Duke becomes bowl eligible with win over short-handed BC

Associated PressNov 4, 2022, 11:48 PM EDT

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Riley Leonard threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 96 yards and another score to help Duke beat short-handed Boston College 38-31.

Duke (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) became bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 under first-year coach Mike Elko. The Blue Devils notched just three victories last season.

“Just a really monumental night for our program,” Elko said. “For us to come from where we were 10 months ago to here, bowl eligible with three games to go. Just a testament to everybody in our program and our university from the top down.”

Boston College (2-7, 1-5) was without quarterback Phil Jurkovec due to a right knee injury, but freshman Emmett Morehead shined in his first career start, throwing for four touchdowns with no interceptions.

“It’s the first game Emmett’s started since his junior year of high school. … We put him in some really tough situations, but he showed leadership, he showed poise,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley.

Duke forced a three-and-out to begin the second half and Jaquez Moore scored on a 24-yard run to extend its lead to 31-14. Boston College cut its deficit to 10 points but opted for an onside kick with 3:31 left in the third quarter and Duke recovered it before another score by Moore.

“At halftime we kind of got chewed into a little bit because like we weren’t playing very well,” Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter said. “You look at the third quarter, we’ve struggled a lot there this year. It’s no secret. So we came out and just had to set the tone for the half.”

Boston College got within 10 points again after a 75-yard drive ended in Morehead’s 26-yard pass to fellow freshman Joseph Griffin Jr. with 12:07 remaining.

“He’s (Griffin) six-foot four, so that’s rare.” Morehead said about his connections with Griffin. “He’s just a freak athlete, and with a basketball background, he’s really good at tracking the ball.”

The Eagles added a 34-yard field goal with 17 seconds left, but Duke recovered another onside kick to seal it.

Moore finished with 82 yards rushing in his first multi-touchdown game for Duke. Leonard went untouched on a 60-yard touchdown on the sixth play of the game, and his 8-yard scoring pass to Sahmir Hagans made it 24-7.

Morehead was 27 of 45 for 330 yards passing for Boston College, which lost its fourth straight game. Joseph Griffin Jr. had 103 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and Zay Flowers added 65 yards and two scores.

“His (Morehead’s) leadership was really impressive today,” Hafley said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Morehead made a statement, becoming the first Boston College QB with four passing TDs since Dennis Grosel in 2020. Boston College played mistake-free football against a Duke team that was coming off a program-high eight turnovers in its 45-21 win over Miami.

Duke continued its dominance on the ground, securing its sixth game with 200-plus rushing yards this season. Four rushers combined for 232 yards after Duke entered ranked second in the ACC and 21st nationally with 205.1 yards per game.

UP NEXT

Duke hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Boston College plays at No. 21 North Carolina State on Nov. 12.

Zay Flowers blooming at Boston College into one of ACC’s best receivers

Associated PressAug 6, 2022, 2:56 PM EDT

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON — To Zay Flowers, unfinished business means getting his degree from Boston College – and more.

“Win the division, go out the right way,” the BC receiver said after the Eagles opened training camp on a blistering day in Chestnut Hill. “I feel like we can be one of the best in the ACC.”

After leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2020 with nine touchdown catches and grabbing 56 passes for 892 yards, Flowers had a solid junior year last season with 44 receptions for 746 yards and five touchdowns. During the offseason, he toyed with the idea of transferring to a school where name, image and likeness funding might be more lucrative, but he opted to stay at BC.

Flowers, one of 14 children of a widowed father, said he would be the first in his family to get a college degree. His father supported Flowers’ decision to return to BC, even though the receiver potentially could have earned more in NIL proceeds at other schools — reportedly as much as $600,000.

A big reason for Flowers’ confidence is BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who is healthy again after playing in just six games last season with a broken bone in his throwing hand. Jurkovec completed 8 of 17 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in the Boston College spring game.

“I just feel good about going into the season and feel I’m going to do a lot of big things,” Flowers said.

Flowers said he worked during the summer on running routes, making contested catches and keeping up his strength and speed. Jaelen Gill and Jaden Williams offer Jurkovec other options at wideout, and Notre Dame transfer George Takacs is expected to be a big target at tight end.

“In my opinion, Zay is the best receiver in the country,” said Gill, who missed the start of last season because of a stress fracture and finished with 24 catches for 269 yards. “I think we all have, you know, have our own unique play style. We all play bigger than we are. So I think we all complement each other real well.”

