Trapilo 'Day-to-Day,' Cline 'Is Probably a Little Further Away'

Boston College's already-depleted offensive line has taken a few more hits since the start of the season.

Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo suffered an injury during the opener and wasn't able to play at Virginia Tech. In the third quarter of BC's blowout loss to the Hokies, right tackle Kevin Cline had to be helped off the field with an injury of his own.

The specifics of their injuries are undisclosed, however, head coach Jeff Hafley said Tuesday that Trapilo is "day-to-day" and Cline is "probably a little further away."

"I respect and I appreciate those guys for fighting," Hafley said. "And I don't know if Ozzy's gonna play this week. I don't know if Kevin's going to play this week. We just gotta work through it, and we gotta get better."

In Trapilo's absence, Jack Conley moved from right guard to left tackle, where he filled in for Tyler Vrabel in 2021. Redshirt sophomore Dwayne Allick—who converted to D-Line early last season before returning to the offensive side of the ball—started at right guard. Then, when Cline went down, redshirt freshman Nick Thomas—who arrived at BC as a preferred walk-on—came in to play right tackle.

"Whether or not we put him at tackle—left tackle, right tackle—he's gotta be ready to go," Hafley said of Thomas. "Just like the rest of those guys who are backups right now."

At Virginia Tech, Allick registered Pro Football Focus pass blocking and run blocking grades of 51.0 and 63.5, respectively. Thomas logged grades of 36.5 and 66.2 in those categories. Thomas played 25 snaps and gave up four pressures, including three hurries and one sack, according to PFF. Allick, on the other hand, allowed three pressures in 59 snaps, per PFF.

Allick also played 29 snaps in the opener against Rutgers as BC's top rotational lineman, and he notched an 83.1 PFF pass blocking grade in that outing.

BC's offensive line, which is replacing all five starters from 2021, has struggled mightily so far this season. The Eagles rank 82nd in PFF pass blocking grade (60.8) and 121st in PFF run blocking grade (47.5). They are tied for last in the ACC and 123rd in the FBS with nine sacks allowed. And their 16.5 rushing yards per game is dead last in the country.

With O-Line depth concerns that existed far before the start of the season, fans have echoed the question of why BC didn't do more in the portal this offseason. Hafley addressed that question Tuesday.