Eight New Year’s Resolutions for BC Football

2020 was a headache. Frustrating and tragic above all else, but, in the sports world, “weird” is perhaps the most apt description. Especially for the ACC.

Six teams opted out of the bowl season, and, despite making up half of the College Football Playoff, the conference didn’t win a single postseason game. In fact, the league’s 0-6 bowl record marks the first time a Power Five conference with more than three bowl teams went winless in the postseason.

Notre Dame temporarily joined the league—the first time in the program’s 132-year history that it wasn’t an independent—and reached the ACC Championship. There were no divisions, leading teams to play more crossover games than they had in the previous two years combined.

Boston College actually played six Coastal opponents, triple its yearly total. It was hardly a normal introduction for first-year head coach Jeff Hafley, who didn’t get a complete spring ball season or a typical training camp.

Nevertheless, the 41-year-old former Ohio State co-DC made the most of the situation, overseeing one of the more impressive COVID-19 prevention efforts in college football and coaching the Eagles—a team many predicted to bottom out the ACC—to a winning record and the doorstep of a few potential program-defining upsets.

Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do before BC can contend for a conference title. With the new year having just arrived, here are eight resolutions the Eagles can make to take that elusive leap in the second season of the Hafley era.

Reestablish the rushing attack: David Bailey was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list this summer and was expected to carry the torch following AJ Dillon’s departure to the NFL. Instead, he rushed for 503 yards in 10 games, averaging 4.0 yards per carry—1.8 fewer yards per attempt than he registered as BC’s 1B option in 2019. Travis Levy got a lot of run out the backfield as well, but he finished with just 321 yards on 99 carries. The restructured offensive line struggled out of the gates. The unit logged a sub-60 PFF run blocking grade in three of the first four games, and BC averaged 1.87 yards per carry in the process. Over the final seven contests, the Eagles’ O-Line improved, and, in turn, BC recorded a more efficient 3.78 yards per rush, surpassing 180 yards on the ground three times (all wins). OC Frank Cignetti Jr. was persistent in seeking balance for his pro-style scheme. System change aside, the Eagles plummeted from eighth to 118th in rushing. They’ll try to bridge that gap in 2021.

Contain the QB run: Don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but this is a no-brainer. Opposing quarterbacks averaged 83.4 yards on the ground against BC in the Eagles’ final seven games of the season. Virginia Tech’s Hendon Hooker, Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, and Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong all reached or eclipsed 130 rushing yards versus BC. Ian Book of Notre Dame (85 rushing yards, one touchdown) was no slouch either. Slow reaction times, bad angles, and poor tackling haunted the Eagles, particularly on the zone-read. Better discipline would help, but more speed at the second level could be the fix the Eagles need.

Cut down on penalties: BC is 109th in the country in penalties per game. The Eagles averaged 7.6 per game this season, the sixth most of any ACC team. False starts were a problem up front at the beginning of the year. Pass interference and holding calls came and went. But it was the personal fouls (unnecessary roughness, excessive celebration, etc.) that really upset Hafley. And when the Eagles needed to play their cleanest, the laundry was flying. BC averaged 9.7 penalties per game against ranked opponents in 2020. Isaiah McDuffie’s roughing the passer penalty on what would be Clemson’s game-winning drive and Travis Levy’s illegal block that brought back a first-half onside kick recovery against Notre Dame were some of the more notable infractions that hurt BC’s chances against top-tier opponents.

Snap the seven-year losing streak to AP Top-25 opponents: The Eagles haven’t beaten an AP Top-25 opponent since they shocked then-No. 9 USC in the first-annual Red Bandana Game back in 2014. Steve Addazio finished his seven-year tenure 1-17 versus teams ranked in the AP Poll. Things got real ugly toward the end of his stay in Chestnut Hill. From 2016-19, the Addazio-coached Eagles lost to AP-ranked opponents by an average of 30 points. BC posted a meager 10.6 points per game in those matchups, mustering just seven points on six different occasions. This year, aside from a five-turnover, 40-14 loss to then-No. 23 Virginia Tech, BC was significantly more competitive. The Eagles were a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime versus a 12th-ranked North Carolina team. They also stormed out to an 18-point lead in Death Valley. It’s worth noting, too, that BC turned over a sound Notre Dame offense three times. Ultimately, BC’s margin of defeat against AP Top 25 opponents dropped to a much more respectable 12.5 points. Still, what is now a 20-game losing streak looms over the program.

Turn red zone field goals into touchdowns: No team had more red zone field goals this season than BC. And, if you want to go by percentages (because not every team played an equal number of games in 2020), the Eagles were tied for second in the country with 35.3% of their red zone trips ending in three. Those aren’t stat categories any program wants to be leading. Against UNC, three Jurkovec misfires in the red zone—all intended for Hunter Long—resulted in the Eagles settling for a trio of field goals. Just converting one of those into a touchdown could have been the difference. Then, versus Notre Dame, BC once again settled for a trio of first-half field goals despite reaching the red zone each of those scoring drives. And the week before that, at Syracuse, BC kicked three field goals inside 35 yards, including one that followed a fumble recovery at the Orange 18-yard line.

Rank inside the Top 50 in pass defense: Hafley came in with seven years of experience coaching NFL defensive backs and having just mentored a pair of first-round corners at Ohio State. His expertise working with secondaries was the catalyst for a much-needed upgrade in the backend for BC. The Eagles allowed 40 fewer passing yards per game than they did in 2019, slingshotting from 122nd to 82nd against the pass. With a similar jump next fall, BC will be in good shape. Individual growth was evident this season as well. Notably, Brandon Sebastian, tied for 12th nationally with 11 passes defended, and Josh DeBerry—who notched a PFF coverage grade of 77.7—both shined at times. Eagles DBs talked glowingly of Hafley’s coaching, and it has certainly played a role in his staff’s recruiting success at the position.

Improve fourth-down defense: BC ranked 123rd of 127 FBS teams and dead last in the ACC in opposing fourth-down conversion percentage this season. Opponents moved the sticks on 13 of their 16 fourth-down attempts against BC—in other words, 81.3%. What’s striking is that the Eagles were above average on third down. They held opponents to a 40.4% success rate, good for 65th nationally and eighth in the conference. It’s important to note that Clemson converted a pair of 4th-and-1s in the second half of the teams’ Halloween matchup, each of which kept the Tigers’ final two scoring drives alive amid their comeback victory. Coming up with timely stops on fourth down, at least at a better clip, could prove pivotal.

Minimize scoring droughts: Cignetti’s offense delivered explosives week after week. The Eagles clocked out 29th nationally with 25 plays from scrimmage of at least 30 yards. That said, the unit did have its fair share of funks throughout the season. Slow starts against Duke, Texas State, and Virginia Tech come to mind—BC scored a combined 21 first-half points in those games. The Eagles’ second-half performances against UNC (six points, 142 total yards), Clemson (zero points, 56 total yards) and Syracuse (six points, 133 total yards) were cause for concern, too. Consistency will be key for Cignetti, Jurkovec, and Co. next season.