Boston College Hosts Western Kentucky

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On Saturday afternoon, the Boston College Eagles (3-1, 1-0) will play their final non-conference game of the season when they host Western Kentucky. Boston College comes off their victory over Michigan State and will look to finish the month the way they started it with a win.

Last Saturday night’s win was the Eagles’ first over a Big-10 team since they took down Rutgers in 2019. They are now 41-48-2 all-time vs the league. On the defensive side, the four takeaways are the first since they did it vs Syracuse on November 3, 2023. On the offensive side, the Eagles received 100-yard games from running back Treshaun Ward (14-for-102, TD) while WR Lewis Bond had 10 targets for six catches, 102 yards, and a score. That touchdown was a 42-yard catch and run in the fourth that turned out to be the game-winner in a 23-19 victory. Bond’s night earned him ACC Wide Receiver of the Week honors.

The duo’s 100-yard game was the first time since November 17, 2018, in a game vs Florida State. For the second week in a row, the Eagles were outgained by their opponent (368-292) while State was perfect in the red zone (3-for-3). They would score one touchdown settling for field goals (4 of them) instead of getting touchdowns proved to be the difference in the game. Now it’s on to Western Kentucky.

This will be the first time these two teams have met on the football field. Since 2005, the first year for Boston College in the ACC, the Eagles are 37-20 in non-league games. The Hilltoppers are 3-1, 1-0 in CUSA and their lone loss came at the hands of #5 Alabama 63-0. Tyson Helson is in his sixth year as the team’s head coach. His record is 43-27. Western Kentucky likes to throw the ball and so far they have been pretty good at it. Their pass offense is averaging 294.3 yards a game. That is good for 20th in the country. They head to BC on a three-game winning streak. In their win over Toledo, the Hilltoppers overcame a 14-point deficit by scoring the final 16 points of the game to win 26-21.

The Hilltoppers rank in the top 20 in completion percentage at 0.685. On defense, this team is really starting to excel. They are #1 in sacks allowed at one a game. They are first in their league in fumbles recovered with four, 10th best in the nation. They are fourth in the nation and first in their league in red zone defense at 0.533%. Western Kentucky will be trying to win four in a row for the first time since 2021. That year they won seven in a row which led them to the CUSA Championship Game.

With conference play looming for the rest of the season, finishing the month with a victory would put BC in a good frame of mind with league play ahead.