Nine New Year’s Resolutions for 2022 BC Football
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)
Publisher
This was supposed to be the year. Boston College was supposed to break or at least reach the eight-win barrier for the first time since 2009, crack the AP Poll for the second season since 2008 and maybe even contend for its first-ever ACC championship.
The Eagles didn’t achieve any of those feats. Instead, injuries and, ultimately, the flu and COVID-19 threw a wrench in a 2021 campaign that began with an outpouring of optimism.
BC started 4-0 for the first time since 2007 and then cratered in ACC play with Dennis Grosel filling in for the injured Phil Jurkovec. The Eagles’ revolutionary passing attack from 2020 took a massive step back, and, while the defense made strides, BC was mostly uncompetitive because of its dysfunctional offense.
A string of offseason victories—a second straight top-35 recruiting class, the extension of head coach Jeff Hafley and the return of Jurkovec, Zay Flowers and others—have reinvigorated the fan base. But the pressure’s on for Hafley and Co. to succeed in 2022. The honeymoon phase is over.
So here are some New Year’s resolutions for next season’s Eagles.
Beat an AP-ranked team…it’s about time: This one’s hard to fathom. BC hasn’t topped an AP-ranked opponent since 2014 when it upset then-No. 9 USC in the first-annual Red Bandana Game. The Eagles have lost 23 consecutive games to opponents ranked in the AP Top 25. This season, BC came within 11 yards of ending that drought and snapping, at the time, Clemson’s 30-game home win streak (that’s still going, by the way). Then the Eagles were blown out at home by North Carolina State and Wake Forest, which were ranked No. 22 and No. 21, respectively.
Last year, the Eagles were much more respectable on the biggest stage. They were a two-point conversion away from potentially forcing overtime against then-No. 12 North Carolina and lost to then-No. 1 Clemson and then-No. 2 Notre Dame by a combined 20 points. BC infamously staked itself to a 28-10 lead at Clemson before letting it slip.
Actually play a bowl game: The Eagles have been bowl eligible six years in a row but have actually only played out three postseason games in that span. The First Responder Bowl in 2018 went down as the first-ever bowl game to be canceled because of weather. Lightning struck again, literally, the following year at the Birmingham Bowl, when BC’s game versus then-No. 21 Cincinnati was delayed for an hour and a half. This time, the Eagles got back on the field but were washed out by the rain and a budding Bearcats team that was a couple years away from an impressive College Football Playoff berth.
In 2020, BC became the first of 22 programs to voluntarily withdraw from bowl season because of the restrictions and rigors of COVID-19, instead prioritizing family time during the holidays. This year, the Eagles accepted an invitation to the Military Bowl yet couldn’t play due to COVID-19 issues, compounded with transfers and opt-outs.
Maximize Zay Flowers’ potential: Flowers might be BC’s most explosive wide receiver. Ever. He’s on track to be the Eagles’ first wideout drafted since 1987. And he decided to come back for his senior season despite having probably an hour of tape of him gaining a half or full step on ACC defensive backs. Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. loves to send Flowers deep, rocketing him downfield like a little kid slingshotting a pinball. It shows as Flowers led qualifying Eagles receivers (more than two games played) with 2.27 yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus. But he’s more than just a speedster that can blow the top off secondaries.
And he’s not just a jet sweep guy, either. He’s a do-it-all receiver. Cignetti and, by extension, Jurkovec need to get Flowers more involved in the intermediate and short passing game. And Cignetti must use Flowers in the run game. His 73-yard rushing touchdown at Wake Forest that was unnecessarily called back is enough evidence why. Flowers had seven rushing attempts in 2021. That number should be up to at least 20 next year.
Get the ball out of Phil Jurkovec’s hands quicker: Regardless of his season-threatening fracture to his throwing hand, Jurkovec was due for a bit of a regression this season. After all, he got pretty lucky with dropped and called back interceptions in 2020. And, as magical as his off schedule plays were, they aren’t necessarily sustainable, not only in terms of production but also his health.
This isn’t to say Jurkovec shouldn’t extend plays because that’s part of what makes him special. But he shouldn’t rely on those to move the ball downfield. Jurkovec held the ball for an average of 3.51 seconds in the pocket this season, according to PFF. That’s a long time. And 33 of his 91 pass attempts, or 36.3%, traveled 20 or more yards. Taking what the defense gives him and getting the ball out quicker will be important in 2022.
