BC’s masked man, new coach Jeff Hafley, fronts the Eagles before their entrance onto the field.

Heck, maybe it was worth the wait.

Way back in December, BC announced it had hired a new football coach to replace Steve Addazio. Jeff Hafley, who had been co-defensive coordinator for Ohio State in 2019, arrived on the Heights with an extensive background in defensive coaching in both collegiate and professional football.

Excited anticipation ensued. A breath of fresh air in Chestnut Hill. Then, well, you know what happened. Lockdown, cancellation of winter and spring sports, closing the campus. Summer arrives and it appears the ACC will play football, but with an (almost) all-conference slate and delayed starts. Today, it started for BC.

The Eagles took the lead early, added to it, and defeated the Duke Blue Devils, 26-6, in a fanless Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. San Diego Eagles mostly watched from home, as there was no official game watch locally.

New BC quarterback Phil Jurkovic, a transfer from (gulp) Notre Dame, was 17 of 23 passing, throwing for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The Eagles overall had 440 yards offense.

Tight end Hunter Long caught nine balls for 93 yards, but it Zay Flowers led in yards receiving, gaining 161 yards on five receptions, including a 61-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Junior Danny Longman was two-of-two in field goals, but missed one point-after.

Running backs David Bailey and Travis Levy combined for 117 yards rushing, with Levy running for 58 yards in one play and Bailey scoring a touchdown.

Duke (0-2) had been favored in the game, as it had already played a game, in which they performed somewhat decently against Notre Dame, beating the spread. The Blue Devils suffered five turnovers against BC.

Here are highlights of the game.

BC plays next Saturday against the only non-ACC team on the schedule, Texas State. UPDATE: Game time is 3 pm PT.