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‘The sun is up and we’re fighting’: Bill O’Brien’s fiery response to question about Boston College football
"You show up once a month or something like that, you come in here with these down questions. I'm not down."
Bill O’Brien’s feisty response: Despite entering the 2025 season with a level of optimism (and the potential of another bowl-eligible season), Boston College football has stumbled to a 1-8 record.
And while the team continues to show fight against tougher opponents, the losses have piled up. On Tuesday, Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien appeared for a standard press conference, but took issue with a question from podcast host Mike Gualtieri. After Gualtieri began asking a question about hearing from fans regarding the team’s underwhelming season, O’Brien interrupted.
“I’m really glad,” O’Brien said. “I’m glad you’re down. I’m not down. Nobody’s down. We’re fighting, we’re competing.
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“You know, it’s the second year of this program,” O’Brien continued. “You always come in here with these down questions. You show up once a month or something like that, you come in here with these down questions. I’m not down. I don’t know what year you graduated from BC, but this is a program that we’re building. Nobody here’s down. We’re positive, we’re going to show up and play our a**** off against SMU. You can go out there in your dark clouded world and whatever it is and do whatever you want to do.
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“We’re not down,” he concluded. “The sun is up and we’re fighting. That’s my message to the fans.”
O’Brien, who was born in Boston and grew up in Andover, led the Eagles to a 7-6 record in his first season as head coach in 2024. BC has three games remaining, with the season finale set for Nov. 29 against Syracuse.
Looking to 2026, the Eagles were recently ranked by ESPN as having the 35th best recruiting class in the nation, though it remains to be seen if O’Brien will still be the head coach by then.
The second-year coach emphatically concluded his response by pivoting directly to a question from Boston Globe correspondent Trevor Hass.
“What’s up, Trevor?”
Trivia: While coaching the Texans in 2015, Bill O’Brien led Houston to a 9-7 record and the division title. Can you name the team’s leading passer that season?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He had three different stints with the Patriots as (mostly) a backup.
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins got a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders on Tuesday. Boston returns to the TD Garden ice tomorrow for a matchup with the Senators at 7 p.m.
Tonight, the Celtics host the Wizards at 7:30 p.m.
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And on Sunday, the Patriots travel to Tampa to play the Buccaneers at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
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- Trevor Story decides to stay with Red Sox, won’t opt out of contract
- Revolution reportedly set to hire Marko Mitrovic as head coach
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- Patriots opt to stand pat at trade deadline
- Tom Brady just revealed that his dog Junie is a clone of Lua, his deceased furry friend
- Payton Pritchard addresses his shooting woes as Celtics struggle as a whole
- Milan Lucic joining AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for professional tryout
- Victor Conte, who sold undetectable steroids to elite athletes in baseball and track, has died at 75
An interview with Fred Lynn: The Red Sox legend shared his thoughts on the 2025 World Series, and the promising future of Roman Anthony.
Discussing the Patriots at the trade deadline: Breaking down New England’s decision to stand pat.
On this day: In 2017, Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan became the first United States woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977.
Daily highlight: Micky van de Ven did his best Bobby Orr impersonation during Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Copenhagen in Tuesday’s Champions League matchup, going coast-to-coast before scoring an memorable goal.
Trivia answer: Brian Hoyer
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