Opponent Breakdown: Boston College Eagles Offense

Boston College came into the season with high hopes for their offense after a very big improvement in 2020. However, those hopes faded a bit when Phil Jurkevic was injured in their second game. Jurkevic is who made this offense go and BC hasn’t had enough time to build much depth behind him with their new staff just getting started in year two. The Eagles are 4-2 this season but the offense has struggled the last two weeks and there aren’t many signs that things will improve.

Dennis “Card Killer” Grosel has been the next man up at Quarterback for BC for a few years now and he is a much-improved player from the guy UofL saw two years ago. Grosel has been unbelievable in two games against the Cards. He came off the bench in both games and UofL just couldn’t contain him. Grosel is coming off a very bad game against NC State where he missed a handful of throws high. He didn’t get a lot of help from his Receivers but he just looked “off” for the game. Grosel also hasn’t been the runner that UofL has seen in the past. He is better in the pocket but his lack of arm strength seems to be a real issue for him.

The Eagles had been known for their great running game for years but last year they really struggled to get the running game going. This year, that has changed a bit. Patrick Garwo is averaging over six yards per carry on the season but BC has had a very hard time being consistent with their play calls. Garwo is a bruising back and he runs with a style that you would think BC would love to utilize. However, they have gone away from him the last two games. I would imagine that will change as the BC offense has been anemic the last two weeks and UofL hasn’t consistently stopped the run this year.

Zay Flowers is the key to this offense as he is by far the biggest threat as well as being the most consistent performer. Flowers is a very fast slot Receiver who can also play outside. He is used in a multitude of ways but I think the most concerning for Louisville is as a deep threat. Lousiville has made it a point to not allow teams to beat them deep but we saw Wake Forest do so when they played more aggressive coverage. Flowers will go off if they can’t contain him in some way.

BC also has the ability to spread the ball around to guys like Jalen Gill and CJ Lewis outside. Both players have good size and speed but neither has had a big game so far this year. Trae Barry is a real threat at Tight End. At 6-6/244, he is a matchup nightmare for anyone.

The Boston College Offensive Line is again one of the best in the ACC if not the nation. They are a veteran group with three or four NFL guys on it. You really can’t say enough about how well they play. With their improved run blocking this year, it’s no surprise that BC is able to put points on the board and have a solid offense even with their injuries and issues everywhere else.