Even at 1-8, Boston College football shows signs of life, even in loss to nationally-ranked Notre Dame

Reed Harris (4) was swarmed under by the Notre Dame defense at one point, but Boston College was in the game in the second half. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

By Trevor Hass, The Boston Globe

November 3, 2025

4 minutes to read

Looking at the Boston College football team’s dreadful 1-8 start from afar, one might incorrectly assume that the Eagles have taken a beating every single week.

While games against Pittsburgh and Clemson were massacres, they were outliers in a season where BC has come tantalizingly close so many times yet has been unable to seize the moment.

The Eagles led by 3 points in the third quarter against Michigan State, were tied in the third quarter against Stanford, and led by 3 in the fourth quarter against California. They trailed by 4 in the third quarter against both UConn and Louisville, and by 2 against No. 12 Notre Dame in the third quarter of Saturday night’s 25-10 loss (The Irish moved up to No. 10 on Sunday in the AP Top 25).

Boston College wide receiver Lewis Bond could only watch as Notre Dame secured the win when Tae Johnson (9) recorded his second interception of the game. – Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Boston College gives itself a chance to win almost every week, but anyone who’s watched this team knows a collapse is inevitably coming.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs, but they keep showing up,” BC coach Bill O’Brien said. “You never really want that type of a life lesson in football, but it is a good life lesson. If this is the most adversity you deal with in your life, you’re going to have a pretty good life.”

Here are four takeaways from yet another setback:

Give and no take

Early in the fourth quarter, down 8 points but with the ball, BC nearly coughed it up once before ultimately giving it away for real.

It appeared as though the Fighting Irish had a scoop-and-score, but the Eagles caught a break when officials deemed that Eagles wide receiver Jaedn Skeete, in fact, fell on the ball before Notre Dame corralled it.

With a second chance, perhaps this would be the time they finally figured it out. Not quite. Moments later, BC quarterback Grayson James tried to make something out of nothing and forced a floating pass in Skeete’s general direction. Adon Shuler intercepted it with ease, giving Notre Dame the ball back with 11:21 remaining.

“It comes down to that,” O’Brien said. “Last year we were a lot better at that, taking care of the ball and taking the ball away. This year, it’s been the opposite. We have to fix that. We want to try to keep fixing it this year, but we definitely have to fix it moving forward.”

Even a field goal would have gone a long way for the Eagles; a turnover was simply a precursor for what was to come.

On the next play, Jeremiyah Love found a hole and broke free for a 94-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach.

“Sometimes we brought the kitchen sink and they burned us a couple times,” O’Brien said. “That’s going to happen when they pick up the blitz.”

Opponents have 59 points off turnovers this season, compared to just 21 for BC.

Letup and no get up

This one may make BC fans cringe, but the unsettling reality is that “only” allowing 458 yards was a baby step in the right direction.

Obviously that number needs to decrease significantly, but the Eagles played with a level of intensity and urgency that has been absent most of the season. The return of defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins and linebacker Daveon Crouch helped, and Omar Thornton, KP Price, and Owen McGowan continued to make plays.

The next step, of course, is to limit the sizable gains that seem to emerge at the worst possible times. In addition to the 94-yarder, Notre Dame had scores of 40 and 44 yards (along with a 3-yard rush). Remove those plays and the Fighting Irish only had 65 rushing yards (2.2 yards per rush) and 215 passing yards.

It’s the backbreakers, at the worst possible moments, that doom this team more than anything else.

“I thought we were aggressive,” O’Brien said. “I thought we tackled better. I thought defensively we definitely played better. I’m not saying it was good enough, but it was better.”

Discreet about Skeete

Skeete’s return was a surprise. Just 11 days prior, when asked about the receiver’s status, O’Brien said: “Skeete won’t be able to return.”

He scored three touchdowns in BC’s first two games, then missed the next six due to an unspecified injury. The Eagles posted a picture of him practicing early in the week, and sure enough, there he was Saturday.

Skeete racked up eight catches for 73 yards and complemented Lewis Bond and Reed Harris well. Despite BC’s record, they’re still one of the better trios in the Atlantic Coast Conference when fully healthy.

Now, the Eagles have to decide whether it makes sense for Skeete to finish the season or preserve his redshirt. Each approach has some merit, but his presence unquestionably gives the offense more firepower.

“Skeete’s a good route runner,” O’Brien said. “He’s good with the ball in his hands. He made a few plays for us tonight. It was good to get him back, and we’ll see how it goes moving forward.”

Boston College is 8-14 (4-9 ACC) in Bill O’Brien two seasons as coach. – Barry Chin/Globe Staff

No key, push to start

While the Eagles deserve criticism for their overall level of execution, they also deserve praise for how the players and coaches have seemingly stayed unified during a brutal stretch.

McGowan said he believes BC can win out and that there’s “no decision” when it comes to whether or not to keep battling.

“That’s what this team is made of, a bunch of tough guys that are going to fight until the end,” McGowan said.

O’Brien credited the group for having a “never-say-die attitude.” The Eagles have three more opportunities, and that’s where their focus lies.

“There’s been teams I’ve been involved with where they shut it down, they’re checked out,” O’Brien said. “Their key’s in the ignition, and they’re ready to drive away. This team’s not like that.”

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