Five Takeaways from Hafley’s Georgia Tech Weekly Presser
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
After suffering a humbling 40-14 loss at No. 23 Virginia Tech, Boston College didn’t get back to Logan Airport until around 4 a.m. Sunday. The team had Monday off, but Jeff Hafley said he couldn’t wait to start moving forward. His players were eager to turn the page, too.
“The cool part about this team is, you wouldn’t have known if we had won by 50, or lost the way we did,” Hafley said following Tuesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “They come out and they work. That just shows me they’re buying into what we’re trying to build.”
BC is coming off what was easily its worst performance of the season. Under the lights of Lane Stadium, the Eagles committed five turnovers and nine penalties, while failing to curtail a nationally renowned Hokies rushing attack.
BC’s Week 8 opponent, Georgia Tech, didn’t fare any better on Saturday. In fact, it couldn’t have gone much worse for the Yellow Jackets. No. 1 Clemson pummeled Geoff Collins’ team, 73-7—the largest margin of defeat in ACC history.
Both teams are tied for seventh in the conference standings and looking to prove that last weekend was a fluke. Hafley previewed the matchup on Tuesday, in addition to providing some more insight about the Eagles’ 26-point defeat in Blacksburg.
Here are five takeaways from the rookie head coach’s weekly presser.
Hafley is impressed with GT’s athleticism: In his introduction, Hafley praised Yellow Jackets true freshmen Jeff Sims and Jahmyr Gibbs. The quarterback-running back duo are the apex of the GT offense, not only now but for the future as well. Both can do damage through the air and on the ground. Although Sims has thrown nine interceptions this season, he’s racked up 1,025 passing yards and shown that he can extend plays and make all the throws downfield. Gibbs, who leads the team with three receiving touchdowns, is his third-favorite target. The 5-foot-11 first-year back averages 4.9 yards a carry and has logged 299 rushing yards this fall. Sims isn’t too far behind that department with 228 rushing yards on four fewer attempts.
Hafley credited Collins for recruiting Sims and Gibbs and playing them early in their careers. He also shouted out GT wideouts Jalen Camp, Ahmarean Brown, and Malachi Carter, particularly Brown, who he said is “one of the fastest guys we’ve seen on tape.” Additionally, Hafley talked about the length that the Yellow Jackets have on the back end. He said that, from what he’s seen so far, he likes GT’s defensive scheme. Hafley touched on the Yellow Jackets’ special teams unit, too, mentioning Pressley Harvin III—a 255-pound punter who leads the ACC with 48.2 yards per boot and is second in the conference with 12 punts pinned inside the 20. Harvin III has been used on fakes before, notably throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass last year.
It’s back to the fundamentals: Hafley emphasized that the Eagles need to hone in on the fundamentals and technique this week after missing, by his count, 26 tackles and coughing up the ball five times at Virginia Tech. BC opened Tuesday’s practice with a tackle circuit, where players were put through a handful of stations. The Eagles’ staff had the team working on all kinds of tackles: wrap and rolls, sweeping the ankle, pressing the hip, you name it.
“Clearly we didn't do it well enough in the last game so I'm not going to make an excuse for that,” said Hafley, who noted that BC was tackling high versus the Hokies. “I think we've tackled really well this season. It's my job to figure out why we didn't on Saturday, and get a better scheme to get more people to the ball, and obviously we’ve got to coach them better, too.”
Sims presents similar problems that Hendon Hooker posed: Time and time again, BC created penetration and clogged the lanes this past weekend, but the Eagles’ defense struggled to wrap up in the backfield. Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker was elusive, rushing for 164 yards and a trio of scores. Tem Lukabu’s unit will be up against another dual-threat quarterback on Saturday. Sims is averaging 11.4 carries per game, and Hafley said that he’s sure GT will go with the quarterback run this weekend because of what happened in Blacksburg. He made it clear that BC will have to come up with a better game plan.
“He is going to be a dynamic football player,” Hafley said of Sims. “They got a good one.”
BC and GT have both undergone offensive transformations: Paul Johnson’s retirement marked the end of his 11-year run at GT. It also signified the end of the triple-option for the Yellow Jackets. Since Collins took over last year, he and offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude have installed a more conventional spread offense. Albeit less dramatic, BC experienced a metamorphosis of its own this offseason. The Eagles went from a 12-personnel, run-first offense under Steve Addazio to a motion-based, pass-heavy attack led by offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. BC ranks second in the ACC in passing (only behind Clemson) and, surprisingly, dead last in the conference in rushing.
“To transition is hard,” Hafley said. “Yeah, a lot of these kids have never done it. Is it harder because we didn’t have a spring ball and training camp? Yeah. That’s why I think what you’re going to see is progress. I think you’ll see stuff start to click.”
Kobay White is missed in BC’s new-look offense: Kobay White suffered a season-ending ACL tear before BC’s opener at Duke, sidelining the graduate student for the year. He’ll preserve his final season of eligibility because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 blanket waiver for all fall sports athletes. Still, Hafley and Cignetti miss him right now. White led the team with 29 receptions last year and finished 2019 with 1,409 career receiving yards—the 19th-most in program history. Even though White’s injury has opened the door for other perimeter players, such as CJ Lewis and Jehlani Galloway, Hafley understands the value a veteran wide receiver brings to the field. He called White the “common factor” from BC’s old offense.
“I think this guy would be lighting it up,” Hafley said. “You picture him on some of these scrambles with his experience popping open, catching the ball and running, with the way Phil [Jurkovec] can throw with timing and rhythm. Him on some of these intermediate routes? I get fired up just thinking about it.”
