Boston College heads into its first bye week of 2026 with plenty to sort through, but not all of the news coming out of the SMU loss is bad. The Eagles have dropped two straight, including close defeats against Virginia Tech and No. 21 SMU, and the break arrives at a useful moment for a team that needs time to reset, recover and clean up the details that keep costing it.
Health is at the top of the list. BC went into Saturday’s 25-16 loss in Dallas dealing with a flu bug that affected multiple players during the week, then watched several important pieces sit out with injuries.
Linebacker Bodie Kahoun, center Michael Crounse and cornerback Syair Torrence were all unavailable, and each one would have helped. Crounse, a captain, may have been the most significant absence.
Tight end Brady Clough was also missing, and that took a real bite out of the offense; even after playing only two games, he still leads BC tight ends with six catches this season.
Still, there is a reason for optimism, and it starts under center. Mason McKenzie keeps growing into the job, even while taking a beating behind a line that let him get sacked 2.8 times per game, including five times against SMU. For a transfer from Saginaw Valley State who had never played a minute of Division-I football, much less Power-Four football, before arriving in Chestnut Hill in January, that progress has become one of the few bright spots in a tough stretch for the Eagles.
McKenzie’s outing in Dallas might have been the best of his young BC career. Even with the rain coming down, he showed he is more than a runner - he can push the ball through the air and drive the offense from one end of the field to the other. Doing that against Kevin Jennings, one of the nation’s top passing quarterbacks, on Jennings’ own turf only added to the statement McKenzie made with the way he plays and the way he carries himself.
But the quarterback can only do so much when the rest of the operation gets sloppy around him. Boston College hurt itself with false starts, protection breakdowns and missed chances, and the frustration was clear afterward.
“We’re not that type of team, you know?” O’Brien said in the aftermath of Saturday’s loss that dropped the Eagles to 0-2 in conference play.
“We work very hard to coach a disciplined team. We weren’t a disciplined team today, so we got to try to do better and make them understand.”
“Like, we can’t jump offsides. We got to catch the ball when it’s thrown to you.
We have to communicate better on defense at times. Defense did a lot of great things, but missed some - got to tackle well.
Didn’t tackle well on the first drive, [they] drove all the way down the field. Got to keep [them] contained, you know, we don’t keep guys contained on the outside.
So we have to be a much more disciplined team.”
Even with those issues, the defense has made real strides from a year ago, especially up front. Demetrius Ballard turned in another disruptive day with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and freshman Cameron McGee plus Gavin Neil both look like they have real pass-rush upside.
In the secondary, Charlie Comella kept moving forward after shifting from safety to corner, finishing with six solo tackles and three tackles for loss. Marcus Upton, in the mold of KP Price, is also developing into a steady presence back there.
Now BC gets two weeks to get ready for a ranked Pittsburgh team that will be coming off a game against UNC and will be without its starting quarterback. The Eagles will have home-field advantage, and if this season is going to avoid the kind of finish last year brought, that game has to be a turning point.
In Other News...
Boston College Sailing Keeps Stacking Strong Finishes Across Busy Weekend
Boston College sailing kept itself on the move over a packed weekend, spreading its roster across four regattas and collecting another set of solid team results. The Eagles were in contention throughout the BU Invite, the George Warren Smith Trophy and the Danmark Trophy, while also getting a look at championship-level competition in the Women's Atlantic Coast Championship Round 1 B. Across the board, different skippers and crews contributed in the A and B divisions, giving Boston College a broad showing of depth as the fall schedule continues to build.
The most encouraging part for the Eagles is how often they stayed near the front while juggling so many events at once. There were strong finishes at BU and at George Warren Smith, along with a fifth-place effort at Danmark, and the experience in the women's conference qualifier added another layer to the weekend. For a program trying to keep momentum in a busy stretch, that kind of steady presence across multiple regattas matters just as much as any single result. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Tennis Built Real Momentum Ahead Of Its Next Test
Boston College womens tennis left the Harvard Fall Classic with a strong early-season foundation, using the three-day event from Oct. 2-4 to sharpen its doubles and singles play against a quality field. The Eagles posted a 6-3 mark in doubles and a 12-7 record in singles, the kind of balanced showing that suggests the roster is settling in nicely as the fall schedule starts to build.
Bella Camacho and Tola Glowacka formed one of the steadier pairs in the draw, and Camacho also turned in a spotless run in singles. The next chance to measure that momentum comes at the ITA Regional Championships at Yale next week, where Boston College will try to carry the same edge into a bigger test. [Read more 🡒]
Boston Colleges Next Shot At Ranked Pitt Just Got More Real
Boston Colleges next chance to test itself against a ranked ACC opponent is now on the calendar. The Eagles will host No. 25 Pitt in Week 7 at Alumni Stadium, and the conference announced the kickoff time along with a batch of other league games for that Saturday. It gives BC a clear stage for a home matchup that should carry plenty of weight in the league race.
The Panthers arrive unbeaten and already off to a strong start in conference play, which only adds to the interest around this one for the Eagles and their fans. A noon kickoff creates an early window at Alumni, and with multiple other ACC games being set around the same time, the leagues Saturday slate is starting to take shape. For BC, the real question is how it will respond when another ranked opponent comes to Chestnut Hill. [Read more 🡒]