Boston College is looking to fashion a much-improved period after posting a woeful 3-9 record last season. There is hope that the program will bounce back in the wake of last term’s struggles, but their opening game of the 2023/24 campaign will tell us a lot.
The team will start the season with a road fixture against Louisville at the Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, September 23.
The Eagles beat the Cardinals with a marginal 34-33 scoreline last season, with Zay Flowers firing them to an impressive comeback. Flowers has since been drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, so it will be interesting to see how they fare.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, are keen on improving the 8-5 record they registered under first-year head coach Jeff Brohm.
FanDuel Sportsbook Massachusetts has all of you BC fans covered, as this year, you might find some gems in the odds because of BC’s horrible performance last year. The Eagles come in as the favorite (-425) for their opening day game against Northern Illinois (+340) on September 2nd. They are (-110) to cover the spread at 10.5 and even to cover the total points set at 51.5.
The upcoming season will be crucial for coach Jeff Hafley at BC. The aforementioned 3-9 record saw his overall record drop to a worrying 15-20 over the span of the last three years.
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The program has a favorable non-conference schedule going for it, and Hafley will be looking to get them to bowl eligibility. To do so, he will need to improve the team’s offensive line.
Boston College boasts a good quarterback in Emmett Morehead while and the defense is pretty solid, too, after getting augmented, having allowed 30.3 points a game last season. The O-line, however, is still a weak link.
Morehead will take over the offense after filling in for Phil Jurkovec last November. He threw for north of 250 yards in three of four starts as a redshirt freshman, with one of those games producing a 330-yard performance against NC State, and ended the season with 1,254 passing yards, ten touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The staff will have their work cut out for them when it comes to finding a replacement for Flowers. They might have their man in Ryan O’Keefe, who transferred from UCF after making over 150 receptions these past two seasons. The likes of Dino Tomlin, the son of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, and Joseph Griffin Jr. should also be top targets.
As noted above, BC’s offensive line was a huge problem last season, evidenced by the school finishing last in rushing in the entire country with an underwhelming 63.2 yards per game. They also tied for the 126 sacks they allowed.
The program should get a boost in that area as All-ACC guard Christian Mahogany is set to return after missing last season because of a knee injury. There have also been additions in the form of transfers from Texas State and Virginia, Kyle Hergel and Logan Taylor.
Center Drew Kendall and tackle Ozzy Trapilo are also expected to show improvement, given that they will have some better players around them.
Meanwhile, the underdog side managed to get Brohm to his alma mater after four inconsistent years with Scott Satterfield. The new coach took the job with a 66-44 record, having gone 36-34 at Purdue.
Brohm has proven that he can win without big-name players, and he will look to make drastic improvements. The former quarterback has gained a reputation as an offensive strategist and is expected to have Louisville playing very differently next season. He’s already overhauled the roster.
Fans can expect the Cardinals to pass the ball a lot more, as opposed to keeping it on the ground as Malik Carter has graduated. Carter was a dual threat as he was a better runner than a passer. However, his replacement Jack Plummer is way fonder of throwing the ball.
Plummer is one of 25 new transfers at Louisville.
So it’s going to be an interesting 2023 campaign for both of these programs, with one looking to bounce back and the other keen on continuing its progress from last season. Their season-opening clash could offer a lot of insight into their futures.
