Week 11 Notes: The FSU Game
November 16, 2021 | Football
Boston College hosts Florida State at noon on Saturday on ACC Network.
Boston College looks for its third straight win this month Saturday at home against Florida State. Kickoff from Alumni Stadium is scheduled for noon. The game will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. Dave O'Brien, former BC standout QB Tim Hasselbeck and Kelsey Riggs have the television call of the game. Coverage on the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield begins at 11:30 a.m. with Jon Meterparel along with former BC standouts Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn on the call. Fans can listen to the game locally on WEEI 93.7 FM along with on Sirius channel 121, XM channel 194 and online via SiriusXM channel 956.
Last Saturday, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec accounted for five touchdowns - running for three and passing for two - and the Eagles beat Georgia Tech 41-30 to become bowl-eligible. FSU moved to 4-6 on the season with a 31-28 victory over rival Miami last Saturday in Tallahassee. Boston College and Florida State meet for the 19th time in series history Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Seminoles lead the all-time series, 13-5. In ACC play, FSU leads the series 12-4 as the Seminoles were the first ACC opponent for the Eagles in 2005. Florida State won the 2005 matchup 28-17 at Alumni Stadium.
The series between the two schools began in 1957 in Chestnut Hill as the Eagles came away with a 20-7 victory. FSU had won seven straight in the series before BC's 35-3 win in 2017 in Chestnut Hill. It was the largest margin of victory for BC in the series and the most points they have ever scored in a game against the Seminoles. BC's longest win streak in the series is two games - a 27-17 victory in 2008 and the 28-21 win in 2009. The Eagles have only scored 30-plus points twice in series history against FSU - 34 in 2013 and 35 points in the 2017 victory. BC graduate strong safety Jaiden Woodbey faces his former school Saturday for the first time. Woodbey transferred to BC over the summer as a graduate transfer. Woodbey played three seasons for the Seminoles, including earning Freshman All-American honors from ESPN in 2018.
Saturday's game marks the first meeting between the two division rivals since 2019. BC had played Florida State every season since joining the ACC in 2005. The two teams did not play last season as the ACC adjusted the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eliminated divisions for one season.
BC will induct nine individuals to the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend, including two football standouts. ACC Network announcer Tim Hasselbeck and Will Blackmon head to the Hall this weekend. An ultimate competitor and one of the most highly-recruited quarterbacks in New England, Hasselbeck spent two seasons as the starter in 1999 and 2000. Hasselbeck ranks 10th all-time in passing (3,980) and ninth in touchdowns (29) in BC history.Â
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Welcome Back QB1
• Redshirt junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec returned from a right wrist injury suffered at UMass on Sept. 11 to make his third start of the season against Virginia Tech on Nov. 5.
• Jurkovec was cleared to return to practice on Friday, Oct. 29 and practiced with the team for the first time in team situations on Monday, Nov. 4.
• BC is 4-0 with Jurkovec as the starting quarterback in 2021 and 10-4 over his career at the Heights.
• He was named the ACC QB of the Week, Pro Football Focus National QB of the Week and one of eight Manning Award "Stars of the Week" for his efforts in the Georgia Tech win.
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One for the Ages
• Phil Jurkovec averaged 23.9 yards per completion in the 41-30 win at Georgia Tech. That was the best yards per completion total by a BC quarterback since at least 1996 when throwing for 300+ yards in a game.
• It was the fourth best total by an ACC quarterback as well since 1996.
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Getting Defensive Against the Hokies
• BC held Virginia Tech to 73 yards passing in the 17-3 victory on Nov. 5. It tied for the fifth-fewest passing yards allowed by Boston College since joining the ACC in 2005.
• The 235 total yards allowed by Boston College tied for the 13th-best defensive effort in yards allowed in an ACC game by an Eagles' defense.
• The three points allowed by Boston College tied a school record for the fewest points allowed in an ACC game. Prior to tonight, the last time BC allowed just three points was also in the Red Bandanna Game in 2017 vs. Florida State (35-3 BC victory).
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• Jeff Hafley and his coaching staff have turned things around in short order as the Eagles now rank as one of the nation's best defensive units.
• Boston College rank in five different statistical categories in the top 20 nationally in 2021.
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• Looking back at BC's history, since the Eagles joined a conference in 1993 (BIG EAST) and later the ACC in 2005, this year's defense has allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game (159.5 yards per game).
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• It's been a quick turnaround under Jeff Hafley and his defensive staff. The year prior to Hafley's arrival, BC allowed 49 touchdowns in 2019, ranking 88th nationally.
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All Systems Go
• Boston College has been on fire in the first half of 2021, outscoring opponents 140-82.