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
After suffering a humbling 40-14 loss at No. 23 Virginia Tech, Boston College didn’t get back to Logan Airport until around 4 a.m. Sunday. The team had Monday off, but Jeff Hafley said he couldn’t wait to start moving forward. His players were eager to turn the page, too.
“The cool part about this team is, you wouldn’t have known if we had won by 50, or lost the way we did,” Hafley said following Tuesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “They come out and they work. That just shows me they’re buying into what we’re trying to build.”
BC is coming off what was easily its worst performance of the season. Under the lights of Lane Stadium, the Eagles committed five turnovers and nine penalties, while failing to curtail a nationally renowned Hokies rushing attack.
BC’s Week 8 opponent, Georgia Tech, didn’t fare any better on Saturday. In fact, it couldn’t have gone much worse for the Yellow Jackets. No. 1 Clemson pummeled Geoff Collins’ team, 73-7—the largest margin of defeat in ACC history.
Both teams are tied for seventh in the conference standings and looking to prove that last weekend was a fluke. Hafley previewed the matchup on Tuesday, in addition to providing some more insight about the Eagles’ 26-point defeat in Blacksburg.
Here are five takeaways from the rookie head coach’s weekly presser.
Hafley is impressed with GT’s athleticism: In his introduction, Hafley praised Yellow Jackets true freshmen Jeff Sims and Jahmyr Gibbs. The quarterback-running back duo are the apex of the GT offense, not only now but for the future as well. Both can do damage through the air and on the ground. Although Sims has thrown nine interceptions this season, he’s racked up 1,025 passing yards and shown that he can extend plays and make all the throws downfield. Gibbs, who leads the team with three receiving touchdowns, is his third-favorite target. The 5-foot-11 first-year back averages 4.9 yards a carry and has logged 299 rushing yards this fall. Sims isn’t too far behind that department with 228 rushing yards on four fewer attempts.
Hafley credited Collins for recruiting Sims and Gibbs and playing them early in their careers. He also shouted out GT wideouts Jalen Camp, Ahmarean Brown, and Malachi Carter, particularly Brown, who he said is “one of the fastest guys we’ve seen on tape.” Additionally, Hafley talked about the length that the Yellow Jackets have on the back end. He said that, from what he’s seen so far, he likes GT’s defensive scheme. Hafley touched on the Yellow Jackets’ special teams unit, too, mentioning Pressley Harvin III—a 255-pound punter who leads the ACC with 48.2 yards per boot and is second in the conference with 12 punts pinned inside the 20. Harvin III has been used on fakes before, notably throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass last year.
It’s back to the fundamentals: Hafley emphasized that the Eagles need to hone in on the fundamentals and technique this week after missing, by his count, 26 tackles and coughing up the ball five times at Virginia Tech. BC opened Tuesday’s practice with a tackle circuit, where players were put through a handful of stations. The Eagles’ staff had the team working on all kinds of tackles: wrap and rolls, sweeping the ankle, pressing the hip, you name it.
“Clearly we didn't do it well enough in the last game so I'm not going to make an excuse for that,” said Hafley, who noted that BC was tackling high versus the Hokies. “I think we've tackled really well this season. It's my job to figure out why we didn't on Saturday, and get a better scheme to get more people to the ball, and obviously we’ve got to coach them better, too.”
Sims presents similar problems that Hendon Hooker posed: Time and time again, BC created penetration and clogged the lanes this past weekend, but the Eagles’ defense struggled to wrap up in the backfield. Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker was elusive, rushing for 164 yards and a trio of scores. Tem Lukabu’s unit will be up against another dual-threat quarterback on Saturday. Sims is averaging 11.4 carries per game, and Hafley said that he’s sure GT will go with the quarterback run this weekend because of what happened in Blacksburg. He made it clear that BC will have to come up with a better game plan.
“He is going to be a dynamic football player,” Hafley said of Sims. “They got a good one.”
BC and GT have both undergone offensive transformations: Paul Johnson’s retirement marked the end of his 11-year run at GT. It also signified the end of the triple-option for the Yellow Jackets. Since Collins took over last year, he and offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude have installed a more conventional spread offense. Albeit less dramatic, BC experienced a metamorphosis of its own this offseason. The Eagles went from a 12-personnel, run-first offense under Steve Addazio to a motion-based, pass-heavy attack led by offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. BC ranks second in the ACC in passing (only behind Clemson) and, surprisingly, dead last in the conference in rushing.
“To transition is hard,” Hafley said. “Yeah, a lot of these kids have never done it. Is it harder because we didn’t have a spring ball and training camp? Yeah. That’s why I think what you’re going to see is progress. I think you’ll see stuff start to click.”
Kobay White is missed in BC’s new-look offense: Kobay White suffered a season-ending ACL tear before BC’s opener at Duke, sidelining the graduate student for the year. He’ll preserve his final season of eligibility because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 blanket waiver for all fall sports athletes. Still, Hafley and Cignetti miss him right now. White led the team with 29 receptions last year and finished 2019 with 1,409 career receiving yards—the 19th-most in program history. Even though White’s injury has opened the door for other perimeter players, such as CJ Lewis and Jehlani Galloway, Hafley understands the value a veteran wide receiver brings to the field. He called White the “common factor” from BC’s old offense.
“I think this guy would be lighting it up,” Hafley said. “You picture him on some of these scrambles with his experience popping open, catching the ball and running, with the way Phil [Jurkovec] can throw with timing and rhythm. Him on some of these intermediate routes? I get fired up just thinking about it.”
