So You’re Saying There’s A Chance

This weekend the Boston College Eagles face their toughest test this season. The Eagles travel to Clemson to face the Tigers who are the number one team in the nation. As expected, the Tigers who are undefeated, are the favorites for this matchup but it won’t be easy. Why won’t this matchup be easy? There’s a few reasons why an upset could happen this weekend.

First, last night the news broke that star Quarterback and Heisman favorite Trevor Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19. Yes, that means Trevor Lawrence will not play this weekend for obvious reasons. So who will be Quarterback for Clemson? Freshman Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei will be making his first ever start this weekend against a Boston College defense that isn’t too shabby this season. Uiagalelei will be going up against a defense that has gotten to the quarterback 17 times, and has caused 11 turnovers this season (6 INT’s 5 fumbles). With a freshman Quarterback making his first start, the defense should be licking their chops at the opportunity they have this weekend to make a statement about who they really are as a defensive unit.

On top of not having to face Lawrence this weekend, Boston College is also 4-2 on the season. In reality, they really should be 5-1, but the ACC referees had other ideas in their game against North Carolina earlier this season. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec has looked good this season. On the season, he has 12 touchdowns, four interceptions and has thrown for more than 1600 yards. No offense to any Boston College fan reading this, but you all know that’s a great stat line. In the past, Boston College hasn’t had any good quarterbacks. In fact, the last quarterback that was “great” was Matt Ryan. So Jurkovec, in his sophomore year, has looked good so far.

So who has made Jurkovec look good this season? Zay Flowers. Zay Flowers is the team’s leading receiver with 29 receptions, 473 yards and four touchdowns. Without a doubt, Zay Flowers gives defensive coordinators some sleepless nights. Flowers, who is a sophomore, has already built great chemistry with his quarterback, and the two look like they won’t be slowing down anytime soon. One final knock about Zay Flowers, he averages just over 16 yards per catch. That leads all of the ACC. Yes, the Clemson defense is great, but they will have their hands full with the young talented receiver this weekend.

So what can you expect in this matchup? A great football game. This game is going to give a preview of what Clemson will look like once Trevor Lawrence enters the NFL Draft. Alongside with that, Boston College has a chance to shock the country this weekend and take down the top team in the nation.

-Matt Burnett (mattthew_jordan on twitter)