RB Turbo Richard sweeps left around the line on his way to first touchdown of game yesterday against Syracuse.

In the Boston Globe report on yesterday’s BC 34-12 win over Syracuse, coach Bill O’Brien “noted that the start to the fight song in the locker room was a bit choppy initially (it had been a while), but eventually, they found a rhythm and belted it out with pride.”

That was somewhat similar to the rendition of “For Boston” by San Diego Eagles who had gathered to watch the game at The Corner Drafthouse. They had last celebrated an Eagles’ win with song on August 30. Then came ten consecutive sufferings in silence. It was a little tentative at first yesterday, but finished with gusto.

One could also describe the team’s performance yesterday similarly. BC and Syracuse finished the first half tied at six. The Eagles’ Luca Lombardo hit a field goal late in the first period. Syracuse kicked two field goals in the second period and Lombardo tied it up just before halftime.

The game’s first touchdown came just over four minutes into the second half, as RB Turbo Richard swept left for 16 yards and the score. That was the first of four consecutive touchdowns for the Eagles, who broke out to a 34-6 lead. Richard scored his second TD on a 46-yard run, while RB Jordan McDonald scored touchdowns on two- and 14-yard runs.

While the touchdowns were all on the ground, the Eagles gained far more yards through the air, passing for 296 yards compared to 137 yards rushing. Starting QB Dylan Lonergan was two-for-two and eight yards before leaving with an apparent injury to the thumb on his throwing hand. QB Grayson James came in and was 16-of-24 for 288 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions. James was sacked once.

(With 190 pass completions in 10 games this season, Lonergan moved into the top-10 all-time in BC football history for pass completions in a single season.)

With 433 yards total offense, the Eagles exceeded the 400-yards mark for the fourth time this season. Total offense for Syracuse yesterday was 254 yards, 189 of them rushing. BC gained 20 first downs, compared to 12 for Syracuse.

WR Lewis Bond led the team with eight pass receptions for 171 yards, including a 54-yarder. His total yards for the game was a career high. He became the eighth BC receiver in history to exceed 900 yards in receptions in a season, and the first since Zay Flowers in 2022.

Highlights (8:05)

Obviously, the Eagles’ 2-10 (1-7 ACC) record overall, ranking 126th among 136 FBS teams, was disappointing, considering they had seven wins in O’Brien’s first season last year and there was some pre-season expression of confidence in improvement. It was the program’s worst record since 1978, when the Eagles were 0-11. They avoided the embarrassment of a winless record in the ACC. BC had gone 0-8 in conference in 2015 and 1-7 in 2012.

No bowl game coming up. Instead of focusing in coming months on incoming recruits and the 2026 schedule, much more time will likely be spent on player transfers, into and out of BC, potential changes among assistant coaches, and the impact of a new university president next year.

Go BC hockey! Go BC lacrosse!

Go Eagles!

Eagle in the endzone! BC team celebrates first of five touchdowns in yesterday’s game against Georgia Tech.

This one may have been more painful than any other loss by BC this season. On Jay McGillis Memorial Senior Day, the last home game, leading by 11 points over #16 Georgia Tech late in the third quarter, regaining the lead with four minutes to go, the Eagles watched the Yellow Jackets kick a field goal with 11 seconds remaining to win, 36-34.

That stung.

BC’s offense was proficient, something like it showed in the opening 66-point performance against Fordham and something like many thought it might be throughout the season. The Eagles gained 537 yard in total offense, 362 passing and 175 on the ground. They were two-of-two on fourth-down conversions and scored four touchdowns on four possessions in the red zone.

Just as BC’s offensive performance may have exposed some deficiencies in Georgia Tech’s defense, the Yellow Jackets ripped open the Eagles’ defense for 628 yards, the most by a BC opponent so far this year. Passing yardage (371 yards) was only nine yards more than that of the Eagles, but the Jackets also ran for 257 yards.

Georgia Tech scored a touchdown with 4:59 left in the opening period and the Eagles matched it early in the second period. The teams repeated the exchange to finish the first half tied at 14. BC’s second TD culminated a 10-play, 93-yard drive, the Eagles’ longest of the season.

