Five Things BC Needs in Order to Turn Its Season Around
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boson College's offensive line trouble steals the headlines, but there is more than one issue facing the 2-4 Eagles right now.
Actually, there are a bunch. Some are firmly in their control and fixable in the short term. Others are dependent on injury luck. By and large, most go hand-in-hand, at least to a certain degree.
Here are five things BC needs in order to turn things around in the back half of 2022:
1. Offensive line needs to stay healthy, and continuity must pay off
To say the offensive line has been BC's Achilles heel this year would be an understatement. The Eagles have given up 3.67 sacks per game this season, which is tied for 123rd in the FBS. What's more, BC is second to last in the country with 69.5 rushing yards per game. The Eagles need to achieve some kind of run/pass balance to give quarterback Phil Jurkovec some time to throw and, subsequently, be consistently effective on offense. In BC's two wins this season, it has averaged 127.5 yards on the ground. All season, head coach Jeff Hafley has talked about how, with experience and continuity, the Eagles' O-Line will make strides.The problem is, continuity has been hard to come by so far. BC began the season with zero returning starters up front from 2021. Since, three of the Eagles' Week 1 starters on the offensive line have missed time. Right tackle Kevin Cline is out for the year with an ACL tear, and Hafley isn't sure when left guard Finn Dirstine—who has missed the last two games with an upper-body-injury—will be back. The Clemson game marked the first time in 2022 that the Eagles were rolling with the same five starters up front in consecutive games this season. BC needs that streak to continue at Wake Forest this week, although Hafley mentioned during the bye that center Drew Kendall was fighting through pain against Clemson, so his status is worth monitoring as well.
2. Force more turnovers
In the first year of Hafley's stay, the Eagles forced 21 turnovers in 11 games. They finished the season third in the ACC and 22nd nationally in turnover margin per game (0.64). There was only one game all year BC didn't create a takeaway, and that was during its blowout defeat to then-No. 23 Virginia Tech. The Eagles forced three-plus turnovers in four separate games (Duke, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Louisville). They also did a better job scoring points off those turnovers. The GT win was the banner game for converting takeaways into points, as BC turned three Yellow Jackets turnovers into a trio of touchdowns.Not only is scoring points off turnovers an issue for the Eagles this season, but it was a problem last year, too. Midway through the 2022 campaign, BC has registered a mere six takeaways. And three of those were against FCS Maine. Altogether, the Eagles still have a bagel on the board when it comes to points off turnovers this year. Nada. Zero. Connor Lytton has missed field goals after three of the Eagles' six takeaways: a 44-yarder versus Rutgers, a 28-yarder versus Maine and a 35-yarder versus Clemson.
3. Be more effective in the red zone
BC is tied for 103rd in the nation in red zone touchdown conversion percentage (52.94%) this season. The Eagles have scored on 13 of their 17 trips to the red area, but they have only nine touchdowns to show for it. Finishing drives against Clemson, in particular, was a serious obstacle. BC reached at least the Tigers' 36-yard line five times, including four times in the first half, and came up with just three points. A pair of Lytton missed field goals factored in, however, BC's offense needed six not three on some of those drives to stay in the ring with Clemson.Perhaps the most egregious red zone flop versus the Tigers came when nickelback Josh DeBerry intercepted DJ Uiagalelei, setting up the Eagles at the Clemson 24-yard line. Then they went six yards in three plays, and Lytton bent a 35-yarder wide (which goes back to the above point about points off turnovers, or the lack thereof). It doesn't matter how well BC moves the ball if it can't tie off series with touchdowns.
4. Special teams needs to figure things out
If you don't have a great offense, you have to be great in the other two phases to stay in games. BC ranks 89th in special teams SP+ right now. It finished 28th in that metric last year. the Eagles have five missed field goals, including four inside the 40-yard line. After a near perfect true freshman season, Lytton—who entered 2022 as a preseason Lou Groza Award watch list honoree—has experienced a sophomore slump.Additionally, the Eagles have struggled mightily on kickoff return defense. They are sixth worst in the FBS in that category, allowing 29.2 yards per return. BC gave up a 73-yard kickoff return to Maine, and Florida State began its blitzing of the Eagles with a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown in Week 4. What's more, BC has returned just six punts this season, tied for the fewest in the ACC. While Zay Flowers has flashed his dynamism back there, he's letting too many of them roll, hurting the Eagles' field position in the process.
5. Significantly improve on third down
Third down success often correlates with offensive success. That's why it's no surprise the Eagles—who have scored 10, 14 and three points in their three ACC losses—are currently posting the 11th-worst third down conversion rate (30.59%) in the country. BC can't seem to stay on schedule.Here's a look at the Eagles' average third down distance in games this season...
Week 1 vs. Rutgers: 8.6 yards
Week 2 at Virginia Tech: 10.9 yards
Week 3 vs. Maine: 6.6 yards
Week 4 at Florida State: 8.2 yards
Week 5 vs. Louisville: 9.8 yards
Week 6 vs. Clemson: 7.8 yards
It's largely because BC has struggled up front and, in turn, on the ground. Although, interestingly enough, the Eagles are averaging 3.22 yards per carry on first down—more than any other down this season. But setbacks like sacks, incompletions and penalties have frequently put BC far behind the sticks on third down. To sustain drives, the Eagles must be better in that area of the game.
