In Bill O’Brien’s second season as Boston College’s head football coach, the Eagles have started 1-3. After a dominating win over Fordham at home on August 30th, the Eagles have dropped three games in a row to Michigan State, Stanford, and now Cal, as they beat the Eagles 28-24 over Family Weekend.
The “Bill O’Brien Experiment” was intended to be a success. Bringing in a coach with 14 years of college experience and six years of NFL experience seemed like the right move at first, with the Eagles winning their first game under O’Brien at Florida State in a decisive 28-13 win. Fast-forward to the end of the 2024 season, and BC was 7-6 with a 1-4 away record.
While the away record was undoubtedly a testament to coaching ineptitudes, O’Brien entered a situation where the roster consisted of only a handful of standouts. The Eagles also had to compete in a competitive conference with programs that have longstanding histories of dominating in recruiting.
The trend, however, is not breaking this season. The Eagles have dropped two games to the lowly Stanford Cardinal and the mediocre Michigan State Spartans. They were able to take the Spartans to double OT, only to be completely unable to find success in the red zone. Against Stanford, there appeared to be zero cohesion amongst any position group, with quarterback Dylan Lonergan being the lone bright spot on the team. Against Michigan State and Cal, the Eagles could not hold onto a lead or maintain defensive success. The outlook for the Eagles frankly looks quite bleak.
Cal
A consistent issue throughout the season has been the run defense. BC has allowed 540 rushing yards in its last three games, giving up 178 to the Cal Golden Bears. In the past three games, the defense has allowed its opponents to convert 42.11% of third downs. The defense also could not stop Cal’s short passing game in the second half.
On offense, Dylan Lonergan is the only consistent piece. Transferring from Alabama, Lonergan had an impressive first two games. On the season, he has 1,188 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions. He won ACC Player of the Week after his performance against Michigan State. He entered Week 4 leading the country in completions per game.
BC had a bye week to regroup and work out some issues after the Stanford loss, and at first, it looked like they had. The offense was automatic in the first quarter, the run game and Lonergan both lighting up the field. Running back Turbo Richard was easily the most valuable player, with 171 yards and two TDs.
BC was up 14-0 heading into the second quarter, and up 17-14 at the half. Both teams had a scoreless third quarter, but the momentum had shifted entirely by the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Cal scored two touchdowns, and the game seemed completely in their hands.
Early in the fourth, Richard broke off for a 71-yard TD to regain the lead for BC, only for that lead to be blown again.
Lonergan threw a game-sealing interception with 15 seconds left after the Eagles made it to the Bears’ 5-yard line, his second interception of the game.
Looking at all but the fourth quarter, BC played a good game of football. But in the grand scheme of things, the outlook is not optimistic for the Eagles. Starting 0-2 in ACC play and 1-3 overall is bad for any team, especially when considering that O’Brien’s road record is 1-7. While it might not be time to overreact, something has to be done about the costly penalties, turnovers, and blown leads.
The Eagles are underdogs at Pittsburgh this weekend, and rightfully so. The Eagles hope to add some of their many injured players back to the lineup. Whether or not they are able to pull out a win will set the tone for the rest of the season.
Summers in the Newton Woods; advocate for the State of Washington.
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