Four Downs: Louisville
November 29, 2020 | Football, #ForBoston Files
The Eagles clinched a winning regular season record on Saturday.
Senior Day is supposed to celebrate college football's capstone. It's a deeply emotional and personal moment between parents and student-athletes, both of whom celebrate the milestone ending of decades on the field. It's a final last moment, the one where each manager, teammate, backup, starter or legend is still the same kid driven to Pop Warner practice by parents. It's an annual tradition, but it's the one with the most emotional weight that nobody understands unless they experienced it.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented Boston College's student-athletes from that moment on Saturday evening. It was another milestone robbed by the novel coronavirus and the same unfortunate reality experienced by seniors who couldn't attend a prom or a graduation.
The lack of traditional pomp aside, the day belonged to the seniors and to the Eagles. They beat Louisville, 34-27, and clinched a winning record with their sixth win. They won their fifth ACC game for the first time since 2009 and won their first Senior Day game since 2017.
"It meant everything to me," Travis Levy, a senior captain, said. "It meant everything for the seniors. I'm a pretty mellow guy. I go through everything how I want to go through everything, and even though it's the last game, I approach it like every game is my last game. You have to approach the game like every game is your last game, and I was really ecstatic (that) we got this one because I know this is the last one in Alumni Stadium."
The seniors didn't have the traditional run to their parents, but they can take solace that their class built an eternal legend for generations of future Eagles. They did something unprecedented during an unprecedented year, and they did it with an unmatched maturity equally unseen in Boston College history. They led and captained a season during both a pandemic and a year of social upheaval, and they grabbed headlines with their actions instead of their words.
The Eagles began workouts in June with one positive COVID-19 test result upon entry, but didn't incur a single positive result through approximately 8,000 tests over the next 10 games. They spoke up following the murder of George Floyd and canceled practice after the shooting of Jacob Blake, and they reconfigured their practice schedule in order to vote in November's election. They applied their lessons learned and grew closer as a team, and they did so under the blessing of a head coach who encouraged independent thought.
"I told the team after mass today how important this was for them," head coach Jeff Hafley said. "I talked to them about (how) this isn't an ideal senior day. No one in the stands, your mom and dad are not allowed to be here. Then I told them how I proud I was of them because in the world right now, everything's really hard, and they've done the opposite of most people. We've stayed healthy. They've led this team to zero positive tests over 8,000 (COVID-19) tests, and they've led this team to a 6-4 record.
"Right before we went on the field, I had them all stand up," he continued. "I said that we will not lose this football game. It was about the seniors playing their last game (at Alumni Stadium). They'll remember this one, even though the crowd wasn't full. They will remember it because they had to work harder and work harder than they would in a normal situation. That's life. I told them that you're going to have to work harder in life to get through things, and they're going to be successful no matter what they do."
There are so many more important things in the world than anything that took place between the lines, but BC's home excellence and the memories created against Texas State or North Carolina and Pittsburgh or Notre Dame buoyed the fans watching at home. The successful sacrifice enabled the fans to watch from their couches and hopefully, for one day each week, gave everyone a happy distraction from the stress and struggle of daily life.
None of that changes the pain of playing a gladiatorial game in an empty arena when it's meant for the colosseum-like enjoyment of thousands, and it doesn't remove the occasional triviality of wanting that in the face of a deadly pandemic. It just makes them superhuman, whether they're all aware of it or not, and what it sparked will echo for generations. The 2020 Boston College football team never got the chance to play in front of their fans at Alumni Stadium, but what it accomplished was never meant for the confinement of an arena, its stands or its walls.
Here are some of the other takeaways from Saturday's final home game against Louisville:
*****
First Down: Dennis Grosel
The Boston College offense barely scratched the surface of its game plan when a near disaster struck in the third quarter. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec had managed the first half for 12 completions and 151 yards in the first half, but he torched Louisville's offense with three big targets to Jaelen Gill, Zay Flowers and Spencer Witter. He marched the Eagles downfield and amplified his game after he missed Witter at the end of the first half, and his 52 yards helped turn a 10-point swing into a 20-10 lead at the tip of the third quarter.
Jurkovec, though, faded back to pass when he pulled up with an apparent lower leg injury on the first play of his second third quarter drive. He walked off the field, but his day was over just as it was heating up.
