Boston College Eagles crumble in first ever loss to UConn

A season of dismay continued for the Boston College Eagles on Saturday in a trip to Connecticut.

Against the UConn Huskies (4-5), Boston College entered with a prime opportunity to get back in the win column and build some momentum for the season’s final four games. Instead, it was more of the same for Eagles.

A spirited effort on defense wasn’t enough to overcome a struggling offense as Boston College fell to the Huskies, 13-3.

It was the first time in 15 tries the Huskies defeated the Eagles and also UConn’s first win against a team from a Power 5 conference since defeating Virginia in 2016.

Very little went right for Boston College in Saturday’s loss, despite yet another above-average game from the defense.

Boston College Eagles doing all they can on ‘D’

Overall, defense for the Boston College Eagles has been the healthier unit. And it continues to show on the field.

Despite a shaky start in which they gave up 10 quick points and five plays of 15+ yards in the first quarter alone, the defense settled in for quite the game.

They limited big plays the following three quarters and forced a total of eight Husky punts. After allowing 136 total yards in the first quarter, Boston College responded by allowing only 144 yards and three points the rest of the way.

Missed tackles were part of the issue early but that got solved for the most part. And to allow only 2.7 yards per carry and 107 rushing yards to a Husky running back group that rushed for nearly 300 yards multiple times this season is noteworthy.

Sophomore Bryce Steele continued to impress at the linebacker position, collecting a team-high seven tackles on the day.  Two lineman also performed well up front, with Donovan Ezeiruaku and Chibueze Onwuka each collecting six tackles. Ezeiruaku collected a sack, bringing his total to five on the season.

Amari Jackson continued to show growth, as the freshman had four tackles and two key pass break-ups on third downs.

Boston College had two sacks but the game-changing turnover still eluded this defense. That’s one thing missing that could change the course of a game. Not that they already aren’t doing enough to aid a struggling offense.

Boston College Eagles offense has no answers

The productivity and success of an offense in football is often predicated on the play of the offensive line.

In 2022, it’s well-documented and well-noted the health and inexperience of Boston College’s line has been a problem. A running game as been basically non-existent and Boston College quarterbacks have had little time to throw.

These were just part of the problem on Saturday.

Boston College had 325 yards of offense. Not “over-the-moon” but decent enough, as the Eagles were able to put drives together.

Five turnovers (four on offense, one on special teams) helped seal the loss. Three interceptions, including one inexplicable throw by Phil Jurkovec in the red zone, stalled drives. A fumble led to the final UConn field goal and Zay Flowers muffed a punt in the fourth quarter (one of two muffs on the day for Flowers.)

Flowers also had an uncharacteristic dropped pass early in the fourth. It was a beautifully placed deep ball by Emmett Morehead and would have likely led to a score that made it 10-9.

Morehead replaced Jurkovec in the third quarter after the latter sustained an injury on a short run. Morehead made some nice throws for big gains, finishing 9-18 for 104 yards and an interception.

Jurkovec was the leading rusher for Boston College, totaling 51 yards on the ground. He was 12-19 for 155 yards and two interceptions. Combined, the quarterbacks were sacked five times.

Flowers was only able to garner two grabs for 35 yards. With George Takacs and Jaden Williams both out again, Joe Griffin Jr. saw plenty of playing time. Griffin had 3 receptions for 53 yards. And while Pat Garwo III didn’t find much room on the ground (6 carries, 15 yards), he led the team with 5 receptions and 89 yards.

There’s just not a lot going right on offense for Boston College in 2022. Even when they try to get creative, to open things up, opposing teams seem to be right on top of it.

The team should simply stick with finding some sort of consistency and rhythm on offense. That could be a lot to ask for, as injuries continue to plague a unit that has only scored one touchdown the last three games. Concentrating on finding the end zone, and completing drives, is the focus for now. One step at a time, and hopefully the rest takes care of itself, beginning next Friday when the Duke Blue Devils come to town.