A former Boston College defensive back is back on an NFL 53-man roster, and a packed Friday slate gives the Eagles plenty to watch across the board.
The Washington Commanders signed Isaac Yiadom from their practice squad to the active roster on Thursday, giving the veteran corner another shot in what is now his ninth NFL season. Yiadom first landed on Washington’s practice squad on September 1 after being released by New Orleans. Since Denver picked him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, he’s carved out a long NFL run that has taken him through Denver, the Giants, Green Bay, Houston, New Orleans, San Francisco and now Washington.
Yiadom has played in 118 NFL games and made 34 starts. His career totals include 230 tackles, 32 passes defended and three interceptions. Washington’s move to keep him on the 53-man roster, instead of using a short-term practice-squad elevation, is the part worth watching next.
On the field tonight, Boston College women’s soccer gets its stiffest challenge yet. The Eagles carry an 8-0 record into South Bend for a 7 p.m. meeting with No.
17 Notre Dame, and this one will say plenty about how far BC can push this start. The Eagles have scored 26 goals, allowed only five, outshot opponents 142-74 and found the net in every game.
It’s BC’s best opening run since 2009.
Sophie Reale is coming off national recognition after landing on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week. She had two goals and three assists in wins over Boston University and Syracuse, and she leads the Eagles with 13 points.
The matchup also comes with a heavy historical lean toward Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 16-1-2, and Boston College has never won in South Bend. BC’s only win in the series came in 2003.
Men’s soccer is also headed into a ranked road test, traveling to No. 15 Louisville for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Boston College is 5-1-1 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, riding two straight wins after the loss to Virginia. The Eagles beat Syracuse and New Haven, with Russell Brown leading the way with four goals.
Brown and Michael Asare have combined for seven of BC’s 15 goals this season.
Louisville comes in unbeaten at 6-0-1, and the series has not gone Boston College’s way. The Eagles are 1-7-2 all-time against the Cardinals and have never won at Louisville.
Volleyball has quietly put together one of the better early resumes on campus. Boston College is 7-1 after going undefeated at the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis, and it opens the Dartmouth Invitational tonight against Quinnipiac at 6 p.m. The numbers have been strong across the board: BC ranks third in the ACC in service aces per set, fourth in hitting percentage and sixth in blocks per set.
Audrey Ross has been a standout. She reached 1,000 career kills last weekend against Memphis and is among the ACC leaders in kills and points per set.
Boston College already swept Quinnipiac earlier this season and is 7-0 all-time against the Bobcats, with every win coming in straight sets. The Eagles also play Binghamton on Saturday and Dartmouth on Sunday before ACC play starts.
Field hockey rounds out the day’s busy schedule with another ranked road assignment. Boston College opens ACC play tonight at No.
16 Louisville at 6 p.m., then heads to Columbus to face Ohio State on Sunday at noon. That gives BC two ranked opponents on the road in about 42 hours.
And for a September 18 throwback, Boston College’s 14-10 win at Navy in 1999 featured a familiar name at quarterback. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 271 yards, completing 14 of 21 passes without an interception.
He hooked up with DuJuan Daniels for a 64-yard touchdown early to put BC up 7-0. Navy later moved ahead 10-7 in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles answered right away, driving 73 yards in six plays before Carlton Rowe finished it with a six-yard touchdown run and 7:39 left.
In Other News...
Bill OBrien Pushes Back On Troubling Boston College Money Claim
Bill OBrien pushed back this week on a report from The Athletic that painted Boston Colleges football finances in a bleak light, disputing the idea that the Eagles are lagging behind the rest of the Power Four in roster spending. The BC coach said the program has received more support each year since he arrived, and he voiced confidence in new university president Father Jack Butlers willingness to back athletics as the Eagles try to keep pace in a changing college football landscape.
Even so, OBrien acknowledged that the program still faces familiar hurdles, including the absence of the kind of third-party NIL pipeline that many of BCs peers have built. He also pointed to turnover in key positions around the program, another reminder that the Eagles are still working through some structural issues even as the administration tries to show it is committed to football. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Faces An Early Test That Could Define This Team
Boston College field hockey left the weekend with a split that felt about right for where the group is right now: a 5-0 win over Maine to show its ceiling, then a 2-1 loss to No. 3 Harvard to show how thin the margin can be against elite competition. The Harvard game also gave freshman Ike Jakobsen her first collegiate goal, while senior goalie Charlotte Kramer helped keep the Eagles in it with nine saves.
Now the schedule turns sharper in a hurry, and it is exactly the kind of stretch that can tell a lot about this team. Boston College is about to open ACC play against No. 16 Louisville, then move on to face No. 20 Ohio State, a sequence that should reveal whether the Eagles can turn flashes from the weekend into something more lasting once the opponent quality stays high. [Read more 🡒]
Bill OBrien Pushes Back On A Costly BC Football Narrative
Bill OBrien pushed back this week on a report that portrayed Boston College football as the stingiest spender in the Power Four, arguing the reality around the Eagles roster investment is far different. The BC coach said the programs spending is likely in the $16 million to $20 million range, a level he framed as more in line with other ACC programs such as Wake Forest and Pittsburgh than with the low-end figure cited in the report.
OBrien also made clear that Boston College intends to keep sharing revenue with its athletes as the college sports landscape shifts again. Along with that, he voiced support for the Protect College Sports Act, the legislation aimed at putting a cap on roster spending and reining in excessive transfers, a stance that adds another layer to how BC wants to position itself in the sports next era. [Read more 🡒]