Boston College’s second fall scrimmage offered a much clearer snapshot of where the Eagles stand, and the biggest takeaway was hard to miss: the defense kept coming. Sacks showed up from every level of the unit on Saturday morning inside Alumni Stadium, and the pressure came in waves from the edge, the linebackers, and deep into the defensive line rotation.
Edge rushers Onye Nwosisi and Kris Jones stood out as the most consistent disruptors, but they were hardly alone. Justin Medlock, Zacari Thomas, and Kemori Dixon all got involved from the linebacker spot, while Josiah Griffin, Demetrius Ballard, Micah Amedee, Favor Bate, KJ Sampson, and Christian Hudson also helped pile up the pressure. Chris Marable Jr. has been part of that push up front as well, though his workload was lighter on Saturday.
Head coach Bill O’Brien made it clear he sees a different kind of pass rush taking shape.
“I’ll be very up front with you,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “When you’re talking about Kris Jones, Onye, and Demetrius Ballard, I mean, you got some dudes coming off the edge now. Some real-deal guys, which is different than last year.”
“I’m not comparing anybody to [Donovan] Ezeiruaku, but yo got some guys that can really pressure the passer.”
The scrimmage wasn’t just about defensive heat, though. One of the cleanest sequences of the morning came late, when Wilson led a two-minute drill that ended with a 47-yard field goal from freshman kicker Jonathan Hewitt to win it.
Wilson and freshman quarterback Femi Babalola have been splitting much of the backup work behind Mason McKenzie, but Wilson’s edge is obvious. With previous FBS experience, he looks like the clear No.
Babalola did have a notable moment of his own, connecting with freshman receiver DJ Biggins on a 40-yard touchdown earlier in the scrimmage. Still, Wilson’s command stood out more.
He worked with tempo, showed good timing, and handled the pocket with a calm that Babalola has not quite matched yet. Wilson also delivered the day’s longest throw, a 60-yard gain to VJ Wilkins, and consistently pushed the ball to every level of the field with accuracy.
McKenzie’s presence changes the whole shape of the offense, but the run game already looks like the backbone. Boston College seems to have a real comfort level there regardless of who is carrying the ball, and the group has enough options to keep it rolling.
Evan Dickens is coming off a season in which he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns, while redshirt freshman Mekhi Dodd impressed on Saturday and is getting more chances every day. Add McKenzie’s dual-threat ability, and the picture right now points toward a ground-heavy attack with the occasional shot downfield.
“I thought that certain run schemes that we ran were executed better [today],” O’Brien said.
Special teams also had a strong day, especially with starting kicker Luca Lombardo out of the scrimmage. Hewitt, a freshman from Eaton, Ohio, was perfect in the spotlight.
He hit a 50-yarder and then nailed the 47-yard winner, with both kicks carrying well beyond the uprights. The punting group looked solid too, as Bryce LaFollette, who transferred from Towson this offseason, and Andy Quinn both sent multiple punts with strong hang time and distance.
“I thought the kicking game, for the most part, looked pretty good,” O’Brien said. I was happy to see our freshman Jonathan Hewitt make that field goal.
That’s a big kick. He’s a really good kicker, so I was happy with how it went today.”
The one area still searching for real traction is the passing game. Boston College did show more there than it has in earlier practices, but it still hasn’t come close to matching the consistency of the run game.
Whether the issue is play design, protection, or receivers not separating, the Eagles need more from that part of the offense. O’Brien pointed to missed opportunities and inconsistency as the main problem.
“I think we got to, overall, we got to catch the ball better,” O’Brien said. “If we can make some of those catches that are key catches, [like] the crossing route to VJ [Wilkins], a couple on third down, you know, deals to a couple other guys, we can make big plays in the passing game. But we got to do a better job of that, and I think that’s what Joe [Dailey] and [Javarius Green] are talking about… just being a little more consistent.”
Boston College left Saturday with plenty to like on defense, encouraging signs in the kicking game, and a run offense that already looks ready to carry a heavy load. The passing game, though, still has work to do before it catches up.
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