Boston College Eagles: 3 takeaways from painful loss to Rutgers
Boston College Eagles on defense
Another question mark entering the season swirled around the run defense of Boston College. It was a difficult task last season, so improvement was desired.
Call game one a mixed bag of results.
It was a strong start, as the Eagles forced two punts from Rutgers right off the bat. There were some question marks for the Scarlet Knights at quarterback and a running attack was expected.
Rutgers was able to get things going at the end of the first quarter and into the second. After a scoring drive to bring the score to 7-6, it looked like the run defense problems for Boston College had not been solved.
At that point, Boston College had allowed 11 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.
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Then, the Eagles proved what they were capable of. Throughout the rest of the quarter and into the fourth, Boston College held Rutgers to 10 yards on 17 carries. Yes, Rutgers added another score on the ground in that span but the Eagles were playing on a short field.
It was the final scoring drive for Rutgers in which Boston College again faltered. A 12-play, 96-yard march delivered the goods. Eleven of the plays were on the ground, and the one pass was incomplete, with the final two plays of the drive going for a total of 45 yards.
Signs of improvement were definitely present in this game. And in a perfect world, the offense would have put this game away early and forced Rutgers to pass. The Scarlet Knights had only 110 yards in the air, with Elijah Jones snagging an interception.
The Eagles did have three sacks, including one by Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Ezeiruaku tied for the team with nine tackles and also forced two fumbles.
Vinny DePalma also had nine tackles for Boston College.
Next. Boston College Eagles: 3 defensive players ready to soar in 2022. dark
For much of this game, Boston College was in control. Except for that pesky little fact of failing to put their opponent away, this was a decent start to the season. This is the next step in their evolution, and one’s that desperately needed if they hope to compete for an ACC title. They are right at the precipice. Time to get over that hump.