It was déjà vu for Dennis Grosel. Last year's starting quarterback earned the job after Anthony Brown suffered a season-ending injury against Louisville, and he knew the drill after trainers looked at Jurkovec. He immediately took snaps with center Alec Lindstrom and shrugged off the enormity of the moment.
"Dennis and Alec were taking snaps," Jeff Hafley said, "and Dennis doesn't know it, but I heard him say to Alec, 'Hey man, it's like riding a bike.' They kind of looked at each other and laughed and when Dennis went in the huddle, I was right there in the confidence. Dennis had the confidence the guys had in him because they see the way he works, and they know what type of kid he is. That's what's special about this team. Those are the special moments, and that's why I'm so glad I'm their coach."
"We've had a lot of chemistry throughout (our careers)," Grosel said, "and I just wanted to keep it really light. Hopefully guys don't get tense in that situation. I guess it is like riding a bike. I did it last year, and I just hopped back on, and (we) hang on for the ride."
Grosel perfectly played the role of the returning, cagey veteran, and he delivered on his first full drive with a third down, 44-yard run with an electric cutback off the sideline. BC went 84 yards over eight plays and ate four minutes off the end of the third quarter and the start of the third, and Grosel buoyed the Eagles with two huge touchdowns. The first was an acrobatic circus catch from CJ Lewis, but the second was a perfect strike into the chest of Jehlani Galloway.
Grosel finished 4-for-7 for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and his 49 rushing yards were second-most to David Bailey. It centered more nightmares for Louisville coaches around him after last year's performance, to which the added numbers combined for 13 completions, 155 yards and five touchdowns off the bench.
"I was joking with (strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz) that he was charting my plays, and it was just a big zero for the week," Grosel laughed. "He was joking that I didn't need any treatment because I hadn't been practicing all week.
"But it's just the satisfaction of coming in and feeling like I could step up in a big situation and not let the guys down," he said more seriously. "Senior Night is a big game later in the year. I just know that's where I get the satisfaction from coming to the locker room and being able to look the guys in the eyes and come out with a win."
*****
Second Down: Boston College Offense
David Bailey's first quarter was a time warp back to a different era. He plowed the Louisville defense for 25 yards on five carries and scored a vintage touchdown by barreling through the teeth of the Cardinals' defensive line. It gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead and negated a missed opportunity when officials failed to end Phil Jurkovec's forward progress prior to a fumble on the previous drive.
Bailey handled the lion's share of early carries and produced big results for the offense with a 12-yard carry in the second quarter. He helped his unit cruise through the Louisville defense, and BC only ran four drives in the first half. Each chewed 50 yards and amassed 18 cumulative minutes off the clock in a 13-10 halftime game, but a chest injury sidelined Bailey for a bulk of the second half.
The injury - combined with Phil Jurkovec's exit in the second half - changed the BC offense into a three-headed beast. A run-first offense shifted into a fast-paced passing attack before going into an off-balance option with Dennis Grosel and both Travis Levy and Patrick Garwo.Â
"(David) was huge when (he had) the huge runs on that second-to-last drive," Jeff Hafley said. "He popped a few. It was big for us because (players) need a break. (Travis Levy) can't be in there all the time. David can't be there all the time, and then, obviously, David went down and Travis needed a blow, Patrick did a great job. I'm excited to have (Garwo) back."
Grosel broke off a 44-yard run, but Levy and Garwo equaled Bailey's overall output without the touchdown scoring. They combined for 19 carries and 62 yards, and Garwo's 22-yard carry was the second-longest of the Eagles' evening. They severely confused the Louisville defense at a time when BC needed a lift, and they equally provided the gamesmanship and leadership expected out of their position grouping room on a weekly basis.
"We just keep working," Levy said. "It's unfortunate that he went down because David was a big part of this team and a big part of the offense. But we all just keep working, and that's what we tell each other. No matter the circumstances, just keep working, and things will just unfold and work out for the best."
*****
HAF-time Hits
-Approximate number of daylight hours during BC's first home game on September 26: 12.
-Approximate number of daylight hours during BC's last home game on November 28: nine.
-There was a tripleheader showcase on Saturday featuring BC athletics programs when the Eagles played Providence in women's hockey and led into both the football and men's hockey games. The early game went to the Friars, but the football win bookended a gutty, 5-3 win for men's hockey over UMass.
