Jurkovec helps BC beat Duke

Phil Jurkovec threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Zay Flowers had 162 receiving yards, and Boston College beat Duke 26-6 on Saturday to give Jeff Hafley a win in his first game as a head coach.

Hafley, who served as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach last season, replaced the fired Steve Addazio in December 2019.

Hafley had to wait to officially start his job with the eagles until after the Buckeyes’ loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff, then had just five spring practices before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world. The way his team handled such unusual circumstances made Saturday’s long-awaited win that much more special.

“I was emotional after the game, and not because of me,” Hafley said. “I don’t say this to give you guys coach-talk. I’m giving every one of those players a game ball. When they look back at that date, they’re going to remember one of the hardest points of their lives that they had to battle through and sacrifice. … This day will forever be about this team and what they did to get to this point. I’m greatly appreciative.”

Jurkovec, the former four-star quarterback who transferred to Boston College from Notre Dame in the offseason, led the eagles (1- 0, 1- 0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a touchdown on their first drive in an empty Wallace Wade Stadium, only to see the offense sputter. But, gradually, Jurkovec started to find his rhythm.