Boston College Eagles: Phil Jurkovec returns in victory vs Virginia Tech

Energy was already at max wattage for the Boston College Eagles heading into Friday night’s annual Red Bandana Game.

The return of quarterback Phil Jurkovec turned that energy into a frenzy.

Honoring the legacy and courage of Welles Crowther, Boston College (5-4, 1-4) rode a stellar defensive effort in defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-5, 2-3) on Friday night.

A steady, efficient game on offense aided the cause as it was a complete, well-rounded effort for the Eagles. And while Jurkovec had his moments, it was a productive running game that helped seal the game away.

Jurkovec and the Boston College Eagles ground game

Honestly, with Boston College struggling so much, I was wondering if Jurkovec would even return this season. And while it was definitely a surprise to see him back tonight, it was nice to see him back in action.

Jurkovec had been out with a wrist injury since the victory over UMass on September 11, a game which the Eagles also honored Crowther on the 20th-anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Play on Friday was understandably not spectacular from Jurkovec but it was solid enough, especially on plays made with his legs. It was good to see the deep ball back in effect, though the 1st-half there was some lag missing.

The second-half was much better, as Jurkovec connected on passes of 46 yards (to Zay Flowers) and 35 yards (to Jaelen Gill).

All told, Jurkovec wasn’t asked to do a whole lot in the air against the Hokies. He was 7-13 for 112 yards, throwing an interception on his first drive back. In a heads up play, however, Gill forced a fumble that Jurkovec recovered.

Running the ball for Jurkovec came much easier, totaling 65 yards on nine carries. He scored a touchdown on that first drive as he helped power another strong game on the ground from Boston College.

The Eagles had 234 yards rushing yards, with Pat Garwo III leading the way with 116. Garwo’s touchdown in the third quarter put the Eagles up 17-0.

Though the offense struggled to produce any more points after that, they did something that hadn’t happened in recent weeks: they controlled the ball. Boston College had a time of possession of 36:56, helping keep the defense fresh.

Boston College Eagles defense: Getting stingy with it

With four starters out, including three in the secondary, it was going to be interesting to see how Boston College responded.

They did so with aplomb, style, and one of their best-efforts of the season.

Virginia Tech never really tested the Eagles through the air. Part of the reason is because Hokie quarterback Braxton Burmeister left the game in the 1st quarter with an injury. With their third-string quarterback in, the Hokies passed for 73 yards on the night.

Still, their obvious strength is behind two talented running backs in Malachi Thomas and Raheem Blackshear. So much, in fact, that the Hokies ran the ball on 14 of their first 15 plays.

Each Thomas and Blackshear had some decent runs but for the most part, Boston College was able to bottle them up on the ground. The Hokies ran for 162 yards but only 38 came after halftime.

Down key players, this was the second-straight game Boston College’s defense pitched a shutout in the first-half. And, outside a second-half field goal, Virginia Tech only threatened to score only once. But a forced fumble by Marcus Valdez and subsequent recovery by Mike Palmer stopped the Hokies in the red zone.

Vinny DePalma made his presence known throughout, totaling nine tackles. Josh DeBerry also had a fine game, with five tackles, a sack, and pass break-up.

The Red Bandana Game is always a special affair in Chestnut Hill. It was made more special by Boston College being able to walk away with the victory. A hard fought effort that hopefully begins a successful climb towards the end of the 2021 season.