Jurkovec Flounders in Lopsided Loss at Virginia Tech
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA — Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec pointed downfield early in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game at Virginia Tech.
It has been his signature with the Eagles.
Throughout Jurkovec's three years as the Eagles' starting signal caller, the former Notre Dame transfer has routinely signaled a big play with his finger, communicating with his receivers off schedule while making a Houdini-like escape out of the pocket.
Not this time.
Jurkovec slipped and hit the wet turf of a soaked and sold-out Lane Stadium. He laid on the ground with his hands on his head. Eventually, he got up boiling and slowly jogged to the sideline, where he chucked his helmet in frustration.
It was that kind of night for Jurkovec.
A night that started with him staring down wide receiver Jaden Williams before throwing a game-opening interception. A night that saw the NFL hopeful miss receivers left and right when he had time to throw and eat five sacks when he didn't.
BC netted -1 yard over its first six drives and needed two Hokies defensive pass interference penalties to keep its lone scoring drive the opening half going.
In a lowlight of his Eagles career, Jurkovec finished 16-of-29, and BC piled up a meager 155 yards of total offense in a 27-10 defeat.
"We're not we're not playing good enough," third-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley said postgame. "Obviously, we're not coaching good enough. We had 150 yards on offense, and we need to score points.
"We have to find ways to score points."
The Hokies (1-1, 1-0 ACC) bounced back after an embarrassing season-opening loss at Old Dominion. BC (0-2, 0-1), meanwhile, took another step back following its collapse against Rutgers last weekend.
BC's thin offensive line—which is replacing all five starters from 2021—was even thinner Saturday night, as starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo was out with injury. Jack Conley moved over to the blind side, and Dwayne Allick—the Eagles' sixth O-Lineman versus Rutgers—slotted in at right guard. Then, in the third quarter, right tackle Kevin Cline went down, leaving redshirt freshman Nick Thomas to fill that hole.
There were stretches where Jurkovec faced unrelenting pressure for the second week in a row. Virginia Tech's defense fed off Jurkovec's exasperation.
"When you see he's getting frustrated, that's a position where you got to keep your cool, really no matter what," Hokies defensive end TyJuan Garbutt told Tech Sideline. "If the quarterback is getting frustrated, that's in our favor because he's about to start playing for us."
Even when Jurkovec did have a clean pocket, he struggled to capitalize. In the first quarter, he airmailed a pass wide of true freshman wideout Joe Griffin. Then, in the second frame, he overshot Williams, who blew the top off Virginia Tech's defense on a go route. Later that quarter, a rolling Jurkovec uncharacteristically missed a wide-open Zay Flowers and instead scrambled for minimal gain.
Jurkovec and Flowers weren't on the same page like they were against Rutgers. The speedy wideout's target number dwindled from 15 to five from Week 1 to Week 2.
"I was trying to get the ball out," Jurkovec explained. "Throwing it a little bit too early on some, just plain missing him on some. Miscommunication. It's just a mixture when we're off. When we're like that, we've gotta find a way to pick up the offense in some other area."
The Hokies didn't do anything special offensively. But, perhaps most importantly, they didn't shoot themselves in the foot like they did at Old Dominion, where they committed 15 penalties and five turnovers the week before.
Virginia Tech was turnover-free against BC, and the Hokies achieved balance on offense, rushing for 144 yards and passing for 140 more.
They scored their first touchdown after Jurkovec's interception on the second play from scrimmage. Williams was draped in coverage by Virginia Tech cornerback Armani Chatman, who made the pick and returned it 31 yards. Chatman served as the catalyst for a seven-play, 14-yard Hokies touchdown drive that resulted in a Jalen Holston score on 4th-and-Goal.
Toward the end of the first quarter, Virginia Tech extended its lead to 10-0, thanks to a 49-yard William Ross field goal that was made possible, in large part, because of a 17-yard Grant Wells pass to Stephen Gosnell and 12-yard Wells scamper.
Open-field tackling was a problem for the Eagles on that series. They didn't even lay much of a hand on running back Keshawn King during Virginia Tech's next scoring drive.
King needed one play and 11 seconds to go 65 yards to the house. He squeezed through the trenches and shot through the second level like a pinball. King's touchdown staked the Hokies to a 17-0 advantage early in the second quarter.
Where Virginia Tech was arguably most dominant Saturday night was special teams. BC had an average starting field position of its own 23-yard line. Hokies punter Peter Moore, an All-ACC third teamer in 2021, notably rolled a 67-yard punt down to BC's 4-yard line in the second quarter, even though Flowers could have fielded it off the bounce.
BC did get on the board prior to intermission, courtesy of a 30-yard Connor Lytton field goal, but everything was hard about the Eagles' 14-play, 65-yard drive. Hafley's bunch went into the break 0-of-8 on third down.
The Eagles' best series of the game came midway through the third quarter. After Jurkovec hooked up with Flowers for a gain of 49 yards, BC ran tempo, and Virginia Tech couldn't keep pace. Eagles offensive coordinator John McNulty called a flea-flicker, and it produced a nine-yard completion to Williams. It wasn't long before Jurkovec found Williams again in the red zone for a 17-yard score.
Just as BC narrowed the gap to one score, the Hokies answered with a touchdown drive of their own. It was Wells' best series of the night. The Marshall transfer completed 5-of-6 passes, including a 43-yard rifle to wide receiver Kaleb Smith, who ultimately reached the paint on a goal line out route later that drive.
Virginia Tech ended up putting the finishing touches of its three-score victory with a 38-yard field goal.
The Eagles left Lane Stadium having averaged 2.6 yards per play and converted a combined 3-of-17 third and fourth downs. They had nine three-and-outs.
As off as Jurkovec was Saturday night, he had little help from an inexperienced and shifting O-Line that, once again, failed to pave the way for a run game.
The graduate quarterback, who was supposed to take less hits this season after never really being healthy in 2021, was put in a blender by a fierce Virginia Tech pass rush.
"We can't get him hit like that," Hafley said. "The ball's gotta come out. We have to find a way to run the football. But we cannot get Phil hit like that.
"Cannot. Can't happen."
