W2WF: Duke

Saturday, September 19

Durham, NC

12:00 PM

Boston College

Duke

Max Richardson celebrates a tackle vs. NC State

Photo by: John Quackenbos

September 18, 2020 | Football, #ForBoston Files

Gameday Central BC@Home Virtual Hub UNLTD: Luc Bequette UNLTD: Hafley's Defense

The long wait is over. Game day is finally here.

By: Dan Rubin, BCEagles.com contributor

In one of the media availability sessions last week, I asked Travis Levy about the changeover from preseason practice to actual game mode this week. As soon as I asked, the thought of playing a real opponent flashed megawatts across his face. His response flowed naturally and stamped what I already knew in the moment: he probably thought about it more than once.

"I'm excited," he said. "I'm ready to lock back in and get into Duke. I want to get back into football mode, and the team is ready. We're all ready. It's going to be an exciting week."

On Saturday, Levy's Boston College Eagles will play a different opponent for the first time this season. They will dress in a foreign locker room and play in a different stadium in a game that counts against a real record. Months of waiting in anticipation will melt away into the familiar anxiety and nerves of a standard football game, the culmination of a wait when BC kicks off against Duke.

"We've come such a long way from when we got sent home in March," linebacker Max Richardson said. "Every morning, I feel blessed to be able to strap it up. We're overly excited. We're ready to go, get down to Duke, and we're working hard for it."

Even reaching a game week entailed a long, arduous process, and an extended preseason camp only served to draw it out even further. Head coach Jeff Hafley pressed his team to make up for lost time from an abandoned spring practice, a call-and-response of preparation and tinkering that will continue through much of this season.

Even last week, before the team's mentality shifted into preparation for Duke, practices centered on how to adapt and improve within a new scheme before they transitioned into a level set for a very different game day atmosphere.

"Tuesday is the physical day," Hafley said. "Wednesday is a lot of running, and then we scale it back on Thursday. Wednesday is still physical, but you're getting your first and second down runs on Tuesday. We did a lot more third downs on Wednesday, and then we scale it back on Thursday to review and make sure we're on top of everything. Friday's a walkthrough, and then Saturday we play."

Reaching this point felt like a longshot at one time, and the framework of a COVID-19 world still bears constant consideration. The pandemic is still raging, and the impact is continually felt in all phases of American life and society. Even playing a game is a testament to the players, the coaches, and the collective sacrifice imposed on a team as the world swirled around it.

That all becomes secondary once the team takes the field on Saturday. For the first time in 2020, Boston College will lineup to play a football game. It will look a little bit different against a cavernous emptiness at Wallace Wade Stadium, and the sounds of the game will likely echo a little bit more. They're still playing, though, and that's all anyone ever really wanted.

Here's what to watch for when the Eagles take on the Blue Devils in Durham:

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Weekly Storylines (Happy Gilmore Edition)

Gary: Oh yeah. Lotta pressure. You gotta rise above it. You gotta harness in the good energy, block out the bad. Harness. Energy. Block. Bad. Feel the flow, Happy. Feel it. It's circular. It's like a carousel. You pay the quarter, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. It's circular. Circle, with the music, the flow. All good things.
Happy: Yeah, alright. Good to meet you....(mouths) psycho.

Phil Jurkovec's transfer into Boston College ignited an offseason and preseason debate about the starting quarterback position, and the Eagles enter this weekend without a clear, publicized answer as to who will draw the coveted spot on Saturday after incumbent starter Dennis Grosel continued to push the Notre Dame transfer.

Jurkovec possesses intense physical gifts, and the former four-star recruit is a clear centerpiece for Boston College's future after his offseason transfer from Notre Dame. On social media this preseason, he's illustrated the smooth delivery and touch passing that made him a sought-after arm, and every day produced some other highlight-reel deep balls to a speedy receiver. His length compliments height perfectly, and he can make plays on the run if the pocket breaks down around him.

