Week 5 Notes: The Virginia Tech Game

Boston College looks to move to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the ACC with a road visit to No. 23 Virginia Tech in primetime Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. Dave O'Brien, former BC standout quarterback Tim Hasselbeck and Katie George will call the game. Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at 7:30 p.m. with Jon Meterparel, Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM, nationally on TuneIn and on Sirius channel 137, XM channel 382 and online via SiriusXM channel 972.

Boston College captured its first overtime win since 2009 with a 31-30 victory over Pitt last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec finished with 19-for-35 for 358 yards with three passing touchdowns plus one rushing score. Michael Carter rushed for a career-high 214 yards as No. 8 North Carolina rolled to a 56-45 ACC victory over No. 19 Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.

The Series
Boston College and Virginia Tech meet for the 29th time in series history Saturday. BC is 10-18 all-time against the Hokies following last season's 35-28 victory over the Hokies to open the 2019 season at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles are 5-7 all-time at Lane Stadium against the Hokies. The last visit to Blacksburg BC won 31-21 in 2018.

The old BIG EAST rivals first met as conference foes in 1993 as BC captured a 48-34 victory over the No. 25 Hokies. In the BIG EAST, BC was 3-8 against Virginia Tech. The two schools first met as ACC rivals in 2005 as the third-ranked Hokies captured a 30-10 victory in Blacksburg. In ACC play, Virginia Tech is 10-7 against BC.

The longest winning streak for BC in the series is two games (three times) while Virginia Tech won seven consecutive meetings from 1996-2002. The most points scored by BC in series play occurred in the first meeting between the two schools (48) in 1993. Virginia Tech scored 49 in the last game at Tech against BC, the most of any Hokie team in the series. The two teams met twice in the ACC Championship Game in 2007 and 2008. The Hokies won both title game matchups, including a 30-16 win in Jacksonville in 2007 followed by a 30-12 victory in Tampa in the 2008 ACC Championship. One of the most memorable wins in BC history came on Oct. 25, 2007 as Matt Ryan led a fourth quarter comeback with 14 unanswered points as the third-ranked Eagles defeated the 11th-ranked Hokies 14-10 in Blacksburg.

Boston College is 6-13 all-time versus Virginia Tech when the Hokies are ranked in the top 25. The last win for BC over a ranked Virginia Tech team was a 28-23 victory on Oct. 18, 2008. BC is 3-6 when facing a ranked Hokie squad in Blacksburg. The Matt Ryan comeback win for BC in 2007 at Virginia Tech marked the last time BC won against a ranked Virginia Tech team on the road.

Scouting Virginia Tech
• Virginia Tech returns to Lane Stadium to face Boston
College (10/17) after back-to-back road contests.
• After winning back-to-back games vs. NC State (9/26) and at Duke (10/3) despite missing 20+ players and multiple staff members Tech wasn't able to register a third straight win.
• The Hokies were without 15 players at No. 8 UNC (10/10) and suffered a 56-45 loss. After spotting UNC a 21-0 lead, Tech fought back and eventually trimmed the Carolina lead to 42-37 in the third quarter but could never get any closer.
• Virginia Tech leads the ACC and ranks seventh in the
FBS, averaging 42.7 ppg. Only Alabama (51.0) & Texas
(49.5) are better among Power Five programs.
• Tech ranks fourth in the nation, registering 4.67 sacks per game. Only Pitt (4.80) is better among Po er Five squads.
• VT has 14.0 sacks in 2020. DEs Emmanuel Belmar and Amare Barno are tied for seventh in the ACC with 3.0 sacks apiece.
• Kansas transfer RB Khalil "Juice" Herbert leads the nation, averaging 246.3 all-purpose ypg and 149.7 rushing ypg.
• Herbert owns three straight 100-yard rushing games to begin his VT career and leads the FBS, averaging 10.4 yards per carry.
• Justin Fuente was named Virginia Tech's head coach on Nov. 29, 2015 after orchestrating a dramatic resurrection of the football fortunes at the University of Memphis.
• The Hokies are in their fifth season under Fuente, who has compiled a 35-21 record in Blacksburg.

