The wheels have fallen off the bus for Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Football team. Following a three-game skid that saw heartbreaking losses to Michigan State and Cal, Boston College put up no fight as they took on the University of Pittsburgh.
Pitt, trotting out true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel in his first-ever collegiate start, marched down the field on their opening drive and never looked back, jumping out to a 31-0 lead by halftime.
Poor tackling and missed assignments in coverage plagued the Eagles all game. Pitt’s first touchdown, coming on a RPO flat pass to tight end Justin Holmes, included multiple missed tackles by the Eagles’ defense. As the game progressed, anytime it seemed BC was able to generate some semblance of pressure on Heintschel, there was an uncovered receiver to be found.
Heintschel’s best play of the day came on a 2nd and Goal scramble, where he found receiver Deuce Spann to push the lead to 38-0. The lack of cohesion as a unit is incredibly apparent for a defense that has been marred by injuries. With several key starters out, what was already a suspect group has completely fallen apart.
On the other side of the ball, what began the season as a very promising passing offense has quickly leveled off. Through the first two weeks, Lonergan and the Eagles sat at the top of many passing efficiency metrics and looked the part of a prolific downfield attack.
Against the Panthers, however, this efficient passing game was nowhere to be seen. Lonergan’s two best passes of the day both came early, with the first being a beautiful hole shot outside the number between the corner and the cover 2 safety on a 3rd and 10. This drive would end unceremoniously, though, with a turnover on downs.
Lonergan’s other best pass was a beautifully layered seam pass to tight end Jeremiah Franklin over the middle, which was quickly soured by Franklin fumbling on the catch and run.
Following the fumble, any semblance of a chance the Eagles’ offense appeared to have quickly vanished. Unable to run the ball with any sort of effectiveness, Lonergan and the passing offense began to crumble as Pitt began dialing up pressure.
Following a strip sack fumble of Lonergan in the second half, Bill O’Brien moved to Grayson James at QB. James completed a few quick passes before throwing an interception. James was then pulled for Shaker Reisig with the score at 48-0.Reisig led a nice touchdown drive, capped off by a 3-yard score to Kaelen Chudzinski as BC’s only score of the day.
The loss moves O’Brien’s record with the Eagles to 8-10 (4-7 in conference).With this defeat, the hope that comes along with a new coach, especially one with the pedigree of O’Brien, has faded away. It’s clear that the team does not have the physicality or the skill-position talent required to achieve relevancy in a conference such as the ACC. With games remaining against top-flight schools such as 16th-ranked Notre Dame and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech, the Eagles will likely be limping to the finish.
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