Film Room: How Did Dennis Grosel Perform at Temple?
CLICK HERE FOR BEST READING EXPERIENCE (INCLUDES EMBEDDED TWEETS AND GIFS)Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Staff Writer
Dennis Grosel’s numbers at Temple looked a lot more like the ones he put up in former offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian’s offense back in 2019. The redshirt senior completed just 5-of-13 passes for a meager 34 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
Before last weekend, Grosel had hit on 71.6% (53-of-74) of his passes and thrown for seven touchdowns and three interceptions under now-OC Frank Cignetti Jr. He had also averaged 11.0 yards per attempt in that span, almost double his 6.3 yards per attempt in 2019.
Grosel didn’t play his best at Lincoln Financial Field, but he also wasn’t as bad as his stat line indicates. At times, he was indecisive. Others, his ball placement was off—but not by much. The fact of the matter is, though, he’ll have to shore up those mistakes this week at Missouri, by far BC’s most difficult opponent yet. Close won’t do the veteran any good against the Tigers, who have reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Connor Bazelak under center.
Before Eagle Action totally turns the page to Missouri, let’s break down Grosel’s first start following the season-threatening hand injury to Phil Jurkovec.
IN THE RUN GAME
Every time a commentator says that Grosel isn’t as mobile as Jurkovec, I cringe. Jurkovec is faster than people give him credit for, but Grosel is shiftier. Now, he’s not as good at improvising outside the pocket, however, when he’s in space, he can make defenders miss. BC has been using Grosel in the run action ever since 2019 when he took over for Anthony Brown Jr.Against Temple, Grosel carried the ball five times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Grosel logged three runs of 10-plus yards, two of which came on the zone-read. Cignetti called a bunch of outside zone runs from the shotgun, setting up the quarterback keeper. Grosel faked the handoff at the mesh point, pulled and flipped on the accelerator. Look for Grosel’s number to be called more than Jurkovec’s was—although I think BC was trending in that direction with Jurkovec at the helm, too. The Eagles want the quarterback run in their offense.
UNDER PRESSURE
Grosel had some pressure off the blind side Saturday, and that’s where Jurkovec’s absence was really exploited. The Willoughby, Ohio, native can buy himself an extra half second in the pocket, but his escapability can’t match Jurkovec’s, in large part because he’s a smaller body. Four inches shorter than Jurkovec, Grosel can’t brush defenders off with brute strength.Left tackle Tyler Vrabel graded out the lowest of the Eagles’ O-Linemen at Temple, per Pro Football Focus, finishing with a score of 67.4. He allowed a sack in the first quarter. Slow feet off the snap led to him being bulldozed by Temple defensive end Manny Walker into Grosel. Walker nearly beat Vrabel again off the edge in the second quarter, but he was a half step offsides.
Grosel had his moments under duress. While the pocket was collapsing, he delivered a rocket to wide receiver CJ Lewis on 3rd-and-16 to keep BC’s third offensive series alive, which ultimately culminated in a Pat Garwo III touchdown.
He also evaded a Layton Jordan sack with less than five minutes left in the first half and lofted a jump pass for tight end Joey Luchetti. The throw was on target, but Luchetti couldn’t get a foot in. Still, it was a nice adjustment by Grosel to roll out on play-action, keep his composure with a defensive end after him, stay in bounds and deliver a pretty nice ball.
Whereas Jurkovec’s stats were actually better under pressure than when he had a clean pocket in 2020, Grosel has the opposite figures. When he’s been under duress this year, his PFF passing grade has dropped from 82.6 to 62.3. His completion percentage has slid from 70.4% (19-of-27) to 50.0% (4-of-8), and his yards per attempt has declined from 9.1 to 7.1.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Grosel was inches away from a handful of highlight-reel plays. The first that comes to mind is his underthrown pass to Jaden Williams on the Eagles’ second drive of the day. The Owls bit hard on play-action, and Grosel had Williams open in 1-on-1 coverage. He set his feet, cocked back his arm and unloaded a pass deep downfield for BC’s breakout true freshman wide receiver, who caught the game-opening 19-yard touchdown.Grosel didn’t have enough juice on it, though. And Temple cornerback Keyshawn Paul came down with the interception. Williams could have done a better job fighting for the ball, but there’s no denying it was underthrown. And, if the pass was on the money, it could very well have been an easy six points for the Eagles.
Then, early in the second quarter, Grosel uncorked a 40-yard pass for wide receiver Zay Flowers. The throw was out wide, and Flowers had to make an adjustment to the ball, turning over his shoulder to get in position to make the catch. The pass fell incomplete, but this one’s more on Flowers than Grosel. Flowers is an All-ACC first-team wideout and a potential NFL first rounder. This is the kind of ball he has to come down with. That said, Grosel could have been more accurate.
It’s times like late in the third quarter when he threw behind Jehlani Galloway that serve as a cause for concern. Grosel sees his open slot receiver, who has green in front of him, and misses the short throw, bringing up a fourth down.
And that’s the thing. He’ll often make the right read but either hold onto the ball too long or misfire. Of the 26 ACC quarterbacks with 50-plus dropbacks last season, Grosel ranked dead last in average time to throw (3.11 seconds), according to PFF. He was half a second late on a 2nd-and-11 midway through the second quarter. He hesitated before dialing up a pass intended for Kobay White, who was running a corner route. But tight end Trae Barry thought the ball was for him, so he reached for it, tipping it and preventing White from hauling in the completion.