• The first quarter has been BC's highest scoring quarter of the season, outscoring the opposition 73-49 in the first 15 minutes of play.
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• Garwo finished with his second 100-yard performance of the season and the second of his career with a career-high 175 yards on the afternoon. Entering the season, Garwo had 195 yards in 10 career games without a touchdown. In nine games in 2021, Garwo has 805 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
• The 25 rushing attempts for Garwo were a new career-high, topping his previous best of 15 rushing attempts at UMass earlier this year. Garwo averaged 7.0 yards per carry for the game.
• He leads BC and ranks 27th nationally in rushing with 909 yards this season.
• Garwo has ripped off four 100-yard rushing games, including two straight.
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My Cousin Vinny
• Redshirt junior linebacker Vinny DePalma missed all of last season with an Achilles injury. The New Jersey native has returned this season and has been everywhere on the field in 2021 for the Eagles.
• He has taken over as the starter at middle linebacker for Isaiah Graham-Mobley in the last three games and has totaled 27 tackles.
• For the season, DePalma is second on the team with 48 tackles. He has forced two fumbles and totaled three tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 10 games this season.
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Cover Corner
• Junior Josh DeBerry leads Boston College with 53 tackles from his nickel position in 2021. One of the top cover corners in the ACC, DeBerry is second on the team with two interceptions and three pass breakups.
• Not only an elite cover corner, DeBerry leads BC with seven tackles for loss in 2021.
• DeBerry finished with a career-high 10 tackles in the 41-30 win over Georgia Tech.
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Big Ben
• BC's fifth-year senior Ben Petrula is tied for the longest active start streak in the nation at 58 games. After not playing in his first career game as a true freshman at Northern Illinois in 2017, Petrula moved to center and started the final 12 games of the season.
• Petrula has started all 58 games he has played in since not playing in the first game of his true freshman season in 2017.
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• In 21 games under Jeff Hafley, BC has posted eight 300-yard passing games.
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• Flowers put together one of the best seasons by a BC wide receiver ever in 2020. An All-ACC first-team selection, Flowers was just the second BC wide receiver to be named first-team All-ACC in school history (Alex Amidon, 2012). He finished 18th nationally and second in the ACC with 892 yards receiving, ranked 26th nationally with 56 receptions and tied for 12th nationally with nine touchdown receptions.
• The speedster from Fort Lauderdale finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season in 2020 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 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. He became the only BC wide receiver to ever be named the ACC's WR of the Week for the second time in a season after his performance in the Pitt win.
• 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. He was the first BC receiver since 2012 (Alex Amidon) to have over 150 yards receiving in a game.
• In the Syracuse game on Oct. 30, Flowers finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the fifth of his career with six receptions for 116 yards. He is now tied for fifth in BC career history with five career 100-yard receiving games.
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• A starter in all eight games, Johnson has been one of the most dominant offensive guards in the nation in 2021.
• Johnson has not allowed a sack in 2021 and has yielded just two quarterback pressures in 520 snaps at guard and eight snaps at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
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Game Captains
Last Saturday, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec accounted for five touchdowns - running for three and passing for two - and the Eagles beat Georgia Tech 41-30 to become bowl-eligible. FSU moved to 4-6 on the season with a 31-28 victory over rival Miami last Saturday in Tallahassee. Boston College and Florida State meet for the 19th time in series history Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Seminoles lead the all-time series, 13-5. In ACC play, FSU leads the series 12-4 as the Seminoles were the first ACC opponent for the Eagles in 2005. Florida State won the 2005 matchup 28-17 at Alumni Stadium.
The series between the two schools began in 1957 in Chestnut Hill as the Eagles came away with a 20-7 victory. FSU had won seven straight in the series before BC's 35-3 win in 2017 in Chestnut Hill. It was the largest margin of victory for BC in the series and the most points they have ever scored in a game against the Seminoles. BC's longest win streak in the series is two games - a 27-17 victory in 2008 and the 28-21 win in 2009. The Eagles have only scored 30-plus points twice in series history against FSU - 34 in 2013 and 35 points in the 2017 victory. BC graduate strong safety Jaiden Woodbey faces his former school Saturday for the first time. Woodbey transferred to BC over the summer as a graduate transfer. Woodbey played three seasons for the Seminoles, including earning Freshman All-American honors from ESPN in 2018.
Saturday's game marks the first meeting between the two division rivals since 2019. BC had played Florida State every season since joining the ACC in 2005. The two teams did not play last season as the ACC adjusted the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eliminated divisions for one season.
