Boston College had Virginia Tech right where it wanted it for much of Saturday, only to watch the game slip away in the fourth quarter and finish as a 22-16 loss in driving rain and wind. The Eagles grabbed a 14-6 lead with a little more than 11 minutes left, but the Hokies answered with 15 straight points, capped by Jeffrey Overton Jr.’s 76-yard touchdown run, to shut the door.
Afterward, Bill O'Brien focused on the missed chances that kept BC from turning a strong effort into a win. He pointed to the kind of performance that can tell a coach plenty about his team, while also making clear that the mistakes still stacked up too high.
"I think you learn a lot about your team in games like that," O'Brien said. "I think that's a good football team."
He said he even told Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin after the game that he thinks the Hokies are "probably a top 25 team."
Still, O'Brien’s message was that Boston College has to do a better job finishing these games. "We have to still eliminate some mistakes," O'Brien said.
"But I thought our guys played hard. I mean, great effort, and I'm proud of the effort."
The numbers backed up the frustration. BC was penalized eight times for 89 yards, managed only 13 first downs, and finished with 261 total yards.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, posted 370 yards and 23 first downs. Even with the upset opportunity in front of them, the Eagles spent too much of the afternoon fighting their own errors.
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Boston College Faces A Brutal ACC Test It Cannot Afford To Waste
Boston Colleges league opener did not go the way it needed, with a 21-14 loss to Virginia Tech leaving the Eagles at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. The margin was slim, but the consequences are already real in a conference race that leaves little room for wasted Saturdays, especially for a team still trying to establish traction after a frustrating start.
The next chance to reset comes against No. 21 SMU, a 3-1 team that has already shown it can make life difficult in conference play. For Boston College, the challenge is bigger than just the opponent. It is the setting, the stakes and the fact that this trip comes with the added pressure of trying to avoid an early hole in the ACC before the season really settles into its rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Boston Colleges Offense Has A Bill OBrien Problem He Must Solve
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Bill OBrien has already started making personnel changes in an effort to stabilize things, a sign that the issue is bigger than one bad afternoon or one cold stretch. The challenge now is finding a combination that can protect McKenzie better and create more reliable plays across the field, because Boston College cannot keep asking its quarterback to do so much while the rest of the offense searches for traction. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Just Gave Todd Interdonatos Staff A Major Boost
Boston College baseball has added two veteran voices to Todd Interdonatos staff, announcing the hires of Matt Antonelli and Nick Burdi. Both arrive with playing and coaching experience that should immediately raise the profile of the program, and each spoke about being energized by the chance to help build the Eagles moving forward.
Antonelli comes in after coaching stops at Wake Forest and Holy Cross, where he worked as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, while Burdi brings more than a decade of professional experience to Chestnut Hill. For a BC program trying to keep climbing, the pair gives Interdonato a staff with a broader network, a deeper baseball background and a clearer sense of what it takes to develop players at the next level. [Read more 🡒]