Boston College is coming out of its Week 6 bye with a fresh look at a Pitt team that no longer has its starting quarterback, but still has plenty of weapons to worry about.
The Eagles host the Panthers in the 33rd all-time meeting between the schools, with Boston College sitting at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play after a Week 5 loss to SMU. Pitt took its first loss of the season Saturday, falling 21-17 to North Carolina, a week after losing Mason Heintschel to a season-ending ACL tear in the Panthers’ win over Virginia Tech.
Even with that quarterback blow, Pitt remains loaded enough that BC will need a sharp performance on both sides of the ball if it wants its first ACC win of the season. A few names stand out on the Panthers’ sideline.
One of the most dangerous is receiver Cataurus Hicks, the former Louisville transfer who arrived in Pittsburgh as a junior in 2025. The Miami, Fla., native put up a career year last season with 422 yards and four touchdowns on 24 catches, and he has pushed close to those numbers already this fall with 21 receptions for 365 yards and three scores. He is averaging 17.4 yards per catch and had his best outing of the season in the loss to North Carolina, when he caught six passes for 50 yards.
Tight end Carson Kent gives Pitt another reliable target. He joined the Panthers in January after stops at Oklahoma and Kennesaw State, and he has already topped his previous best receiving-yard total of 217, which he set in 2024 for the Sooners.
Through six games, Kent has 218 yards on 19 catches and one touchdown, coming against Bucknell on Sept. 26.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Milton, Ga., native is third on the team in receiving yards and also adds value as a blocker in the run game.
In the backfield, Damon Ferguson Jr. has emerged as the lead man in Pitt’s three-back setup. The true freshman from Gwynn Oak, Md., has 66 carries for 319 yards and three touchdowns, along with 16 receptions for 95 yards and another score.
He broke through in just his second career game, going for 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts in a win over Syracuse. Ferguson played at Milford Mill Academy under former NFL defensive lineman Reggie White.
Pitt’s defense also brings multiple players BC has to account for. Safety Cruce Brookins, a four-year player and two-time team captain, is building on his 2025 All-ACC Honorable Mention season, when he posted 53 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups and 0.5 tackles for loss.
This year, he already leads the team with 37 tackles, including 24 solo stops, and has added two passes defended. Brookins, like BC safety KP Price, spends most of his time in the back end but can also help on special teams.
Linebacker Braylan Lovelace is another versatile piece. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound defender earned Honorable Mention All-ACC recognition last season after finishing with 80 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and two pass breakups at Mike backer. His start to this season has been quieter, with 20 tackles, one sack, one PBU and one interception, though he also missed Pitt’s opener against Miami (Ohio).
Up front, edge rusher Jaeden Moore has been the most disruptive force in Pitt’s trenches. The senior from Hanford, Calif., transferred from Oregon before last season and was limited by injury to four games in 2025. This year, in five starts, he has already produced 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
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Boston College Gets A Real ACC Test Against Pitt
Boston College finally gets a clearer read on where it stands in the ACC when Pitt comes to Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff set for Chestnut Hill and the game slated for ESPN2 coverage. The matchup carries the kind of early-season weight that can shape how the rest of October looks, especially for a BC team that has been piecing together its identity on both sides of the ball and now gets a conference opponent with enough physicality to make the test feel real.
There are plenty of numbers worth watching on both rosters, from defensive takeaways to individual tackle counts and recent game form, but this one may come down to which side handles the stage better in a sold-out-feeling conference setting. Broadcast details are already in place on television and radio, and now the focus shifts to the field, where Boston College will try to show it can turn good recent stretches into something more durable against an opponent that should reveal a lot about the Eagles. [Read more 🡒]
BC Has One Huge Recruiting Decision Still Hanging Over This Week
Boston College picked up a pair of fall exhibition wins over Hofstra, taking both games by the same 5-3 score, and the program also had a familiar face making noise far from Chestnut Hill. Former Eagle Sal Frelick was part of the Milwaukee Brewers' 7-4 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, another reminder of how much BC talent keeps showing up on bigger stages.
The more immediate attention for Eagles fans, though, is on the recruiting front, where basketball target Josiah Nance is nearing a decision. His announcement is expected on Oct. 14, and with BC still chasing a major addition for the future, the program has at least one important date circled as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Showed Off Something Fans Needed To See Early
Boston Colleges only home fall ball date of the season gave fans a useful early look at how this group can win games. In a doubleheader against Hofstra, the Eagles jumped out quickly in both contests and kept the tone firmly on their side, leaning on contributions throughout the lineup and on the mound to stay ahead when the Pride tried to make things interesting.
Ty Mainolfi, Luke Gallo and Danny Surowiec were among the names that stood out offensively, while Brady Miller, Brayden Ryan, Champ Davis, Matt Kouser and Kyle Kipp all helped handle the pitching side of the day. For a team still in the early stages of building its fall identity, the bigger takeaway was simple enough: Boston College showed it can score first, hold a lead and finish off a doubleheader with enough poise to leave a solid impression. [Read more 🡒]