-There's a sneaky huge basketball week brimming on Sunday when the BC women's team hosts UMass. The Minutewomen won 20 games last year en route to the Atlantic-10 quarterfinals and were a likely local entry into the WNIT. They opened the year last Wednesday by beating Bryant, 82-54, and will be chomping at the bit for a shot at a potential tournament calibert team in BC.
-That will lead to Monday's Bubbleville game for the men against St. John's. The Red Storm are 2-0 after winning the Lapchick Tournament over Saint Peter's and La Salle, but they were a potential postseason contender out of the Big East after making the tournament two years ago.Â
*****
Third Down: Malik Cunningham
Dual threat quarterbacks are difficult to defend because they operate in space when plays break down. They create plays with their legs but fuse their speed into playmaking throws, which is why someone like Louisville's Malik Cunningham is a team leader in both the running and passing games. On Saturday, he tortured the BC defense, which got its shots on him in the second and fourth quarters, and finished with 48 plays for a combined 429 yards.
"He's a dynamic player," Jeff Hafley said. "They threw some new stuff at us with him running the ball, and we had him a few times. He made a bunch of guys miss, and he ran away from a lot of guys."
Cunningham's willingness to run on both designed and improvised plays drew a share of contact, and BC knocked him out of the game late in the second quarter with an apparent arm injury. He returned for the second half, though, and broke up the defense with 151 yards in the fourth quarter.Â
His playmaking shuffles masked over the Louisville offensive line's inability to protect plays or create surges. Straightforward runs from Jalen Mitchell and Hassan Hall gained 72 yards on f15 carries, but the Cardinals lost two fumbles. One was a pure mistake by receiver Tutu Atwell when he simply put the ball on the turf, but BC created the other when the defense swamped the right side of the line. The running back pivoted back to the left side and fumbled the football against Jahmin Muse, and it handed the Eagles a golden opportunity.
Cunningham wasn't immune to the turnover bug either. BC blitzed the pocket but opted to only rush four against dropback coverage in the fourth quarter, and the quarterback nearly threw a floating pick at defensive back Jason Maitre. Four plays later, BC brought the house, and a tipped ball landed in the arms of defensive lineman Shitta Sillah for his first career interception.
"The quarterback got the ball out, and Jahmin Muse tipped the ball," Sillah said. "I just looked it in (to my hands), and I just thought it was crazy."
"I thought Tem did a great job (against Cunningham)," Hafley said, "but a couple of times, he just made us miss and just ran away. He's a good, young player. I grabbed him after the game and told him it was a heck of a job, and (he's) going to have a great career."
*****
Fourth Down: Respect and Pride
The ACC breaks down into different tiers in any given season, and not even the strange, single-division format in 2020 prevented the establishment of several different groups.
Notre Dame's one-shot appearance in the ACC isn't disappointing fans in South Bend, and the undefeated Fighting Irish maintained their elite spot after beating North Carolina on Friday. Their reign unofficially began after their win over Clemson, but two games separate the Irish from an ACC Championship Game appearance against either the Tigers or Miami, both of which are one game out of first with limited games left to play.
Clemson pummeled Pittsburgh after last week's Florida State postponement and are in the elite tier with Notre Dame. The only difference is the overtime decision at Notre Dame Stadium earlier this season, but not even Miami's four-game winning streak is impeding on the possibility of two ACC teams in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes are the first real bridge team even though they are technically tied with Clemson. Their last two games, including next week's game at Wake Forest, were postponed due to COVID-19, but they will need some help from Clemson in order to reach the ACC Championship Game because the Tigers beat them, 42-17, earlier this season. That puts Miami in a class by itself as a possible New Year's Six team and a top 10 team outside the championship elite.
Boston College is effectively in the next tier after North Carolina's loss this weekend. The Tar Heels slipped into tie with NC State, and both are only one game ahead of the Eagles and Virginia Tech. The Hokies were off this week but are substantially behind BC in overall record even with the head-to-head victory. That gives BC a clear advantage in the ACC standings with a shouting distance at both UNC and NC State with one game remaining.
