Boston College Back on the Road at UConn

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The Boston College Eagles (2-5, 1-4) finish up a two-game road trip with a game on Saturday afternoon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Ct. as they face the Connecticut Huskies. This will be the first time these two New England schools have met since 2017 at Fenway Park in Boston, Ma. On that night, the Eagles were winners by a 39-16 score. These programs have met a total of fourteen times on the gridiron. BC has never lost to the Huskies going 12-0-2. This will be only the second time that the Eagles will be the visitors in this series. The last time Boston College played at Rentschler Field was back in 2003. It was the very first game played there, and before a sold-out stadium, the Eagles won 24-14. The Huskies have been an FBS program since 2000.

Last week was another tough one for the Eagles in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 43-15 loss at #13 Wake Forest was as one-sided as the score might suggest. Once again, the Eagles had a difficult time running the ball (56 net yards on 23 attempts). They were perfect in the red zone going 2-for-2. But Wake was better in many other ways. The Demon Deacons had 29 first downs of which 18 were through the air. They gained 428 yards of total offense and 313 in the passing game. When Wake Forest was in the red zone they too were perfect going 6-for6. QB Sam Hartman was a one-man wrecking crew throwing for five touchdowns and running for the other. On the bright side, Eagles WR Zay Flowers had another 100-yard receiving day ( 0 catches for 135 yards and a score). However, Wake was too good on both sides of the ball in this one.

The Connecticut Huskies (3-5) after a bye week, begin a three-game homestand on Saturday. The defense has been a problem for head coach Jim Mora in his first season as the Huskies head man. Through eight games, the Huskies defense has allowed 559 yards per game, an average of 5.7 yards per play. They have allowed 78 first downs on the ground, and opponents are averaging thirty points a game. In the red zone, teams are 22-of-34 vs the Huskies. Connecticut uses two quarterbacks at times Zion Turner (94-of-154, 7 TD, 4 INT) and Cole Millen who is more of a running threat averaging 80 yards per game. Nathan Carter is the team’s leading ball carrier (419 yards on 65 carries). On defense, a bright spot has been the play of Jackson Mitchell (88 tackles, 3.5 sacks) in eight games.

This could be a game where lots of yards and points will be in the offering. Boston College has not lost to a New England school since Holy Cross beat them back in 1978 a span of 34 in a row. The Huskies start a three-game homestand with a glimmer of hope that a .500 season might allow them to go bowling. We will find out.