Texas State (1-2) is looking to build on its victory Sept. 26 as the team travels to face the Boston College Eagles (1-0).
Last season, Boston College finished 6-7. This season it has returning players at most positions, providing valuable experience.
“There’s a lot of NFL background on this Boston College team, and the team follows that same exemplary level of efficiency,” Spavital said. “They’re a big, physical team, and it’s gonna be a tough challenge. Our kids are excited to go lay it all on the line against a great opponent.”
The Eagles’ defense was opportunistic against the Duke Blue Devils last week, creating five turnovers.
“Their defense plays with a unique physicality,” Spavital said. “They aren’t looking to fool us or disguise anything; they’re just confident in what they run and are going to make us earn everything.”
Last week, Boston College redshirt sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-6 victory against Duke.
“They’re a true pro-style offense,” said Zac Spavital, Texas State defensive coordinator. “We’re expecting to play 65 snaps as opposed to 85, and with that comes efficiency. We’ve got to make sure we get off the field on third down because we are not gonna have the same amount of opportunities.”
Zac Spavital believes Boston College’s players execute at a high level.
“It’s gonna be a big challenge for us, but it’s gonna be fun and interesting to see how our guys will respond,” Zac Spavital said. “I’ve been pleased with our effort and how many guys are running to the football. We place a big emphasis on negative plays, and we’ve been getting more of them in the past two weeks.
Last week the Bobcats defeated the University of Louisiana at Monroe 38-17 to secure their first win of the season.
Texas State Head Coach Jake Spavital was proud of the team’s effort against ULM, especially his defensive players.
“You’ve got to give [the defense] credit,” Jake Spavital said. “They did a really good job of moving bodies around and making sure that we could at least play some sound defense.”
Although Jake Spavital is pleased with the team’s performance against ULM, he knows the team is not where it needs to be yet.
“I want to see more consistency from all three sides of the ball,” Spavital said. “Whenever we create a turnover on defense, and our offense goes down the field and scores directly after, it completely shifts the momentum of the game. We are more than capable of consistently doing that.”
In two starts, junior quarterback Tyler Vitt has thrown for 602 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions with a 66.6% completion percentage. As sophomore quarterback Brady McBride returns after missing the last two games due to COVID-19 protocols, Spavital has not commited to which quarterback will start.
“It’s up in the air right now,” Spavital said. “That’s how we’ve handled it because it’s not fair to Brady, either. It’s kind of been an interesting ride. This is the first time that we’ve had the quarterback room together in literally a month.”
Quarterback Tyler Vitt believes the Bobcats are on the right path to excellence and is excited for the future.
“I think that Texas State can be a really big football program,” Vitt said. “I believe in coach Spav and the program he’s building, and I love the group of guys we have this year.”
The matchup between the two teams kicks off at 5 p.m., at Alumni Stadium, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.