Having just defeated Virginia Tech last Friday, the Boston College Eagles are now flying south before winter arrives. They will face another team with disappointing record, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Like the Eagles, Georgia Institute of Technology has lost their star quarterback in a few games. But their defense is very difficult, and their offense can't keep up with their opponents. With Phil Yurkovic returning to the center position, the Hawks are now entering their home season with a new attitude. What does BC need to do this week for the Yellow Jackets to play?
The Boston College Eagles will face attacks similar to those encountered two or three weeks ago. In these two games, defensive players were allowed to exceed 300 yards on the ground alone, which somewhat exaggerated their rushing yards per game. Like Louisville, Georgia Institute of Technology is characterized by a dynamic dual-threat quarterback that can create explosive games with his legs. The Yellow Jackets also have Jahmyr Gibbs, arguably the best running back in the ACC, just like Sean Tucker. Georgia Institute of Technology also has two very capable backup running backs Dontae Smith and Jordan Mason. BC's defense needs to continue to consolidate their outstanding performance in the past two weeks.
Despite the statistically poor performance against Syracuse, the Eagles' defense looked much better than against Louisville for most of the game. Between Tucker and quarterback Garrett Schrader, Orange ran for 322 yards. However, 198 of these yards came from five combinations, accounting for more than 60% of Coos's rushing yards. Therefore, in the other 36 dribbles, Orange ran only 124 yards and 3.4 yards per dribble. This number is still quite high, but the fact is that, except for some explosive games, BC has done a good job of stopping Cuse on the ground.
Since the Louisville game, Boston College has improved defensively because they play smarter and more disciplined when running. They will have to maintain this discipline when playing against another team with a complex, multifaceted running competition. Despite the loss of players like Isaiah Graham-Mobley, the Eagles’ defense is gaining outstanding performance from players like Vinny DePalma, and to a lesser extent Cam · Arnold. DePalma and Arnold are strangely reminiscent of the linebacker duo of Max Richardson and Isaiah McDuffie last year. One is an old player who has experience and intuition but lacks athleticism; the other is a young player who is fast and aggressive, but sometimes loses position. But De Palma has combined two great games together, and Arnold is improving every week.
It can be said that the most critical part of preventing Georgia Tech’s charge offense and preventing large-scale offenses will come down to security. Jaiden Woodbey is now firmly in the starting lineup, playing very well, and should be an indispensable and effective part of limiting the Yellow Jackets' offense. This left us with Mike Palmer. Due to injuries to Deon Jones and Jason Maitre at the end of the season, Palmer is now back in free safety. He is a good reporting player and played an excellent game last week. But Palmer’s greatest struggle is to take a good angle when going downhill to cut off runners who break into the second level. This will be an aspect of the game that I will be watching closely, because if Palmer continues to struggle there, players like Sims and Gibbs can kill you with explosives. But if he plays like last week, this game should look a lot like last year.
A few weeks ago, although it looked like last season, I described a metaphor. I hope Frank Cignetti Jr. will let Dennis Grosel bake with this offense. I just want to say that Grossel did not follow the recipe exactly, and the product is not very good. But now, there is a new (or old) master chef in the kitchen preparing to take the Eagles to Flavortown. In Chopped's words, Phil Jurkovec got a very easy-to-use basket last week. Despite one or two serious mistakes, Yurkovic added some of his iconic talents to the offense and produced a successful dish. This week, it's time to really improve the flavor factor.
After a whole week of practice, it's time to release Phil Jurkovec and the offensive ability he should have. Jurk's big arm opens up a completely different aspect of this offense, attacking areas that previous quarterbacks could not attack. Although Cignetti tried to squeeze some vertical passes into the offense with Grosel as the center, I think he still kept some secrets. It's time to put them back in the script.
From a statistical point of view, Yurkovic has added explosive power to the Hawks' offense, even if his data has declined slightly. In the 2021 season, he scored 6 assists on 12 passes for 127 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception over 20 yards. Instead, Dennis Grossel completed 4 of his 25 deep pass attempts. In addition, the Georgia Institute of Technology's defense is an ideal opponent for air strikes. In the ACC defense, they have the highest pass completion rate (64.7%), the fourth in passing yards (267.7 yards per game), and the highest passing efficiency (162.2). This game is a great opportunity for Yurkovic to remind ACC and college football what he can do.
Although I am eager for a wider passing offense, I think this is an ideal opportunity for BC to make better use of their close ends. Part of the reason for this is injury. Eaton Williams, Cobe White and CJ Lewis seem to have lost this season, leaving the Hawks relatively weak in wide receivers. But even if Trebari is absent for another week, the tension is still deep. Joey Luchetti and Spencer Witter are good inline, short and medium options. But this is a great time to tire players such as Brendan Smith and Charlie Gordinier, who may become the future of tight end positions.
I think multiple tight-end groups are very effective for Boston College for several reasons. As mentioned earlier, the defense of the Yellow Jackets struggled very much when passing the ball. This is surprising because they employ a relatively unorthodox defense designed to prevent passes. Georgia Institute of Technology modified the 3-3-5 defense, using various coverage from the three-high safety line. They also use lighter people in the first seven (or six). Therefore, I suggest using strength to calculate the speed of Georgia Institute of Technology. Although I still want Yurkovic to throw the ball out of the field, this defense is also vulnerable to running. With the stability of this offensive line, Taylor Frabel may return to the lineup, and the base run should continue to be successful.
Naturally, if the running game is successful, the passing game should follow. In addition, if the Hawks have been using two or three close ends, it may force Georgia Tech to respond by placing larger, slower defenders on the court. This has a double effect: inexperienced players will be on the court, and the game action pass game will be more effective. If there are only two (or even one) wide receivers on the field, Georgia Tech is likely to cover these players and keep the close end open.