Boston College Eagles: Pat Garwo III delivers gargantuan day

A week after the Boston College Eagles used an effective passing game to pick up a victory, it was a story of a different sort on Saturday against UMass.

Victory did indeed find the Eagles (2-0) once again, this time a 45-28 final over the Minutemen. It was how Boston College arrived at the final score that was interesting.

To begin with, the ground game was rediscovered. And it was sophomore Patrick Garwo III who paved the way.

Though he did not find the end zone himself, Garwo had the best day of his young career as the running attack took center stage in Saturday’s victory.

Boston College Eagles: Rejuvenated ground game

The plan may have been to establish the run game from the beginning. Or the plan may have been altered when quarterback Phil Jurkovec left the game in the 1st quarter with a wrist injury.

Either way, Boston College had their best day on the ground since they totaled 193 yards last November 28 against Louisville.

The team finished with 250 rushing yards on 43 carries, led by Garwo’s esteemed effort. He carried the ball 15 times for 160 yards, with a long of 42 as he generally smashed his way to an outstanding game.

Through two games, Garwo should be placed at the top of the running back committee. He had the best game of the group against Colgate, though his action was limited to four carries for 29 yards and a score.

After Boston College had only one 100-yard performance by a single back last season  — David Bailey with 127 against Syracuse — it was nice to see Garwo pass the century mark in week two. His 160 yards were the best single-game performance since AJ Dillon ran for 188 against Pittsburgh back in November of 2019.

Garwo had the best day this week, but the committee had their bright spots as well.

Alec Sinkfield carried the load early, finishing with 13 carries for 45 yards and an early touchdown. And Travis Levy and quarterback Dennis Grosel each added a touchdown on the ground.

Levy was all over the place on Saturday. He carried the ball seven times for 43 yards, a solid contribution, but it was action in other aspects of the game where he kept things interesting.

Boston College Eagles: Scoring in all aspects

Levy has been a stalwart on special teams for a few seasons now. He’d previously had two punt returns for scores, back in 2018, has been electric in many ways over the years.

Now, Levy has a kick return touchdown to add to his resume, taking it to the house with a 96-yard rumble in Boston College’s final score of the day.

Things weren’t all gravy for Levy on the day, as his fumble on a punt return in the third quarter set up a score by UMass a minute later.

Still, on a day where Jurkovec left the game early and star receiver Zay Flowers was banged up later in the game, it was good to see others step up.

Grosel was a highly-efficient 11-14 for 199 yards and one touchdowns pass. Tight end Trae Barry continues to impress. He was the recipient of the touchdown pass from Grosel and had five catches for 98 yards to lead the Eagles.

The special teams also added another score on a Jaiden Woodbey scoop-and-score off a fumbled punt return.

Definitely a lot to like about picking up the win. As the schedule begins to pick up with more difficult opponents, a strong running game is going to be needed. A consistent ground game will be needed to help balance the passing attack. Doing so with allow Jurkovec or Grosel to shine even more with the playmaker receivers. Will Garwo — or whoever — need 160 rushing yards per game? No. It would be nice but as long as the committee of backs is putting up at least 150 rushing yards per game, things are going to go well for Boston College.