Boston College Begins Two-Game Homestand Against UNC

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After a tough week that saw a change at quarterback, and a loss on the road at SMU, the Boston College Eagles (5-6, 2-4) return home to begin a two-game homestand that will finish the 2024 college football season. There is still work to do for the Eagles, mainly becoming bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons and for the eighth time in the past nine years. They are also looking to secure their first five-win season at home since 2018.

This week, they host the North Carolina Tar Heels (6-4, 3-3) who took care of their bowl possibilities with a win last Saturday over Wake Forest. UNC has enjoyed success against the Eagles having a 6-2 record overall. In the ACC, the Tar Heels are a perfect 5-0. The two teams have met sparingly since 2014 having met only once which was back in 2020. The two programs did meet four times in the first eight years that BC was a part of the ACC. Boston College’s last win over UNC was back in 2004 in the Continental Tire Bowl.

In last week’s game in Dallas, TX. vs SMU, BC gave themselves a chance to pull off a major upset. After Kyle Robichaux’s second rushing touchdown cut the Mustang lead to three in the fourth, the defense gave the ball back to the offense with a solid stand. With 3:39 left in the game, BC had an opportunity to take the ball downfield for a game-winning score, or at the very least a possible field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime. Neither happened as the Mustang defense rose to the challenge and forced the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs. The 38-28 loss kept Boston College away from a bowl date while it kept SMU in the driver’s seat for the conference title game and the college football playoffs.

In his second start as an Eagle, Grayson Allen was good going 18-for-32 for 237 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for a score that gave the Eagles a brief lead at 21-20 in the third. The Eagles were able to run the ball on an SMU defense that came into the game allowing 90 yards a game on the ground. The Eagles gained 180 yards on 43 carries. Over his last two games, Robichaux has run for 278 yards and a 5.7 yards per carry average. BC has gotten back to what they do best, run the ball. It should also be noted that BC had 417 total yards for the afternoon. They also won the time of possession battle, 35:09 to 24:51 for the Mustangs.

North Carolina is on a three-game winning streak. During this good play, the offense has scored at least 30 points in all three games. On the defensive side of things during this streak, they have allowed 16.3 points per game. They have also sacked the quarterback 19 times and are averaging 3.4 sacks per game which ranks them fifth in the nation. They have allowed 281 yards per game. Running the ball has been a staple of their offensive attack all year long. In each of the ten games played, the Tar Heels have had a 100-yard rusher. They, along with Boise State, are the only two teams in the country that can make that claim. Omarion Hampton has run for 100 yards in nine of the ten games played and set a school record with eight straight 100-yard games.

There is no question Boston College would like to get this one and take care of being bowl-eligible. On Saturday at noon, we will find out if that becomes the case.