Missouri Tigers football vs. Boston College: Time, TV and 5 things about the Eagles

Lila Bromberg
·2 min read

The Missouri Tigers are back on the road in Week 4, headed to the Northeast to face undefeated Boston College.

Here are details and five things to know about the game.

THE DETAILS

Kickoff: 11 a.m. Central time Saturday

Where: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)

The line: Missouri by 2

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1. There’s a first time for everything. Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Missouri and Boston College programs. The schools announced a home-and-home series in 2016; the second game will be played in Columbia on Sept. 14, 2024. The last time the Tigers faced a team from the ACC was a 2011 matchup against North Carolina in the Independence Bowl, which they won 41-24.

2. Quarterback switch. Eagles starting quarterback Phil Jurkoveac injured his right hand in the second game and is expected to be out for the season after having surgery last week. In his place is redshirt senior Dennis Grosel, who started seven games in 2019. Though Grosel passed for 199 yards and a touchdown to finish out that game against UMass, he only completed 5 of 13 passes for 34 yards, a touchdown and an interception against Temple. He did get the job done on the ground against the Owls though, picking up 57 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

3. Yet to be tested. Boston College is undefeated but it hasn’t faced competitive opponents. The Eagles opened Week 1 with a 51-0 win over Colgate, an FCS opponent, then took down UMass 45-28, followed by a 28-3 victory over a 1-2 Temple team. Mizzou has already been tested by Kentucky and a good Group of Five program in Central Michigan, whereas this will be the first test of the season for the Eagles. That could play to the Tigers’ favor.

4. Dominant defense. Through three outings, Boston College has conceded an average of 10.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the country. The Eagles have yet to allow any points to be scored in a first half either. The defense has done particularly well in third down situations, holding opponents to five conversions on 32 attempts — though it has given up four fourth down conversions on eight attempts. Linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley leads the defensive unit with 21 tackles, 13 of which have been unassisted.

5. Find a way to stop Flowers. The Mizzou secondary will be put to the challenge against wide receiver Zay Flowers, who earned All-ACC first team honors in 2020. The junior has 213 yards on just 10 receptions so far this season — good for 21.3 yards per reception. Though he only had one catch for 10 yards last time out against Temple, he showed some explosiveness in the run game as well, going 47 yards on a single carry.