The Eagles' final opponent, Virginia, is in the next tier with a 4-4 overall record. The Cavaliers were set to play Florida State this weekend before COVID-19 postponed the game hours before kickoff and still have an extra game in hand after next weekend's game against BC. They are part of the larger crop of teams with anywhere from three to five overall wins but with .500 or worse overall records.
The difference between these tiers is razor thin, and it's important to remember that final records don't impact bowl seeding this year. This isn't a normal season, but it's still important to finish the season with more wins than usual in a year where the ACC is every bit as competitive as its standard, two-division format.
*****
Point After: #BowlSZN
A lack of seeding and an overall shifting among bowl games makes it impossible to predict which bowl game might invite Boston College. The coalition of all 44 games, dubbed "Bowl Season" highlighted these changes this week when it released its first composite prediction of games with teams from each individual conference.Â
A number of bowls are already canceled or postponed into 2021, including three games formerly in the tiered finish in the league. Both the Fenway Bowl and the Pinstripe Bowl are off, as is the Holiday Bowl, reducing the number of available ACC games from 10 to seven. Predicting placement, though, isn't as easy as looking at records because teams don't require a minimum number of wins for eligibility where they normally would need at least a .500 record.
For its part, Bowl Season's first projection put BC into the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas against Washington. The Huskies were only on their third game of the season on Saturday after the Pac-12's late start but led the Pac-12 North Division into this weekend as the only undefeated team.
CBS Sports also had the Eagles in the Sun Bowl (against Utah), but ESPN's last projections had BC in the Pinstripe Bowl prior to the game's cancelation.
"They deserve it, whether or not you can go to a bowl with three wins or two wins," Jeff Hafley said. "I don't want to go to a bowl game for 5-6 or 4-7. You have to earn a bowl game, and we've played 10 games. There are some teams out there that have played three and four (games), (and) we played against the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the country, and we've competed in every one of those games. So it's awesome. I guess that's the best way I can describe it."
Nobody knows how bowl games will look this year, and traditional understandings of a postseason game's activities and exercises cannot happen in a COVID-19 world. Still, the consideration is great and recognition is earned. BC unquestionably offers plenty to bowl game organizers as a smart team that won its games by operating the right way. That's attractive for a number of reasons, especially in a world where how a team wins is every bit as important as when a team wins.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented Boston College's student-athletes from that moment on Saturday evening. It was another milestone robbed by the novel coronavirus and the same unfortunate reality experienced by seniors who couldn't attend a prom or a graduation.
The lack of traditional pomp aside, the day belonged to the seniors and to the Eagles. They beat Louisville, 34-27, and clinched a winning record with their sixth win. They won their fifth ACC game for the first time since 2009 and won their first Senior Day game since 2017.
"It meant everything to me," Travis Levy, a senior captain, said. "It meant everything for the seniors. I'm a pretty mellow guy. I go through everything how I want to go through everything, and even though it's the last game, I approach it like every game is my last game. You have to approach the game like every game is your last game, and I was really ecstatic (that) we got this one because I know this is the last one in Alumni Stadium."
The seniors didn't have the traditional run to their parents, but they can take solace that their class built an eternal legend for generations of future Eagles. They did something unprecedented during an unprecedented year, and they did it with an unmatched maturity equally unseen in Boston College history. They led and captained a season during both a pandemic and a year of social upheaval, and they grabbed headlines with their actions instead of their words.
The Eagles began workouts in June with one positive COVID-19 test result upon entry, but didn't incur a single positive result through approximately 8,000 tests over the next 10 games. They spoke up following the murder of George Floyd and canceled practice after the shooting of Jacob Blake, and they reconfigured their practice schedule in order to vote in November's election. They applied their lessons learned and grew closer as a team, and they did so under the blessing of a head coach who encouraged independent thought.
"I told the team after mass today how important this was for them," head coach Jeff Hafley said. "I talked to them about (how) this isn't an ideal senior day. No one in the stands, your mom and dad are not allowed to be here. Then I told them how I proud I was of them because in the world right now, everything's really hard, and they've done the opposite of most people. We've stayed healthy. They've led this team to zero positive tests over 8,000 (COVID-19) tests, and they've led this team to a 6-4 record.
