Senior Day Heartbreak: No. 16 Georgia Tech Edges Boston College in 36-34 Thriller

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CHESTNUT HILL, MA — On a beautiful afternoon at Alumni Stadium, before a crowd of 37,879, the Boston College Eagles celebrated Senior Day, honoring 20 members of the team playing their final home game. They were also attempting to snap an eight-game losing streak dating back to September. Unfortunately, the celebration ended in heartbreak, as the No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1 ACC) escaped with a narrow 36-34 victory, thanks to a last-second field goal.

The Eagles (1-10, 0-7) rallied from an early deficit and held two fourth-quarter leads, but the Yellow Jackets secured the win and kept their ACC Championship hopes alive.

First Half: A Record is Broken, A Tie is Formed

Georgia Tech received the opening kickoff and quickly established its dual-threat passing game led by quarterback Haynes King. The Yellow Jackets struck first on a seven-play, 83-yard drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown run by Malachi Hosley, giving Tech a 7-0 lead with five minutes left in the first quarter. BC answered early in the second quarter when Turbo Richards finished off a drive with a 1-yard TD run, tying the game at 7-7.

The second quarter saw a quick-strike Tech offense get back on top with a massive 71-yard touchdown pass from King to Malik Rutherford (whose completion put King over 7,000 career passing yards).

Just before the half, the Eagles tied it at 14-14 on a 3-yard TD pass from Dylan Lonergan to tight end Kaelan Chudzinski.

BC History: In the first half, Eagles WR Lewis Bond recorded his 201st career reception, surpassing Zay Flowers to become the Eagles’ All-time leading receiver.
QB Battle: Both quarterbacks were sharp: Lonergan went 14-of-21 for 197 yards and a TD, while King was 13-of-15 for 224 yards and a TD.

Second Half: Trading Blows Until the Wire

The Eagles received the ball to start the third quarter and immediately took their first lead of the game (21-14) on a 14-yard TD run by Jordan Macdonald. The lead grew to 28-17 after Lonergan hit Reed Harris (who finished with 5 catches, 142 yards, 1 TD) for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

The fourth quarter was a wild exchange of leads:

Tech Rallies: After two field goals cut the lead to 28-20, Jamal Haynes scored a 3-yard TD run. Tech attempted the two-point conversion to tie but was stopped short, leaving the Eagles up 28-26 with 7:33 left.
Tech Takes Lead: On the very next play after a BC three-and-out, Tech’s Jordan Allen took a jet sweep handoff 54 yards for the go-ahead score, putting Tech up 33-28.
BC Responds: Not to be outdone, Turbo Richards (11 carries, 142 yards, 2 TD) broke loose for a 43-yard TD run. The two-point try failed, giving BC a slim 34-33 lead with 4:09 left.

The Final Heartbreak

With 1:56 left, Georgia Tech began its final, measured drive. They moved the ball methodically, forcing BC to use all three timeouts. With 14 seconds left, kicker Aiden Birr drilled a 23-yard field goal to put the Yellow Jackets up 36-34. Lonergan attempted a last-gasp drive from midfield but fell short, securing the 36-34 road victory for Georgia Tech.

Final Stats Leaders:

Lonergan: 26-of-40, 362 yards, 1 TD
King: 26-of-34, 371 yards, 1 TD
Richards: 11 carries, 142 yards, 2 TDs
Bond: 9 catches, 104 yards (Finished the season with 837 yards)

Post-game, Coach O’Brien expressed pride that his team “fought hard” and never gave up, though he was disappointed in the team’s inability to “get the team over the hump.” LB KP Price cited third-down defense as the key issue, but made it clear the team “will keep showing up.”

The Eagles (1-10, 0-7) now have a bye week before heading to Syracuse for their final game of the 2025 season. The victorious Yellow Jackets (9-1, 6-1) return home to face Pittsburgh next week with the ACC title game squarely in sight.