Final Thoughts & Predictions - Boston College Football vs Syracuse

Nov 25, 2022 - 1:10 PM

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On Saturday night, the Syracuse Orange travel to Chestnut Hill to face the Boston College Eagles for the 2022 regular season finale. Syracuse will move on to bowl season following the game, but this will be the last showing for BC until 2023.

The Boston College Eagles limp into this game after getting blown out by Notre Dame, 44-0, in South Bend. The Eagles are just 2 weeks removed from a surprise upset against NC State, but otherwise have been mired in loss after loss for the past few months.

The Syracuse Orange have managed an even more pathetic end of their season, as they’re in the midst of a 5-game losing streak after winning all of their first 6 games in a row. These struggles on both sides may actually make it a fairly interesting match-up.

What to Watch For

• Zay Flowers’s final push for the record books. Boston College WR Zay Flowers has already cemented himself as one of Boston College’s best ever receivers after setting BC career records in receptions and receiving yards. With one game remaining in his collegiate career, he sits just 2 touchdown receptions away from taking the all-time Boston College receiving triple crown. His 27 career receiving TDs could jump to 29 or 30 on Saturday if the game goes well, which would tie or break Kelvin Martin’s school record of 29 and make Zay the all-time Boston College leader in all 3 major receiving categories. Syracuse’s typical soft zone coverage could create a perfect match-up for Zay to make some big plays, too.

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

• An Emmett Morehead bounce-back... or Phil Jurkovec’s return? BC QB Emmett Morehead had a game to forget last week against Notre Dame. 3 INTs and a fumble in the first half set the tone for a disastrous day on offense. Syracuse’s defense is a respectable unit and will present similar challenges, so it will be telling if Morehead can learn from his mistakes and have a cleaner performance to close out the season. It’s also possible (though it seems unlikely) that QB Phil Jurkovec could return from injury to lead the Eagles on offense for their final game of 2022.

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

• Can Cuse get going on offense? It’s been an up-and-down struggle for the Orange on offense this season, but it looks like they finally got into gear last week against Wake Forest (at least in the first half). Syracuse is facing OL struggles of their own with 3 starters currently injured and questionable to return for the game against BC. This has led to weak performances of just 3 points against FSU and 9 points against Pitt in recent weeks. Before unleashing 35 points on Wake last weekend, Syracuse hadn’t put up 30+ points against any FBS squad since Week 3 vs Purdue. At this point, it’s impossible to know what to expect out of them in any given week.

Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Tailgate Treat of the Week

Happy Thanksgiving, Eagles fans! I hope your Thursday was full of family, friends, good food, and good feelings. There are way too many great Thanksgiving foods to list here that I might like as a tailgate treat, but a classic that stands above the rest is a leftover turkey sandwich. Nothing says “week after Thanksgiving” like taking that leftover turkey and throwing into a sandwich for lunch, dinner, a snack, or whatever. Bonus points for adding gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Enjoy!

Photo by Gordon Chibroski/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Prediction: Boston College 27 Syracuse 26

Screw it, I’m taking the Eagles.

This is our last opportunity to see BC play football for another 10 months or so. Even if it feels a little nice to be freed from weekly suffering, in the end I still love this program and the people that it brings together. I hope they can leave us with some happiness.

Hafley has this one last shot to motivate his guys and prove they are worthy opponents at least in the ACC. Syracuse has totally lost themselves in their losing streak, providing a great opportunity for the Eagles to strike. The BC defense can play well and the offense can put up points, it’s just inconsistent and largely depends on the quality of their match-up. Luckily for them, Syracuse is struggling to perform quality football as of late. It will likely be a slugfest of ugly football, but in the end BC should have a very real shot at victory.