Boston College needed every bit of Saturday afternoon to shake off Pitt, and the Eagles did it with big plays, takeaways and just enough composure late to survive 27-21.
The opening minutes were a mess for BC. Pitt freshman quarterback Corey Dailey, making his first collegiate start, delivered a 75-yard touchdown on the game’s first snap.
Boston College then dug itself deeper when its next possession ended with a blocked punt that turned into a Pitt safety. Before the first quarter was even over, the Panthers had stretched the lead to 12-0 after 11 more plays and a field goal.
BC finally settled in with a long, old-school answer: a 14-play, 75-yard march finished by a 1-yard Bo MacCormack run. From there, the game turned into a string of swings.
A quick Pitt punt opened the door for the Eagles, but a penalty-heavy drive ended with Mason McKenzie throwing an interception. Pitt couldn’t hold onto the momentum for long, though, and KP Price picked off Dailey less than four minutes later.
McKenzie then found a groove, completing three straight passes before finishing a drive with an 11-yard touchdown throw to Vari Green. That gave Boston College a 14-12 halftime lead after a first half that had already packed in turnovers, special teams chaos and a little bit of everything else.
The second half opened with a jolt. Just two plays in, McKenzie launched a 68-yard touchdown strike to Landon Wright, who did the rest after making a defender miss.
Pitt coughed the ball up on the next possession, and after BC went three-and-out, the Panthers briefly looked ready to answer. Carter Davis appeared to come up with a massive fumble recovery, but the Eagles’ offense couldn’t cash in when MacCormack was stopped on fourth-and-2, and Pitt turned that into another field goal.
Boston College got another explosive play from Wright soon after. His 53-yard catch from McKenzie put the Eagles at the 1-yard line, and Evan Dickens finished the drive for a touchdown. Pitt kept hanging around with another field goal to cut it to 27-21, but the Eagles had one more costly red-zone mistake when McKenzie threw his second interception of the day.
This time, BC’s defense erased the problem. Charlie Comella intercepted Dailey, closing the door and sealing the much-needed ACC win for Boston College.
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Boston College Gets A Needed Boost For A Crucial Pitt Test
Boston College heads into its ACC matchup with Pitt looking for its first conference win after back-to-back losses, and the Eagles will at least have a healthier look for the visit from the Panthers. Linebacker Bodie Kahoun and offensive lineman Michael Crounse are both back in the mix after dealing with injuries, giving the Eagles a little more stability on both sides of the ball as they try to reset in a tough spot.
Crounses return is especially notable for an offensive front that has had to juggle pieces, even if the line will still have a different look when the game starts. With Pitt coming in with just one loss after falling to UNC, Boston College could use every available hand in a game that already carries some urgency in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Finally Has An ACC Win Fans Can Feel Good About
For a team that had been searching for something to feel good about in league play, Saturdays 27-21 win over Pittsburgh finally gave Boston College that kind of ACC result. The Eagles put together one of their sharper offensive outings of the season, with Mason McKenzie guiding the attack and a pair of receivers giving the passing game real juice against a Pittsburgh defense that had to chase the game for much of the afternoon.
Boston College also made the plays on defense when it mattered, with KP Price and Charlie Comella coming up with interceptions to swing momentum. The late takeaway from Comella ended any real doubt about the outcome and gave the Eagles a much-needed conference breakthrough they can carry into the rest of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Showed Fight At Clemson But One ACC Problem Remains
Boston Colleges trip to Jervey Gymnasium had enough fight in it to suggest the Eagles are not far off, even if the result still landed in the loss column. Audrey Ross turned in a strong night with 15 kills, nine digs and six blocks, giving Boston College a steady presence at the net while Clemson used balanced production to control the match over four sets.
The Eagles did manage to push the pressure back on the Tigers at one point, and the late stages of the fourth set showed how close this one came to stretching even further. Still, the bigger concern is the same one that keeps surfacing for Boston College in ACC play, and there is not much time to dwell on it with Georgia Tech next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]