Boston College Football: Final Report Card for 2020 Season

Overall Defensive Grade: D-

The defense had its share of struggles and inconsistencies this season, finishing 77th in total defense. The Eagles’ defense was 82nd in the country in passing yards allowed and 73rd in run defense. Boston College football had some solid individual players, but the defense lacked specific position groups.

BC struggled on the back end of their defense, ranking 86th in overall defensive efficiency. There struggles were not for lack of effort; it was a lack of talent.

Outstanding Defensive Players

• Isaiah McDuffie, LB: 107 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception

Redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah McDuffie is the epitome of Boston College’s defense last season. Undersized (6-foot-1 and 224 pounds) and not the fastest, but no one played harder than  McDuffie last season. Like the defense, McDuffie was overwhelmed by superior players. However, few players were as prepared as the heart and soul of the defense.

• Jahmin Muse, DB: 37 total tackles, three interceptions

Junior safety Jahmin Muse proved to be one of the more versatile defensive backs the Eagles had. Not only did Muse cover his deep half playing two-deep safety, but Muse also showed an ability to come down and cover the slot.

• Maximillian Roberts, DE: 22 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks

Roberts was the best pass rusher for the Eagles leading the team in sacks. He was also one of BC’s high-motor players.

Like McDuffie, Roberts is undersized (6-foot-1), but played with non-stop effort all season.

Defensive Line: D

The defensive line played well in spots last season. Their best game was against Syracuse where the d-line gave us just 52 rushing yards and had four sacks.

That was against one of the worst defensive lines in the conference, however. There were times this season where their lack of size was apparent. There was no game that was more evident than the 350 yards they gave up against Virginia Tech.

Linebackers: D+

The linebackers played well when they were able to run free and the defensive line kept them clean. That did not, however, happen often.

The linebackers did tackle well and were adequate in pass coverage. Where the group struggled was shedding blocks against power runs. The linebackers were a bit small and would get run over when offensive linemen got to the second level.

Secondary: D

The secondary had issues against teams with either big receivers or fast receivers and struggled against speed, one of the themes of the Eagles defense.

BC surrendered multiple touchdown passes in seven games this season with their two worse games coming against the two best teams in the conference; Notre Dame and Clemson.

Special Teams: C

The Eagles struggled on punt returns with only 56 return yards all season. Punt coverage was better with Grant Carlson averaging nearly 43 yards per return. The kicking game was sound with Aaron Boumerhi made all extra points and 80 percent of field goals.