Photo by: Katie Peverada
The Replay: Back In the Game With Win No. 1
September 18, 2022 | Football, #ForBoston Files
It felt good for BC to wake up on Sunday morning with a win.
The first quarter drew into its latter stages on Saturday night with Boston College unexpectedly finding itself in a dogfight against Maine. The FCS-level Black Bears played with their hair on fire, and after finding early success against the Eagles, BC decided to dial up an explosive play to halt the visitors' charge.Â
The call was to quarterback Phil Jurkovec and receiver Zay Flowers, and as Jurkovec dropped back in play action, the offensive line in front of him formed a nested cocoon. He stepped forward and planted his front foot, and he fired a downfield dart to Flowers, who had been blanketed in single coverage. The receiver had a step, and the rocket through the Chestnut Hill sky rainbowed towards him by traveling 40-plus yards in the air. It landed directly into his bread basket, and after Flowers muscled his way into the end zone for the remaining seven yards, BC had the moment for which it had searched when the offense sputtered with bubbling frustration.
By hitting that play, a confidence restored itself into the offense, and while Saturday was by no means perfect, the 38-17 victory over Maine gave the Eagles a marked step forward with their first win of the season.
"We won a game," said head coach Jeff Hafley in the aftermath. "Are there things we could have done better? Yes. We improved in a lot of areas, and in some areas I think we took a little bit of a step back, but now we have to watch the film and coach [the team] hard. There were times that I thought we could have run away with the game, and we just didn't finish it, but I'm excited to watch the film. It was neat to be around the guys in the locker room. They're excited to get a win, to get some confidence, and try to get this thing going in the right direction."
Finding that explosiveness was key to leveling a Maine team that opened the game with a strong showing guided by a unique scheme. It played four down linemen but lined up a nose tackle directly over center Drew Kendall, and the unorthodox style neutralized the center's ability to assist on moves going left or right. On separate occasions, defensive packages moved an interior lineman over either left guard Finn Dirstine or right guard Dwayne Allick, and the separations kept the early line from surging forward in the running game.
It required an adjustment, and the deep ball to Flowers guided the line into its first true success of the season. Once settled, good protection afforded Jurkovec time to hit a deep pass to Jaden Williams while both George Takacs and Jaelen Gill cleared underneath routes for catch-and-run opportunities. In turn, the running game gained more traction, and by the end of the game, the first big breakout run of the year allowed Pat Garwo to rumble 30 yards for a game-sealing touchdown after he slithered out of a tackle attempt.
"I'll have to watch the film closely to see what it really looked like, but there was definite improvement in protection and running the football, especially at the end," Hafley said. "They were just bringing everybody, and we were able to pound the ball and finish the way we did. Our offense scored when everybody knew we had to run, and we still ran it [successfully]. A lot of that at the end of the game had to do with those interior guys, but we'll watch it and evaluate it closely. We'll coach them hard, but I'm just proud of the way those guys played."
Establishing those positives allowed BC to finish with some of its best statistical performances since BC's 4-0 start from last season. Jurkovec in particular finished with 320 yards to become the 10th career 4,000-yard passer in program history, and his two touchdown passes moved him into a tie with Shawn Halloran for eighth all-time. It was his first 300-yard game of the season and the seventh of his career, which is fifth all-time.
His 51-yard score to Flowers was the first receiving touchdown by an Eagle that went for 50 yards or more since the duo linked up for a 77-yard score against Pittsburgh in 2020, and it helped Flowers move into a three-way tie for second in program history with 20 career receiving touchdowns while also moving him into fifth all-time with 2,264 receiving yards. He was targeted 16 times and finished with eight catches for 89 yards.
Williams and tight end George Takacs, meanwhile, also caught 50-yard balls, though the tight end's was ultimately credited as a 34-yard reception due to a spot-foul holding penalty. Takacs also produced his first touchdown catch since last November on a throwback to the corner of the end zone, and Williams scored his first rushing touchdown with a nine-yard run across the line of scrimmage that doubled as BC's first rushing score of the season. Garwo later added the second to ice the game, and Jaelen Gill emerged with two catches on two targets for 54 yards.
"I just run," Williams said. "When I go out there, I don't think anybody can run with me, and I think it showed today. It's exciting because when you get a play called for you, you just feel anxious and ready to run. I think that kind of makes me run faster."
"It's hard for some of the deep routes," Jurkovec said. "The offensive line has to hold the pocket for a little bit of time whenever we're taking some shots, but Zay and Jaden are just so fast, they can take the top off any defense. Every defense we go against this year has to respect that."
