Boston College Football: Tough Night on the Gridiron

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A month and a half into the season, we may have more questions than answers when it comes to the Boston College football team (4-2, 0-2). Yes, they started the year so well, but to be honest about it the teams they faced were not what you would call difficult. Since the month of October has taken over, maybe a clearer picture of this team is starting to take shape. Back-to-back losses to ranked conference teams have put this team in a different light. That may and could change how they are viewed.

Saturday night’s loss to North Carolina State (5-1, 2-0) is another example of the Eagles not being ready for prime time. BC hung tough in the first half and trailed only 10-7 at the break. But they had a bad second half, and in particular, a bad third quarter. In that third quarter, NC State scored 21 unanswered points that did the Eagles in. Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary threw for 251 yards and three scores on 16 0f 24 passing. The defense chipped in with a fumble recovery for a score, LB Isaiah Moore had nine tackles, one for a loss and a pick. Special teams came through with a fourth-quarter safety. Once again Boston College showed why becoming an upper-division team in this league is still outside of their reach. The final score from Alumni Stadium was NC State 33 BC 7.

North Carolina State won this game with a balanced attack, 251 passing yards with WR Thayer Thomas catching four balls for 122 yards. On the ground, the Wolfpack gained another 130 yards. The 381 total yards were amassed on 16 first downs as the Wolfpack took advantage of an offense that came to play and some breaks that came because of it. For Boston College, it was just the opposite as quarterback Dennis Grosel and the offense had a tough time getting anything going. Grosel finished his night 21 of 39 for 194 yards with one TD and one INT. The offensive line had a tough night controlling the line of scrimmage as the running game never got started. They rushed for only 97 yards on 30 attempts for an average of only 3.2 yards per carry. Boston College also lost the turnover battle with the one pick and the special teams fumble on a bad snap in the third quarter that got away from them. It is these kinds of mistakes and lost opportunities that have kept the Eagles from being heard in the ACC. The only bad thing to say about NC State’s night could be that they took too many penalties (9- 85 yards).

This is the 22nd straight loss to a ranked team since 2014 for BC. The last time the Eagles defeated a ranked team was USC at home. The Wolfpack have now won four straight as they continue on the road next week at Miami. For Boston College, they hit the road for a late Saturday afternoon game at Louisville.