The program’s precipitous decline, from exceedingly average to objectively abysmal, has happened with no warning whatsoever.
With Bill O’Brien entering Year 2, his former recruit at Alabama Dylan Lonergan taking over at quarterback, and the vast majority of starters returning from a 7-6 season, this was supposed to be the year the Eagles finally put it all together.
Instead, they find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, just behind Florida State and North Carolina. Opponents have outscored BC, 147-61, in conference play, with games against Pittsburgh and Clemson illuminating the obvious gap in talent between the programs.
Perhaps a matchup with Connecticut could provide a brief reprieve from the nightmare and yield Boston College’s first Football Bowl Subdivision win of the season.
Not quite.
The Eagles lost, 38-23, to the Huskies at Alumni Stadium on Saturday and have given fans no reason to be optimistic about the long-term future of the program.
“Right immediately, we’re not in a great situation,” said O’Brien, putting it lightly. “We’ll just keep fighting to get out of it.”
Here are four takeaways.
O’Brien elected to give veteran quarterback Grayson James the start Saturday, noting that it was “the best thing for the team at this point.”
“I thought he did a lot of good things today,” O’Brien said. “He battled hard. It really isn’t as much of a reflection on Dylan. Dylan did a lot of great things, but I felt like the team needed a spark. I thought Grayson gave us a spark today.”
James finished 16 of 28 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, adding 26 rushing yards in an all-around respectable performance. His best throw of the day was a 39-yard touchdown pass to Reed Harris late in the second quarter.
BC entered halftime ahead, 20-17, on the cusp of perhaps ending the drought, then went ice cold in the second half as the Huskies pulled away. First-half field goals loomed large, as the Eagles went three-and-out twice and punted three times in the second half.
“We didn’t execute in crucial situations like we needed to,” James said. “It starts with myself at the quarterback position.”
Against Clemson, BC started Jude Bowry (LT), Eryx Daugherty (LG), Michael Crounse (C), Logan Taylor (RG), and Kevin Cline (RT) on the offensive line.
Against UConn, with Bowry and Daugherty out, the Eagles had to mix and match with Taylor (LT), Tommy Matheson (LG), Crounse (C), Robert Smith IV (RG), and Cline (RT).
The line fared admirably in one aspect, helping the offense rack up 191 rushing yards with Jordan McDonald (123) leading the way. McDonald, who is still battling an ankle injury, did his job in an expanded role.
“My team needed me to,” McDonald said. “They called me to, so I just went in there and did it.”
On the flip side, UConn racked up seven sacks, as the line struggled to keep James upright. The Eagles have enough problems as it is, and a lack of continuity on the offensive line is the last thing they need moving forward.
It’s not your imagination. BC is allowing the 11th-most points per game in the nation, and by far the most in the ACC, at 33.9 per game.
The Eagles have surrendered the most passing touchdowns (16) and overall touchdowns (28) in the conference.
Boston College left Juice Vereen wide open for a touchdown in the first quarter, and it snowballed from there. The secondary has taken some hits injury-wise, but the younger players haven’t shown as much promise as fans might like.
“Rarely is it third and 10, third and long,” O’Brien said. “Rarely. That’s not a recipe for good defense.”
As disastrous as the season has already been, there are still five more games. The schedule would be far from a breeze even with a competent team; without one, it’s a doozy of a slate.
Next up is a No. 19 Louisville team that intercepted Carson Beck four times and knocked off then No. 2 Miami on Friday. Then comes current No. 12 Notre Dame, currently 5-2 SMU, and current No. 7 Georgia Tech, before perhaps the only winnable game left against Syracuse to close the season.
There’s no need to mark your calendars for a trip to a bowl game this year. The season will, mercifully, end in late November, then it’s time for BC to refuel and start fresh.
Until then, all the Eagles can do is keep playing — and try not to embarrass themselves any more than they already have.
“You can’t take any opportunities for granted,” James said. “Especially for seniors like myself, you don’t know how many games of football you really have left.”
Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.
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