Defense Can Only Buoy BC for so Long in Loss to No. 5 Clemson
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College came into Saturday night's Red Bandana Game against No. 5 Clemson with a laundry list of injuries longer than a CVS receipt.
The Eagles, who were already thin on the O-Line and at tight end, were missing three running backs, tight end George Takacs—second on the team in receptions through five games—and cornerbacks CJ Burton and Jalen Cheek. So BC opened the game with true freshman Amari Jackson playing corner opposite of graduate Elijah Jones.
And boy did Jackson deliver. He helped prevent a DJ Uiagalelei touchdown pass on the game's first series, bringing Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins to the ground in the back of the end zone. Then, in the second quarter, Jackson jarred the ball loose from Collins, forcing one of the Tigers' three three-and-outs in the first half.
Jackson, the rest of BC's secondary and really the entire Eagles' defense turned in a valiant effort in the opening two quarters. That unit continued to fight in the latter portion of play, even when Jones and fellow DB Josh DeBerry went down with injury, however, BC's offense—a week removed from a 34-point explosion against Louisville—couldn't finish drives.
Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was hurried 13 times. Connor Lytton missed a 35-yard field goal in the first half, and he had a 39-yarder blocked in the second half. And, eventually, the Tigers pulled away for a 31-3 victory, their 12th straight win over BC.
"We had opportunities," head coach Jeff Hafley said postgame. "We did. And we kept the game really tight in the first half. We could have took advantage of it more. That's what I said to the guys. There were too many mistakes."
Even though its game-opening drive resulted in just three points, Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) was chugging along on offense to start the night. Uiagalelei threw for only 80 yards in the first half, but 46 of them came on the Tigers' first series.
He flashed great ball placement, completing 5-of-6 passes, with his first being a laser out to Collins, who turned upfield for a 19-yard gain. BT Potter capped the drive with a 35-yard field goal to put Clemson up, 3-0.
It looked like BC (2-4, 1-3) was going to respond immediately. Jurkovec, who finished 19-of-40 for 188 yards, wrestled out of a Myles Murphy sack and delivered a 14-yard strike to wide receiver Zay Flowers on 3rd-and-12. Then, two plays later, Jurkovec found sophomore wideout Jaden Williams over the middle for a 23-yard gain.
Williams couldn't make the catch on the ensuing 3rd-and-9, though, and the Eagles had to trot out true freshman punter Sam Candotti, despite being in Tiger territory.
The Australian, who continues to be BC's short punt specialist, pinned Clemson at its 1-yard line, and the special teams play set the stage for a potentially game-changing takeaway. After digging the Tigers out of their own end zone, Uiagalelei didn't see DeBerry lurking in underneath coverage and threw an interception.
The Eagles took over at the Clemson 24-yard line yet went six yards in three plays and had to settle for a 35-yard Lytton field goal.
Saying that Lytton's sophomore season has been rocky would be an understatement. He didn't change that narrative Saturday night. The preseason Lou Groza watch list nominee entered 3-of-5 on field goals inside 40 yards this season, and he missed another here, failing to convert BC's lone forced turnover into points.
"We gotta make those kicks," Hafley said. "We had a chance. We intercepted the ball and came away with no points, and that's a field goal we need to make."
Thanks to a stellar open-field tackle by Vinny DePalma on 3rd-and-8, the Eagles got the ball back in no time and quickly worked their way into the red zone. The drive's catalyst was a 35-yard pitch and catch between a rolling Jurkovec and Flowers. BC got all the way down to Clemson's 8-yard line before sending Lytton out for a 30-yard field goal that he squeezed past the right upright.
BC continued to generate stops on defense, and its offense—which actually outgained Clemson, 168-131, in the first half—continued to move the sticks. In the opening two quarters, Jurkovec was handling the Tigers' relentless pressure relatively well and making the backyard football plays that helped him break onto the scene in 2020.
At the start of the second frame, he backpedaled more than 10 yards, set his feet and fired a pass to wide receiver Jaelen Gill that was good for a 13-yard pickup. Then a 14-yard screen to running back Pat Garwo III, a 13-yard pass to Williams and an eight-yard run by running back Xavier Coleman pushed the Eagles well into Clemson's half.
BC was a faced with a 4th-and-2 from the Tigers' 28-yard line. After Clemson corner Nate Wiggins broke up a Jurkovec pass to the end zone on the previous play, offensive coordinator John McNulty went to the air again. This time, the graduate signal caller had virtually no time to throw, and his pass for tight end Spencer Witter was nearly picked off by Tigers linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
"We got the red zone, I think five trips, and we just didn't execute," Garwo said. "We just gotta look internally and buck up ... we gotta get better and just hone in on our stuff and take the next step."
Later that quarter, Clemson punt returner Will Taylor had the first of two muffs, both of which the Tigers recovered. The subsequent Clemson drive stalled near midfield, as Uiagalelei and Co. dropped to 0-of-5 on third down. The Tigers got their first conversion right before intermission when Will Shipley punched the ball into the end zone on 3rd-and-Goal. It was a scoring drive set up by a 20-yard Antonio Williams punt return.
Down, 10-3, at the beginning of the second half, the Eagles needed a lift. They got the ball back to start but went three-and-out on their first two series.
Clemson sandwiched a 73-yard scoring drive in between, thanks to a pair of chunk pass plays: First, Collins made an incredible grab on 3rd-and-7 to keep the chains moving, and then Uiagalelei located Joseph Ngata down the sideline for a 38-yard touchdown.
BC's best scoring opportunity in the second half came when Flowers returned a line drive Clemson punt 16 yards to the Tigers' 39-yard line. Soon after, the dynamic senior wideout—who added eight catches for 75 yards Saturday—used his joysticks to get a first down on 3rd-and-5. But that's as far as the Eagles would go.
Jurkovec started to get happy feet as the second half wore on, and he got away with some risky throws. Hafley called on Lytton from 39 yards out, but his kick was blocked by Clemson defensive tackle Etinosa Reuben.
The Tigers extended their lead to 24-3 on their next drive, courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown pass from Uiagalelei to Collins.
Hafley pulled Jurkovec after the Clemson linebacker duo of Trotter and Barrett Carter stripped the former Notre Dame transfer. The Tigers didn't pad their lead then, due to a rare miss from BT Potter, except it wasn't long before they scored their final touchdown.
Following a BC drive that featured a circus grab from wideout Dino Tomlin, Uiagalelei shot up the gut for a 40-yard run. On the next play, the junior dual threat dialed up his third touchdown pass, this one to Brannon Spector.
It was an anticlimactic finish to a night that began with electrifying energy, as 42,318 fans—which included big splotches of orange and purple—piled into Alumni Stadium.
"From the time we walked in, to the "Eagle Walk", to the fans, the students—I appreciate it. I wish we could have given you a fight for four quarters. But it was awesome. They were great."
BC's defense came the closest to giving a 60-minute fight. Hafley said postgame that the unit kept the Eagles in the game, and he's right. But, with three points on the other side of the ball, that kind of effort was rendered moot.
After losing to Clemson in Death Valley by just six points back-to-back years, Saturday night's loss simply felt like another step back in a season of regression.