Grosel, though, is cagey and smart, and his awareness is matched only by his raw, pure intelligence. He was brutally efficient at times last year after being thrust into the starting role, and his steady performances helped lead BC to wins over NC State, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh. Against Florida State, he established a foundation as a capable passer, and he cleared those skills into offseason development for offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti. Grosel is widely respected in the locker room for his amiability, and his intensity spread throughout the quarterback room's tight-knit group.

"I think Coach Cignetti has done a phenomenal job with the quarterbacks," Jeff Hafley said. "Their confidence is really high. They enjoy playing football. Sam Johnson is doing a great job. Matt Valecce, Daelen Menard, and even Matt Rueve played against the scout team. He's done a great job. We talk daily, and I watch the film on those guys."

Johnson skyrocketed into the third string position this year, but that neither Grosel nor Jurkovec outright earned the starting position is a credit to the entire position. Whoever winds up in the game on Saturday will do so by rising to a late practice challenge and by handling the pressure of this week's preparation. Come kickoff, that player can then play free and clear after truly earning the position.

"We're going to compete throughout the week," Jeff Hafley said, "and we're going to build this thing through competition. I believe competition brings out people's best. If I'm a wide receiver, and I have a great week of practice and deserve to play, I should play. If I'm a cornerback, and I'm locked in and prepared, then I should get on the field somehow. That's how I'm going to treat this. This whole week and season, we have to focus on ourselves and getting better every week."

Happy: This is a biggie, time's ticking. I gotta make some money. What do you think? Slightly downhill?
Otto: And slanting left.
Happy: No, it only seems that way because you only have one shoe on.

This week created a pressure balance between improving the team itself and working towards a scheme specific to Duke. The benchmarks last week of final preseason preparations shifted, and the players began focusing on assignments within a game plan for this week's game.

"This week is going to be a good opportunity for our linebackers," linebacker Max Richardson said. "The tight end, Noah Gray, and the running back, Deon Jackson, are both really good football players. It's going to be a matchup game for us. We're going to have to anticipate what plays will be called and what routes they're going to be running. It's a great matchup. We're excited to play against those guys. It's going to take a lot of preparation."

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe indicated a need to run the football better this week, but the offense is keyed through quarterback Chase Brice. Jackson only gained 52 yards on 15 carries last week, and Brice scored the Blue Devils' only touchdown with his legs.

Quarterback Chase Brice is a handful, but Cutcliffe indicated a need to challenge defenses with the running game. Jackson only gained 52 yards on 15 carries last week at Notre Dame, and Brice scored the Blue Devils' only touchdown with his legs. The quarterback also broke off the team's longest carry.

"He's a good quarterback," Hafley said. "He's big, strong, and threw a lot of nice balls in that Notre Dame game. He stood in the pocket and took some really big hits, and he got right back up. I have a ton of respect for him, his toughness, and the way he threw the ball down the field."

Stopping him requires the removal of his primary options in the air while delivering pressure on a very talented Duke offensive line. Brice's center has a relationship with him dating back to high school, and the rest of the line ranked in the top ten in preventing sacks and tackles for loss last year.

"We have to make him uncomfortable," Hafley said. "If we give him time to sit in the pocket, he (can make) a couple of really big throws. If (Duke) could have held up a little bit more, there were more yards out there for him. We have to work hard and create different looks. We'll have to get after him the way Notre Dame did (since) the offensive line does a good job."

Happy: It ain't over yet, McGavin. The way I see it, we've only just begun.

On Saturday, Boston College will play its first empty stadium game when it travels to Duke to start the 2020 season.

In a sport known for its gladiator-like attitude, playing without fans is, in a word, weird. Football touches off the notion that the stadium is full of organic arena noise, and it injects teams with adrenaline by being either supportive or hostile. Stadiums are megaliths that tower over the field and are designed to capture sound. As Hafley noted this week with a sly sense of humor, "at least we won't get booed."

"I think a lot of the responsibility falls on the players and the team to continue energy on the sidelines," Richardson said. "College football is a momentum-shifting game, and the team's responsibility is to stay sharp through the ups and downs. There won't be crowd noise or fanfare, but there will be pressure to keep the energy and stay strong through those ups and downs."

