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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Before a crowd of 35,605 at Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Boston College Eagles (2-1) held off a relentless upset push from the Maine Black Bears (1-3, 1-0 CAA), securing a 22–16 victory. The win marks Boston College’s eighth consecutive head-to-head victory over Maine in the 11th meeting between the regional programs, with all eight streak wins coming on home turf.
Fast Start and Unlikely Points
Maine won the opening toss and elected to receive, but Boston College’s special teams unit quickly delivered the game’s first break when Syair Torrence recovered a fumbled kickoff from Ty Boone deep in Black Bear territory. Although Maine’s defense stood tall to force an early turnover on downs, Boston College capitalized on its next possession.
Tailback Evan Dickens took a handoff, burst through a hole on the right side, and raced untouched for a 39-yard touchdown to put BC ahead 7–0. The scoring run pushed Dickens past 1,500 career rushing yards.
The Eagles’ defense quickly forced another turnover when safety KP Price intercepted a deflected pass from Maine quarterback Eddie Buehler. However, the Black Bears’ defense held firm on fourth down once again, stopping Nolan Ray for no gain at the Maine 5-yard line. BC turned the ball over on downs twice on its first three possessions.
Boston College expanded its lead later in the opening period when pressure in the end zone forced an offensive holding penalty on Maine, resulting in a safety. On the ensuing drive, Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie connected with Jonathan Montague Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to push the margin to 16–0. By the end of the first quarter, BC had amassed 125 total yards while holding Maine to just 27.
Maine Battles Back Before Halftime
With 9:37 remaining in the second quarter, McKenzie scrambled around the right side for an 8-yard gain before being brought down near the BC sideline. McKenzie remained down briefly before jogging off under his own power and returning after missing just one snap.
Shortly after returning, McKenzie threw his first interception of the afternoon as Maine defensive back Jamaree Gibson picked off a pass down the left sideline—marking the Maine defense’s seventh takeaway of the season. The Black Bears capitalized with a 22-yard field goal from Samuel Tremblay to cut the deficit to 16–3 with 5:22 left in the half.
Boston College answered immediately. A 37-yard pass to Zeke Moore down the left side and a 12-yard completion to Montague set up a 26-yard field goal from Luca Lombardo, making it 19–3.
Maine responded with an efficient two-minute drill. Buehler connected with Ty’ee Stephens for a 45-yard completion down the left sideline to set up first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Buehler hit Nick Laughlin for a 3-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining, pulling Maine within nine at 19–10 heading into halftime.
Eagles Win 🦅 pic.twitter.com/HGGqbcW4n3
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) September 19, 2026
Defensive Stands and Stave-Off Finish
Maine opened the third quarter with a surprise onside kick attempt, but Boston College recovered at the Black Bears’ 43-yard line. The Eagles failed to capitalize, as McKenzie (14-of-21, 173 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) threw his second interception of the day to Maine’s Sam Oppenheimer.
The Black Bears gave the ball right back three plays later when Price recorded his second interception of the afternoon at the Maine 19-yard line. The BC offense stalled once more in the red zone, settling for another 26-yard Lombardo field goal to extend the lead to 22–10.
Maine mounted a drive into the red zone late in the third quarter, setting up a 4th-and-goal at the BC 3-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ defense stuffed Buehler on a quarterback keeper at the 5-yard line to preserve the 12-point cushion.
After BC punted, Maine launched an 80-yard drive capped by Buehler’s (22-of-32, 201 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) second touchdown pass of the afternoon—a 7-yard strike to Laughlin. However, Micah Amedee blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving the score at 22–16 with 4:34 remaining.
Boston College’s offense picked up key first downs on the final drive to drain the remaining clock and seal the victory.
Postgame Reactions & What’s Next
Boston College finished 2-for-5 in the red zone without a touchdown, going 0-for-2 on fourth downs.
“We have to do a better job,” head coach Bill O’Brien said postgame regarding the team’s red-zone execution. “A lot of missed opportunities… But in the end, you know what it is? It’s a win. You can never take winning for granted.”
“We definitely have to put teams away,” safety KP Price added. “We have a lot of things to clean up, but at the same time, you have to know how to finish and not get too ahead of ourselves. A win is a win.”
Boston College opens ACC play next Saturday at Alumni Stadium, hosting Virginia Tech for a noon kickoff.
Author Profile
- John is VP of NGSC Sports and head of our New England operations. He covers sports in the America East, Big East, ACC, Hockey East conferences.
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