Jurkovec, Flowers Earn Spots on Maxwell Award Watch List
The success of Boston College’s biggest stars went hand-in-hand last season: Phil Jurkovec connected with wide receiver Zay Flowers for four touchdowns of 20 or more yards, and the Eagles finished 2020 with the third-best passing offense in the ACC.
Both of them were named to the 80-player Maxwell Award watch list Monday afternoon. The accolade is given annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith, who also won the Heisman Trophy last year, was the 2020 recipient.
BC is one of two ACC teams with a pair of Maxwell Award watch list honorees. The other is Clemson (quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and wide receiver Justyn Ross).
Jurkovec is one of eight ACC signal callers recognized, joining Uiagalelei, Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong, Louisville’s Malik Cunningham, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Miami’s D’Eriq King, Florida State’s McKenzie Milton and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett.
The redshirt junior is coming off a breakout season in which he became the first BC quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards in three of his first four starts. He finished the year as the first Eagles gunslinger to complete more than 60% of his pass attempts since Chase Rettig in 2013 and rounded out the season with 2,558 yards through the air and a 17:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Jurkovec had more pressure dropbacks than any other quarterback in the country, but he was at his best when he had to improvise. Actually, the Pittsburgh native’s NFL-adjusted pass rating was 17.6 points higher when he was under duress than when he had a clean pocket, according to Pro Football Focus.
Flowers was often on the receiving end of Jurkovec’s great escapes. His sophomore season saw him reel in six touchdown passes of 20-plus yards, including two from backup Dennis Grosel. Flowers closed the year with 892 receiving yards, the 18th most in the country.
He was tied ninth nationally in explosive plays (receptions of 15-plus yards), according to PFF. His most productive route was the vertical pattern, on which he was targeted 30 times and tallied 10 catches for 366 yards and six scores, per PFF. Flowers racked up 160 or more yards three times: first at Duke, then versus Pittsburgh and finally at UVA.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Nov. 1, and the three finalists for the trophy will be revealed three weeks after that. The winner will hear his name called during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 9.