Thrill Jurkovec
• Phil Jurkovec has burst onto the scene as the starting quarterback for the Eagles. Jurkovec's 1,181 yards over his first four games are the most by any BC quarterback in school history. Shawn Halloran passed for 1,040 yards over his first four games for the previous record in 1985.
• Jurkovec also holds the record for the most completions (99) and passing touchdowns (8) over the first four games of any player in BC history.
• Jurkovec is the first player in BC history to total three, 300-yard passing games in his first four career starts at quarterback and the first BC quarterback with three or more 300-yard games in a season since Chase Rettig (2012).
• In the 31-30 overtime win against Pitt, he finished with 19-for-35 for 358 yards with three passing touchdowns plus one rushing score.
• Against No. 11 North Carolina on Oct. 3, Jurkovec was 37-for-56 for 313 yards and two touchdowns. The 37 completions were tied for second in BC single-game history with Frank Harris (37 versus Army in 1968). Matt Ryan's 40 completions are the most in BC history against Wake Forest on Nov. 4, 2006.
• Jurkovec's 37 completions were an Alumni Stadium record. The previous best belonged to Matt Ryan with 37 completions versus Army on Sept. 22, 2007.
• His 56 pass attempts were also the most by a BC quarterback at Alumni Stadium since at least 1996 and was the highest overall total number of attempts since Ryan passed 56 times on Nov. 10, 2007 at Maryland. Jurkovec is tied for fourth in BC single-game history with the 56 attempts. Matt Ryan, Shawn Halloran and Frank Harris own the school record with 57 attempts.
• Jurkovec opened the season becoming just the third BC quarterback since 2010 to throw for 300 yards in a game - and he did it in his first career game at BC against Duke.
• The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its "Stars of the Week." Jurkovec was one of the eight quarterbacks to be honored after his breakout performance at Duke.
• The Davey O'Brien Foundation announced its Great 8 list of the top quarterback performances for week three of the 2020 college football season and Jurkovec was honored for his efforts at Duke.
• The transfer from Notre Dame finished 17-of-23 passing for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the Duke victory. He joined 10 other former BC signal callers to throw for 300 yards in a game since 1996 (Chase Rettig, Anthony Brown, Matt Ryan, Chris Crane, Matt Hasselbeck, Paul Peterson, Scott Mutryn, Tim Hasselbeck, Brian St. Pierre and Quinton Porter).
• Jurkovec became the first BC quarterback since Matt Ryan in 2007 to throw for 300 yards, multiple touchdowns and complete 70% of his throws in a game in leading BC to a 26-6 victory at Duke.
• Jurkovec made his first start at quarterback since Dec. 9, 2017 at HersheyPark Stadium in the Pennsylvania Class 6A state title game. Jurkovec led Pine-Richland to a 41-21 victory over St. Joseph's Prep.

Historic Start
• Phil Jurkovec's first four starts are better statistically than any quarterback in BC's storied history.
• Jurkovec's 1,181 yards passing are the most by any BC quarterback to start the season since Chase Rettig threw for 1,292 yards in the first four games of 2012.

Saving His Best for Last
• Phil Jurkovec is second nationally among all quarterbacks with 666 yards passing in the second half and overtime in 2020. The Pittsburgh native is completing 67.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns in the second half and overtime in 2020.
• Jurkovec's six touchdowns in the second half/OT are tied for third in the country.
• In the fourth quarter in four games, Jurkovec is completing 66.0 percent of his passes (31-of-47) for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

Among the Nation's Elite
• Phil Jurkovec is 12th nationally and leads the ACC with 295.3 passing yards per game. Jurkovec is 19th nationally in completion percentage (65.1%) and his eight touchdowns passing rank 12th nationally.
• Jurkovec's 1,181 yards passing in 2020 are seventh nationally.
• While just a small sample of only four games, Jurkovec is second among all BC quarterbacks since 1996 with 295.3 passing yards per game in a season.

