Boston College’s first ACC loss is now in the rearview, and the road gets a whole lot longer this week.
The Eagles are headed to Dallas for their longest trip of the season, a Saturday matchup with No. 21 SMU after a 21-14 setback to Virginia Tech dropped BC to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. SMU enters at 3-1 and 1-1 in league action after a 34-24 win over Missouri State.
This will be the fourth straight season these teams have met. Their run together started with the 2023 Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park, where BC knocked off the then-No.
24 Mustangs 23-14. SMU has controlled the next two meetings, though, including last year’s 45-13 win in Boston during BC’s annual Red Bandanna Game.
The Mustangs have leaned on a familiar formula again this season: Kevin Jennings at quarterback and big-play production everywhere. Jennings has thrown for 1,453 yards and 13 total touchdowns with five interceptions, numbers that put him second nationally in passing yards, tied for fifth in passing touchdowns and third in completion percentage at 76.9.
SMU also has a major threat on the ground in Cal transfer Kendrick Raphael. After finishing third in the ACC in 2025 with 13 rushing touchdowns and 14 total touchdowns, Raphael has opened his Mustang career with 373 rushing yards and five scores while averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
SMU’s season has already included a 27-24 win over Florida State, a 56-10 rout of UC Davis and a 41-31 loss to Louisville.
The weather forecast for Dallas calls for a high of 80 degrees, a low of 67 and a 65% chance of precipitation.
The Eagles’ last game was the home loss to Virginia Tech, while SMU last played at home and beat Missouri State. The teams last met on Nov. 8, 2025, when the Mustangs won 45-13. SMU leads the all-time series 3-1, with the matchup dating back to 1986.
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Bill O'Brien Saw One Costly Boston College Problem In Late Collapse
Boston College had the kind of late lead it needed to finish off a tough road test, but the final stretch turned into a familiar kind of frustration in a 22-16 loss to Virginia Tech. Bill OBrien pointed to missed opportunities and the sort of mistakes that can undo a solid effort, especially in difficult weather, even as he praised the way his team competed for most of the afternoon.
The Eagles also spent too much of the game giving away momentum, and OBriens message afterward was less about effort than execution. Boston College was flagged eight times and finished with fewer first downs and total yards than Virginia Tech, a combination that left the margin for error too thin once the game tightened late. [Read more 🡒]
Boston Colleges Offense Has A Bill OBrien Problem He Must Solve
Boston Colleges offense has spent the first month searching for answers, and the burden has fallen heavily on quarterback Mason McKenzie. Through four games, the Eagles have leaned on him to carry much of the production while the unit as a whole has struggled to find rhythm, with problems showing up in passing efficiency, third- and fourth-down conversions and red-zone work. It has been a difficult mix for Bill OBriens staff, especially with the offensive line unable to consistently hold up and the pass catchers not supplying enough help.
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 🡒]