The Boston College football team will find itself in Durham, North Carolina this Saturday, Sept. 19 in an important season opener - one that is somewhat closer to a test than a game in more ways than one.
The noon ET kickoff under the hot Carolina September sun will only heighten the tension this game is put under. Yes, this is the moment we have all been anticipating for months; the first time Boston College gets its hands on the ball. But much is different this season.
Jeff Hafley era begins
This season we will be judging the performance of new head coach Jeff Hafley. Hafley has plenty of experience in coaching college and professional football. However, he has largely held assistant coaching positions. It will be interesting to see how Hafley performs with this increased power. Based on what Hafley has already done for the program, such as securing a commitment from class of 2022 quarterback Peter Delaportas, I predict that we will be impressed with the new Boston College team under Hafley’s control.
No Fans
Silence. In order to realistically keep the season going during a time where we are lucky enough to be getting any games in at all, this is obviously a must. But, it’s still weird. One of the biggest parts of college football and college sports in general is the atmosphere. That is what keeps alumni 25 years out coming back weekend after weekend - college sports are high energy. Often, the energy from the crowd is a large factor in the success of the team. Can we even consider Duke as having a home field advantage this weekend if they have no one there to remind it of it? It will be interesting to see how this new game atmosphere will affect player performance.
BC vs. Duke history
This is the eighth time the Eagles and the Blue Devils have met, and the Eagles are still holding onto a 4-3 advantage. So, this game gives Duke the opportunity to level that playing field, and give their meetings a .500 history. This is entirely possible too, as Duke has won the last two matches. But will it win lucky number three? My guess is no, they will not.
The Game
One advantage that Duke walks into this matchup with is that this will be its second game of the season, while it is BC’s opener. The Blue Devils faced Notre Dame on Sept. 12 and lost 27-13. This does not come as much of a surprise considering Notre Dame walked into the season ranked 10th in the nation. However, even though Duke got some game-time experience under its belt before meeting Boston College, I think the disappointing loss could be enough to keep Duke’s morale low heading into the game.
Prediction
I think this will be an exciting game - and maybe one of the most fun of the season considering what is at stake. The prize of pride is huge in this matchup. I think that this will be a close, low-scoring one, but the Eagles will pull ahead at the end to win 14-10.
I am a junior Communication major at Villanova University, with specializations in Journalism and Media Production. My Instagram is @bridgethyland_.