Boston College football must be scared this week.
The Eagles will face North Carolina on Saturday home at Alumni Stadium. BC is coming off of a fourth quarter win against Texas State, whom it was predicted to easily beat by 21. This demoralizing win has lessened the confidence of BC fans, as the team heads into the more difficult portion of its schedule. Based on last week’s game, Boston College will have to do a lot in order to even compete on Saturday. North Carolina is a strong team on every front and will not be an easy opponent for the Eagles. Let’s look at how these two teams compare to each other.
The stats
Boston College essentially needs to show up with a new offensive line on Saturday if it hopes to gain positive yardage. UNC has had eight sacks already this season, and it has only played one game. Boston College’s offensive line allowed eight sacks over two games. BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec needs protection, especially against UNC, that his offensive line is not giving him. The Tar Heels robbed Syracuse of 47 yards in sack yardage in their season opener, which could become a reality for Boston College.
Boston College also needs to score. Sounds simple, but it can’t seem to figure it out. Right now, Jurkovec is leading in touchdowns with two. This is a problem, and the offense needs to step it up and score some points.The Eagles only scored 14 points in the first half, so they’re going to need to start off stronger. BC cannot rely on the second half in every game, especially not against these stronger teams. Otherwise, North Carolina is going to absolutely pummel the Eagles.
What to look out for
North Carolina has a strong offense that needs to be held off in order for BC to get an opportunity to put something on the board. UNC’s biggest strength right now is its balanced attack. This is a team that showed it can throw and run, which means it will adapt to whatever defense Boston College presents. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they don’t have bragging rights over their defense yet. The Eagles need to watch out for North Carolina receiver Dyami Brown, who averages 15.67 yards per catch. If they can control Brown and limit his yards, BC has a chance at stalling UNC for a bit.
This game will be really telling. If Boston College football can hang in there, fans can be hopeful it can compete against other strong teams in the schedule like Notre Dame and Clemson. This game is an opportunity to improve upon Boston College’s stressful game last weekend. Hopefully for the Eagles, head coach Jeff Hafley can get in his players’ heads and get them ready for the competition North Carolina will bring. Otherwise, they may just continue to nearly lose to weak teams and establish themselves as a stagnant team, unable to compete with the better half of the ACC.
I am a junior Communication major at Villanova University, with specializations in Journalism and Media Production. My Instagram is @bridgethyland_.