DeBerry Back to Practice, Sillah Out for Military Bowl
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College helped set the standard for COVID-19 prevention in the FBS last year. This season, though, the program caught a bug—the injury bug. And, of course, the flu before the regular season finale against Wake Forest, but injuries were a problem all season.
Bowl prep, however, has afforded the team a chance to rest up.
Second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley said Monday that BC will be getting back arguably its most valuable defensive player for the Military Bowl.
Nickelback Josh DeBerry, who missed the final two games of the year with an ankle injury, has returned to practice and, according to Hafley, is “progressing pretty well.”
DeBerry is fifth on the team in total tackles and atop the BC leaderboard with 36 solos. The junior was everywhere in the 10 games he played this season.
He lined up in the slot for 367 snaps, on the corner for 117, in the box for 51 and on the defensive line for 11. DeBerry was used in blitz packages, as a run defender and, naturally, in coverage. He allowed just 23 catches on 44 targets, yielding a career-low reception percentage of 52.3%, per Pro Football Focus. In the process, DeBerry picked off a pair of passes.
The All-ACC second teamer registered the highest PFF defensive grade (82.2) and coverage grade (79.2) of any Eagle in 2021.
Defensive end Shitta Sillah, on the other hand, was tied for ninth among BC players when it came to PFF defensive grade (71.8). He totaled 13 pressures and 11 quarterback hurries.
Like DeBerry, Sillah left the Georgia Tech game early. He was nursing an upper-body injury and also had to sit out the last two weeks of the regular season. Sillah, though, won’t play in the Military Bowl.
Hafley ruled Sillah out Monday, explaining that the junior edge rusher had surgery and is currently rehabbing.
“He certainly will be missed,” Hafley said. “He’s one of our best defensive players.”
Sillah finished the year with 31 total tackles, one sack and two passes defended.
BC has a handful of other players who have been out for the year for a while now with season-ending injuries. Still, to get DeBerry back for a Military Bowl matchup with an East Carolina team that ranks 23rd nationally in passing offense is significant.
