Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 19, 2022 33 GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE BY TYLER HORKA P hil Jurkovec didn't transfer from Notre Dame to Boston College with Nov. 19, 2022 in mind. But it just so happened that's when the Fighting Irish would next host the Eagles when he made his move into the transfer portal at the end of the 2019 season. And now that date is upon him. It always served as a consolation prize of sorts for Jurkovec. How many quarterbacks have the chance to play in the stadium of the team they originally signed with, and appeared in games for, wearing another team's colors? It's def- initely a unique opportunity. So unique, in fact, that it might not manifest for Jurkovec after all. The graduate student injured his knee in an awkward fall in a 13-3 loss to Con- necticut Oct. 29. He missed Boston Col- lege's ensuing game against Duke Nov. 5 and did not practice the Tuesday there- after — 11 days before the Eagles and Irish take the field at Notre Dame Stadium. "Will we get him back? I'm not sure," Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley told reporters Nov. 8. "That's where we're at with Phil right now." If Jurkovec is unable to suit up and play, he can always say he gave Notre Dame his best shot on Nov. 14, 2020. His best shot wasn't enough that day. The eventual 6-5 Eagles were trounced by the eventual 10-2 Irish, 45-31. Jurkovec threw for 272 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. That matchup was in Chestnut Hill, Mass. It also came during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any emo- tions Jurkovec might have had about facing his former teammates were likely at least slightly mitigated. This would be the real deal. Poten- tial for a crowd of 77,622, just as he dreamed of when signing with the Irish as a four-star prospect and the No. 10 overall quarterback recruit in the On3 Consensus Recruiting Rankings in 2018. For whatever reasons, Jurkovec's per- ception of Notre Dame football soured while the 6-foot-5 dual threat with a big arm was stuck behind 6-foot, win-at-all- costs gamer Ian Book on the depth chart. "I was disappointed by some stuff while I was there," Jurkovec told Bos- ton.com's Trevor Hass in August. "The football team and culture is not what people think it to be. I met a lot of great people. They do a lot of good in the world. It's a mixed bag. I'm glad I went there, and I'm glad I left." OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES Boston College needs more than a healthy and spiteful Jurkovec to beat Notre Dame. It needs whatever luck Marshall and Stanford pocketed from the Irish's leprechaun mascot and for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man's team to play down to its level of competition, which was an issue early in the year. Boston College doesn't have the tools to step off the bus and spring an upset. Dealing with a myriad of injuries that forced them to concoct eight different starting offensive line combinations in their first nine games, the Eagles stut- tered to a 2-7 record. One of those wins was against Maine, an FCS opponent. A string of four straight defeats fol- lowed a one-point triumph over Louis- ville Oct. 1. Twice, Boston College did not score a touchdown. Through Week 10, the Eagles ranked No. 117 in total offense at 320.1 yards per game and 60th in total defense, allowing 369.8 yards per game. Sitting in the top half of the FBS in to- tal defense wasn't bad for a team that had a 2-7 record, but Hafley is a defensive- minded head coach. He coached defen- sive backs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13), Cleveland Browns (2014-15) and San Francisco 49ers (2016-18) be- fore running the Ohio State defense as a co- coordinator in 2019. He knows what an elite defense looks like. He doesn't LEARNING TO FLY The Eagles' season hasn't gone to plan because of injuries, but head coach Jeff Hafley sees hope for the future Phil Jurkovec, who transferred to Boston College from Notre Dame in 2019, is one of just six quarterbacks to start 24 or more games for the Eagles since Doug Flutie first took over as a freshman in 1981. Jurkovec ranked in the top four in touchdowns (35), completions (404) and passing yards (5,183) among the signal-callers that made 24 starts for BC. PHOTO COURTESY BC FOOTBALL Facts & Figures BOSTON COLLEGE AT NOTRE DAME Date: Nov. 19, 2022 Site: Notre Dame Stadium Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET Television/Streaming: NBC/Peacock Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series Facts: This is the 27th all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Boston College. The Fight- ing Irish lead the all-time series 17-9 and won the last meeting 45-31 on Nov. 14, 2020 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Head coaches: Boston College — Jeff Hafley (15-18, third season); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (7-4, first season). Noting Boston College: Through Week 10, senior wide receiver Zay Flowers was one of three players in the country with 4 touchdown catches of 50 or more yards and one of two players with at least 3 of those vs. FBS opponents … Nine different offensive linemen have started for Boston College this year … Jurkovec's eight 300-plus yard games are the fifth-most in Boston College history; Matt Ryan and Doug Flutie hold the record with 12 … Boston College's coaching staff features 46 years of NFL experience, which is the most in the ACC; former Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty and BC offensive coordinator is responsible for 15 of those years … Hafley's first two recruiting classes are the top two in program history; the Eagles ranked No. 51 per the On3 Consensus in 2022 and No. 49 in 2021.