Syracuse football will close out 2022 slate at long-time rival Boston College

Before the Syracuse football 2022 schedule was released, I said that despite the tough teams on the schedule, I thought this team could still have success and be a bowl team based on what I have seen so far this offseason. And when the schedule came out, it does appear difficult but I still stand by it.

So I sat down and decided that instead of just saying that I believe it again, I wanted to break the games down one by one and give you the information you need to decide for yourself. I will go game by game with fun stats like head-to-head outcomes, players to watch, my way too early rating of difficulty, and a few other notes that might help.

Here are the teams scheduled and links to those that are already published in case you missed one:

Louisville

UConn

Purdue

Virginia

Wagner

Bye Week

NC State

Clemson

Notre Dame

Pittsburgh

Florida State

Wake Forest

Boston College

Let’s take a closer look at the Syracuse football game at Boston College.

Syracuse Orange vs Boston College Eagles

Saturday, November 26, 2022 (time and viewing options TBD)

Location: Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Last season head to head: Syracuse football beat BC at home 21-6. And it looks like according to my trusty source Winsipedia, Syracuse has triumphed 32 times when these two teams have played while Boston College has won 22 times.

Opponent’s overall record last season: BC finished 6-6 last season but tied with Syracuse for last place in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 2-6 record. They were scheduled to play in the Military Bowl against East Carolina but the game was canceled.

Stats from their last face-off: Sean Tucker went beast mode and had 207 yards rushing on 26 carries with a touchdown. Kingsley Jonathan had 3 sacks for the Orange but since he’s out of eligibility, maybe Stefon Thompson will step up since he had 1.5 sacks himself. Courtney Jackson was filling in for an injured Trebor Peña on punt and kick returns for the game and actually returned a punt for a touchdown.

Possible level of difficulty on a scale of 1-10: 5. Syracuse football won decisively last season but they were at home and BC star QB Phil Jurkovec was out injured. This is the first time Syracuse has played at BC in a few years so I expect this will be a fight. Something screams inside me that BC will be looking for revenge in this one too and will come into this game determined. This could also be important for both teams in regards to bowl game status.

Key person on the opposing team: QB Phil Jurkovec. I feel like I chose a lot of quarterbacks during this breakdown but with Jurkovec announcing his return for the 2022 season, he has to be the one to watch if healthy. If he is healthy, this will not be an easy task for the Orange to go to Chesnut Hill and pull out a win.

How can Syracuse win: The last time these teams played, BC struggled to find the right QB in Jurkovec’s place. This time it’ll likely be different so Syracuse is going to have to try to score more than 21 against them. Sean Tucker did have over 200 yards rushing last time but I don’t think it’s fair to automatically assume he will again. The passing game however only resulted in 65 total yards and that will have to improve as I’m sure BC will prepare heavily for Tucker this time around.

Other news, notes and nuggets:

– Faegans > The White Horse Tavern (RIP Chuck’s…you’re still missed)
– The season finale has arrived. Will Syracuse need to win this to make it to a bowl game? Will Boston College? Is head coach Dino Babers on the hot seat or breathing comfortably? Is this the last game Sean Tucker, Duce Chesnut, Garrett Williams or Mikel Jones will play in a Syracuse uniform? Will Syracuse end up back in Massachusetts for the Fenway Bowl or maybe NYC for the Pinstripe Bowl?
– So I googled famous alumni and it seems Boston College actually has quite a decent and eclectic list. They have WWE superstar and former champion Kofi Kingston, UFC fighter and commentator Kenny Florian, SNL alum and Parks and Rec star Amy Poehler, Chris O’Donnell from NCIS: LA, who also played Robin in the film Batman and Robin, former Tonight Show sidekick and Star Search host Ed McMahon and last but certainly not least is Star Trek’s “Spock” Leonard Nimoy.
– Am I the only one who thinks Syracuse and Boston College should always end their seasons against each other? Something just feels so natural about it.
– I still think about that Pearl Washington halftime shot against BC in 1984 as he just kept running to the locker room after. Miss you Pearl.