Performing in a manner opposite to nearly all previous games this season, BC scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, opening up an 11-point lead over the Jackets, 28-17. Returning to form in the final quarter, the Eagles gave up a field goal and two touchdowns to fall behind 33-28 with 6:14 to go.

But the BC offense came back. After being sacked for the first time in the game, BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan faced a third-and-19 on the Eagles’ 16-yard line. He threw to TE Jeremiah Franklin for a 30-yard gain and then to WR Lewis Bond for another 11 yards. Next play, RB Turbo Richard ran up the middle for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Ahead 34-33, BC went for two, but Lonergan’s pass, tipped by a GT defender, went through the hands of TE Kaelan Chudzinski. That unsuccessful effort meant a lot, as the Jackets took the kickoff, went 69 yards on 13 plays, and kicked the winning field goal.

Lonergan played the whole game at quarterback, completing 26-of-40 passes for 362 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Bond caught the most passes, eight for 106 yards, while WR Reed Harris caught five passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Chudzinski had one TD reception among his four catches and Franklin also had four catches.

With his 201st reception late in the first half, Bond broke Zay Flowers’ BC record for career receptions and later broke the season reception record jointly held by Flowers and Alex Amidon. 

Richard ran the ball 11 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns. RB Jordan McDonald had nine carries for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Highlights (11:14)

BC falls to 1-10, 0-7 in the ACC. After a bye week, the Eagles conclude their season in Syracuse on November 29.

SMU freshman RB Derrick McFall ran for half of the Mustangs’ six touchdowns in yesterday’s 45-13 win. (Barry Chin/Boston Globe photo)

Yet again, the Eagles finished the first half yesterday against their opponent behind in the score, but at a somewhat respectable level. And, yet again, BC fell further behind in the second half, ultimately to be “trampled,” to use the term in the Boston Globe, by SMU, 45-13. 

The Mustangs entered the game with a 7-3 record and as 10 1/2-point favorites. They took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 17-0 in the second quarter. BC QB Grayson James passed for only three yards in the opening quarter and fumbled twice, leading Coach Bill O’Brien to replace him with former starter Dylan Lonergan.

Within the last 1:11 of the first half, the Eagles’ Luca Lombardo made two field goals (the second following a pass interception) to cut the score to 17-6. (Lombardo remains perfect for the year in field goals, making 14-of-14. What a difference from recent past seasons!)

The Mustangs tacked on two more touchdowns in the third quarter on long touchdown passes to lead 31-6 and pushed it to 38-6 early in the final quarter. The Eagles scored their only touchdown with 8:59 left in the game on a five-yard Lonergan pass to RB Jordan McDonald. SMU closed out the scoring with a 48-yard TD run (photo above).

BC ran 85 offensive plays in the game, the most in any game this season, including the opening 66-10 win over FCS Fordham. The Eagles gained 390 yards in total, 284 passing and 106 on the ground. SMU ran 19 fewer plays overall, but gained 574 yards, including 352 passing, the most total yards of any BC opponent so far this year. The Mustangs averaged 7.2 yards per run, compared to 2.7 yards for the Eagles, and 18.5 yard per pass completion, compared to 9.8 for BC. The Eagles had 25 first downs, three more than SMU, and possessed the ball for just under six minutes more than the Mustangs.

In a definite change from other games this year, the Eagles were called for only four penalties for 25 yards, while SMU had 13 penalties for 155 yards. BC, however, was only 2-of-15 on third down conversions.

BC QB Lonergan was 25-of-37 for 232 yards passing, with one TD and one interception. WR Lewis Bond had nine receptions for 94 yards and WR Reed Harris caught six passes for 86 yards.

Highlights (11:33)

BC falls to 1-9 for the year, 0-6 in the ACC. Today’s Boston Globe game article described this season as one in which “the action has gone from promising to perplexing to truly appalling.”

Next opponent is #14 Georgia Tech (8-1) on Saturday, November 15. Kickoff for BC’s final home game is 12:30 pm PT.