Convert at least 44% of third downs: BC was fantastic on third down in non-conference play. But that’s not saying much considering the Eagles played FCS Colgate, UMass, Temple and Missouri. None of those teams finished with a winning record in 2021. BC moved the chains 57.14% of the time against them. When it came to ACC competition, though, that clip plummeted to 31.82%—12.3 percentage points lower than BC’s 2020 third down conversion rate versus league opponents.
It was particularly bad down the stretch when the Eagles still had a chance at an eight-win season. They were a combined 7-of-26 on third down against FSU and Wake Forest. At home. Again, this goes back to not banking on the home run ball in the passing game. Long, methodical drives are Hafley’s best friend. He loves to manage the clock and limit opponents’ possession total. Cignetti’s play-calling, as well as the Eagles’ execution, have to align with that philosophy.
Rank inside the Top 50 in rushing defense: BC hasn’t done this since 2016. The Eagles came close in 2018 when they ranked 53rd. It will be a tall task for a BC team that was 93rd against the run this year (170.25 rushing yards allowed per game). Part of the reason why the Eagles ranked fourth in the FBS in pass defense was because opponents enjoyed success running the ball. And BC faced a slew of dual-threat quarterbacks. Containing the QB run is yet again a priority. That starts with edge defenders who can force the Malik Cunninghams and Garrett Shraders of the league inside.
BC did round out the year 39th in PFF run defense grade (76.6), however, the Eagles were largely inconsistent in that department as they gave up 19 rushing plays of 20 or more yards—they were tied for 91st nationally in that category. That said, the Eagles were depleted up front. They lost Chibueze Onwuka for the year in preseason, Marcus Valdez for the first three games and were dealing with the loss of Max Roberts and Luc Bequette. Hafley and his staff have addressed this need with their last two recruiting classes.
Force more turnovers: Hafley wants his defense to play fast and loose. That mindset is a catalyst for takeaways. It was last year, at least. BC was 22nd in the FBS in turnover margin (plus-seven), piling up 21 takeaways in 11 games. This time around, the Eagles were tied for 72nd in turnover margin (minus-one), forcing 17 turnovers in 12 games. BC experienced quite a dry spell between the Temple game and the N.C. State game, a four-game stretch during which it logged just two takeaways. And when BC did force turnovers, it did a poor job of converting them into points, like when it forced four at Louisville and turned those into a meager seven points.
Generate a pass rush: This is another reason why reeling in so many defensive lineman, especially edge rushers, the last two years has been a necessity. Long gone are the days of Harold Landry and Zach Allen. Sure, Valdez and Brandon Barlow actually had pretty good seasons this year, all things considered. But their pass rushing ability and sack production paled in comparison to their predecessors. The Eagles have ranked in the bottom six of the ACC in sacks each of the last three years. This season, they were 11th in the league with 1.75 per game. They also ranked 126th in the FBS in PFF pass rushing grade (63.2). BC had just three players with 15 or more pressures (Valdez, Barlow and defensive tackle Cam Horsley).
Stay healthy: Jurkovec was one of several big names to go down this season. Onwuka missed the whole year. Safeties Deon Jones and Jahmin Muse, both 2020 starters, were out the majority of the season. As was wide receiver Kobay White, who worked his way back after tearing his ACL last year. Backup nickel Shawn Asbury II broke his arm at Louisville. Free safety Jason Maitre suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Syracuse. Wideout CJ Lewis had to have surgery to repair a finger injury. Grad transfer tight end Trae Barry missed two games with a knee injury and was limited the rest of the way. Fourth-year starting corner Brandon Sebastian missed three games with a knee injury of his own.
The list goes on and on. Hafley admitted that he wasn’t “mentally prepared” for so many playmakers to get hurt. That’s part of learning how to be a head coach, and he’s well aware of that. But BC couldn’t catch a break, particularly toward the end of the year when 32 players, including Jurkovec, were affected by a flu outbreak ahead of the Eagles’ regular season finale. And then a COVID-19 surge, along with injuries and opt-outs took out 40-plus players, forcing BC to bow out of the Military Bowl.