"Right before we went on the field, I had them all stand up," he continued. "I said that we will not lose this football game. It was about the seniors playing their last game (at Alumni Stadium). They'll remember this one, even though the crowd wasn't full. They will remember it because they had to work harder and work harder than they would in a normal situation. That's life. I told them that you're going to have to work harder in life to get through things, and they're going to be successful no matter what they do."
There are so many more important things in the world than anything that took place between the lines, but BC's home excellence and the memories created against Texas State or North Carolina and Pittsburgh or Notre Dame buoyed the fans watching at home. The successful sacrifice enabled the fans to watch from their couches and hopefully, for one day each week, gave everyone a happy distraction from the stress and struggle of daily life.
None of that changes the pain of playing a gladiatorial game in an empty arena when it's meant for the colosseum-like enjoyment of thousands, and it doesn't remove the occasional triviality of wanting that in the face of a deadly pandemic. It just makes them superhuman, whether they're all aware of it or not, and what it sparked will echo for generations. The 2020 Boston College football team never got the chance to play in front of their fans at Alumni Stadium, but what it accomplished was never meant for the confinement of an arena, its stands or its walls.
Here are some of the other takeaways from Saturday's final home game against Louisville:
*****
First Down: Dennis Grosel
The Boston College offense barely scratched the surface of its game plan when a near disaster struck in the third quarter. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec had managed the first half for 12 completions and 151 yards in the first half, but he torched Louisville's offense with three big targets to Jaelen Gill, Zay Flowers and Spencer Witter. He marched the Eagles downfield and amplified his game after he missed Witter at the end of the first half, and his 52 yards helped turn a 10-point swing into a 20-10 lead at the tip of the third quarter.
Jurkovec, though, faded back to pass when he pulled up with an apparent lower leg injury on the first play of his second third quarter drive. He walked off the field, but his day was over just as it was heating up.
It was déjà vu for Dennis Grosel. Last year's starting quarterback earned the job after Anthony Brown suffered a season-ending injury against Louisville, and he knew the drill after trainers looked at Jurkovec. He immediately took snaps with center Alec Lindstrom and shrugged off the enormity of the moment.
"Dennis and Alec were taking snaps," Jeff Hafley said, "and Dennis doesn't know it, but I heard him say to Alec, 'Hey man, it's like riding a bike.' They kind of looked at each other and laughed and when Dennis went in the huddle, I was right there in the confidence. Dennis had the confidence the guys had in him because they see the way he works, and they know what type of kid he is. That's what's special about this team. Those are the special moments, and that's why I'm so glad I'm their coach."
"We've had a lot of chemistry throughout (our careers)," Grosel said, "and I just wanted to keep it really light. Hopefully guys don't get tense in that situation. I guess it is like riding a bike. I did it last year, and I just hopped back on, and (we) hang on for the ride."
Grosel perfectly played the role of the returning, cagey veteran, and he delivered on his first full drive with a third down, 44-yard run with an electric cutback off the sideline. BC went 84 yards over eight plays and ate four minutes off the end of the third quarter and the start of the third, and Grosel buoyed the Eagles with two huge touchdowns. The first was an acrobatic circus catch from CJ Lewis, but the second was a perfect strike into the chest of Jehlani Galloway.
Grosel finished 4-for-7 for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and his 49 rushing yards were second-most to David Bailey. It centered more nightmares for Louisville coaches around him after last year's performance, to which the added numbers combined for 13 completions, 155 yards and five touchdowns off the bench.
"I was joking with (strength and conditioning coach Phil Matusz) that he was charting my plays, and it was just a big zero for the week," Grosel laughed. "He was joking that I didn't need any treatment because I hadn't been practicing all week.
"But it's just the satisfaction of coming in and feeling like I could step up in a big situation and not let the guys down," he said more seriously. "Senior Night is a big game later in the year. I just know that's where I get the satisfaction from coming to the locker room and being able to look the guys in the eyes and come out with a win."
*****
Second Down: Boston College Offense
David Bailey's first quarter was a time warp back to a different era. He plowed the Louisville defense for 25 yards on five carries and scored a vintage touchdown by barreling through the teeth of the Cardinals' defensive line. It gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead and negated a missed opportunity when officials failed to end Phil Jurkovec's forward progress prior to a fumble on the previous drive.
