Boston College vs. North Carolina Week 5 Preview

Quick-Hitters

• Jeff Hafley is 2-0 in his coaching career after leading Boston College to victories over Duke and Texas State.

• North Carolina defeated Syracuse 31-6 in their opener, but it has been three weeks since that game, leading many to wonder if they'll be rusty.

• North Carolina (+555) is favored by 14 points over Boston College (+405) with the over/under set at 55 total points. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!

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Creating Turnovers

It’s a new era for the Eagles with Jeff Hafley taking over as head coach. Thus far, Hafley is 2-0 in his coaching career. Boston College took care of business against Duke and Texas State in their first two games. However, the Eagles are about to play a challenging stretch of games with three ranked teams on their schedule in the month of October.

With Hafley taking over, BC definitely isn’t running Steve Addazio’s run-heavy offense anymore. Notre Dame transfer Phil Jurkovec has taken over at quarterback and thrown for over 500 yards through two games while completing over 70 percent of his passes. Meanwhile, the vaunted Boston College rushing attack has been held in check. David Bailey was expected to fill the shoes of AJ Dillon without much of a drop off. He’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry while the mobile Jurkovec is able to help a little bit. However, the Eagles have scored a total of just 50 points in two games.

While the BC offense tries to find themselves, the defense has been the star of the show. The Eagles forced five turnovers and conceded just one touchdown in the season-opener against Duke. Last week, they weren’t quite as dominant, although the Eagles held Texas State scoreless for the last quarter and a half, enabling the offense to erase a 21-7 deficit and win 24-21.

Shaking Off The Rust

After having a game with Charlotte canceled, the Tar Heels will have gone three weeks without playing by the time they kick-off against BC. At first glance, UNC's 31-6 win over Syracuse in the season-opener was a success. However, it was a 10-6 game after three quarters, as the Tar Heels got off to a slow start. They’ll want to avoid a similar situation this week, as they now have the expectations of a team that’s ranked No. 12 in the country.

As mentioned, the UNC offense was a little sluggish in the season-opener. Sam Howell threw two interceptions and it took the UNC rushing attack a while to create explosive plays. In the end, Howell threw for nearly 300 yards and eventually settled in. He’ll have to find a way to remain sharp after the Tar Heels sit for three weeks between games.

The UNC defense had no problem getting off to a fast start in their first contest. The Tar Heels amassed seven sacks and held Syracuse to just 202 total yards. With the offense sputtering for most of the game, the North Carolina defense was able to step up and keep them ahead. While the offense is expected to be North Carolina’s bell cow this season, it was reassuring for Mack Brown to see his defense carry their weight.

Sluggish Offenses

The North Carolina defense will get another chance to shine this week against a Boston College offense that struggled to get going until the fourth quarter against Texas State last week. Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how the UNC offense plays after a long layoff, especially against a Boston College defense that has played well early in the year. If Howell and the Tar Heels are clicking, it could be a challenge for the Eagles to keep pace.