BC Football Roundtable: Previewing a Battle With UNC

Discussion of all things Boston College by the folks who cover them.

The Boston College Football Roundtable returns this week with panelists Tyler Calvaruso of Eagle Insider, Dan Rubin of BCEagles.com, and Kevin Stone of NE Football Journal, and AJ Black. Today the panel discusses some of the biggest topics surrounding the win over Texas State and preparing for the #12 UNC Tar Heels.

Jeff Hafley said that he will never apologize for a win. Saturday’s win wasn’t the prettiest, but the Eagles were able to escape and move on. What stood out to you in the win over Texas State?

Kevin - Crunch time. Like you said, it wasn’t pretty, but when both the offense and defense needed plays the most they got them. The defense got the ball back twice for the offense late in that game (albeit with some help from some ridiculously dumb penalties) while the offense was methodical on both of the two-minute drives. Good teams find ways to win games late and that’s exactly what the Eagles did.

I think you’ve also got to look at the lack of an atmosphere in the stadium. Now, the team will obviously say it doesn’t matter, but, playing the first home game under those circumstances had to be a bit jarring at first. You’ve got to think it’ll be a different feeling (and hopefully a faster start) for them running out of that tunnel on Saturday now knowing exactly what to expect.

Tyler - Definitely the way BC performed with the game on the line. Both the offense and the defense stepped up to the plate and made plays when they had to. Down late to a Sun Belt program with no fans in the stadium and little momentum, the Eagles had every chance to roll over. Instead, they took things up a notch and orchestrated an impressive comeback. That says a lot about the mindset of the team and its unwillingness to back down from a challenge, which should pay dividends against UNC.

Boston College certainly needs to put together a complete game in order to beat UNC. What area(s) do you think need to be cleaned up in order to knock the heavy favorited Tar Heels?

AJ: Defense in the middle of the field. Sam Howell is the type of quarterback that can take off and get first downs if the play breaks down or the coverage is too tight. BC struggled with Brady McBride last week, who was able to dink and dunk underneath while scrambling to get some big first downs. Howell will be incredibly difficult to defend, but if they can’t contain him, it will go from hard to impossible. Max Richardson and Isaiah McDuffie need to control the middle of the field and force Powell to try to beat them on the outside.

Dan - The UNC front seven sacked Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito eight different times in the Tar Heels’ first game of the season, so the BC offensive line will need to prepare for heavy attacking pressure. Protecting quarterback Phil Jurkovec is going to be huge, but a surge up front would go a long way to plowing the road and pushing the defense back on skates. If BC can especially establish the run, there’s a juicy opportunity to establish some long drives and additionally slow down UNC’s offense by playing keep-away.

What would a win over a ranked team like UNC mean to the program and the young coaching career of Jeff Hafley?

AJ: It may be early to say it, but if Boston College can beat UNC their profile would immediately vault higher than the Eagles ever were under Frank Spaziani and Steve Addazio. They could jump up to a top tier team in the ACC (the group right below Clemson), which in turn could help in recruiting and fan interest. Hafley has brought an energy to the program that has really invigorated a dormant alumni group and fan base. He has also been incredibly strategic by addressing needs of the program with a top notch quarterback in Phil Jurkovec, a blue chip wide receiver in Jaelen Gill, and transfers all over the defense. If he can add a Top 25 win in his first crack, something Addazio only did once in seven years? That would be absolutely huge.

Tyler - If BC can beat UNC on Saturday, people will have no choice but to recognize that with Jeff Hafley leading the way, this program is on the verge of becoming one of the better ones in the ACC. Not many people are giving the Eagles a chance in this one. If Hafley and company can beat the odds and come away with a win, it will establish this team as one that should be feared and will give the players infinite confidence moving forward.

Through two games we have seen our fair share of big plays. What player has surprised you the most so far this season?

Dan - We saw Zay Flowers’ explosiveness in small bursts last year, but I wasn’t prepared for how good he could truly become in the right brand of offense. His opening game made him an instant legend, and his checkdown receptions against Texas State were a reason why Phil Jurkovec was able to move the ball downfield. I remember being told about his dangerousness in space, but it’s on a different level this year. Against the Bobcats, he was quieted until that 15-yard reception on the game-winning drive. That kind of threat, even in the fourth quarter, is going to draw lockdown attention, and if the DBs shuffle to match Hunter Long, it’s going to leave him in one-on-one, burnable coverage.

Kevin - Hunter Long. He probably shouldn’t be surprising anyone considering we all knew how talented he was, but, the staff last year didn’t let him showcase his various skill sets as much as this staff is. Long is a phenomenal red zone threat, a force in the run game and just an all around outstanding leader. His tenor and tone never changes and it seems like he’s an perfect player for guys to look to when things get crazy - like they were on Saturday night before his game-tying touchdown. Long is calm, cool and collected and it seems like he’s only scratching the surface in all areas of his game as well.

What player or position needs to have a big game in order for Boston College to pull off the upset?

Tyler - The offensive line. If Boston College wants to beat UNC, it is going to have to run the football and Phil Jurkovec is going to need plenty of time in the pocket. If the offensive line is not opening up any holes for BC’s rushing attack, the Eagles will be forced to take a one dimensional approach, which would be a severe detriment to their chances of winning. Likewise, if Jurkovec doesn’t have enough time to go through his reads and get rid of the ball, it’ll be a long afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

The bottom line is, Boston College’s offensive line needs to be much better than what we’ve seen. Beating UNC will be a long shot otherwise.

Dan - Everyone is going to hyper-analyze the offensive line (sorry, guys), but I think the offense is moving along just fine at this point after two games. So I’m going to the opposite side of the ball and highlighting the defensive backfield against UNC quarterback Sam Howell. We know the Tar Heels are going to throw early and often, and the wide receiving corps is particularly talented, dangerous, and deep.

BC’s defensive backfield lost personnel during last week’s game (i.e. Muse’s targeting penalty), and it opened up the Texas State passing attack until the unit gelled in the game’s late goings. UNC’s passing attack, on the other hand, could successfully gain yards and points against any team at full strength. Even with the full complement, there’s an inherent challenge and increased degree of difficulty that comes with that kind of game.

Kevin - Offensive line. This is supposed to be the best position group with the most continuity, but, they struggled on Saturday night. Part of that was Texas State, but, if the Eagles are going to keep up with UNC the offensive line needs to give Phil Jurkovec more time to find his speedy skill players downfield.

AJ: I could be redundant and say the linebackers, but I already addressed that above. I am going to go with Phil Jurkovec. He needs to come out with his hair on fire and be decisive with his throws. BC can ill afford three quarters of no production from the quarterback. Jurkovec is going to need a big day and it is going to need to start early. 

Follow The Panelists on Twitter:
Dan Rubin: @BCDanRubin
Kevin Stone: @Kstone06
Tyler Calvaruso: @Tyler_Calvaruso
AJ Black: @AJBlack_BC

Photo courtesy of BCEagles.com