Bailey handled the lion's share of early carries and produced big results for the offense with a 12-yard carry in the second quarter. He helped his unit cruise through the Louisville defense, and BC only ran four drives in the first half. Each chewed 50 yards and amassed 18 cumulative minutes off the clock in a 13-10 halftime game, but a chest injury sidelined Bailey for a bulk of the second half.
The injury - combined with Phil Jurkovec's exit in the second half - changed the BC offense into a three-headed beast. A run-first offense shifted into a fast-paced passing attack before going into an off-balance option with Dennis Grosel and both Travis Levy and Patrick Garwo.Â
"(David) was huge when (he had) the huge runs on that second-to-last drive," Jeff Hafley said. "He popped a few. It was big for us because (players) need a break. (Travis Levy) can't be in there all the time. David can't be there all the time, and then, obviously, David went down and Travis needed a blow, Patrick did a great job. I'm excited to have (Garwo) back."
Grosel broke off a 44-yard run, but Levy and Garwo equaled Bailey's overall output without the touchdown scoring. They combined for 19 carries and 62 yards, and Garwo's 22-yard carry was the second-longest of the Eagles' evening. They severely confused the Louisville defense at a time when BC needed a lift, and they equally provided the gamesmanship and leadership expected out of their position grouping room on a weekly basis.
"We just keep working," Levy said. "It's unfortunate that he went down because David was a big part of this team and a big part of the offense. But we all just keep working, and that's what we tell each other. No matter the circumstances, just keep working, and things will just unfold and work out for the best."
*****
HAF-time Hits
-Approximate number of daylight hours during BC's first home game on September 26: 12.
-Approximate number of daylight hours during BC's last home game on November 28: nine.
-There was a tripleheader showcase on Saturday featuring BC athletics programs when the Eagles played Providence in women's hockey and led into both the football and men's hockey games. The early game went to the Friars, but the football win bookended a gutty, 5-3 win for men's hockey over UMass.
-There's a sneaky huge basketball week brimming on Sunday when the BC women's team hosts UMass. The Minutewomen won 20 games last year en route to the Atlantic-10 quarterfinals and were a likely local entry into the WNIT. They opened the year last Wednesday by beating Bryant, 82-54, and will be chomping at the bit for a shot at a potential tournament calibert team in BC.
-That will lead to Monday's Bubbleville game for the men against St. John's. The Red Storm are 2-0 after winning the Lapchick Tournament over Saint Peter's and La Salle, but they were a potential postseason contender out of the Big East after making the tournament two years ago.Â
*****
Third Down: Malik Cunningham
Dual threat quarterbacks are difficult to defend because they operate in space when plays break down. They create plays with their legs but fuse their speed into playmaking throws, which is why someone like Louisville's Malik Cunningham is a team leader in both the running and passing games. On Saturday, he tortured the BC defense, which got its shots on him in the second and fourth quarters, and finished with 48 plays for a combined 429 yards.
"He's a dynamic player," Jeff Hafley said. "They threw some new stuff at us with him running the ball, and we had him a few times. He made a bunch of guys miss, and he ran away from a lot of guys."
Cunningham's willingness to run on both designed and improvised plays drew a share of contact, and BC knocked him out of the game late in the second quarter with an apparent arm injury. He returned for the second half, though, and broke up the defense with 151 yards in the fourth quarter.Â
His playmaking shuffles masked over the Louisville offensive line's inability to protect plays or create surges. Straightforward runs from Jalen Mitchell and Hassan Hall gained 72 yards on f15 carries, but the Cardinals lost two fumbles. One was a pure mistake by receiver Tutu Atwell when he simply put the ball on the turf, but BC created the other when the defense swamped the right side of the line. The running back pivoted back to the left side and fumbled the football against Jahmin Muse, and it handed the Eagles a golden opportunity.
Cunningham wasn't immune to the turnover bug either. BC blitzed the pocket but opted to only rush four against dropback coverage in the fourth quarter, and the quarterback nearly threw a floating pick at defensive back Jason Maitre. Four plays later, BC brought the house, and a tipped ball landed in the arms of defensive lineman Shitta Sillah for his first career interception.
"The quarterback got the ball out, and Jahmin Muse tipped the ball," Sillah said. "I just looked it in (to my hands), and I just thought it was crazy."
"I thought Tem did a great job (against Cunningham)," Hafley said, "but a couple of times, he just made us miss and just ran away. He's a good, young player. I grabbed him after the game and told him it was a heck of a job, and (he's) going to have a great career."
