Adversity isn't new for Boston College.

Not when Jeff Hafley began his head coaching tenure during a pandemic. Not when the Eagles have been ravaged by injuries each of the last two seasons, the first of which saw them lose four straight games before rallying for bowl eligibility.

"I feel like we were ready for it," senior defensive back Josh DeBerry said of the challenges a 2-4 BC has faced in 2022. "There's always going to be some type of adversity. You don't know exactly what it's gonna be, but you just gotta be prepared for it."

DeBerry continued: "I feel like we're prepared for it, and we're prepared to bounce back."

The Eagles' bye week probably came a week too late, head coach Jeff Hafley admitted following their 31-3 loss to No. 5 Clemson in Week 6. Nevertheless, it was an opportunity for BC to hit the reset button and get some players back from injury.

Still, because the Eagles had so many players hurt—and, in turn, so many underclassmen contributors in the first half of the season—the off week was atypical.

Hafley conceded early this week that the bye wasn't "as productive as you would want it to be because we're so banged up."

"We got as much work in as we could," he said. "Some guys were on the road recruiting. Others really looked hard at the film to try to figure out what we could do better scheme-wise, coaching-wise, and if there's any personnel movements we have to make.

"It wasn't wasn't like a vacation, that's for sure."

The recruiting aspect of the off week is particularly interesting. The recruiting world almost never stops, and, as Hafley says, it's "always the key."

But since he wanted to stay around his players, he didn't recruit until the latter part of the off week, and, even then, he remained in Massachusetts.

During the bye week, Class of 2023 defensive end Brian Simms III from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, decommitted from the Eagles. Still, they are on track for their third straight top-40 recruiting class, according to Rivals.com.

This cycle, the Eagles' 18-player class ranks 38th nationally and eighth in the ACC.

"Last night, I was probably on the phone with 15 to 20 guys," Hafley said Tuesday. 'You have to make time for it. It's easy to push it aside, but you can't."

He added: "We gotta finish this class out because it's a really good class that we're excited about. We gotta find some other guys. But there's nothing more important. We gotta stay on it. That's how you build a roster."

Staying in state during the bye not only allowed Hafley to reconnect with Massachusetts high school football coaches, but it also afforded him the time necessary to assess BC's offense and defense schematically. He and the staff took inventory of who's available health-wise at this point of the season, who can do what and how they can maximize those players' strengths, Hafley explained.

While the coaches were taking a big-picture look at the first half of the season, the players had a chance to get away for a bit. Hafley emphasized how helpful it is for players to refresh, even briefly, and, if they're able, see their families.

"It was very important, just from a health standpoint, being able to heal and get everybody back right," said DeBerry, who had the wind knocked out of him after a Clemson player landed on him during the second half of the Week 6 matchup.

Hafley wanted his players to be excited about coming back to Fish Field House, and he made it clear this week that they're as motivated as ever to turn things around. He also noted that the 28-point defeat to Clemson wasn't indicative of the improvement the Eagles—who beat Louisville, 34-33, the week before—have made this season.

"The way they fought and the way they played in those last two games, these guys are doing everything that they can," Hafley said. "They're not making excuses. They're not pointing fingers. They're not blaming it on injuries. They're just trying to get better. And they are."

BC did record a season-high 448 yards of total offense against Louisville, and it played its best defensive half of the year versus Clemson. Poor offense and special teams against the Tigers, plus a lopsided second half, left a bad taste in BC fans' mouths, though.

Except, that was two weeks ago, and that was the first half of the season.

"It's two different halves," DeBerry said. "This is a time for us to pick it up and get like a fresher start to the season in the second half and get things back rolling again in the right direction."