Boston College’s offense is searching for an identity, and right now it’s coming up empty.
That was on full display in Saturday’s loss to Virginia Tech, when quarterback Mason McKenzie was basically the entire operation. He accounted for 249 of Boston College’s 261 total offensive yards - about 95 percent - and the Eagles never found a cleaner, more reliable way to move the ball.
McKenzie has made it clear he believes he can handle the stage he’s on. After the game, he said: “I mean, I think I belong at this level.
I can play at this level. I hope everybody has seen that.
I know my teammates believe in me, so I think I've just proved to myself that I think I can do it at this level.”
The problem for BC is that one player carrying nearly everything is not a plan. Through four games, the passing game still lacks any real rhythm, and the running game has largely depended on McKenzie breaking structure and making plays with his legs.
That kind of offense can survive in bursts. It can’t survive for long, especially when it keeps putting the quarterback in harm’s way.
Weather played a role against the Hokies, but the larger issue hasn’t changed: Bill O’Brien still needs better answers for getting his playmakers involved. Running back Evan Dickens and wide receiver Jaedn Skeete need to become more central pieces, because otherwise BC is likely to keep producing the same kind of night it had Saturday.
The numbers are blunt. Boston College ranks 124th nationally and second-to-last in the ACC in passing efficiency.
If McKenzie’s rushing production is removed, the Eagles’ backfield has only 304 yards and three touchdowns, all of them by Dickens. Against Virginia Tech, Dickens managed just nine yards on six carries.
The Eagles are also struggling badly in the situations that decide games. Their third-down conversion rate sits at 28.0 percent, which is 14-for-50 and ranks 132nd in FBS. Their fourth-down success rate is 33.3 percent, or 3-for-9, and their red-zone efficiency is down to 61.5 percent.
The run game has plenty of room for improvement up front, too. BC’s blocking has to get sharper if Dickens and Bo MacCormack III are going to have anything approaching consistent daylight. The offense line hasn’t created enough movement, and the inside run game has been especially shaky.
PFF data shows the left side of the line has been more problematic than the right. Dickens is averaging 2.9 yards per carry when running left of center - 21 carries for 62 yards - compared with 5.7 yards per carry going right, where he has 23 carries for 130 yards.
O’Brien has already tried to adjust, replacing Veguer Jean-Jumeau, who started the first three games at left tackle, with Trevon Humphrey against Virginia Tech. The move didn’t seem to change the bigger picture.
Still, the passing-game issues may be the most damaging part of all this. Boston College’s receivers and tight ends have not done enough to help McKenzie, and that has pushed him into too many scramble situations. He has also contributed to the problem, with bad reads and errant throws in all four games, including some that have cost the Eagles touchdowns.
For BC to get out of this rut, O’Brien has to find a way to put his pass catchers in better position to make plays. Right now, the disconnect there is obvious, and it’s keeping the Eagles from stringing drives together.
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