Weekly Kickoff: Same Old, Same Old for Boston College Football

Boston College football seems to be right back at square one. Roster mismanagement, a lack of urgency, communication failures, and a failing gameplan all contributed to BC’s opening day loss to Rutgers in 2022. And here we are again, with the Eagles coming out of the gate flat and losing to an “inferior” program to start the season. The same problems keep plaguing Jeff Hafley’s football team in year 3 & year 4 after he’s had plenty of time to install his own culture, his own system, and his own recruits.

Sure, the offensive line seems to be a lot better. And it was the biggest issue the team had last season. But there are still so many other points of failure that don’t seem like they’ve been addressed properly. Penalties once again made BC their own worst enemy in the 4th quarter. Questionable offensive playcalling and undisciplined execution resulted in several empty possessions. The offense couldn’t find its rhythm and the defense was out on the field too much as a result, tiring them out and letting NIU have their way. All of these things are not new. Why, in year 4 of this era, are they still huge reasons for BC’s losses?

Remember when Dennis Grosel had to play most of 2021 after Jurk got hurt, but the staff didn’t seem to change the playbook to fit Grosel’s strengths? I have a bad feeling that this mess of a QB situation in 2023 is going to suffer a lot of the same problems, but on an even bigger scale. Morehead and Castellanos do not have the same skillset. The staff is tying their hands behind their own backs if they try to force Castellanos make throws that he just isn’t capable of in a live game. And when your offense is struggling to get into a rhythm like Hafley said at his postgame press conference, it could be wise to keep the same leader out there in the huddle. This inconsistent way of gameplanning at QB will not help the players get on the same page faster.

Looking forward, this Holy Cross game on Saturday may at least be a chance to figure some things out. The Crusaders should not be overlooked and BC is on red hot alert for their first FCS loss in program history, but they are still the easiest opponent on the schedule. I wouldn’t mind if the Boston College staff toyed around with the offense for one more week to figure out what they want to do at QB and everything else. With FSU up after that, they won’t have much of a chance to experiment then.