Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Week 3 Notes: The UNC Game
September 28, 2020 | Football
Complete game notes and depth chart for the Eagles' week three match-up vs. UNC Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
A pair of ACC unbeaten teams square off Saturday in front of a national television audience as No. 11 North Carolina (1-0, 1-0 ACC) visits Boston College (2-0, 1-0 ACC). Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on ABC. Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Paul Carcaterra have the call. Coverage on the Boston College Learfield IMG Sports Network begins at 3 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 193 and online via SiriusXM channel 955.
North Carolina is the first ranked team to visit Alumni Stadium since No. 24 Wake Forest defeated the Eagles 27-24 last season. UNC has played just one game in 2020 - a 31-6 blowout victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12. The Tar Heels game against Charlotte on Sept. 19 was cancelled due to contact tracing that depleted the 49ers offensive line.
Boston College and North Carolina meet for the eighth time in series history Saturday with the Tar Heels holding a 5-2 series advantage. It marks just the fifth ACC game between the two schools and the first since 2013. All-time, BC is 0-4 against Carolina in conference play.
The last win for BC against UNC was a 37-24 victory in the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte. Saturday's game marks the second time BC faces a ranked UNC squad. The only other meeting in series history when Carolina was
ranked was a 31-13 victory for No. 25 UNC in 2009.
In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College last week, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21. The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05). The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory. BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16). BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi's first game winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova. Jurkovec was 26-for-38 in the air for 210 yards and a touchdown plus a team-high 37 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It also marked the most completions by a BC quarterback in his first start at Alumni Stadium in more than two decades. Previously, Matt Hasselbeck completed 25 passes in his first home start on Sept. 14, 1996 vs. Virginia Tech.
BC on ABC
Boston College will make its 46th appearance on ABC since 1991 Saturday against No. 11 North Carolina. It is the first ABC game for the Eagles since a primetime matchup between No. 2 Clemson and the 17th ranked Eagles on Nov. 10, 2018 at Alumni Stadium. The last BC victory on ABC was a 34-27 win against Virginia Tech on Nov. 2, 2013. Since 1991, BC is 24-21 when playing on ABC.
BC Versus Ranked Opponents
BC is 31-112-1 all-time against ranked opponents. The Eagles defeated No. 25 Miami (unranked in the AP) 27-14 for their last victory against a ranked opponent in 2018. The last win against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 9 Southern California (37-31) in 2014. Since joining the ACC in 2005, the Eagles are 10-35 against ranked teams.
Starting A New Era on the Right Note
Boston College opened the Jeff Hafley era with a convincing 26-6 victory at Duke on Sept. 19. It marked just the third time since joining the ACC in 2005 Boston College allowed less than 10 points in an ACC road game. For the first time since 2018, the Boston College defense held an opponent under 360 yards of offense in last week's 26-6 win at Duke. BC held Duke to 351 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed since Miami gained 305 yards of total offense in 2018. For the 29th time since joining the ACC in 2005, BC allowed one touchdown or less in the victory over Duke. The six points allowed by the BC defense against the Blue Devils were the fewest yielded since a 35-3 win over Florida State (10/27/17). BC forced five turnovers in the Duke victory; marking the second season opener in a row with five or more after forcing five against Virginia Tech (8/31/19) last season. Phil 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. The Notre Dame transfer finished 17-for-23 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. The 300 passing yards were the most by a BC player since Anthony Brown's 304 at Wake Forest (9/13/18). In the second half against the Blue Devils, Jurkovec was nearly perfect. He completed 11-of-12 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including 10 straight completions. Jurkovec was just the 11th BC quarterback since 1996 to throw for 300 yards in a game.
Looking to Go 3-0
Jeff Hafley is looking to become the seventh coach in Boston College history to begin his coaching tenure 3-0 at the Heights. The last time a BC head coach won his first three games was Jeff Jagodzinski in 2007 with wins over Wake Forest, NC State and No. 15 Georgia Tech to begin his career.
BC Head Coaches to Start Career 3-0
Jeff Jagodzinski 2007
Joe Yukica 1968
Jim Miller 1962
Moody Sarno 1943
Joe McKenney 1928
Frank Morrissey 1918
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. Long has started the year with 16 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns. 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.
Saving the Best for Last
Phil Jurkovec is second nationally among all quarterbacks with 368 yards passing in the second half. The Pittsburgh native is completing 77.8 percent of his passes (28-of-36) with three touchdowns in the second half in 2020. Only Texas Tech's Alan Bowman has thrown for more yards in the second half this season with 393 yards. Jurkovec's three touchdowns in the second half are tied for third in the country while his 191.14 QB rating is 11th among all players in the nation. In the fourth quarter in two games, Jurkovec is completing 73.9 percent of his passes (17-of-23) for 148 yards and a score.
