BC Football Mailbag: Will the Eagles Win an ACC Game This Year?
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Staff Writer
Wake Forest is 8-0 and No. 10 in the AP Poll. Some thought, especially those on the Heights, that BC could be in that same position. Or at least close to it.
Instead, injuries, dropped snaps and red zone droughts have spoiled a season full of hope and parity. Still, the Eagles have four games left to right some wrongs.
Will they do it? And what needs to change? I explore in this week’s mailbag.
mod12a: What’s the issue with the punt return team? It has cost us in the last two games. What are we doing to fix it?
The Jordan Watkins punt return at Louisville, which was originally 44 yards, was reduced to 21 because of a Cardinals penalty. But that shouldn’t distract from the fact that the angles BC took were terrible, and it all started with long snapper Gunner Daniel tripping and unintentionally blocking Isaiah Graham-Mobley. Cornerback JT Thompson II also approached Watkins way too wide.
Still, what that return and Courtney Jackson’s 64-yard touchdown return at Syracuse have in common is Grant Carlson. Both have come on line drive punts with minimal hang time. The first one bounced into the arms of Watkins. The second dropped swiftly into Jackson’s possession. When that happens, the coverage team doesn’t have time to slow down to position itself. That’s why you saw Elijah Jones and Joey Luchetti sliding to the turf whiffing on tackles. Now, could the tackling be better? Absolutely.
But it’s Carlson’s job to get his punts up in the air. The first few weeks of the season, his average hang time was above four seconds. Now, it’s down to 3.81. PFF actually provides a week-by-week split for hang time. Here’s the breakdown:
Colgate - 4.46
UMass - 3.56
Temple - 4.06
Missouri - 3.65
Clemson - 4.15
N.C. State - 3.66
Louisville - 3.51
Syracuse - 3.66
aminuto94: What are the odds that BC goes winless in the ACC?
It could happen. If you want me to put a percentage on it, I’d say 35%. I think BC will snag a win over either Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech or Florida State. FSU is much improved, but it’s a mid-November game in Chestnut Hill, which gives BC somewhat of an advantage (although the Seminoles beat BC in Alumni Stadium two years ago during a November Red Bandana Game while putting up 38 points). The Eagles have three of their last four games at home. Upsetting Wake Forest in the regular season finale would mean BC pulled off its first ranked victory since 2014, so that doesn’t seem likely.
If the Eagles are to avoid a 2015-like season, they’re best bet is to grab a win in the next three weeks, and ideally two to clinch bowl eligibility. Virginia Tech’s offense is second-to-last in the ACC. Georgia Tech lost to Northern Illinois. FSU lost to Jacksonville State. It’s not like BC doesn’t have a chance here.
Anything’s possible. And that goes both ways.
shermy4422: Injury updates on Tyler Vrabel, IGM and Trae Barry?
There was no update on Vrabel this week. He left the Syracuse game with an upper-body injury. Previously, he had worked his way back to the field after suffering a knee injury at Clemson that kept him out of the North Carolina State game. Hafley said this week that he is “hopeful” Isaiah Graham-Mobley will be able to go Friday night against Virginia Tech. Tight end Trae Barry and cornerback Brandon Sebastian, who both sustained lower-body injuries versus Louisville, were day-to-day this week, according to Hafley.
mod12a: Any chance Phil Jurkovec comes back this year?
Well, rumors have been swirling that Jurkovec will start Friday night against Virginia Tech. Is that possible? Perhaps. But nothing I’ve seen has indicated he’s returning this week. Leading up to the Syracuse game, Hafley was asked about the redshirt junior quarterback. This is what he said:
“He actually stays behind [the other quarterbacks during practice] and goes through all of his footwork. So he’s actually out there—he obviously can’t throw and won’t be able to throw—but yeah, he’s going through the footwork, he’s in all the meetings, he’s there for the guys. He comes, he travels for all the games, he does warmups on the field. … If he weren’t a quarterback, and he were another position, he could cast it up, and he could play. But he can’t put a cast on it and throw.”
Obviously, things could have changed since then. But how drastically? Jurkovec fractured his throwing hand. Building back that grip strength takes some time. So does getting the timing and rhythm down with receivers, who he hasn’t thrown to in months. And then there’s the chance of him getting hurt again.
If he’s cleared way ahead of schedule, I still would expect Hafley to approach this situation cautiously, especially given the way the Eagles’ offensive line has been playing recently.
Radleypd251: With our vaunted O-Line, why are we struggling with a three-man rush?
Perfect segue. BC has allowed 15 sacks the last four games. Let’s look at the last two weeks. Both times, the Eagles were up against defenses with three-man fronts. Louisville tallied three sacks while Syracuse piled up five. In those games, however, the Cardinals and Orange weren’t just sending three defenders on the rush. Linebackers Yasir Abdullah (Louisville) and Stefon Thompson (Syracuse) led the teams with three and five total pressures, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus.
Teams are stacking the box and blitzing heavily to stop what has become a pretty one-dimensional BC offense. And when I say one dimensional, I mean that in two ways. The Eagles rely on the run to fuel their offense, but then when they trail significantly, they have no choice but to throw. Either way, defensive pressure works against the Eagles. That’s why you’ve seen offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. turn to the quick passing game the last few weeks.
Essentially, defenses are daring BC to complete passes downfield. And until the Eagles do that, teams will continue to load up the box with defenders, regardless if it’s a three or four-man front. Of course, another reason why the Eagles have struggled, even against three down linemen, is because their tackle play has been sub-standard. Left tackle has been nothing but an eye sore. Tyler Vrabel has been battling injuries—first a knee and now an upper body—and Jack Conley hasn’t been the answer in replacement. In fact, Conley has allowed seven sacks in 167 snaps on the blind side this year, per PFF.
shermy4422: Will we see O-Line shuffling?
I asked Hafley about that this week. Here was his answer:
“I think changes need to be made,” Hafley said. “Now, is that people or is that scheme? But changes have to be made. It’s too many sacks. You can’t get sacked that many times. And we can’t get pressured that many times. Now, is it six-man vs. five-man protection? Should it be seven-man protection? Do we need to chip more? Do we need to get the ball out quicker and have more five-man stuff? There’s a lot of things we need to do. And then who are the guys? And do they give us the best chance to win? I think it’s gotta be a combination of coaching and playing. And I think that is 100% the truth.”
The Eagles have to do something different. This offensive line was heralded throughout the offseason, much like the season prior. Only this time, BC had a full spring ball and training camp to prepare, not to mention comfortability of being in year two of Cignetti’s zone-run scheme. Whether it’s been bad snaps, poor pass protection or inconsistent run blocking, the unit hasn’t lived up to expectations, particularly in ACC play. If Vrabel can’t go tonight, I think we’ll see a new face at left tackle. Maybe it’s Kevin Cline or Ozzy Trapilo. But there’s also the chance the Eagles shift Zion Johnson over to left tackle and insert Cline or Trapilo at left guard. Johnson played left tackle all last season and allowed two sacks, per PFF.
