Running Out of Time: Eagles Fighting to Save Their Season

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This is starting to get real dicey for the Boston College Eagles (1-6, 0-4). Last Saturday, the Eagles played their final non-conference home game of the year against Connecticut. Head Coach Bill O’Brien made a change at quarterback—maybe hoping it might spark something.

Grayson James was not bad in his first start of the season (16-of-28, 204 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT), replacing Dylan Lonergan, who had been the starter. But it wasn’t enough to offset the performance of Huskies QB Joe Fagnano, who threw for 362 yards on 23-of-31 passing with four touchdown passes. WR Skyle Bell was his main target, catching 10 passes for 126 yards and a score. UConn took the game 38-23 to improve to 5-2.

For Boston College, it’s ACC play the rest of the way. First up is a trip to face the Louisville Cardinals (5-1, 2-1). This will be the Eagles’ fourth road game of the season—they’re 0-3 away from home so far. They’ll also be trying to snap a six-game losing streak. BC has yet to beat an FBS opponent this season. During this stretch, they’ve allowed 40 or more points three times while only scoring 40 once—on opening day against Fordham (66 points).

Louisville leads the all-time series 10-7. At home, the Cardinals are 6-2 against BC. A season ago, Louisville pulled out a 31-27 win at Chestnut Hill on October 25, 2024. They enter this matchup with the top-ranked defense in the ACC, allowing just 274 yards per game. They also rank sixth in scoring defense (21 points per game), fourth against the run (103.5 yards), and first against the pass (170.5 yards). This is a stout defense that BC will have to deal with on Saturday night.

Offensively, the Cardinals are no slouch either. They rank fifth in the league in passing (282.2 yards per game). WR Chris Bell has totaled 638 receiving yards so far. Louisville averages 34 points per game—sixth in the conference. Like the Eagles, they don’t run the ball particularly well, averaging 115.7 yards per game. Leading rusher Isaac Brown has 447 yards on the ground. The Cardinals run it just enough to keep defenses honest, which makes their passing game that much more effective.

Putting the quarterback situation aside, the Eagles do have some bright spots. WR Lewis Bond is sixth in the nation and first in the ACC in receptions per game, averaging 7.1 catches. He also ranks sixth in the ACC with 505 receiving yards. RB Turbo Richards has scored seven touchdowns (five rushing) in seven games, ranking fourth in the conference. Freshman TE Kaelan Chudzinski leads all freshman tight ends nationally with 11 catches for 136 yards, and his five first-down receptions are also tops among freshmen at his position. On defense, KP Price continues to shine—he averages eight tackles per game, fifth-best in the ACC.

All of that sounds promising, but the results tell a different story. Boston College is in real danger of missing out on a bowl game unless they turn things around in a massive hurry. Saturday night will tell us how much fight this Eagles team has left.