Don't Call it a Comeback
In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21. The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05). The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory. BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16). BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi's first game winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova.
Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina is 1-0 to start the season with a 31-6 victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12. The Tar Heels have been off the previous two weeks prior to Saturday's game in Chestnut Hill. Head coach Mack Brown propelled the University of North Carolina to the top five and the University of Texas to the 2005 BCS National Championship, began his second stint as head coach in Chapel Hill on Nov. 27, 2018. A 42-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Brown has
served as a head coach for 31 seasons with stops at Texas (1998-2013), North Carolina (1988-97, 2019), Tulane (1985-87), and Appalachian State (1983). Over his 31 seasons, Brown has posted a record of 252-128-1 (.662). Those 252 career victories rank ninth on the FBS all-time list and are the most among active coaches. In his first season back at the helm at North Carolina in 2019, Brown led the Tar Heels to a winning season and a resounding victory in the Military Bowl.
UNC started the season ranked for the first time since 2016. The Tar Heels were selected No. 18 in the Associated Press top 25 poll, while the Amway Coaches Poll listed UNC at No. 19 to begin the year. Carolina was picked to finish third in the ACC Preseason Poll. The Tar Heels trailed only Clemson and Notre Dame in the 15-team poll. Three Tar Heels, Michael Carter (All-Purpose), Dazz Newsome (WR) and Chazz Surratt (LB), were named to the 2020 Preseason All-ACC Football Team. Sam Howell's 38 passing touchdowns in 2019 were the most by a true freshman in FBS history. The previous record was 30 from Clemson's Trevor Lawrence in 2018. Howell's 38 touchdowns were the second most ever by an ACC freshman quarterback. Florida State's Jamies Winston threw 40 touchdown passes in 2013 as a redshirt freshman.
North Carolina is the first ranked team to visit Alumni Stadium since No. 24 Wake Forest defeated the Eagles 27-24 last season. UNC has played just one game in 2020 - a 31-6 blowout victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12. The Tar Heels game against Charlotte on Sept. 19 was cancelled due to contact tracing that depleted the 49ers offensive line.
Boston College and North Carolina meet for the eighth time in series history Saturday with the Tar Heels holding a 5-2 series advantage. It marks just the fifth ACC game between the two schools and the first since 2013. All-time, BC is 0-4 against Carolina in conference play.
The last win for BC against UNC was a 37-24 victory in the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte. Saturday's game marks the second time BC faces a ranked UNC squad. The only other meeting in series history when Carolina was
ranked was a 31-13 victory for No. 25 UNC in 2009.
In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College last week, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21. The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05). The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory. BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16). BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi's first game winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova. Jurkovec was 26-for-38 in the air for 210 yards and a touchdown plus a team-high 37 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It also marked the most completions by a BC quarterback in his first start at Alumni Stadium in more than two decades. Previously, Matt Hasselbeck completed 25 passes in his first home start on Sept. 14, 1996 vs. Virginia Tech.
BC on ABC
Boston College will make its 46th appearance on ABC since 1991 Saturday against No. 11 North Carolina. It is the first ABC game for the Eagles since a primetime matchup between No. 2 Clemson and the 17th ranked Eagles on Nov. 10, 2018 at Alumni Stadium. The last BC victory on ABC was a 34-27 win against Virginia Tech on Nov. 2, 2013. Since 1991, BC is 24-21 when playing on ABC.
BC Versus Ranked Opponents
BC is 31-112-1 all-time against ranked opponents. The Eagles defeated No. 25 Miami (unranked in the AP) 27-14 for their last victory against a ranked opponent in 2018. The last win against an AP ranked opponent was against No. 9 Southern California (37-31) in 2014. Since joining the ACC in 2005, the Eagles are 10-35 against ranked teams.
