Boston College at Pitt: the moment to prove they still care

BC Football Fans
Oct 4
4 min read

The Eagles have lost three straight in crushing ways. Saturday is about showing fight, fixing mistakes, and giving their fans a reason to believe again.

Thomas Castellanos (Photo: BC Athletics) — (Photo: Harrison Allain)

Every fanbase has its breaking point, and Boston College is dangerously close to reaching theirs. The frustration is no longer quiet or patient. It is restless and raw. The Eagles have spent the past month building leads only to unravel late, and the trust that Bill O’Brien spent a year building has started to crack. Saturday in Pittsburgh is not about the standings or the statistics. It is about showing their fans that they still care, that they are capable of responding when everything feels fragile.

For three straight games, Boston College has played well enough to win, then found new ways to lose. The defeats at Michigan State, Stanford, and California were all different in circumstance but identical in message: talent without composure, effort without closure. That pattern has turned what was supposed to be a year of growth into one of disappointment.

This game, at noon inside Acrisure Stadium, will show whether the team still has the resolve to push back. It is the third road trip in five weeks and perhaps the most important of O’Brien’s time in Chestnut Hill so far.

“There’s people that bleed maroon and gold,” O’Brien said this week. “I get it, you know, but at the end of the day, we’re doing everything we can to improve and get better. And we want to win. Nobody wants to win more than we do. I can’t really help their frustration. We’re just working hard to get better, you know, and get on the right track.”

Fans have heard similar messages for years. They have waited through 15 seasons without an eight-win year, through regimes that talked about development but rarely delivered results. When O’Brien came home, they believed the losing would finally stop. Instead, it has just evolved into new and more painful forms.

I wrote earlier this year about how Boston College is trying to become Boston’s fifth team, a college football program that could matter in a city ruled by pro franchises. That goal feels even further away now. Before the Eagles can fight for relevance, they have to show consistency. Before they can win over Boston, they have to stop pushing Boston away.

The one reason for optimism remains at quarterback. Dylan Lonergan enters Saturday with 1,188 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions, completing nearly 70 percent of his throws while averaging 297 yards per game. He is talented, composed, and capable of being the future of the program if he continues to develop. He has Lewis Bond as his go-to receiver, Reed Harris stretching the field, Jeremiah Franklin anchoring the middle, and Turbo Richard giving life to the run game with six touchdowns and over five yards per carry. The offense moves the ball better than any BC unit in recent memory. It just fails to finish.

The defense has been the bigger concern. Safety Omar Thornton has been a bright spot, near the top of the ACC in tackles for loss, while captain KP Price continues to lead in the secondary. But this group has folded in second halves and red zone moments. BC has not forced enough turnovers or closed drives when it matters. Against a Pittsburgh team that thrives on physicality, those issues will be exposed if not corrected.

Pitt is 2–2 and, under Pat Narduzzi, still one of the most disciplined and defense-first programs in the ACC. Linebacker Rasheem Biles leads the league in tackles and tackles for loss and just produced a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown. Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. has four receiving scores, and kicker Trey Butkowski ranks near the top of the ACC in scoring. Pitt will make BC earn everything.

The series history only adds to the tension. Pitt leads it 18–16 overall, though BC won last year’s meeting 34–23 at Alumni Stadium. The Panthers, however, have taken four of the last five in Pittsburgh. Nine of the past fourteen meetings have been decided by a single score. It has always been a fight.

To win, Boston College must simplify. Operate cleanly at the line of scrimmage. Eliminate pre-snap penalties. Protect Lonergan from the pass rush. On defense, tackle in space and contain Pitt’s run game. And when they reach scoring range, finish drives.

This week is about more than getting back on track. It is about proving that this team can still respond, that the promises of growth and accountability were not just words. O’Brien said he understands the fans’ frustration. Saturday is his chance to do something about it.

For the players, it is a test of growth. For the staff, it is a test of ownership. For the fans, it is another act of faith.

Predictions:

28-21, BC Wins – Mac Hutchinson, Eagles Weekly

31-21, Pitt Wins – Brett Rider, Eagles Weekly

34-23, Pitt Wins – Jack Seiberlich, Eagles Weekly

Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 4, 12:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network; radio coverage on WEEI 850 AM.

Mac Hutchinson, a columnist in Boston, is a reporter for Eagles Daily, co-host of Eagles Weekly Podcast, and the founder of @BCFootballFans. He may be reached at mac@thinklyn.com