If Jurkovec can stay healthy – and he hasn’t been able to do that yet in his first two years in the Heights – Boston College could make a big jump after finishing 6-6 in each of coach Jeff Hafley‘s first two seasons. In both of those years, Boston College qualified for a bowl game but opted out.

The goal: Winning the Atlantic Division after finishing tied for last in 2021.

“The urgency has always been the same,” Hafley said. “Do I have a little bit more of an edge to me because I’m still a little bit pissed off on how it went (last year)? Yeah, I am. But the urgency is the same. Exactly the same. So maybe you’re just seeing a different edge out of me and maybe you’re seeing me just being more comfortable being a head coach and being who I am.”

ACC: Pitt, Wake Forest out to keep momentum, Clemson hits reset

Associated PressApr 25, 2022, 7:45 PM EDT

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlantic Coast Conference changed significantly last season with Pitt winning the league title, Wake Forest taking the Atlantic Division and conference powerhouse Clemson largely out of the mix by mid-October.

Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi and Demon Deacons coach Dave Clawson believe their teams worked hard this spring to stay on top. Pitt defeated Wake Forest 45-21 in the ACC title game, ending Clemson’s run of six straight championships.

Narduzzi spent the spring seeking a successor to Kenny Pickett, who was expected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft.

“I was happy we got a lot of work done,” Narduzzi said. “We saw enough in 14 practices that we know who we are and I’m happy.”

The Panthers watched as Nick Patti competed with Southern Cal transfer Kedon Slovis for the starting spot. Slovis, who threw 30 touchdowns as a Trojans’ freshman, called it a “no-brainer” joining his new team.

Wake Forest, the first team other than Clemson to win the Atlantic since Florida State in 2014, won a program record-tying 11 games last year. Clawson took some offseason steps to improve a defense that was 10th in the ACC in points (28.9) and yards (413.2) allowed last season.

Clawson hired Brad Lambert as defensive coordinator. Lambert was linebackers coach at Wake Forest under Jim Grobe in 2006, the only other time the Deacons were 11-3.

“I’m encouraged by some things, and I’ve got a pit in my stomach about others,” Clawson said. “Were we better on defense because we are better on defense? Or because we did not play as well on offense.”

He will know for sure in about five months.

CLEMSON BACK?

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney was pleased with what he saw this spring, especially with starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who struggled early with injuries and off-target throws.

Uiagalelei went 17 of 36 for 175 yards in the Tigers’ spring game earlier this month. Still, his body of work was more than good enough to keep him the starter over freshman Cade Klubnik.

Uiagalelei “has had a great spring,” Swinney said. “He has not done anything to not be the starter. Cade is a really talented player. We got two guys, I think, that can win at a high level, just like when Trevor (Lawrence) and DJ were coming out of the spring” in 2020.

It helps that receiver Joseph Ngata has had a injury-free spring. He finished with four catches for 50 yards in the spring game.

NEW FACES

All four new ACC coaching hires after last season came in the Coastal, highlighted by Miami bringing in Oregon’s Mario Cristobal for Manny Diaz. Cristobal was a former Miami offensive tackle who was part of two national title teams. He’s charged with bringing “The U” back to prominence.

The first spring under Cristobal ended April 16 with a commitment to the little details that the new coach regularly preached will determine how far the Hurricanes go this fall.

“There’s no more excuses,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said.

The other first-year coaches are former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko taking over at Duke for longtime coach Dave Cutcliffe; ex-Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry succeeding Justin Fuente at Virginia Tech; and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott moving to Virginia after Bronco Mendenhall‘s surprising move to step away.

The Cavaliers had the ACC’s final spring game this past Saturday and Elliott saw what he expected four months in.

“I thought that the majority of the guys were going to buy in, but I was still going to have a couple that were skeptical and kind of one foot in the water,” Elliott said. “And I’ve got a couple of those.”

CLOSING IN

In the Atlantic Division, Boston College, Louisville and North Carolina State all have experienced, play-making quarterbacks.

The Eagles hope for a healthy Phil Jurkovec, the Notre Dame transfer who played just six games last year due to a broken bone in his throwing hand. He completed 8 of 17 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in the Boston College spring game.

Louisville’s Malik Cunningham threw for 2,941 yards and ran for 1,034 yards last season. The Cardinals have had losing seasons in three of the previous four years and are hoping Cunningham can lead a turnaround.

The Wolfpack feature Devin Leary, who threw 35 touchdowns last season to break Philip Rivers’ school record. Along with finding receivers, Leary has just five picks in 431 attempts.