BC Injury Updates Ahead of Regular Season Finale Against Wake Forest
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
Boston College got some key defensive pieces back last week, but it was a give and take.
Even though fourth-year starting cornerback Brandon Sebastian and sixth-year transfer linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley were in the lineup again, nickelback Josh DeBerry (ankle) and defensive end Shitta Sillah (upper body) were out.
Not having DeBerry, arguably the Eagles’ most valuable player on that side of the ball, was a huge blow, especially considering backup nickel Shawn Asbury II was already gone for the year with a broken arm. The Eagles opted for more three-linebacker sets against Florida State last weekend, and it nipped them in the butt as the Seminoles spread BC out, and quarterback Jordan Travis hit his running backs, exploiting 1-on-1 matchups with the Eagles’ ’backers.
Eventually, BC head coach Jeff Hafley and his staff decided to slide cornerback Elijah Jones inside and return to its traditional 4-2-5 formation. Hafley didn’t reveal what exactly the Eagles will do this week against an even more explosive offense—Wake Forest is second in the ACC in scoring offense and third in the league in total offense—however, he noted that things will look different.
“I don't want to say who will go into that [nickel] spot because it's going to be a little bit different this week,” Hafley said. “And I'd rather not give that away if that were to happen. I'm hoping Josh can play, though, especially in a game like this where the ball is going to be in the air a lot.”
Hafley said that he’s also hoping Sillah can play Saturday.
Sebastian didn’t get to practice much last week yet made his first appearance since sustaining a knee injury while intercepting a pass at Louisville. The veteran corner played 35 snaps, except wasn’t targeted once, according to PFF.
Graham-Mobley, meanwhile, registered 42 snaps and made four total tackles, including a TFL, in the loss to the Seminoles. He explained Tuesday that he actually suffered “an extremely bad stinger” before the Louisville game. Graham-Mobley played in that one but not in the Eagles’ next three outings.
“[It] began to work into some nerves and whatnot,” Graham-Mobley said of the stinger. “So it's just like whether I could protect myself or not. So that was kind of the case the whole time.”
Graham-Mobley said that the stinger was different from his past injuries, which he’s been able to diagnose almost right away. He said, though, that the recovery is “going pretty well.” Graham-Mobley was the team’s leading tackler before the injury and now is third with 50 total.
Tight end Trae Barry missed two games with a knee injury that forced him to exit the Louisville matchup early. He came back at Georgia Tech and had two catches for 59 yards, the second of which helped BC convert a critical 3rd-and-14 in the second half.
But, last weekend against FSU, Barry played only 14 snaps, per PFF. He didn’t have a reception and was pretty much a non-factor for the Eagles.
“Trae didn’t practice much last week,” Hafley explained Tuesday. “At the end of the week, he started to. He practiced today. So I’m hoping that snap count goes way up. Because there were times in that game when we would have liked—no disrespect to any other guy who was in—but there’s certainly times in that game where he could have helped us.”
