Saturday afternoon offered a fresh start and a fresh season for the Boston College Eagles, with a chance to kick off the right way.
It’s too bad the product on the field was more of the same we’ve seen in a recent seasons.
An offense at times that looks unstoppable and then becomes their own worst enemy. A defense that stands on the edge of something great, followed by allowing huge plays at inopportune times.
The result, after leading all game, was a 22-21 loss to Rutgers, in which the Scarlet Knights found the winning score with just under three minutes left in the game.
Painful as it was to lose after a mostly solid game, there’s plenty to learn. Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Powerful Boston College Eagles connection
Part of the excitement heading into the 2022 season was the opportunity to see quarterback Phil Jurkovec tossing dimes to wide receiver Zay Flowers once again.
On Saturday, the duo did not disappointment.
Flowers has been a favorite target for a few seasons now and was targeted 15 times against Rutgers. It’s no secret the Eagles want to find ways to get Flowers touches and he responded in kind on Saturday, hauling in 10 catches for 125 yards.
Boston College’s star receiver also found the end zone twice, making the extraordinary look routine all day.
Jurkovec, on the other hand, had quite an up-and-down day. For all the love Jurkovec receives for beautiful deep passes and turning something into nothing on the ground, there’s the flip side.
Turnovers, of which Jurkovec had three on Saturday.
Rutgers capitalized on two of those turnovers, turning them into 12 points on offense.
Turnovers aside, Jurkovec missed on a few passes and was sacked four times. It wasn’t the best of efforts but a strong performance as Jurkovec threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
The Jurkovec to Flowers connection is important to keep an eye on. So, too, is Jurkovec and the Boston College Eagles finding the secondary receiver. On Saturday, a couple of players stepped into that role.
Boston College Eagles: A new star?
For the second straight year, a graduate transfer is set to make their mark at tight end.
George Takacs from Notre Dame is ready to make an impact. And it may be only one game but it appears tight end as focus of the offense is secure.
Takacs made quite the Boston College debut, hauling in seven catches for 84 yards. Takacs was targeted 12 times, and did have a key drop, but snagged some fine receptions and was the second-leading receiver for the Eagles on the day.
Safe hands are needed at a position that has been stellar in recent seasons. Tight end was a bit of a question mark, especially with Joey Luchetti medically retiring prior to the season. One game in, it appears that has been answered, at least as far as early playing time goes.
A second option behind Flowers is needed. Takacs can fill that role, as can a handful of receivers. One of those is Jaden Williams, who it feels like is ready to burst through with that “star-making” game.
Williams, a sophomore, had quite the debut in 2021. He hauled in nine receptions in his first four games, plus three touchdown receptions but only had ten more receptions in the next eight games.
Williams was back at it against Rutgers, with two receptions, 26 yards, and a touchdown. Along with Jaelen Gill (2 rec., 34 yards), Jurkovec has four solid options to choose from. As dynamic as Flowers can be, it’s also best served for the Eagles to spread the ball to as many playmakers as possible.
Consistency on both sides of the ball will help, too. The defense made strides today but still has some gumption to show.
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.
Want your voice heard? Join the Chowder And Champions team!
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.
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.