibility for BC.
But Jurkovec was far from 100%. His grip strength wasn't fully there, and it didn't help that he was taking a ton of hits, both as a ball carrier and as a passer. Jurkovec's injury—plus a bout with the flu—caught up with him. After accounting for five total touchdowns, including three on the ground, at Georgia Tech, he completed a combined 13-of-35 passes against Florida State and Wake Forest.
The Eagles dropped both of those games and, for the third time in four years, didn't actually play in a bowl despite being eligible.
Before the Military Bowl, Jurkovec announced that he'd be coming back for the 2022 season. So did star wide receiver Zay Flowers. That pairing has a chance to help each other leave BC as first-round prospects.
That, however, depends on Jurkovec not only remaining healthy but also flourishing in new offensive coordinator John McNulty's scheme.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
QB1 - Phil Jurkovec2021 Stats: 52-of-96 (54.2%), 914 yards, 9.5 YPA, 7 TD, 4 INT
2020 Stats: 205-of-336 (61.0%), 2,558 yards, 7.6 YPA, 17 TD, 5 INT
QB2 - Emmett Morehead
2021 Stats: 6-of-16 (37.5%), 87 yards, 5.4 YPA, 0 TD, 0 INT
QB3 - Matthew Rueve
2021 Stats: N/A
QB4 - Peter Delaportas
2021 Stats: N/A
QB5 - Daelen Menard
2021 Stats: N/A
PFF BREAKDOWN
BC sorely missed Jurkovec last season. Dennis Grosel was as experienced as backups come, but he didn't play his best football in 2021. In particular, Grosel struggled to connect on the deep ball. After airing it out all over the place in his 520-yard performance at Virginia in the 2020 regular season finale, Grosel completed just 4-of-25 passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield in his second run as BC's starter.That yielded a PFF passing grade of 53.3. Meanwhile, third string and true freshman Emmett Morehead completed two such passes in his collegiate debut at Syracuse, which spanned less than a full game. And Jurkovec finished 15-of-33 on passes traveling at least 20 yards in the air, registering a 92.2 PFF grade for deep passing.
It almost seemed as if former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. overcompensated with Jurkovec in at quarterback, though. When all was said and done, 36.3% of Jurkovec's 91 pass attempts in 2021 traveled 20-plus yards, per PFF. The deep shots were fired early and often. Now, it's hard to tell if that's what Cignetti was explicitly calling for or, simply, where Jurkovec was throwing the ball.
Either way, it's notable.
Because, as magical as Jurkovec is under pressure and outside the pocket, he ranked last in average time to throw (3.51 seconds) among 18 ACC quaterbacks with 100 or more dropbacks in 2021. By comparison, Grosel was sixth in that group (2.85 seconds).
And, in that same ACC data set, Jurkovec was 15th in average time to throw on dropbacks with scrambles (5.63). He does, however, have a Houdini-like way of getting passes off, sometimes inexplicably. Jurkovec's escapability—even at less than full strength—continued to be head turning. Of those same 18 ACC quarterbacks, he had the lowest percentage of pressures that turned into sacks (14.9%), according to PFF.
Still, Jurkovec could be better off if he starts getting the ball out quicker. After all, he completed a significantly higher clip of passes (72.7%) less than 2.5 seconds after the snap than he did on passes 2.5 seconds or more after the snap (48.6%). He was 16-of-22 on the former and 36-of-74 on the latter this past season.
And, believe it or not, his yards per attempt were a tad higher on the throws less than 2.5 seconds after the snap.
BC's offensive line didn't live up to its hype last year, but Jurkovec was at fault for some of the hits he took and a handful of the completions he missed.
BIGGEST QUESTIONS
1. Can Jurkovec stay healthy for a full season? Ding, ding, ding. It's the million dollar question. Even in 2020, when Jurkovec broke onto the scene nationally, he missed BC's regular season with a non-contact knee injury that he suffered against Louisville. Earlier that year, too, he hurt his shoulder at Clemson. Then, in 2021, he fell on his wrist and was sidelined for half the season. Jurkovec, now a redshirt senior, has yet to complete a 12-game slate at the college level.
BC wasn't entirely prepared for him to go down last season, hence the lack of scheme change once Grosel took over—although that was partly rooted in Cignetti's confidence in Grosel. This time around, there will surely be more of an insurance plan. Still, another Jurkovec injury would undoubtedly foil the Eagles' plans.
2. And, if he does, can he be even better than his 2020 self? Jurkovec was a star his first year on the Heights. He came in with a bunch of buzz considering he was a former four-star Notre Dame quarterback. But, the fact of the matter was, he hadn't started a game since his senior year of high school. Nevertheless, the Pittsburgh native came out of the gates slinging it. He helped revolutionize BC's offense—which had been dormant through the air much of the previous decade—throwing for 300-plus yards in four of his first five games in a BC uniform.
As magnificent as Jurkovec was for most of that season, there were times in which he and the Eagles' offense faltered. For quarter-long stretches. If BC is to be anywhere near the Atlantic Division title conversation—and if Jurkovec is to justify his offseason Heisman Trophy odds—that can't happen in 2022.
3. Is Emmett Morehead the future of the program? Morehead was thrown into the fire last season when he split snaps with Grosel in the Carrier Dome. BC needed a spark offensively, and Morehead provided that, however fleeting it might have been. His 44-yard completion to Flowers down the sideline caught BC fans' attention.
Morehead has the tools to be Jurkovec's heir. He's 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, and he's got a big arm. His accuracy is a work in progress right now, but he's got great football IQ and a calm demeanor about him that made the coaching staff comfortable with playing him on the road as just a true freshman. The future is bright for the Woodside, California, native. That said, another year of development is much needed.
BEST/WORSE CASE SCENARIO
Best: Jurkovec stays healthy all season, throws for 3,000-plus yards and 30 touchdowns and runs for five more, solidifying himself as the best BC quarterback since Matt Ryan. The Eagles finally eclipse the eight-win mark—would be the first time since 2009—snap their 23-game losing streak to AP-ranked opponents and win a bowl game. Jurkovec's performance vaults him into the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.Worst: Jurkovec gets hurt again. Morehead is sprung into action, but isn't quite ready for the starter spotlight and struggles mightily, forcing BC to either stick with the sophomore or turn to Matthew Rueve, or perhaps even true freshman Peter Delaportas. Not only do the Eagles, strapped with a much tougher 2022 schedule, miss out on bowl eligibility for the first time in seven years, but Jurkovec's draft stock craters, Morehead's development is in question and so is the arc of the Jeff Hafley era.
OUTLOOK
That worse-case scenario is unlikely. But so is Jurkovec being a Heisman finalist. The real outcome will probably fall somewhere in the middle. Jurkovec is one of several good ACC quarterbacks. Taking the next step will hinge on pocket discipline, increased durability and, honestly, the effectiveness of McNulty's system.It's hard to take a lot away from Jurkovec's 2021 season, but his return to a dual-threat style was eye catching. He rushed for 55 or more yards in each of the five full games he played in. Jurkovec looked slimmer and faster after he came back from his injury.
That version of him will make the Eagles more dynamic offensively.