The performances on offense erased what began with a surprising Maine lead after the Black Bears disrupted BC's synergy on both sides of the ball behind quarterback Joe Fagnano and an unorthodox style built around his ability to throw downfield. He eschewed underneath routes in favor of a dual-threat run, but he finished with 289 yards passing after attempting 43 throws with 21 completions.
"Their quarterback is a good player," Hafley said. "He threw the ball a lot and had two touchdowns, and it's the most [production] we've given up. I want to watch the film closely to see how that happens, but it's on all of us to contain him. On the back end, I'm sure there are things we'll look at."
How those two touchdowns were scored became emblematic of a game story built around the duality separating BC's domination from a situation that avoided falling into a frustrating trap. Statistically, the Eagles gained 431 yards and scored 38 points to win its 33rd consecutive game against a team from the former Division I-AA, but the 21-point advantage likely could have been larger if not for missed opportunities, including a blown kickoff coverage in the first quarter that led to Maine temporarily retaking the lead after the Flowers catch.
Likewise, the game could have been closer after Maine closed to within 14 points in the fourth quarter, but BC slammed the door on the Black Bears by finishing plays and drives on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Jason Maitre came up with an interception at the end of the second quarter, and Vinny DePalma forced a fumble that defensive back Josh DeBerry recovered while Kam Arnold rumbled 49 yards after his own interception in space against Fagnano.
"We were in zone," Hafley said, "and it seemed to me like the quarterback was looking right at [Arnold]. He went backward and [the throw] came right up to him. I would have liked to have seen him score. We had one with Elijah [Jones] when they spread out and we blitzed DeBerry off the side. That one was too good to be true, and it was a walk-in. But that's where we need to finish more. If we go up [by] 21 there and make field goals, we run away with it. I wish we had been able to do that sooner in the game, but that's not taking anything away from Maine. Those guys played really hard, and I thought their coaches had a good plan."
In the end, singing the fight song in the locker room was still paramount to anything else. After two weeks of disappointing finishes and losses, BC sprung to life with its first win of the season. The Eagles were the better team on Saturday night, and while the 60-minute production was nowhere near perfect, the effort mattered and ignited a satisfaction that once again brought confidence back to Chestnut Hill.
"We got our first win," Jurkovec said, "and guys got to feel that win. It was sloppy at times, and we let them hang around when we had the chance to end the game in the second half, but I was really pleased with how the [offensive line] played. We ran the ball well, and there's just a lot of positives that we can build off of from this game."
The call was to quarterback Phil Jurkovec and receiver Zay Flowers, and as Jurkovec dropped back in play action, the offensive line in front of him formed a nested cocoon. He stepped forward and planted his front foot, and he fired a downfield dart to Flowers, who had been blanketed in single coverage. The receiver had a step, and the rocket through the Chestnut Hill sky rainbowed towards him by traveling 40-plus yards in the air. It landed directly into his bread basket, and after Flowers muscled his way into the end zone for the remaining seven yards, BC had the moment for which it had searched when the offense sputtered with bubbling frustration.
By hitting that play, a confidence restored itself into the offense, and while Saturday was by no means perfect, the 38-17 victory over Maine gave the Eagles a marked step forward with their first win of the season.
"We won a game," said head coach Jeff Hafley in the aftermath. "Are there things we could have done better? Yes. We improved in a lot of areas, and in some areas I think we took a little bit of a step back, but now we have to watch the film and coach [the team] hard. There were times that I thought we could have run away with the game, and we just didn't finish it, but I'm excited to watch the film. It was neat to be around the guys in the locker room. They're excited to get a win, to get some confidence, and try to get this thing going in the right direction."
Finding that explosiveness was key to leveling a Maine team that opened the game with a strong showing guided by a unique scheme. It played four down linemen but lined up a nose tackle directly over center Drew Kendall, and the unorthodox style neutralized the center's ability to assist on moves going left or right. On separate occasions, defensive packages moved an interior lineman over either left guard Finn Dirstine or right guard Dwayne Allick, and the separations kept the early line from surging forward in the running game.
It required an adjustment, and the deep ball to Flowers guided the line into its first true success of the season. Once settled, good protection afforded Jurkovec time to hit a deep pass to Jaden Williams while both George Takacs and Jaelen Gill cleared underneath routes for catch-and-run opportunities. In turn, the running game gained more traction, and by the end of the game, the first big breakout run of the year allowed Pat Garwo to rumble 30 yards for a game-sealing touchdown after he slithered out of a tackle attempt.