Starting A New Era on the Right Note
Boston College opened the Jeff Hafley era with a convincing 26-6 victory at Duke on Sept. 19. It marked just the third time since joining the ACC in 2005 Boston College allowed less than 10 points in an ACC road game. For the first time since 2018, the Boston College defense held an opponent under 360 yards of offense in last week's 26-6 win at Duke. BC held Duke to 351 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed since Miami gained 305 yards of total offense in 2018. For the 29th time since joining the ACC in 2005, BC allowed one touchdown or less in the victory over Duke. The six points allowed by the BC defense against the Blue Devils were the fewest yielded since a 35-3 win over Florida State (10/27/17). BC forced five turnovers in the Duke victory; marking the second season opener in a row with five or more after forcing five against Virginia Tech (8/31/19) last season. Phil 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. The Notre Dame transfer finished 17-for-23 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. The 300 passing yards were the most by a BC player since Anthony Brown's 304 at Wake Forest (9/13/18). In the second half against the Blue Devils, Jurkovec was nearly perfect. He completed 11-of-12 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including 10 straight completions. Jurkovec was just the 11th BC quarterback since 1996 to throw for 300 yards in a game.
Looking to Go 3-0
Jeff Hafley is looking to become the seventh coach in Boston College history to begin his coaching tenure 3-0 at the Heights. The last time a BC head coach won his first three games was Jeff Jagodzinski in 2007 with wins over Wake Forest, NC State and No. 15 Georgia Tech to begin his career.
BC Head Coaches to Start Career 3-0
Jeff Jagodzinski 2007
Joe Yukica 1968
Jim Miller 1962
Moody Sarno 1943
Joe McKenney 1928
Frank Morrissey 1918
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. Long has started the year with 16 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns. 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.
Saving the Best for Last
Phil Jurkovec is second nationally among all quarterbacks with 368 yards passing in the second half. The Pittsburgh native is completing 77.8 percent of his passes (28-of-36) with three touchdowns in the second half in 2020. Only Texas Tech's Alan Bowman has thrown for more yards in the second half this season with 393 yards. Jurkovec's three touchdowns in the second half are tied for third in the country while his 191.14 QB rating is 11th among all players in the nation. In the fourth quarter in two games, Jurkovec is completing 73.9 percent of his passes (17-of-23) for 148 yards and a score.
Don't Call it a Comeback
In the first home game of the Jeff Hafley era at Boston College, the Eagles came from behind to erase a 14-point deficit to defeat Texas State, 24-21. The Eagles trailed 21-7 with 6:49 to play in the third. The 14-point comeback tied for the third largest deficit overcome in a win in BC history and the first time BC came back from 14 points or more since erasing a 17-point deficit against Wake Forest (10/15/05). The double-digit comeback was the first for BC since BC erased a 10-0 deficit at No. 11 Virginia Tech on Oct. 25, 2007. Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles in the 2007 win at Virginia Tech as BC came away with a 14-10 victory. BC trailed after the third quarter and won for the first time since a 17-14 win (trailed 14-10) at Wake Forest (11/26/16). BC got the game-tying score with 1:11 left in the fourth on a Phil Jurkovec pass to Hunter Long of five yards. On the next possession, BC went ahead on an Aaron Boumerhi 36-yard field goal with 0:03 to play. It was Boumerhi's first game winning field goal since 2017 when he was at Temple versus Villanova.
Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina is 1-0 to start the season with a 31-6 victory over Syracuse on Sept. 12. The Tar Heels have been off the previous two weeks prior to Saturday's game in Chestnut Hill. Head coach Mack Brown propelled the University of North Carolina to the top five and the University of Texas to the 2005 BCS National Championship, began his second stint as head coach in Chapel Hill on Nov. 27, 2018. A 42-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Brown has
served as a head coach for 31 seasons with stops at Texas (1998-2013), North Carolina (1988-97, 2019), Tulane (1985-87), and Appalachian State (1983). Over his 31 seasons, Brown has posted a record of 252-128-1 (.662). Those 252 career victories rank ninth on the FBS all-time list and are the most among active coaches. In his first season back at the helm at North Carolina in 2019, Brown led the Tar Heels to a winning season and a resounding victory in the Military Bowl.
UNC started the season ranked for the first time since 2016. The Tar Heels were selected No. 18 in the Associated Press top 25 poll, while the Amway Coaches Poll listed UNC at No. 19 to begin the year. Carolina was picked to finish third in the ACC Preseason Poll. The Tar Heels trailed only Clemson and Notre Dame in the 15-team poll. Three Tar Heels, Michael Carter (All-Purpose), Dazz Newsome (WR) and Chazz Surratt (LB), were named to the 2020 Preseason All-ACC Football Team. Sam Howell's 38 passing touchdowns in 2019 were the most by a true freshman in FBS history. The previous record was 30 from Clemson's Trevor Lawrence in 2018. Howell's 38 touchdowns were the second most ever by an ACC freshman quarterback. Florida State's Jamies Winston threw 40 touchdown passes in 2013 as a redshirt freshman.
Players Mentioned
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