I actually have some experience with an empty stadium game from a few years ago. I broadcasted a college hockey game during a team's semester break, and the awkward timing around the holiday season prevented a good chunk of parents and students from attending the game. The only sound came from the arena speakers during pregame warmups and intermissions, and I could clearly hear everyone's voices on the ice and bench through a noise-canceling headset.

I know everyone on the ice heard me...for better or for worse.

It was a surreal atmosphere because the air died against the empty bleachers in the early goings, and I clearly remember the deafening sound of complete silence. All of that, though, disappeared when the game started and players honed into their individual shifts. To this day, the empty arena game is one of my fonder memories because it was much more intimate and intense.

I have no doubt the football game will be the same. There might be an adjustment period in the first quarter, but the pressure cooker of a full stadium will instead situate itself solely on the field. The entire emotional fever pitch will be on the gridiron during every play.

"Defensively, this is an opportunity to elevate our communication without chatter in the background," Richardson said. "It's a chance to over-communicate through plays, for tendencies and our anticipations. Without fans, we need to take advantage of whatever advantage we have (on the field)."

*****
Countdown to Kickoff

10…Seasons without a game on Sept. 19; BC last played on the date in 2009, against Clemson.
9…Touchdown passes by Dennis Grosel last year to just three interceptions.
8…Fourth quarter touchdowns by BC during the entire 2019 season.
7…Previous meetings between Duke and BC, dating back to 1927. BC leads the all-time series, 4-3 but is 2-2 since moving to the ACC.
6…Solo tackles per game last season by Max Richardson, best in the ACC.
5…Sacks by Luc Bequette last season for Cal, tied for the Golden Bears' team lead.
4…Field goals made by Aaron Boumerhi in the season finale against Pittsburgh last season.
3…Grosel finished third on the team in rushing yards with 209 yards.
2…Consecutive wins by Duke in the series, though the games were played in 2011 and 2015.
1…Sack allowed per game by the BC offensive line in 2019, fourth-fewest in the nation.

*****
BC-Duke X Factor

Offensive Line Play

Nobody really knows what to expect out of the Boston College offense in 2020. A new coordinator and new style of play is expected, but nobody has seen anything of the unit outside of social media highlights. There's no tape or film available, and the mysterious shroud clouding the team's reputation is only leading to more anticipation of the first viewing this weekend.

The offensive line is the one constant, and it's heralded as one of the best in college football. The returning experience, coupled with elite individual talent, points to a foundational area for the team, but it heads into its first weekend against a stingy Duke defense with one game's experience under its belt.

"A lot of times, their guys are doing a lot of twists to do a two-way go," center Alec Lindstrom said. "Then they have (linebackers) who are big, strong dudes. They come off the ball hard, and even the backups don't have a big dropoff. They're big and come off the ball hard with quick twitches. It will be a good challenge for us."

BC's offense historically bases its success on time of possession, and the offense scored 73 percent of its touchdowns with drives of six plays or more. Over 20 scoring drives went for eight or more plays, and there were 10 touchdowns - just about 20 percent - scored on drives lasting 11 plays or longer.

Gaining those long drives is the result of strong offensive line play. A surge at the point of attack can push a defense backwards and enable a running back to gain three or four yards before full contact. Holding a firm, complete pocket can give a quarterback the time to either find an open receiver or scramble to make a play. Moving the chains helps reset how much time can come off the clock and keep an opposing offense on the sideline.

"I think a lot of it comes from film and watching what you're doing," Lindstrom said. "(Position coach Matt Applebaum) does a good job of finding us little things that we might see, if we're getting a twist or a blitz. They might shift over to the A-gap if they're in their base alignment, but as you're playing, you might feel things."

Last week, Duke dialed up a completely different look against Notre Dame last week and rained chaos on the Fighting Irish's offense early in the first quarter. It held starting quarterback Ian Book and the entire offensive line, all of which returned from the 2019 season, to 13 yards on 10 plays, and an 0-for-3 conversion rate on third down limited the offense to under five minutes of possession.

