Boston College to the Military Bowl: A Look Ahead

Boston College meets East Carolina at the Military Bowl in Annapolis on Dec. 27. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.

The AAC’s East Carolina (7-5) finished their season fourth in the conference. The Pirates closed falling to the CFP-bound Cincinnati Bearcats 35-13 the previous weekend. As you may recall, BC’s last bowl appearance was against those same Bearcats. ECU to the CFP in a few years, lock it in. The Eagles do sit at 3.5-point favorites at the moment, with an over/under of 49.5. The Pirates even had a chance to play on the field once this season so far, squeaking by Navy 38-35 only a few weeks ago.

Not too many common threads between these two programs who have never faced off. East Carolina did play Temple in early November, walloping them 45-3. It seems like ages ago, but BC defeated the Owls 28-3 in the third game of the season. Pirates HC Mike Houston got his own contract extension after leading ECU to its first winning season and bowl berth in seven years.

The AAC and the ACC have won three times apiece in the last six renditions of the Military Bowl. ECU last played in this bowl in 2010, losing to Maryland 51-20. Very critically, the Eagles are 14-13 all time in bowl games, and have only won once*************************** in the past eight***** trips (@Servpro). Hafley can be the guy to set BC back on the right course here.

It’s exciting for the players to get to travel for a bowl game after last year, and the emotional rollercoaster that was the 2021 season. Phil Jurkovec spoke about the selection lead up:

Kind of mixed feelings about [playing at Fenway] from guys. It’s nice, it’ll be a change of scenery for us. We like playing on the road. Coach Hafley says that its meant to be kind of a celebration. But also we get a chance to play and prove ourselves. Like Travis said, we didn’t play up to our standard this year, but hopefully this last game we get to finish the season right.

With the expected, yet still fantastic news of Jurkovec returning to BC, the Eagles will look to properly send off those who are moving on, and transition to a new season. Injuries have plagued BC’s campaign, and a complete performance may quell some of the frustrations the BC faithful have endured. While a great showing here will alleviate all of the concerns out there, it can still bring some reassurance. This was a drawn out way of saying, I hope this game can better reflect what I and many expected the team to look like this year, and that it can bring back positive momentum to the program.

The bowl means a whole lot more with the spike in recruits coming from the area. Coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has been absolutely tearing it up in the DMV for the Eagles. Doubly special, the current handfuls of the Eagles active roster from the area, like Travis Levy, will have a chance to play right in front of their families during the holiday season. BC has a solid alumni base in DC and it’s a pretty short trip for all who can swing it.

We should be right back on the swing of things very soon. Be on the look out for previews, Q&A’s, furious tracking of line movement, and more!