By Dave Holcomb
SouthernPigskin.com

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Dave Holcomb offers a preview and prediction for Boston College vs Georgia Tech.

Despite the 2021 season being the 17th for Boston College in the ACC, this weekend will be only the third time the Eagles travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. Regardless of the games location, Boston College holds just a 3-7 all-time record against Georgia Tech and last won at Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2007.

But the Eagles have back quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He returned last week, and although he showed obvious signs of rust, Jurkovec led Boston College to a relatively easy 17-3 victory against Virginia Tech.

Dating back to the beginning of last season, the Eagles are 9-4 when Jurkovec starts. When he hasnt, Boston College has gone 2-5, including 0-5 in the ACC. The junior signal caller figures to be the difference maker once again this Saturday for the Eagles.

Other than his own defense (Boston College is first in the ACC in pass defense), Jurkovec couldnt have drawn a worse matchup in his return last week. The Hokies are second in the conference in pass defense, allowing just 190.7 yards through the air per game.

Jurkovec was well under that average with 112 passing yards, but he only had 13 attempts. The junior averaged 8.6 yards per pass against a Virginia Tech defense allowing 6.6 yards per attempt through the air in 2021.

Georgia Techs pass defense is much more generous. The Yellow Jackets are third-to-last in passing yards allowed per game and last in passing yards per attempt yielded in the ACC this year. The Yellow Jackets are giving up 9.0 yards per pass attempt, which is the third-most among Power 5 teams (120th in the FBS).

Georgia Tech has allowed opponents to record 17 passing plays of more than 30 yards this season. Only Duke has yielded more in the ACC.

Boston College pass catchers Zay Flowers and Trae Berry should have plenty of opportunities for big plays. Both are ranked inside the ACCs Top 15 in yards per catch this season. Both Berry and Flowers are averaging more than 14.8 yards per reception, as Boston College is one of four ACC teams with multiple players averaging that many yards per catch.

In Jurkovecs starts this year, Flowers has posted 21.5 yards per reception.

Even if Georgia Tech can devise a scheme to slow down Boston Colleges vertical passing attack, the Eagles can also grind the ball on the ground. Sophomore running back Pat Garwo is fourth in the ACC with 884 rushing yards. Last week, he posted 116 yards on the ground — a season high in a conference game.

It took Garwo 30 carries to reach that conference high, but Jurkovecs return still appeared to make a difference. His ability to throw the ball down field loosens up the defense, opening up more running lanes.

Georgia Techs defense is a bit better against the run, but the unit has also struggled in that area lately. The Yellow Jackets are eighth in yards per carry allowed and rushing yards yielded per game in the ACC. However, theyve given up at least 197 yards on the ground in three of the last four contests.

As has been the case for most of the season, the pressure will be on Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims doing enough offensively for the Yellow Jackets to stay within reach of the Eagles.

Sims has played fairly well this season. Hes tied among eligible quarterbacks for eighth in the ACC with 7.8 yards per pass, but Sims hasnt reached that average in the last three games. He also has thrown at least one interception in five straight contests.

These programs have one win each since the beginning of October. Boston College snapped a four-game losing streak last week while Georgia Tech has dropped four of five contests, including three straight.

The difference is the Eagles went on their losing streak without their starting quarterback. Jurkovec is back, and Boston College looks like a formidable opponent once again.

Prediction: Boston College 28, Georgia Tech 20