Boston College Eagles: 3 takeaways in close loss to Duke
Signs of life for this Boston College Eagles squad were present off-and-on throughout Friday night’s game against the Duke Blue Devils. And when they finally put it all together? Well, it was a case of running out of time.
Boston College (2-7, 1-5) had a spirited comeback fall just short, losing 38-31 to Duke (6-3, 3-2) at Alumni Stadium.
In a loss that guaranteed a losing season for the Eagles, Boston College played without their starting quarterback and started yet another offensive line combination. The bright spot was the future of Boston College was on full display in many key positions.
Boston College Eagles: Glimpse of future on offense
The absence of Phil Jurkovec, out with a knee injury, provided the opportunity for the first collegiate start for redshirt freshman.
Morehead alternated between shaky and efficient early, making some nice throws. By time the game ended, Morehead almost looked like a seasoned vet in leading the Eagles in the comeback.
He did take a couple of unnecessary sacks in the fourth quarter, stalling or ending drives, but he made the right reads and also picked up chunks of yards with his legs.
Morehead was 18-29 in the second half with 239 yards and two touchdown passes, holding strong in the pocket and connecting on short and deep routes alike. He finished with 330 yards on 27-45 passing and four touchdown passes. Morehead was the first quarterback for Boston College with this many passing touchdowns in a game since Dennis Grosel threw four in his record-tying game in a 2020 loss to Virginia.
The young quarterback had a lot of help in the form of another underclassmen.
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True freshman wide receiver Joe Griffin Jr. has steadily had his role increased each week in 2022. And against Duke, Griffin showed up early and often. From his first catch, a leaping, foot-dragging grab, to a 26-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, Griffin was the best receiver on the field during the game.
Griffin finished with five receptions for 103 yards and two scores. He was winning one-on-one battles and is proving to be one of the more reliable players on offense.
So, too, is running back Alex Broome. Broome had a quiet second-half but had 11 touches for 73 yards in the first-half. Broome broke off a couple of decent runs and was a nice option out of the backfield for Morehead.
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Broome finished with 10 carries for 49 yards and 4 receptions for 25 yards.
The youth were in service all night but the vets contributed as well. Zay Flowers had six receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns. And running back Pat Garwo III had trouble finding holes again (9 carries, 32 yards) but pulled down five receptions for 44 yards.
The offense can hopefully use this momentum going forward in 2022. This should mean giving Morehead the reps, as he is clearly the future for Boston College. The team was in good hands tonight, which was good, because the defense struggled to make anything happen all game.
Struggles on defense for Boston College Eagles
The defense had been a saving grace and kept Boston College in games throughout much of 2022.
Against Duke, they couldn’t find any answers until it was too late.
The ground attack for the Blue Devils entered the game averaging 205 yards per game. Boston College allowed long and chunk yards through most of game’s first three quarters. They got off on the wrong foot, allowing a 60-yard touchdown run to Blue Devil quarterback Riley Leonard on the team’s opening drive.
Duke finished the game with 232 yards on the ground but the Boston College defense did step up in the fourth. After Duke took a 38-21 lead nine seconds into the fourth quarter, the Eagles defense stopped Duke on three straight possessions, allowing only a total of 19 yards on the ground.
Leonard had 96 yards on the ground, while throwing for 158.
Kam Arnold and Donovan Ezeiruaku were two of the standouts on defense, though both missed a couple of tackles that could have stopped drives. Arnold had eight tackles and Ezeiruaku six, adding a key sack in the fourth quarter.
The defense had their struggles but things might have been better if Duke hadn’t been able to start most first-drives near midfield (or better).
Special teams a mess for Boston College Eagles
At one point this season, the punters for the Eagles were a highlight for the team.
Lately? Not so much.
It was another long night of punting for Boston College. Danny Longman and Sam Candiotti punted a total of seven times, averaging only 37.3 yards attempt. Part of the issue for Duke’s excellent field position was because Boston College was basically stuck inside their own 10-yard line. But the two punters were unable to give much of an edge in trying to flip that field position.
Boston College, on three separate kick returns, also had penalties that pushed them close to their own goal line.
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The Eagles have plenty to build off of from this game against Duke. The fourth quarter definitely made the game more exciting, ending with more positives in yet another loss. But the signs and opportunities for success are there and, with any luck, they can snag an upset-victory or two in the season’s final three games.