BC Bulletin

What to Make of Boston College Football’s 2nd Half Collapse on Friday, The Rundown: October 29, 2024

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Boston College athletics, including full TV listings.

Peyton Davis

Oct 25, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien watches the action on the field from the bench during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien watches the action on the field from the bench during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

October had not been a kind month to the Boston College football team. After a 4-1 start, back-to-back losses put them on the brink of moving to .500 and in jeopardy of missing out on bowl season going into November.

For two and a half quarters, it seemed like the Eagles were determined to spark their season against the Louisville Cardinals and find some positive momentum. A five play, 74-yard touchdown drive put BC up 27-10 with under eight minutes to go in the third quarter. This coming after the team was up by as much as 20 in the first half.

After that point, a collective meltdown from both sides led two an improbable comeback from the Cardinals and a gut-wrenching loss on homecoming night.

The story was the Eagles continuing to have lapses in crucial second half circumstances where they are letting teams gain momentum rapidly without having a counterpunch.

Bill O'Brien spoke bluntly of the way his team has performed in these spots lately.

"Can't play for 60 minutes. Can't coach them well enough to get them to play for 60 minutes, got to coach a lot better. Got to watch the tape and figure out how to fix it. Terrible," he said following the loss.

His offense, inexplicably, could not generate anything after their hot start. After taking a 17-point lead midway through the third, the team ran 28 plays for a total of 63 yards in the last quarter-and-a-half of the game with four straight punts then two turnover on downs to end the game.

This has been the defining weakness of this three game losing streak through October. Whether it's being up 14-6 going into the fourth against Virginia and then allowing an 18-0 run to end the game losing by double digits, going down 28-0 to start against Virginia Tech or allowing a 31-to-7 run to end the game last week, the team's collective inability to respond in these moments is the defining area of their season.

If they aren't better in this area over the next month, missing bowl season is absolutely on the table.

Eagle's Results:

There were no games scheduled on October 28th, 2024.

Eagle's Schedule:

There are no games scheduled on October 29th, 2024.

Countdown to Boston College men’s basketball season opener: 

6 Days.

Did you notice?

  • BC Women's Hockey completed a sweep of the third-ranked Clarkson Golden Knights on Sunday. After a 1-3 start, the ladies are currently on a four game win streak after the improbable weekend.
  • Boston College men’s hockey sophomore forward Ryan Leonard was named Hockey East's Co-Player of The Week, after his two last-minute goals over fourteenth-ranked Western Michigan led to a massive Saturday night win.
  • Men's soccer had its senior night this past Saturday night, beating Stony Brook 4-2.

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Peyton Davis
PEYTON DAVIS

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