The idea of the Holy Grail can take on many forms and for the Boston College Eagles football team, that could mean one thing: the eight-win season.
Yes, a Holy Grail might also mean a National Championship or a berth in the playoffs. And while both are attainable goals to shoot for, the first step is reaching eight wins in a season.
It is a threshold Boston College hasn’t reached since the 2009 season, where the team went 8-5. Six times since the Eagles have notched seven wins and are in a six-win groove the last three seasons.
The 2022 season is fast approaching. On the agenda is a quest to match last season’s fast start and build upon it.
Boston College Eagles: A quick look back
A season ago, it was nearly an ideal start for the Boston College Eagles.
The Eagles soared with a 4-0 record, a splendid way to to rise up to preseason expectations. They were averaging 41 points per game. It wasn’t exactly a difficult schedule that first month but Boston College did pick up a win over the Missouri Tigers.
Then, the bottom fell out, notably on offense. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was injured in game two. While the offense clicked the first two games of his absence, they struggled in a four-game losing streak, averaging only 10 points per game.
A rising defense kept the Eagles in games, along with a renewed focus on the ground game. Still, Boston College only managed to play .500 ball the rest of the way, finishing at 6-6.
A chance to play in the ACC title game seemed a viable option early in the 2021 season. The hype train might not be a full throttle for Boston College to reach that goal in 2022 but perhaps flying under the radar could help this team navigate the season’s schedule.
Glance at ’22 for Boston College Eagles
This season, Boston College once again has four non-conference games. The difference this year is that these games will be spread out throughout the calendar.
Play kicks off with a home-opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on September 3. The two teams last met up in 2019, a 30-16 Boston College victory.
It has been a one-sided rivalry as of late, with the Eagles winning 11 straight against the Scarlet Knights. The year preceding that, the two teams tied and Boston College won the two seasons prior. Rutgers last picked up a victory against Boston College in 1991.
Other non-conference games are at home against Maine (9/17) and on the road against Connecticut (10/29) and Notre Dame (11/19).
Conference home game highlights include hosting Clemson (10/8) for the Red Bandanna Game and against Syracuse (11/26) to close the regular season.
The ACC continues to get stronger and, if preseason polls are any indication, Boston College isn’t being given much thought as a contender. The schedule, however, is somewhat favorable in the fact there really isn’t necessarily a three or four-game stretch where the Eagles have to take on heavy hitters. It’s balanced, with the predicted better ACC teams spread out. (Though only one game is in-conference, the Eagles do have back-to-back road games against NC State and Notre Dame).
A 3-1 non-conference record should do the trick, meaning a 5-3 conference record would be needed for the eight-win mark. Attainable, yes, but also depends on how this team grows, and if a trio of stars on offense can all shine together.
Boston College Eagles: Exciting trio
After the 2021 season ended, there was a possibility the Boston College Eagles would need to be replacing a majority of their starters on offense.
While that’s partially the case — all five starters on the offensive line are gone — the Eagles received good news when quarterback Jurkovec and star wide receiver Zay Flowers both decided to return to school in ’22.
Keeping Jurkovec healthy is a priority this season, especially with the inexperience up front. Four starters jumped to the NFL and fifth, Christian Mahogany was set to return before ACL surgery likely sidelined him for all of 2022.
Boston College is excellent at developing talent up front, so hopefully the new players can gel quickly to help protect Jurkovec. In only six games last season, Jurkovec was 4-2. Though he did struggle somewhat upon his return late in the season, Jurkovec provided a spark to the Eagles. His leadership and style of play are both integral to Boston College’s success.
Jurkovec finished 2021 with 914 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher with 322 yards.
But it is his accuracy on the deep ball that really makes this offense shine. And it is Flowers who has been the main beneficiary.
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This showed in 2021 as Flowers’ numbers dipped from the season before. Flowers finished with a respectable 44 receptions for 746 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Aside from a one-reception for one-yard stat line in the game’s final season, Flowers showed what the deep ball can do in the three games prior. Over this span, he had eight receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
The passing game can soar to new heights again in 2022 but a renewed running game in 2021 should not be forgotten. That’s thanks to a stellar season from Pat Garwo III, who finished with 1045 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Jurkovec, Flowers, and Garwo have a chance at something special in leading this offense. Striking the right chord between a strong ground game and precision passing will help ease the burden on this offense. If all goes right, they will all be national household names by the end of the season. In turn, the eight-win mark will be earned, and maybe — just maybe — something even more.