"I'll have to watch the film closely to see what it really looked like, but there was definite improvement in protection and running the football, especially at the end," Hafley said. "They were just bringing everybody, and we were able to pound the ball and finish the way we did. Our offense scored when everybody knew we had to run, and we still ran it [successfully]. A lot of that at the end of the game had to do with those interior guys, but we'll watch it and evaluate it closely. We'll coach them hard, but I'm just proud of the way those guys played."
Establishing those positives allowed BC to finish with some of its best statistical performances since BC's 4-0 start from last season. Jurkovec in particular finished with 320 yards to become the 10th career 4,000-yard passer in program history, and his two touchdown passes moved him into a tie with Shawn Halloran for eighth all-time. It was his first 300-yard game of the season and the seventh of his career, which is fifth all-time.
His 51-yard score to Flowers was the first receiving touchdown by an Eagle that went for 50 yards or more since the duo linked up for a 77-yard score against Pittsburgh in 2020, and it helped Flowers move into a three-way tie for second in program history with 20 career receiving touchdowns while also moving him into fifth all-time with 2,264 receiving yards. He was targeted 16 times and finished with eight catches for 89 yards.
Williams and tight end George Takacs, meanwhile, also caught 50-yard balls, though the tight end's was ultimately credited as a 34-yard reception due to a spot-foul holding penalty. Takacs also produced his first touchdown catch since last November on a throwback to the corner of the end zone, and Williams scored his first rushing touchdown with a nine-yard run across the line of scrimmage that doubled as BC's first rushing score of the season. Garwo later added the second to ice the game, and Jaelen Gill emerged with two catches on two targets for 54 yards.
"I just run," Williams said. "When I go out there, I don't think anybody can run with me, and I think it showed today. It's exciting because when you get a play called for you, you just feel anxious and ready to run. I think that kind of makes me run faster."
"It's hard for some of the deep routes," Jurkovec said. "The offensive line has to hold the pocket for a little bit of time whenever we're taking some shots, but Zay and Jaden are just so fast, they can take the top off any defense. Every defense we go against this year has to respect that."
The performances on offense erased what began with a surprising Maine lead after the Black Bears disrupted BC's synergy on both sides of the ball behind quarterback Joe Fagnano and an unorthodox style built around his ability to throw downfield. He eschewed underneath routes in favor of a dual-threat run, but he finished with 289 yards passing after attempting 43 throws with 21 completions.
"Their quarterback is a good player," Hafley said. "He threw the ball a lot and had two touchdowns, and it's the most [production] we've given up. I want to watch the film closely to see how that happens, but it's on all of us to contain him. On the back end, I'm sure there are things we'll look at."
How those two touchdowns were scored became emblematic of a game story built around the duality separating BC's domination from a situation that avoided falling into a frustrating trap. Statistically, the Eagles gained 431 yards and scored 38 points to win its 33rd consecutive game against a team from the former Division I-AA, but the 21-point advantage likely could have been larger if not for missed opportunities, including a blown kickoff coverage in the first quarter that led to Maine temporarily retaking the lead after the Flowers catch.
Likewise, the game could have been closer after Maine closed to within 14 points in the fourth quarter, but BC slammed the door on the Black Bears by finishing plays and drives on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Jason Maitre came up with an interception at the end of the second quarter, and Vinny DePalma forced a fumble that defensive back Josh DeBerry recovered while Kam Arnold rumbled 49 yards after his own interception in space against Fagnano.
"We were in zone," Hafley said, "and it seemed to me like the quarterback was looking right at [Arnold]. He went backward and [the throw] came right up to him. I would have liked to have seen him score. We had one with Elijah [Jones] when they spread out and we blitzed DeBerry off the side. That one was too good to be true, and it was a walk-in. But that's where we need to finish more. If we go up [by] 21 there and make field goals, we run away with it. I wish we had been able to do that sooner in the game, but that's not taking anything away from Maine. Those guys played really hard, and I thought their coaches had a good plan."
In the end, singing the fight song in the locker room was still paramount to anything else. After two weeks of disappointing finishes and losses, BC sprung to life with its first win of the season. The Eagles were the better team on Saturday night, and while the 60-minute production was nowhere near perfect, the effort mattered and ignited a satisfaction that once again brought confidence back to Chestnut Hill.
"We got our first win," Jurkovec said, "and guys got to feel that win. It was sloppy at times, and we let them hang around when we had the chance to end the game in the second half, but I was really pleased with how the [offensive line] played. We ran the ball well, and there's just a lot of positives that we can build off of from this game."
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