*****
Fourth Down: Respect and Pride
The ACC breaks down into different tiers in any given season, and not even the strange, single-division format in 2020 prevented the establishment of several different groups.
Notre Dame's one-shot appearance in the ACC isn't disappointing fans in South Bend, and the undefeated Fighting Irish maintained their elite spot after beating North Carolina on Friday. Their reign unofficially began after their win over Clemson, but two games separate the Irish from an ACC Championship Game appearance against either the Tigers or Miami, both of which are one game out of first with limited games left to play.
Clemson pummeled Pittsburgh after last week's Florida State postponement and are in the elite tier with Notre Dame. The only difference is the overtime decision at Notre Dame Stadium earlier this season, but not even Miami's four-game winning streak is impeding on the possibility of two ACC teams in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes are the first real bridge team even though they are technically tied with Clemson. Their last two games, including next week's game at Wake Forest, were postponed due to COVID-19, but they will need some help from Clemson in order to reach the ACC Championship Game because the Tigers beat them, 42-17, earlier this season. That puts Miami in a class by itself as a possible New Year's Six team and a top 10 team outside the championship elite.
Boston College is effectively in the next tier after North Carolina's loss this weekend. The Tar Heels slipped into tie with NC State, and both are only one game ahead of the Eagles and Virginia Tech. The Hokies were off this week but are substantially behind BC in overall record even with the head-to-head victory. That gives BC a clear advantage in the ACC standings with a shouting distance at both UNC and NC State with one game remaining.
The Eagles' final opponent, Virginia, is in the next tier with a 4-4 overall record. The Cavaliers were set to play Florida State this weekend before COVID-19 postponed the game hours before kickoff and still have an extra game in hand after next weekend's game against BC. They are part of the larger crop of teams with anywhere from three to five overall wins but with .500 or worse overall records.
The difference between these tiers is razor thin, and it's important to remember that final records don't impact bowl seeding this year. This isn't a normal season, but it's still important to finish the season with more wins than usual in a year where the ACC is every bit as competitive as its standard, two-division format.
*****
Point After: #BowlSZN
A lack of seeding and an overall shifting among bowl games makes it impossible to predict which bowl game might invite Boston College. The coalition of all 44 games, dubbed "Bowl Season" highlighted these changes this week when it released its first composite prediction of games with teams from each individual conference.Â
A number of bowls are already canceled or postponed into 2021, including three games formerly in the tiered finish in the league. Both the Fenway Bowl and the Pinstripe Bowl are off, as is the Holiday Bowl, reducing the number of available ACC games from 10 to seven. Predicting placement, though, isn't as easy as looking at records because teams don't require a minimum number of wins for eligibility where they normally would need at least a .500 record.
For its part, Bowl Season's first projection put BC into the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas against Washington. The Huskies were only on their third game of the season on Saturday after the Pac-12's late start but led the Pac-12 North Division into this weekend as the only undefeated team.
CBS Sports also had the Eagles in the Sun Bowl (against Utah), but ESPN's last projections had BC in the Pinstripe Bowl prior to the game's cancelation.
"They deserve it, whether or not you can go to a bowl with three wins or two wins," Jeff Hafley said. "I don't want to go to a bowl game for 5-6 or 4-7. You have to earn a bowl game, and we've played 10 games. There are some teams out there that have played three and four (games), (and) we played against the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the country, and we've competed in every one of those games. So it's awesome. I guess that's the best way I can describe it."
Nobody knows how bowl games will look this year, and traditional understandings of a postseason game's activities and exercises cannot happen in a COVID-19 world. Still, the consideration is great and recognition is earned. BC unquestionably offers plenty to bowl game organizers as a smart team that won its games by operating the right way. That's attractive for a number of reasons, especially in a world where how a team wins is every bit as important as when a team wins.
Players Mentioned
RB
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QB
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WR
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WR
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WR
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QB
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QB
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RB
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OL
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DB
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DB
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DE
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/ FootballFootball: Owen McGowan Postgame Press Conference (Sept. 14, 2025)
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Football Availability - Coach O'Brien Media Availability
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Football: Head Coach Bill O'Brien Media Availability (September 11, 2025)
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