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On a wet and dreary day at Alumni Stadium, the Boston College Eagles (4-5, 2-4) hosted the Florida State Seminoles (4-5, 2-4) in ACC football action. The Eagles entered the matchup needing two wins over their final games to secure bowl eligibility, while the Seminoles were seeking a fresh start under interim head coach Rick Stockstill. Stockstill, a member of FSU’s Hall of Fame who previously served as head coach at Middle Tennessee State from 2006 to 2023 and led the Blue Raiders to 10 bowl appearances, stepped in as part of several coaching staff changes aimed at finishing the year on a high note while building for the future.
Florida State came into the contest with a history of success against Boston College, holding a 16-6 all-time series lead, including 14-4 in conference play and 9-3 at Alumni Stadium, having won three straight on the road in Chestnut Hill. Boston College was searching for its first home win over FSU since a 35-3 victory in 2017. Florida State won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving BC the ball to start the game.
On that opening drive, the Eagles marched down the field for the game’s first touchdown, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Bo MacCormack (16 carries for 105 yards, 1 TD), marking his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season. The Eagles picked up five first downs and racked up 46 rushing yards on the drive, with MacCormack accounting for 29 of them, while quarterback Mason MacKenzie went 3-for-3 for 29 yards through the air to put BC up 7-0 with 7:38 left in the first quarter. Boston College added to its lead on its second drive when Luca Lombardo banked a 48-yard field goal off the crossbar and snuck it through to make it 10-0 with 3:21 remaining in the period. Florida State found life late in the frame when a 38-yard punt return by Jason Lopez set up the Seminoles at the BC 29-yard line, followed by a 16-yard burst from running back Quintrevion Wisner to advance FSU to the BC 11 as the quarter expired.
Florida State finished off the drive early in the second quarter as quarterback Ashton Daniels pushed up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown run—his 13th rushing touchdown of the season. The extra point cut BC’s lead to 10-7 with 14:06 left in the half. Boston College responded immediately on its next possession, with MacKenzie connecting with Nedrick Bolton Jr. in the left flat. Bolton juked a defender and raced down the sideline for a 29-yard catch-and-run touchdown, extending the lead to 17-7 with 9:24 left before halftime. FSU answered right back with an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 20-yard touchdown run by Amari Thomas (19 carries for 98 yards, 2 TDs)—his first rushing score of the season—while Daniels went a perfect 4-for-4 for 52 passing yards on the march to bring FSU within 17-14 with 6:03 remaining. FSU then seized its first lead with 51 seconds left in the half on a trick play, as placekicker Gabe Panikowski took a fake field goal into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-17. BC’s first mistake of the game followed shortly after when MacKenzie underthrew his intended receiver and was intercepted by cornerback Nehemiah Chandler (his second of the season). The half ended with FSU holding a 21-17 advantage.
On Boston College’s first drive of the second half, MacKenzie suffered an injury on a scramble and retreated to the medical tent. Backup Grayson Wilson entered and threw BC’s second interception of the afternoon, picked off by FSU’s Ja’Bril Rawls for his first interception of the year. Daniels (15-of-26, 178 yards, 1 INT) gave the ball back on the very next possession, throwing a pass that was deflected and picked off by BC’s Marcus Upton for his first interception of the season. MacKenzie (15-of-27, 166 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 13 carries for 38 yards) returned to the field following the turnover. The Eagles then dipped into their own bag of tricks to regain the lead, as a 4-yard shovel pass from MacKenzie to Javarius Green on the right side put BC back in front 24-21 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.
Final. https://t.co/6eOavlBzUY
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 7, 2026
Florida State closed the third period on the move, and the drive culminated early in the fourth quarter with a 22-yard field goal from Panikowski to tie the game at 24-24 with 13:22 remaining. Panikowski improved to 8-for-8 on field goals for the season and 23-for-23 in his career. Florida State then mounted the game-winning drive, taking 8:16 off the clock on a 14-play, 90-yard march finished off by an 11-yard touchdown run off the right side by Amari Thomas to take a 31-24 lead with 2:24 left. The Seminoles’ defense then delivered the final stop on BC’s last drive to secure the 31-24 victory.
After the game, Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien and running back Bo MacCormack echoed the same sentiment: “We did not make enough plays.” O’Brien was particularly critical of his defense’s performance against the ground game, stating simply, “We did not stop the run.” Looking ahead to a daunting final three-game stretch, O’Brien noted he has no control over how the schedule is set. Defensive back KP Price took a more opportunistic view of the remaining schedule, pointing out that facing two ranked opponents offers a chance to “ruin someone else’s season.” Boston College will have little time to dwell on the loss as it begins preparations for a trip to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame.
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- 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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