BC head coach familiar with Clemson after Fiesta Bowl matchup

Hafley enters the field before the game last week against Georgia Tech. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Oct 28 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

First-year Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley knows his team faces a stiff challenge Saturday when Boston College travels to take on top-ranked Clemson, but he’s excited about that challenge.

Boston College is 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC in Hafley’s first season. Last Saturday, Boston College rolled to an impressive 48-27 victory over Georgia Tech at Alumni Stadium. Clemson (6-0, 5-0) improved to 6-0 on Saturday with a 47-21 victory over Syracuse. The win marked the 35th consecutive regular-season game that the Tigers came out on top, which is the longest such streak in ACC history.

In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 30th time Saturday. The Tigers lead the series 18-9-2 and have won nine consecutive games against the Eagles. Boston College has not defeated an opponent ranked in the top five since a 14-7 win at No. 4 Notre Dame on Nov. 2, 2002, and has not knocked off a No. 1 team since a 41-39 win at No. 1 Notre Dame on Nov. 20, 1993.

Hafley first met Swinney before last year’s Fiesta Bowl – Hafley was the defensive coordinator for Ohio State – and said this week he didn’t know that Swinney’s first win as a head coach was against Boston College.

“He has had so many wins, I didn't know that one. He has won a lot of games,” Hafley said. “He has done an incredible job. It is his first win, and I am sure it is one he will never forget even though it seems like he's won about a thousand games. But it is cool that one was his first one. He has done an incredible job there. I got to meet him last year at the bowl game, and him and his wife were incredibly nice to me, a guy getting ready to win a game and put a staff together for the first time.

“He was awesome. I have a ton of respect for him and the way he treated me this offseason. I just love the way he goes about everything. He has a great personality and he is a football guy. He cares so much about the game and you can see that and how he's built it. A ton of respect for him and what he's done at Clemson, obviously. He has done a really nice job.”

Hafley was asked if the Eagles can stop the Clemson offense or merely try to contain the big plays.

“You have to try to stop them. That is the name of the game on defense. They have great players and are really well-coached,” Hafley said. “Coach (Tony) Elliott does a great job schematically with what he has. It's more than just the players. I think he is a really good coach. They have the ability to run the ball, run the quarterback, throw the ball down the field. They have a good RPO game and a good screen game. They have it all and they are actually really good at everything. The o-line is solid.”

Hafley then said the Tigers have a great one-two punch in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne.

“Obviously, the quarterback, I think he is greatly improved from last year, the way he plays in the pocket is better. He sits there and he reads things and he goes back late and he sees things late and makes throw,” he said. “He has such a live body. He is a twitched-up big guy who can run and throw. He is a really good player and I have a lot of respect for him.

“The running back is the most underrated player in college football. The way he runs, he looks like he is on a mission constantly. I saw it firsthand last year and watched him on tape. Between the coaching staff they have and the weapons they have and the wideouts, it's a dynamic offense but we will line up and do our best to stop it. I think Coach Tem (defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu) has put together a great plan with our defensive staff and we will the best we can down there, I am excited for the challenge.”

The Clemson defense also presents a challenge.

“Coach (Brent) Venables, everybody knows what a great job he has done. He has a ton of juice,” Hafley said. “He does three-down, four-down, blitzes, quarters, middle closed, they are really good up front. The two tackles seem like really good players. The rookie, No. 11 (Bryan Bresee), is going to be a big-time player. They are good and they are well-coached. They get creative and he has fun with them and he lets them play fast. They can run and hit.”