On Saturday in Durham, North Carolina, the Boston College Eagles faced off against the Duke Blue Devils in front of a crowd of zero fans. The game was close heading into the second half with BC holding a 7-6 advantage. Then, the wheels started to fall off for Duke as BC left Durham with a 26-6 confidence booster victory. Here are three takeaways from the Week 3 contest:
BC’s Defense is Strong
Coming into the season, many fans expected the defense to be the weak link to a surging football program. On Saturday, however, this was not the case. The Eagle defense forced five turnovers and only allowed six points. Although Duke isn’t the strongest of teams, this is still a good sign early for the Eagles that they can hang around in their games against UNC, Clemson, and Notre Dame. Former Ohio State defensive coordinator and new BC head coach, Jeff Hafley, is clearly already making a difference on the defensive side of the ball.
Phil Jurkovec Can Lead This Team
The transfer from Notre Dame has clearly found a new home in Chestnut Hill. The redshirt sophomore can certainly have some quality years at BC. To many, Phil Jurkovec showed signs of Matt Ryan in his BC debut. Jurkovec threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Most of his yards came in a dazzling second half for the Eagles. Jurkovec is a clear leader, and if he keeps his play up, could sneak his way into the Heisman conversation. Eagles fans, take notice of QB1 throughout the season.
The Eagles Have Elite Receivers
Saturday saw the emergence of two receivers: Hunter Long and Zay Flowers. Long had seven receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. He specifically shined on third down and kept a lot of Eagle drives alive. Flowers had five receptions for 162 yards and a highlight reel touchdown. No Duke player was in sight on Flowers’ touchdown. Flowers certainly has speed and a superb juke move. These two receivers alone could easily help carry BC’s offense to a bowl game appearance, and possibly an upset or two.
Eagle fans, there’s certainly optimism with where this program is heading and it is not too late to hop on the bandwagon. Get excited as this team has an elite head coach and a potential future NFL quarterback for the next couple of years. The Hafley Era has finally begun!
Photo: ACC
