Points were plentiful for the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, with the only real blemish on the day being a missed extra point.
All told, Boston College took care of business in a 51-0 victory over the Colgate Raiders (0-1)
Despite some early-game jitters on both sides of the ball, the game provided glimpses of how deep the team is. The offense put up 525 yards and seven scoring drives, while the defense — despite a shaky start — limited Colgate to 189 total yards.
This was after a first quarter in which they gave up 80 yards, limiting the Raiders to 109 over the next three. Boston College (1-0) also forced two turnovers, both interceptions, as a talented secondary proved their worth.
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Mike Palmer had the first, on the last play of the third quarter. Jahmin Muse had the second, a pick-six of 22 yards that put the Eagles up 44-0 in the fourth.
Both sides of the ball saw players with their first action. Jaden Williams made his mark at receiver with two catches for 24 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
It was truly a team effort across the board. Here are three standouts in Saturday’s victory.
Zay Flowe big day for Boston College Eagles
From the get-go, Boston College made an effort to get the ball into the hands of Zay Flowers. And Flowers responded as expected.
In what turned out to be the fourth 100-yard game of his career, Flowers showed why he is an All-American candidate. He caught two passes to open the game, totaling 50 yards. From there, it was gravy for the junior.
Flowers finished with seven receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown, a beauty of a catch for a 38-yard score in the second quarter.
It was nearly a flawless day for the receiver. Competition will only get tougher from here, but Flowers performed as expected against the FCS Colgate. So, too, did the person throwing Flowers the ball.
Boston College Eagles passing game shines
It took almost 11 months but Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec finally has another 300-yard day under his belt.
Little went wrong for Jurkovec in going 16-24 for 303 yards and three touchdown passes. A couple of those incomplete passes were drops, including one by the freshman Williams.
Jurkovec showcased a variety of passes throughout the game, connecting on both deep balls, short passes, and roll outs. Even better, the experienced offense line gave Jurkovec time all day, allowing for those deeper routes to develop.
He and Dennis Grosel, who relieved Jurkovec in the middle of the fourth, spread the ball around. Eleven receivers caught a pass, including Kobay White, who had his first reception since 2019.
And tight end Trae Berry, a transfer from Jacksonville State, showed why he could have a big season. Berry had a 51-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, leaping over a defender in the process.
Jurkovec also led the team in rushing yards with 61, including a 41-yard scamper in the fourth (Why he was running with the team up 30 in the fourth quarter doesn’t really make sense, but at least he went out of bounds without taking a hit).
The running game did see the top four running backs on the depth chart carry the ball. Travis Levy and Pat Garwo III each scored a touchdown, with Levy gaining 32 yards (on 9 carries) and Garwo picking up 29 (four carries).
The offense did its job, as did the defense, with one player notably leading the way.
A rising star for Boston College Eagles on defense
The defensive line had a nice mix of veterans and youth and was expected to have a little depth heading into 2021.
That took a hit in recent weeks, with defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka out for the season after an injury in camp. And today, Marcus Valdez missed the game with a hand injury.
Shitta Sillah more than made up for their absences against Colgate.
Sillah was all over the field today, especially in the first-half. The defensive end did his part to help slow the running game and also wreaked havoc in the passing game. Sillah had one sack and helped create another, finishing the game as Boston College’s leading tackler with seven.
He’s going to be a huge part of this team’s success on defense and today he proved his worth.
Brandon Barlow and Cam Horsley also performed well up front. The two combined for six tackles, including a sack by Horsley. They also helped the Eagles hold Colgate to an 0-10 performance on third down.
The performances and stats are exactly what one might expect in this matchup, except for maybe that running game. But as long as the passing game is clicking and the defense can shore things up, especially against quarterbacks who can run, results will continue to be positive. And that’s what’s important as Boston College strives for greatness in 2021.