Not According to Plan: Eagles' Slow Starts Have Forced Them Off Script
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Off schedule.
That's what Boston College has been—in the first half of games and, on a more micro level, in down and distance.
Over the course of their opening drives the first four weeks of the season, the Eagles have produced a total of 42 yards. They've averaged 2.8 yards per play on those drives, two of which have ended in interceptions. The other two have ended in punts.
BC went into Doak Campbell Stadium last week knowing it couldn't afford another slow start and, yet again, stumbled out of the gate.
This time, the Eagles weren't just late to the party. It's almost as if they never showed up. Florida State housed the opening kickoff, intercepted BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec on the ensuing drive and, in no time, staked itself to a three-touchdown lead.
As a result, BC's game script went out the window.
"You need to start fast because if you don't, and all of a sudden it's 21-0 before you can put your headset on, then you gotta get off your script pretty quickly," Hafley said Tuesday.
He explained: “We have a certain amount of plays scripted, you always do. You have a list of openers, just like they have a list of openers. And, on offense, you want to get through those to kinda—you run certain things to see how they're going to defend it. Like you might line up on the second play in this formation and run the ball to see how they're going to defend it to set something else up later in the game. How are they going to line up to empty? Do they have an empty check? How are they going to line up to three-by-one or two-by-two or unbalanced with bunches?"
Hafley said that it's the same process on the other side of the ball. As a defensive coach, you're watching the opponent's openers to determine how the offense is going to attack you the rest of the game.
In Hafley's words, it's "a chess game."
"Didn’t expect it to go like that obviously," sixth-year defensive end Marcus Valdez said Tuesday of FSU's first quarter sucker punch. "You never do. But just gotta make adjustments, and coaches might shift the game plan and stuff like that, but just gotta go out there and play the call that they’re calling."
Adjusting the game plan on the fly is part of football. It's a tenet of coaching. And players must respond accordingly. Still, those scripted plays are paramount.
"It gets all out of whack if you don't start fast," Hafley said. "It's hard because all week, you're just like, 'I got all these things written down.' You're just trying to figure it out and then, 'boom,' it's like a different game.
"You got to adjust and adapt."
BC never really adapted against Florida State. Even at Virginia Tech in Week 2, the Eagles pulled within a possession in the third quarter after buckling down on defense and, eventually, switching to an up-tempo offense.
BC's lone first-team touchdown versus the Seminoles came on a 12-play, 75-yard drive. The biggest difference there was starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec got the ball to six different Eagles, whereas only three caught a pass in the first half.
All season, the Eagles have been behind the sticks. In each of their three games versus Power Five opponents, their average third down distance has been at least 8.2 yards.
That plays a significant role in BC's 32.76% third down conversion rate, which is 110th nationally and 12th in the ACC.
While the Eagles have slightly improved in pass protection the last two weeks—they've given up 26 pressures, PFF, four fewer than they allowed in the first two weeks—they have still struggled to generate push in the run game.
“We just gotta be able to cover up movement and run our feet and have all our IDs right," graduate left guard Finn Dirstine said.
Through four games, BC has had 35.4% of its running backs' carries go for a loss or no gain, the most in the FBS, according to ESPN.
The Eagles are averaging 2.17 yards per carry on first down (141 yards on 65 attempts) and 2.63 yards per carry on second down (105 yards on 40 attempts).
As a whole, their rushing offense is tied for third-to-last in the country with 59.75 yards per game on the ground. Without an effective run game, it's hard to stay on schedule.
Hafley believes continuity will continue to help his inexperienced offensive line.
Regardless, BC needs to "adjust and adapt" better. And, quite simply, start faster—particularly against a Louisville team this week that has more offensive touchdowns in the first quarter (six) than any other frame.
"Gotta start fast," Hafley said. "Have to start fast. I’m going to do the best I can with that."