Haf Effect
• Jeff Hafley made an immediate impact on Ohio State's defense in 2019 and he is doing the same thing at Boston College in 2020.
• The year prior to Hafley's arrival at Ohio State, the Buckeyes ranked 71st nationally in total defense an 50th in scoring defense. In 2019, Hafley guided the nation's best defense allowing just 259.7 yards per game, an improvement of 143.7 yards per game from 2018. Ohio State yielded just 13.7 points per game in 2019, fourth-best in the nation.
• Hafley and the BC defensive coaching staff have turned things in the right direction on the Eagles' defense in 2020. BC is allowing 108 yards less per game than 2019, going from 125th nationally to 29th.

Zay All Day
• Sophomore Zay Flowers has blossomed in BC's new pro-style passing attack. After totaling just 22 receptions for 341 yards in 13 games in 2019, Flowers has 21 catches for 405 yards and four touchdowns through four games in 2020.
• Flowers is seventh nationally with 405 yards receiving and four receiving touchdowns. He leads the ACC in both categories along with 101.3 receiving yards per game.
• The speedster from Fort Lauderdale finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with six receptions for 162 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the 31-30 victory in overtime over Pitt.
• Flowers became the first BC player with three receiving touchdowns in a game since Kelvin Martin at Holy Cross (11/22/86).
• He tied the school record with five other players with three touchdown receptions.
• The 166 yards receiving by Flowers were the fifth-most by a BC player since 1996.
• Flowers' 77-yard score was the first of 70 or more by an Eagle since Hunter Long's 72-yard score at Louisville (10/5/19).
• Flowers is tied for 11th in BC single-season history with two 100-yard receiving games this season. He is the first Eagle with multiple 100-yard receiving games in the same season since Kobay White in 2018.
• Flowers totaled five receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown in BC's 26-6 win at Duke. It was the first 100-yard receiving game for an Eagle since Kobay White's 121 yards at Florida State in 2018.
• Flowers was named the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week for the first time in his career following the Duke game.
• The 162 yards receiving by Flowers were the seventh-most by a BC player since 1996.
• Flowers averaged 32.4 yards per reception. No receiver in BC history had more receiving yards on fewer receptions than Flowers in a single game.
• Flowers was the first BC receiver since 2012 (Alex Amidon) to have over 150 yards receiving in a game.

BC Versus Ranked Opponents
• BC is 31-113-1 all-time against ranked opponents.
• The last win against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 9 Southern California (37-31) in 2014. The last time BC won on the road versus a ranked opponent was Nov. 15, 2008 at No. 20 Florida State (27-17).
• Since joining the ACC in 2005, the Eagles are 10-36 against ranked teams.

The Nation's Leader
• Junior tight end Hunter Long has been BC's top receiving target in 2020 and he leads the nation in receptions for a tight end with 31.
• Long has started the year with 31 receptions for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Long is tied for fourth nationally among all players regardless of position in receptions. Prior to this season, Long had just 32 receptions total over his first two years on the field at Boston College.
• He was named to the John Mackey Award watch list after earning All-ACC third-team honors last season. The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.
• Long led Boston College with 509 receiving yards and 18.2 yards per reception in 2019. He finished the season with 28 receptions and two receiving touchdowns. His 72-yard touchdown reception at Louisville was the longest reception of his career a year ago.

Bloodhound
• Junior Isaiah McDuffie's nickname on the team is "bloodhound" and it is easy to see why with his play on the field. His ability to track down the opposing ball carrier has been on full display in 2020.
• After missing most of the 2019 season recovering from a knee injury, McDuffie has been explosive through his first three games in 2020.
• He is the only player in the ACC to rank in the league's top-10 in tackles (2nd, 10.2 per game), solo tackles (1st, 28) and sacks (6th, 3.0).

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Players Mentioned

Anthony Brown

Zay Flowers

Phil Jurkovec

Hunter Long

Isaiah McDuffie

Kobay White

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