BC will induct nine individuals to the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend, including two football standouts. ACC Network announcer Tim Hasselbeck and Will Blackmon head to the Hall this weekend. An ultimate competitor and one of the most highly-recruited quarterbacks in New England, Hasselbeck spent two seasons as the starter in 1999 and 2000. Hasselbeck ranks 10th all-time in passing (3,980) and ninth in touchdowns (29) in BC history.Â
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Welcome Back QB1
• Redshirt junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec returned from a right wrist injury suffered at UMass on Sept. 11 to make his third start of the season against Virginia Tech on Nov. 5.
• Jurkovec was cleared to return to practice on Friday, Oct. 29 and practiced with the team for the first time in team situations on Monday, Nov. 4.
• BC is 4-0 with Jurkovec as the starting quarterback in 2021 and 10-4 over his career at the Heights.
• He was named the ACC QB of the Week, Pro Football Focus National QB of the Week and one of eight Manning Award "Stars of the Week" for his efforts in the Georgia Tech win.
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One for the Ages
• Phil Jurkovec averaged 23.9 yards per completion in the 41-30 win at Georgia Tech. That was the best yards per completion total by a BC quarterback since at least 1996 when throwing for 300+ yards in a game.
• It was the fourth best total by an ACC quarterback as well since 1996.
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ACC QBs since '96 (300+ yards; YPC Leaders)
Chris Rix (FSU) vs. Va. Tech, 1/1/02: 12-of-25, 326 yards, 27.17 YPC
Stephen Morris (Miami) vs. Duke, 11/24/12: 15-of-25, 369 yards, 24.6 YPC
Brennan Armstrong (UVA) vs. Abilene Christian, 11/21/20: 16-of-23, 383 yards, 23.94 YPC
Phil Jurkovec (BC) vs. Georgia Tech, 11/13/21: 13-of-20, 310 yards, 23.85 YPC
 Chris Rix (FSU) vs. Va. Tech, 1/1/02: 12-of-25, 326 yards, 27.17 YPC
Stephen Morris (Miami) vs. Duke, 11/24/12: 15-of-25, 369 yards, 24.6 YPC
Brennan Armstrong (UVA) vs. Abilene Christian, 11/21/20: 16-of-23, 383 yards, 23.94 YPC
Phil Jurkovec (BC) vs. Georgia Tech, 11/13/21: 13-of-20, 310 yards, 23.85 YPC
Getting Defensive Against the Hokies
• BC held Virginia Tech to 73 yards passing in the 17-3 victory on Nov. 5. It tied for the fifth-fewest passing yards allowed by Boston College since joining the ACC in 2005.
• The 235 total yards allowed by Boston College tied for the 13th-best defensive effort in yards allowed in an ACC game by an Eagles' defense.
• The three points allowed by Boston College tied a school record for the fewest points allowed in an ACC game. Prior to tonight, the last time BC allowed just three points was also in the Red Bandanna Game in 2017 vs. Florida State (35-3 BC victory).
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Defensive Turnaround
• Boston College finished the 2019 season with 5,579 yards allowed on defense, the second-highest total allowed in BC football history. The Eagles ranked 125th nationally in total defense.• Jeff Hafley and his coaching staff have turned things around in short order as the Eagles now rank as one of the nation's best defensive units.
• Boston College rank in five different statistical categories in the top 20 nationally in 2021.
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No Fly Zone
• Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley's resume throughout his coaching career has been coaching defensive backs. Now as head coach, Hafley's BC teams have been elite against defending the pass since arriving at the Heights.• Looking back at BC's history, since the Eagles joined a conference in 1993 (BIG EAST) and later the ACC in 2005, this year's defense has allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game (159.5 yards per game).
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Not So Fast My Friend
• Boston College is tied for 18th nationally with just 24 touchdowns allowed in 2021.• It's been a quick turnaround under Jeff Hafley and his defensive staff. The year prior to Hafley's arrival, BC allowed 49 touchdowns in 2019, ranking 88th nationally.
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All Systems Go
• Boston College has been on fire in the first half of 2021, outscoring opponents 140-82.
• The first quarter has been BC's highest scoring quarter of the season, outscoring the opposition 73-49 in the first 15 minutes of play.
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RB1
• Pat Garwo ripped off a career-long 67-yard run for BC's first touchdown to cap off a 99-yard scoring drive in the 41-34 OT win against Missouri.• Garwo finished with his second 100-yard performance of the season and the second of his career with a career-high 175 yards on the afternoon. Entering the season, Garwo had 195 yards in 10 career games without a touchdown. In nine games in 2021, Garwo has 805 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
• The 25 rushing attempts for Garwo were a new career-high, topping his previous best of 15 rushing attempts at UMass earlier this year. Garwo averaged 7.0 yards per carry for the game.
• He leads BC and ranks 27th nationally in rushing with 909 yards this season.
