Quotables and Notables: Virginia Tech Game
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
As was the case two years ago, Boston College went into Lane Stadium for a primetime game against Virginia Tech Saturday night and found itself going back to the drawing board after a blowout—only this time, the lopsided loss was in front of a sell-out crowd of 65,632.
BC netted -1 yard over its first six drives, converted zero third downs in the opening half and—aside from a third-quarter touchdown drive—looked mostly defunct on offense.
The Eagles' already-depleted offensive line suffered another setback, as right tackle Kevin Cline went down with an undisclosed injury, and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo—also hurt—didn't even suit up. BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec was sacked five times and hit another five times.
While the Hokies celebrated the first win of the Brent Pry era, the Eagles were left searching for answers.
QUOTABLES
Third-year head coach Jeff Hafley was adamant that BC has to do a better job of protecting Jurkovec, who struggled mightily even when he had time to throw. Jurkovec was tossed around for the second week in a row. BC now is tied for 123rd nationally and last in the ACC with nine sacks allowed this season. The Eagles gave up 24 sacks all last season."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."
Jurkovec was visibly irritated Saturday night. At one point, after tripping and sacking himself in the fourth quarter, he chucked his helmet toward the benches after reaching the sideline. He admitted that the unrelenting pressure he's faced the first two weeks of the season is frustrating.
"Yeah, that's frustrating," he said. "Taking shots, taking hits. That's obviously their game plan. That's what they're trying to do. ... So all you can do is just keep going. I have faith in those linemen. They're young, but they're gonna be better."
Jurkovec was off from the start of the night. He threw a game-opening interception on the Eagles' second play from scrimmage—during which he stared down wide receiver Jaden Williams after a pre-snap read—and he completed just two of his first seven attempts. Jurkovec was asked postgame about how BC could go about shoring up its missed opportunities on offense this week. This was his answer:
"I'd like to practice harder. Try to make it more competitive. Because it seems like we get in the game, and we're just a little bit off. Plays that we're hitting in practice...I mean, I was a little bit off early in the game."
Graduate strong safety Jaiden Woodbey was part of an Eagles defense that, with the exception of a backbreaking 65-yard rushing touchdown, didn't let too much by in Week 2. Once again, BC's defense did its share, although the unit did concede a touchdown drive right after the Eagles made it a one-possession game in the third quarter. Woodbey, a captain who transferred in from Florida State last year, was asked postgame if he was surprised by BC's 0-2 start.
"I'm very surprised," Woodbey said. "I know we have a lot of talent. So we just gotta live up to the potential right now. I don't think that we're doing that as a team. As a leader, I feel like I can help with that. I need to lead better."
Even though there is a disparity in terms of defensive and offensive performance for BC right now, Hafley doesn't want his team to see it that way.
"I told them not to point fingers, offense versus defense," he said. "I told them we're all in this together. When things get really hard, you either get tighter as a team and figure it out, or you go in the opposite direction. ... These guys will fight."
Hafley added: "A lot of good football left. And by no means is anybody going to give up."
NOTABLES
— Jurkovec was 7-of-13 for 51 yards when under pressure and 8-of-16 for 84 yards when kept clean, according to Pro Football Focus. Jurkovec's touchdown pass came when he was under pressure, and his pick came when he had a clean pocket.— Virginia Tech defensive end TyJuan Garbutt piled up a team-high four quarterback hits, but six Hokies were credited for at least 0.5 sacks.
— BC rushed for a total of four yards Saturday. Through two weeks, the Eagles are the only ACC team not averaging north of 100 yards per game on the ground. BC is sitting at 16.5 rushing yards per contest.
— The longest rushing play for the Eagles was a 14-yard Jurkovec run. BC has just three run plays of 10-plus yards this year. Every other ACC team has at least seven such plays.
— Even though the Eagles allowed a 65-yard rushing touchdown, they did take a step in the right direction, as far as run defense is concerned. Virginia Tech ran the ball 45 times and averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry.
— BC linebacker Kam Arnold racked up a game-high 12 tackles. Fellow linebacker Bryce Steele posted 1.5 TFLs, and his roommate, Jaylen Blackwell—another backer—logged his second sack of the year.
— A week removed from throwing four picks, Virginia Tech signal caller Grant Wells didn't throw any against BC. The Marshall transfer was 16-of-25 for 140 yards and a score. He played his best on the Hokies' nine-play, 78-yard touchdown march. That series, he was 5-of-6.
— BC wideout Zay Flowers hauled in four passes for 79 yards, but 49 of those yards came on one catch and run in the third quarter. Flowers' target number dropped from 15 in Week 1 to five in Week 2.
— Eagles punter Danny Longman had to boot the ball 10 times Saturday. Three of them dropped inside the 20, and his longest was 76 yards—that's the longest punt by a BC player since 2004.