They did it by twisting the Notre Dame offensive line, which was entirely intact from last season, in knots. A twist is literally a design tool to create a hole for a linebacker, and Lindstrom noted that the teamwork to plug those gaps are going to be critical to allow the offense to churn forward with its brutal intensity.

"If I have a three technique beside the guard or a two-eye inside the guard, the two-eye might come straight, and the three technique might sugar out," Lindstrom said. "The two-eye will then come around. That will pick and twist us to get us turned, and it creates a gap to get to the quarterback."

*****
Dan's Homegrown Tailgate Tip of the Week

(First, a disclaimer: I love game day, so not being at the stadium stings particularly deep. The sights, the sounds, the smells - all of it is part of the football experience, and I already miss it, even though I pride myself on never taking it for granted

I understand, though, that we can't be there right now, just as we cannot have big, mass gatherings and watch parties. So I'm going to try and offer some thoughts on what people can do at home to enhance their game experience. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled to social media as well to see how people are doing their own thing, and I'll be open to any and all suggestions.

I appreciate that teams playing in empty stadiums enable us to stay safer at home right now. So let's make this the most enjoyable setup possible until it's time for us to return to Alumni Stadium once more.)

Back in March, my wife and I had the brilliant idea to finally dress up our patio after two years of living in our home. This summer, we finally got to it and installed some new furniture to go along with a fire pit for those outdoor experiences. The electronics expert in me further ordered a projector and some extension cords in order to shift my television into an outdoor experience.

I think I was far from the only person who did this, but outdoor television on crisp autumn evenings is a game changer. Last week, the mercury dipped into the 40s in New England and forced my wife to break out her fleece blanket for the first time since that freak snowstorm back in April or May. I went to bed anticipating crisp, dry conditions and gorgeous colors falling off the trees - though I immediately woke up in a cold sweat when I realized I'd have to rake again.

Saturday is going to feel like a perfect fall day, so now's a good time to get outside if yards and patios allow. I anticipate a game watch in the sunshine for this weekend, especially since I cut cords on cable last year. Since the game is at noon, I'll hook up a television to either my laptop or a streaming stick, and I'll run an extension cord right out to the table.

Once the sun goes down, the grill will fire up, and the projector will kick on with the late games. It's a great test run for next week when Boston College hosts Texas State at 6 p.m.

*****
Scoreboard Watching

The unprecedented atmosphere swirling around the 2020 college football season played out this week in the national polls when voters cut programs in postponed conferences out of their consideration. That meant mainstay programs out of the Big Ten and Pac-12 dropped out of the polls and left Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Southern California, and others off of the radar altogether.

The slashing didn't change much at the top of the polls, and Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, and Notre Dame remained in their elite slots of both the Amway Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll. There was a radical shift, though, as teams not normally under consideration rocketed into the upper echelon.

Both Central Florida and Cincinnati jumped eight spots despite not playing a game, and North Carolina matched their move after a win over Syracuse. Memphis and Louisville debuted in the polls after starting the year unranked, and Louisiana-Lafayette moved into the No. 19 spot in the Associated Press poll to mark the first ranking for the Ragin' Cajuns since 1996.

Seven ACC teams earned numbers in the AP poll, and six held spots with the coaches. Georgia Tech, a potential eighth team, sat just outside both polls.

The rankings are more volatile than ever, and things are only going to get stranger if the Big Ten and Pac-12 develop models that enable a return to play. Teams currently playing have more opportunity to race up the polls with a couple of wins, but the tightrope to hold those spots is even more taut, especially if more teams start to debut in the college football season.

"I was jealous that all those teams played (last week) and we didn't," Jeff Hafley said. "Starting as late as we are, you usually see a big jump from week one to week two. You get the jitters out, you're not as anxious from playing in a real football game, and you clean up some stuff."

It highlights how every week consists of must-win games. This week, the aforementioned Yellow Jackets host UCF for its non-conference game while No. 17 Miami plays No. 18 Louisville. Syracuse visits Pittsburgh in a matchup of old Big East rivals, and the winner of the Wake Forest-NC State game will likely vault into contention.

