The Boston College Eagles have a chance to shut an open wound once they host the UConn Huskies in a regional rivalry conflict on Saturday (midday) at Alumni Stadium.
BC is using excessive after successful its third straight with final Saturday’s 38-23 victory over Georgia Tech in an ACC match in Atlanta. The Eagles improved to 4-3 total and 2-2 within the ACC whereas the Huskies are 1-6 after a 24-21 loss at South Florida.
The conditions had been reversed final season when the bowl-bound Huskies humiliated the Eagles 13-3. BC would lose 9 video games in 2022, however the Eagles’ season bottomed out in all three phases at UConn.
“We talked about it and last year there was a feeling nobody was proud of playing there and playing the way we did,” mentioned BC center linebacker Vinny DePalma.
“I think it is a great opportunity for us with the chance to redeem ourselves and we are going in the right direction now. On paper it is a little bit of a trap game for us. But this is about as important of a game as this team has had.”
A yr in the past, the BC offensive line had been completely rebuilt, had misplaced its solely returning starter Christian Mahogany within the low season, and was hammered by accidents within the first half of the 2022 season. BC head coach Jeff Hafley put collectively a patchwork line that had issues containing the Huskies’ energized entrance seven.
BC rushed for 76 yards and threw for 259, a complete negated by three interceptions. BC beginning quarterback Phil Jurkovec suffered a season-ending damage whereas making an attempt to run away from strain. When it was all added up, the BC O-line was held accountable for the fiasco.
“The O-Line took a lot of bloody noses throughout the season last year but this is a new group and this is a new team and this is a new O-line,” mentioned Hafley.
Hafley introduced again offensive line coach Matt Applebaum to reconfigure the entrance and his efforts had been seen in the course of the three-game win streak. BC rolled up 563 yards of whole offense in opposition to the Rambling Wreck that included 308 speeding yards. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos rushed for 128 yards and threw for 255.
In the earlier win at Army, BC rushed for 321 yards on a nasty climate day. Hafley mentioned the holes the BC line opened up on the Yellow Jackets entrance seven had been “big enough to drive a truck through.”
“I think we were rushing for 60 yards per game (63.2) last year and in back-to-back weeks we have rushed for over 300 yards,” mentioned Hafley. “This is a completely completely different offensive line, a completely completely different quarterback, and a completely completely different offensive scheme.
“This is a different offense than played UConn last year and the rest of the teams that we played.”
Build A Back
BC junior tailback Kye Robichaux loved a profession day in opposition to Georgia Tech and made a case for being an every-down again for the rest of the season.
The 6-0, 216-pound, junior switch from Western Kentucky rushed for 165 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. He additionally caught three passes for 54 yards with an extended of 45.
“He has the set to play in all three downs because he can protect the passer on third down because is a bigger back and he can catch the ball,” mentioned Hafley. “We have been tying to throw screens to him and get the display screen recreation going an increasing number of and he’s bought good arms.
“He’s a young guy that hasn’t played much so we are starting to see what he can do and he has a good skill set. I think he is going to get better and better.”
Apt Pupel
Graduate switch sturdy security John Pupel led the Eagles protection with six solo tackles, two assists and a TFL in opposition to Georgia Tech. Pupel, an All-Ivy League choice for Dartmouth earlier than coming to BC in 2022, has been within the prime three in tackles in each recreation this season. After seven video games, Pupel is second to DePalma (53) with 46 tackles, three TFLs, a pressured fumble and a fumble restoration.
“He is relentless to the ball, he is flying around and laying it out,” mentioned Hafley “He plays with great effort, he’s a good tackler and he is always around the ball.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com