Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy didn’t exactly come all the way home, but he’s close enough and it is looking more and more like it will turnout to be a great decision.
Hitting his stride as the starting signal caller for the Eagles, Murphy is one of the main reasons why BC is 3-1 this season with one of the biggest wins the program has had in years.
Boston College earned its third win of the season Saturday with a 40-10 victory over Maine. The Eagles are now 3-1 to start a season for the first time since 2009 and recorded over 500 yards of offense for the third time in 2014.
Murphy has been the story of the season so far for coach Steve Addazio’s team, coming from Florida, where he graduated in December, and leading the Eagles to a strong start that includes a stunning 37-31 victory over USC. Murphy showed signs of being an effective quarterback with the Gators, but he was derailed by injuries and unsure of where he fit in Coach Will Muschamp’s plans. So instead of playing one more season at Florida, Murphy headed back to the Northeast.
A native of Wethersfield, CT, where he rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards in his senior year in high school, Murphy decided to come to Boston College and play for Addazio, who was an offensive coordinator at Florida and recruited Murphy to come play for the Gators. From there it has all come together for both quarterback and coach and the Eagles are now one of the surprise teams in college football in the early going of the 2014 season.
“It was a great fit. We had a situation where we lost Chase (Rettig). We were bringing in a couple of young freshman quarterbacks that we were really excited about, but to give them an opportunity to soak and to mature, and he has veteran experience, he’s been a starter, he’s been under the bright lights, and I had great familiarity. So it was a really good marriage,” Addazio said in July at the ACC Kickoff.
The marriage has included some standout performances and that big win over the Trojans.
Murphy leads all FBS quarterbacks in rushing and is 10th overall in the nation with 500 yards. He ran for a career high 191 yards against USC and has five rushing TDs this season. He had 13 carries for 99 yards against the Black Bears, just missing a third 100-yard game this season as he was taken out midway through the fourth quarter. Murphy has scored at least one rushing and passing touchdown in three of the four games in 2014 and rushed for at least 90 yards in all four.
“Tyler has done a great job. He’s continuing to grow and is getting better every week,” Addazio said. “He’s developing too; he hasn’t played a lot of ball.”
The Eagles have followed Murphy’s lead – and his skill set – and become a running team that can make you pay with the pass when needed. Boston College rushed for a combined 413 yards against the Black Bears, marking the third game this season that BC has rushed for over 300 yards and the second straight game rushing for over 400. The Eagles have had at least 500 yards of offense in three of their four games this season.
Boston College’s one loss is to Pitt, so the Eagles have some work to do in the ACC. Murphy will need to continue to grow with games looming with Clemson, Virginia Tech and No. 1 Florida State in Tallahassee, but he seems to be relishing the challenges that lie ahead.
“We know teams are going to try to stop the run and load the box, and we have to make plays down the field,” Murphy said. “It’s an on-going process and it’s something we are going to keep working at. If teams aren’t going to stop the run, we’re going to keep running it, but we are prepared for when we don’t rush for 400 yards rushing. We might only have 200, and we’ll have to throw for 200 or so to balance it out. We are definitely going to be ready for that, and we are still working. We are growing week to week.”
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