That doesn't even touch upon the games involving the top contender teams. Notre Dame hosts South Florida in its non-league game, and Clemson plays its one non-ACC opponent when it hosts the Citadel.

"When games are on TV, you watch and enjoy them," Hafley said. "Once we're in the season, we'll get the tape and the angles, so I just think it was awesome to see college football back. It was fun to watch with a lot of teams, and I was just excited."

On a more national level, it will be really interesting to see what happens with some of those newer ranked teams. Appalachian State is at Marshall, and Louisiana heads to Georgia State. Houston and Baylor, two unranked teams, play a non-league game in Texas, and Army, the nation's only 2-0 team right now, is idle after its game against BYU was postponed.

As for the BC season, next week's opponent, Texas State, will be on television this week against Louisiana-Monroe in a game on ESPNU. That game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

*****
Around the Sports World

Three years ago, I sat on my couch and excitedly anticipated BC's basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski needed back surgery and was out for a period of time, and I didn't believe a temporary switch to Jeff Capel would pay out dividends against the feisty Eagles, not when the Blue Devils hadn't won at home without Coach K since the Cherokee Parks era (sorry for all the negatives in there).

I remember watching BC chip away at a 25-point deficit before ultimately falling, but I also recall how impressed I was with a freshman named Jayson Tatum. He scored 22 points against the Eagles to more than make up for Luke Kennard's poor day shooting, and I remember thinking that he showed those flashes you only wished to see out of someone at that level.

You could say I love Jayson Tatum a lot more now than I did back then, what with the Boston Celtics in the conference finals for the second time in his three-year career. He's developed into a complete superstar and is the heir apparent to the Paul Pierce era that produced his draft pick. He's young and energetic but has that mature, Mamba-esque mentality of a basketball assassin.

Elsewhere, I'm sure everyone enjoyed the NFL's return to living rooms, but I can't really describe the pure joy of watching Cam Newton quarterback the New England Patriots. He looked like his old self, and the Patriot offense was something I had never seen in Foxboro. It was a complete redesign on par with how Windows wiped its interface after the end of the Vista era, and I could sense a complete shift in clubhouse, locker room culture after the 20-year era of Tom Brady.

Look, the past two decades have been phenomenal, and no franchise in sports will ever be able to do what the Patriots did with Tom Brady. It was unprecedented, and the records for winning are likely more unbreakable than Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. It started during my high school years and continued into my married life, and nothing - repeat: NOTHING - will ever top that.

I could never deny Cam Newton's talent even if I notably called the Run-Pass Option a gimmick a few years ago. I was a sports dinosaur, and it's clearly an effective offense that's here to stay. The diversification of that offense is what's now the most interesting piece of the game, and I think Newton could be on the front page of that revolution.

*****
Pregame Quote and Prediction

The only thing that gets you away from all of the talk is winning. -Cam Newton

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's funny how quickly I traded in my No. 12 jersey for a No. 1 jersey...first, I didn't. I still love Tom Brady, and no athlete will ever mean more to my formative sports prime than he did.

Anyways, I could not be more excited to watch this team for the first time, and I think this is a great matchup for the first game. BC and Duke are two teams forming new identities, and they are meeting a time when neither identity is fully discovered or developed. Nobody knows what to expect on any given week, but there's even less known heading into this game.

There's been a lot of talk and excitement surrounding Jeff Hafley, and there's palpable expectation for the Eagles' potential to break the glass ceiling imposed in the past few seasons. Likewise, Chase Brice could push Duke through that same upper limit. Getting to that level has to start somewhere, and for both teams, that point begins on Saturday.

Boston College and Duke will kick off at 12 p.m. from Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. The game can be seen on the ACC's Regional Sports Network coverage and can be seen locally in Boston on NESN. The game can also be heard via the BC IMG Sports Network, locally in Boston on WEEI 93.7 FM. Satellite broadcast can be obtained on Sirius channel 134, XM channel 382 and Online channel 973.