Less scary trip to Death Valley
BC faces No. 1 Clemson without Tigers’ star QB Lawrence
Playing top-rated Clemson in Death Valley on Halloween got a lot less frightening.
Tigers’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the morning line favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, tested positive for COVID19 on Wednesday and has been separated from the team for a mandatory 10day period.
Lawrence will be in quarantine when Clemson (6- 0, 5- 0 ACC) hosts Boston College (4-2, 3-2) today (noon) at Memorial Stadium. Lawrence’s symptoms are reported to be mild, but he could miss the Tigers’ huge ACC showdown at No. 4 Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will likely start 6foot-4 true freshman D. J. Uiagalelei against the Eagles. Uiagalelei was a fivestar recruit from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif. Uiagalelei was recruited to replace Lawrence, who will likely be the first player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft next April. Uiagalelei has seen limited action with 12 completions for 102 yards.
Swinney was concerned about Boston College before being blindsided by the coronavirus early in the practice cycle. Swinney supplied a laundry list of upgrades he’s seen from the BC offense this season under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti during a Zoom press briefing.
“BC is going to be a tough team and this is a well-coached team,” said Swinney. “Jeff has done an
awesome job coming and he’s put a good staff together and his guys are playing hard and they are playing confident and they could easily be 5-1 right now.
“They are doing a great job of figuring out what their strengths are and they have gotten better and more confident as the season has gone on.
“The biggest thing that is different about BC from years past preparing for these guys is they are throwing the ball all over the place. They are doing it with lots of play-action and boots and screens and a lot of different ways to getting their playmakers the ball.”
The BC player who might actually be disappointed by the news about Lawrence is redshirt sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec,
who transferred from Notre Dame last December. Jurkovec and Lawrence were once aligned in a common cause.
“I met Trevor at the Army AllAmerican game and got to hang out with him, he was really a good guy and I wish the best for him,” said Jurkovec.
Lawrence was the top-rated recruit in the country out of Cartersville High School in Cartersville, Ga., where he won 41 straight games. Jurkovec had concluded one of the most statically dominant scholastic careers in Western Pennsylvania history at PineRichland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., a Pittsburgh suburb.
The two accomplished passers were teammates on the East Squad in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 6, 2018. The West beat the East, 17-16.
Lawrence was committed to Clemson while Jurkovec had signed on with Notre Dame. Law
rence enjoyed immediate gratification, winning the FBS national championship as a true freshman. Jurkovec never gained traction in his two seasons in South Bend, Ind., and transferred after the 2019 season.
“We both were selected for it and we played on the East team so for the whole week we got to hang out and practice together and do a bunch of stuff,” said Jurkovec.
“We didn’t talk a whole lot about college, just what was going on back then in high school and the game and practices and all that they had for us.”
Lawrence and Jurkovec are first (305.5) and third (278.5), respectively, in the ACC in passing yards per game. Hafley and Cignetti transformed the Eagles’ offense from a double-tight end, 12-personnel grouping into a pro-style multiple offense. BC employs a pro-style passing game combined with a college ground attack enhanced by the run-pass option.
Jurkovec was the Eagles’ leading rusher with 94 yards on seven carries in BC’s 48-27 beatdown victory over Georgia Tech last weekend at Alumni Stadium.
Tailback David Bailey had 83 yards on 13 carries while Travis Levy netted 54 yards on 19 attempts. BC will need both facets operational against Clemson’s defense, which is second in the ACC in total defense (274.7 ypg.) and second in scoring defense (13.5 ppg.).
“That’s what we are trying to piece together and I think it’s going to take some time, so that’s what I’m confident and patient at the same time,” said Hafley. “We are kind of doing everything on the run.
“You have to give the offensive guys a ton of credit for the limited amount of time with the packages they have been able to put in. I just think you’re going to see something different because of what we have been trying to accomplish.”