It’s been an alarmingly long time between the last time Wake Forest and Boston College played a football game against each other, given they’re in the same division in the ACC.

But the mixture of an early season matchup in 2019, the 2020 schedule removing the teams from each other’s schedules, and this season’s regular-season finale date, means the Deacons and Eagles will finally meet after 791 days between games.

To catch us up on Boston College – because, after all, Steve Addazio was BC’s coach when these teams last met – we reached out to EagleAction’s Andy Backstrom.

Here is our Q&A with Andy:

1. Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first: What’s been the effect of Phil Jurkovec’s return, and how much has that galvanized Boston College in the last three games?

It’s been night and day. Now, I think longtime backup Dennis Grosel is a better quarterback than he appeared to be in his six games as the Eagles’ starter this season.

But he’s not an NFL prospect like Jurkovec, who keeps defenses honest with his deep ball. Grosel is 4-of-25 on passes traveling 20 or more yards downfield this season, per Pro Football Focus. Against Georgia Tech alone, Jurkovec was 6 of 10 on such attempts.

Jurkovec’s ability to connect with receivers, namely star wideout Zay Flowers, on explosives prevents defenses from crowding the box like they did when Grosel was under center.

In turn, things open up for BC’s collection of running backs and Jurkovec, who the Eagles are using more in the run game. There’s also the emotional component of Jurkovec’s return. After fracturing his throwing hand in Week 2 at UMass, he wasn’t expected to come back this year and did so with four games left in the regular season.

It gave BC, then on a four-game losing streak, a much-needed shot in the arm.

2. Paying attention from a distance last year, I was amazed at how quickly BC transitioned from Addazio’s ground-and-pound offense to a dynamic aerial attack. And now … it seems like this team runs the ball better than it passes again? Are the stats skewed that much because Jurkovec missed six games, or is this team’s rushing offense legit?

The stats are definitely skewed a bit, but the Eagles certainly wanted to be more balanced this year. The run/pass split was out of whack last year, and that was largely because BC struggled to get going on the ground.

The offensive line was rearranged due to an injury to left tackle Tyler Vrabel, and the unit was adjusting to a zone-run scheme that was far different than BC’s man-to-man blocking scheme under former head coach Steve Addazio.

When Jurkovec was sidelined this year, the Eagles relied more on their rushing attack than offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. probably would have liked, however, it was, at times, their only way of effectively moving the ball.

Even with Jurkovec back, you might have noticed that his passing attempt numbers are way down from what they were in 2020. That’s partly because he’s not 100% yet. In fact, Hafley said this week that, when Jurkovec returned earlier this month, the quarterback’s grip strength was at 50%.

All that being said, BC’s rushing offense has improved this year. The run blocking is better and running back Pat Garwo — who should eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this week—has been a pleasant surprise for Eagles fans.

3. Switching gears to defense, what has BC done so well this season to have the No. 1 passing defense in the ACC (167.8 yards per game)?

The Eagles’ secondary was nothing short of abysmal in 2019 when BC ranked 122nd nationally in pass defense. Since Hafley’s arrival, though, the Eagles have taken significant steps in the back end.

It’s a veteran group that has been trusted to play press-man coverage at certain points and disguise coverages at others. For most of this year, BC has had fourth-year starter Brandon Sebastian on one side and redshirt junior Elijah Jones (75.0 PFF coverage grade) on the other.

The Eagles traditionally play a 4-2-5 defense. With a versatile nickel—who is used on blitz packages, in run defense and in pass coverage—BC has more speed on the field than it would with a three-linebacker set.

The problem is that nickel, Josh DeBerry, missed last week’s game with an ankle injury and is questionable for the regular season finale. Injuries have depleted BC’s defense all year, and the secondary hasn’t been exempt.

4. How healthy will this team be? In the last week of the regular season no team is at 100%, but it seems like a flu outbreak is the last thing Jeff Hafley would want to be dealing with this week.

Yes, so back to those injuries. Backup nickel Shawn Asbury II broke his arm at Louisville earlier this year and is out for the year. Free safety Jason Maitre (shoulder) is out for the year, as is strong safety Jahmin Muse (neck).

Luckily for the Eagles, they were loaded up at safety and still have FSU transfer Jaiden Woodbey and Mike Palmer, both of whom have lots of starting experience. But BC also lost place kicker Aaron Boumerhi, defensive tackle Chibueze Onwuka and, in all likelihood, wide receiver Kobay White as well as free safety Deon Jones for the year.

Tight end Trae Barry, who missed two games this season with a knee injury yet ranks second on the team in receiving yards, was limited last week against FSU. He played only 14 snaps, per PFF, but Hafley said he hopes that snap count goes up this week.

And right guard Christian Mahogany missed last week’s game with a knee injury. That wasn’t the sole reason but definitely factored into BC’s poor performance up front against the Seminoles.

Then, of course, there’s the added wrinkle of a flu outbreak BC is dealing with. Hafley said Wednesday that 15 players missed practice because of the non-COVID-19 illness. We won’t know until Saturday who exactly can’t play. But last week against Rutgers, Penn State was missing 20 players from the flu. It’s been bad in the Northeast of late and can be seriously restrictive.

5. Have you gotten a sense that BC is embracing the spoiler role to this week, in being able to knock Wake Forest out of a potential trip to Charlotte? Or has this been more about focusing on what this means for themselves, i.e. guaranteeing a winning record?

Hafley doesn’t play into those kinds of storylines. For instance, he said that he didn’t mention bowl eligibility until the Eagles clinched it after their win at Georgia Tech. He knows his players are well aware of what’s at stake this weekend, and some of them acknowledged it during media availability.

But they’re more concerned with sending a large group of seniors, many fifth- and sixth-year players, out with a win at home. It won’t be a normal crowd without many students who will still be home for Thanksgiving break, however, Senior Day is still Senior Day.

Also, a 7-5 record gets BC a better bowl than 6-6, a mark that would likely anticlimactically slot the Eagles right into the Fenway Bowl. BC has a chance to log its first victory over an AP-ranked team since 2014 and keep hopes alive for its first eight-win season since 2009.