• Garwo has ripped off four 100-yard rushing games, including two straight.
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My Cousin Vinny
• Redshirt junior linebacker Vinny DePalma missed all of last season with an Achilles injury. The New Jersey native has returned this season and has been everywhere on the field in 2021 for the Eagles.
• He has taken over as the starter at middle linebacker for Isaiah Graham-Mobley in the last three games and has totaled 27 tackles.
• For the season, DePalma is second on the team with 48 tackles. He has forced two fumbles and totaled three tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 10 games this season.
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Cover Corner
• Junior Josh DeBerry leads Boston College with 53 tackles from his nickel position in 2021. One of the top cover corners in the ACC, DeBerry is second on the team with two interceptions and three pass breakups.
• Not only an elite cover corner, DeBerry leads BC with seven tackles for loss in 2021.
• DeBerry finished with a career-high 10 tackles in the 41-30 win over Georgia Tech.
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Big Ben
• BC's fifth-year senior Ben Petrula is tied for the longest active start streak in the nation at 58 games. After not playing in his first career game as a true freshman at Northern Illinois in 2017, Petrula moved to center and started the final 12 games of the season.
• Petrula has started all 58 games he has played in since not playing in the first game of his true freshman season in 2017.
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300-Yard Passing Games
• Boston College totaled just seven 300-yard passing games from 2010-19, including just three games of 300+ passing yards since 2013.• In 21 games under Jeff Hafley, BC has posted eight 300-yard passing games.
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Big Play Zay
• Boston College junior wide receiver Zay Flowers was named to the watch list, the second major preseason award watch list for the Florida native. He was also named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List as well.• Flowers put together one of the best seasons by a BC wide receiver ever in 2020. An All-ACC first-team selection, Flowers was just the second BC wide receiver to be named first-team All-ACC in school history (Alex Amidon, 2012). He finished 18th nationally and second in the ACC with 892 yards receiving, ranked 26th nationally with 56 receptions and tied for 12th nationally with nine touchdown receptions.
• The speedster from Fort Lauderdale finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season in 2020 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 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. He became the only BC wide receiver to ever be named the ACC's WR of the Week for the second time in a season after his performance in the Pitt win.
• 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. He was the first BC receiver since 2012 (Alex Amidon) to have over 150 yards receiving in a game.
• In the Syracuse game on Oct. 30, Flowers finished with his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the fifth of his career with six receptions for 116 yards. He is now tied for fifth in BC career history with five career 100-yard receiving games.
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All-American Zion
• Zion Johnson was named to the Associated Press Midseason All-America team. It marked the second midseason All-America honor for Johnson after being named to ESPN.com's team as well.• A starter in all eight games, Johnson has been one of the most dominant offensive guards in the nation in 2021.
• Johnson has not allowed a sack in 2021 and has yielded just two quarterback pressures in 520 snaps at guard and eight snaps at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
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Game Captains
Colgate:Â Travis Levy, Zion Johnson, Jason Maitre
UMass:Â Grant Carlson, Brandon Barlow, Alec Lindstrom
Temple:Â Ben Petrula, Isaiah Graham-Mobley, Kobay White, Pat Garwo
Missouri:Â Joey Luchetti, Zay Flowers, Josh DeBerry
Clemson:Â Tyler Vrabel, Dennis Grosel, Vinny DePalma, Brandon Sebastian
NC State:Â Christian Mahogany, Zion Johnson, Marcus Valdez, Shitta Sillah
Louisville:Â Travis Levy, Jason Maitre, Jaiden Woodbey, Trae Barry
Syracuse:Â Brandon Barlow, Mike Palmer, Ben Petrula, Zay Flowers
Virginia Tech:Â TJ Rayam, Alec Lindstrom, Josh DeBerry
Georgia Tech:Â Phil Jurkovec, Jaelen Gill, Elijah Jones
UMass:Â Grant Carlson, Brandon Barlow, Alec Lindstrom
Temple:Â Ben Petrula, Isaiah Graham-Mobley, Kobay White, Pat Garwo
Missouri:Â Joey Luchetti, Zay Flowers, Josh DeBerry
Clemson:Â Tyler Vrabel, Dennis Grosel, Vinny DePalma, Brandon Sebastian
NC State:Â Christian Mahogany, Zion Johnson, Marcus Valdez, Shitta Sillah
Louisville:Â Travis Levy, Jason Maitre, Jaiden Woodbey, Trae Barry
Syracuse:Â Brandon Barlow, Mike Palmer, Ben Petrula, Zay Flowers
Virginia Tech:Â TJ Rayam, Alec Lindstrom, Josh DeBerry
Georgia Tech:Â Phil Jurkovec, Jaelen Gill, Elijah Jones
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