More screen time for Eagles
11-game season a bonus to BC’s draft-eligible players
Competing in a lot of college football games gets a player noticed at the next level.
Boston College will play its 11th game in 12 weeks when the Eagles visit Virginia on Saturday. BC (6-4, 5-4 ACC) has an opportunity to secure its first winning record in the ACC since 2009 and lock down a favorable bowl destination.
Even with press box restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, BC has hosted eight to 10 NFL scouts at home games.
For senior offensive linemen like preseason All-ACC selections Ben Petrula and Zion Johnson, and middle linebacker Max Richardson, participating in a full slate against ranked opponents like Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina has been a bonanza in terms of exposure. If Petrula starts against Virginia and in a bowl game, he will have started 48 consecutive games at three different positions.
BC head coach Jeff Hafley has worked in NFL draft war rooms with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he’s learned there is no substitute for time on the field. The BC seniors have a leg up on their positional rivals from conferences playing reduced schedules.
“I keep saying this but we are so fortunate because we are getting to play football,” said Hafley. “The only way you get better is if you play, so for a guy to go out and make mistakes and learn from them and have success and learn from that and continue to play … They get better and better and see things and react quicker and get coached really well. It’s unfortunate for some guys playing only four or five games, you don’t grow as much so we are very fortunate on that end.”
Players who opted to compete this season will be granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA, which extended a blanket waiver to all fall sport athletes on Aug. 21. That would benefit the Eagles’ graduate transfers on defense, tackles Chibueze Onwuka (Buffalo) and Luc Bequette (California), and safety Deon Jones (Maryland).
“Everything these seniors are doing and how well some of them are playing, think about how much better they could have been if they had the whole offseason in here working out with a spring ball or training camp,” said Hafley.
“If I’m a senior now in this crazy year that doesn’t count, like it never existed for their eligibility, I can raise my draft status and that’s a home run. If I’m projected to be a thirdround pick and I know with a good year of development, I can be a first-round pick or a second-round pick, that’s like gold.”
Jurkovec ready
Hafley said quarterback Phil Jurkovec has been practicing and should play against the Cavaliers’ suspect secondary and pass rush. Jurkovec emerged from a collapsed pocket in the third quarter of last Saturday’s 3427 victory over Louisville with a left-knee injury and did not return.
Jurkovec was an efficient 15-of-19 for 203 yards before being helped off the field with 6:16 to play. He has completed 205-of-336 passes and his 2,558 passing yards are second to North Carolina’s Sam Howell (2,842) in the ACC. Jurkovec is fifth in the ACC with a 255.8 yards per game average and he’s thrown for over 300 yards in four games.
“Phil looks good and I feel confident as long as he continues to progress, he will play as long as he doesn’t have many setbacks,” said Hafley.
Third wheel
Redshirt freshman tailback Pat Garwo has recovered from an earlier injury and contributed to the Eagles’ running game against Louisville. David Bailey left the game with an upper-body injury late in the third and Hafley let Garwo and Travis Levy play in the fourth. He finished with seven carries for 34 yards with a long run of 22.
“It felt great and I’d been dying to get back with my teammates,” said Garwo. “It felt good coming back and helping any way I could.”