Boston College Eagles: 3 takeaways from loss to Florida State

The Boston College Eagles simply ran out of time Saturday against Florida State.

It was a 26-3 hole they couldn’t quite dig their way out of, falling just short in a 26-23 loss.

A variety of things did Boston College (6-5, 2-5) in but much of it can be blamed on a lackluster first-half that bled into the early third. The Eagles couldn’t overcome their flat performance for those first 30 minutes, even as they had their chances late in the fourth.

Despite this, it was a valiant effort on the comeback trail. Boston College has one more regular season game and it’s at home, where they have a chance to spoil Wake Forest’s bid to claim an ACC Atlantic title.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Florida State.

Woes in the passing game for Boston College Eagles

The offense was well-aware they’d be going up against one of the best defensive fronts in the country this week. And Boston College learned firsthand just how talented this unit was.

Boston College had trouble in pass protection all afternoon against Florida State (5-6, 4-4). It was much better in the second-half but the first-half was abysmal. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was under constant pressure and was 5-12 for a measly 34 yards at the break.

Nineteen of those yards came on the first play of the game on a completion to Jaden Williams.

Jurkovec was sacked three times in the first-half and took multiple hard hits, both in the pocket and on scrambles.

The absence of Christian Mahogany on the line was also noticed as, even with the help of extra blocking from the tight ends, Jurkovec had trouble.

Life improved in the second-half as pass protection stabilized some, allowing only one sack. This gave Jurkovec some more time to allow plays to develop. In turn, this got wide receiver Zay Flowers involved.

After a first-half in which he was targeted only once, Flowers finished with three receptions for 92 yards. He had a nice 44-yard catch-and-run at the end of the third quarter and added a 36-yard touchdown reception in the fourth.

Jurkovec finished 10-24 for 148 yards, with the touchdown pass to Flowers and a late-game interception (on a desperation heave).

The offense had more flow in the second-half, thanks to a running game that got going.

Boston College Eagles ground attack

Another solid outing from Pat Garwo III aided immensely in Boston College’s comeback attempt.

It was a decent effort in the first-half but with the struggles in the passing game, Florida State was able to key in on the Boston College runners.

Garwo again became the workhorse in the second-half, chewing up chunks of yards on Boston College’s first drive. Garwo was able to cap it off with a three-yard touchdown run.

The sophomore running back finished with 71 yards on 24 carries. It wasn’t his most impressive effort of the season but he again proved that he can shoulder the load when called upon, gaining 62 of those yards after halftime.

Jurkovec added 59 yards on the ground, scoring on a three-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Alec Sinkfield also had a nice 21-yard in the first-half, finishing with 30 rushing yards.

Boston College Eagles: A banged-up defense

Injuries have taken their toll on this Boston College team this season. For the most part, they’ve battled through this adversity to be a consistent unit.

A bit of inexperience was on display for the Eagles, especially in the first-half. On a day that Isaiah Graham-Mobley and Brandon Sebastian returned to the lineup, both Josh DeBerry and Shitta Sillah missed the game.

DeBerry’s absence was missed in both the passing game and run support. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis consistently found open receivers downfield. And after they marched down the field to open the third quarter, with four plays of 15 yards or more on the drive, it looked like Boston College was in serious trouble down 26-3.

However, the unit stiffened the rest of the way, forcing three punts and allowing Florida State only 59 yards of offense.

The Eagles have put together efforts like that in parts of games throughout the season. Taking that next step and shutting opponents down from start-to-finish is the next step in their evolution.

Boston College also held Florida State to only 2-10 on third-down conversions. Much of the problem was getting them to third-down, however, and that happened too little in the first-half.

All told, the Eagles showed a lot by banging away despite being down 23. Florida Stated did their part to help by committing 13 penalties, but Boston College made adjustments. This team continues to show flashes of greatness and there has only really been three times at most this season we’ve seen a complete game from all sides of the ball. One will be needed next week and, if it happens, Boston College will be headed to a bowl game on a positive note.