DURHAM, N.C. — Phil Jurkovec threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Zay Flowers had 162 receiving yards and Boston College beat Duke, 26-6, on Saturday to give Jeff Hafley a win in his first game as a head coach.
Hafley, a former Pitt assistant who served as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach last season, replaced the fired Steve Addazio in December 2019.
Jurkovec, the former four-star quarterback from Pine-Richland who transferred to Boston College from Notre Dame in the offseason, led the Eagles (1-0, 1-0 ACC) to a touchdown on their first drive, only to see the offense sputter. But, gradually, Jurkovec started to find his rhythm.
In the third quarter, Jurkovec completed 6 of 7 passes for 151 yards and both of his touchdowns. The second, a 61-yard strike to Flowers, pushed the Eagles’ lead to 23-6, from which point there was no looking back.
Despite tallying 351 total yards, Duke’s offense was unable to capitalize in Boston College territory. Chase Brice completed 23 of 42 passes for 217 yards and two interceptions for the Blue Devils (0-2, 0-2).
The takeaway
Boston College: Saturday marked the first time Jurkovec started a game since his senior year of high school. The quarterback, however, showed exceptional poise, despite the amount of pressure applied by a talented Duke defensive front.
Duke: David Cutcliffe emphasized the importance of finishing in the red zone after the Blue Devils scored just one touchdown on three trips inside the 20 last Saturday against Notre Dame. But Duke struggled again in that area against the Eagles, with four of its five turnovers coming inside the red zone.
Social justice
In an effort to raise awareness for social justice issues, Duke again wore helmets featuring the capital-D shaped logo in black and a fist logo on the back, just as it did against Notre Dame. Boston College’s helmets included a white sticker on the back with the word “equality” in black letters.
