ATLANTA, GA. – Boston College spent the first half getting in its own way. It spent the second running through Georgia Tech.

The Eagles overcame nine first-half penalties, a missed field goal, two missed extra points and a 28-yard punt before producing their best offensive performance of the season in a 49-27 victory Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Boston College scored 37 points after halftime, rushed for 399 yards and finished with exactly 500 yards of offense. Mason McKenzie ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while Bo MacCormack III added 155 yards and three scores.

The victory improved BC to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. After losing its first two conference games, Boston College has defeated Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech in consecutive weeks and is now two wins from bowl eligibility.

For nearly the entire first half, however, the Eagles appeared determined to make the afternoon as difficult as possible.

Georgia Tech marched 79 yards on the opening possession and scored on Alberto Mendoza’s four-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Roche Jr. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 10-0 with a 32-yard Aidan Birr field goal on their next drive.

Flags overwhelmed the opening quarter. BC repeatedly gave Georgia Tech extra yards and additional opportunities, while penalties disrupted its own offensive rhythm.

The special teams were even more concerning.

Luca Lombardo missed a 48-yard field goal on BC’s opening possession. Jonathan Hewitt missed the extra point after McKenzie found Nedrick Boldin Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. When MacCormack scored from seven yards out on the Eagles’ next possession, Lombardo also missed the extra point.

Bryce LaFollette later produced a 28-yard punt that gave Georgia Tech possession at midfield.

“We gotta kick the ball better. That’s one thing we have to improve,” O’Brien said.

Despite everything BC had done wrong, the Eagles entered halftime trailing only 13-12.

That was possible because McKenzie never allowed the early mistakes to change how he played.

The difference between this performance and his previous road tests at Cincinnati and SMU was clear. McKenzie remained composed in the pocket, continued looking downfield when early connections were missed and trusted his legs when Georgia Tech opened running lanes.

He completed only 9 of 17 passes for 101 yards, but he threw a touchdown without an interception and consistently made the correct decision in BC’s option game.

His confidence was evident before the offense fully took control.

Facing third-and-8 from his own 3-yard line late in the second quarter, McKenzie stood in the pocket and found Javarius Green for 30 yards. The drive did not produce points, but the throw prevented Georgia Tech from receiving the ball with excellent field position and reflected a quarterback who was no longer overwhelmed by the moment.

After halftime, that confidence spread across the entire offense.

BC opened the third quarter with a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. McKenzie broke free for 40 yards along the Georgia Tech sideline, then added an eight-yard run that placed the ball at the 2. MacCormack finished the drive with his second touchdown and gave the Eagles their first lasting lead at 18-13.

Charlie Comella intercepted Mendoza on Georgia Tech’s next possession and returned the ball 23 yards to the Yellow Jackets’ 39. Five plays later, McKenzie scored on a six-yard run.

The Eagles had turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 25-13 lead in fewer than eight minutes.

“We had no penalties in the second half, and that’s really who we are,” O’Brien said. “The team you saw in the second half, to me, is like, that’s our football team.”

BC’s transformation was not the result of a complicated adjustment. Its offensive line took control of the line of scrimmage, and O’Brien continued calling the plays Georgia Tech could not stop.

The Eagles scored on each of their first five offensive possessions of the second half.

Lombardo completed an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech answered immediately when Justice Haynes scored on a 15-yard run, cutting the lead to 28-20.

BC responded with another 75-yard touchdown drive.

McKenzie converted third-and-2 with a 27-yard run, then kept the ball again for a 15-yard touchdown. The drive restored the two-score lead and delivered the answer BC needed each time Georgia Tech threatened to make the game competitive.

“It goes back to those five guys up front,” McKenzie said. “They were just moving guys all day, especially in that second half. And we just kept calling the same couple plays over and over again in different ways. And it kept working. So, like they say, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Comella removed any remaining doubt on Georgia Tech’s next possession.

The defensive back intercepted Mendoza for the second time and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, extending BC’s lead to 42-20. Comella finished with five solo tackles, two interceptions and the first defensive touchdown of the afternoon.

Georgia Tech scored once more when backup quarterback Grady Adamson connected with Dalen Penson for a 30-yard touchdown, but the Eagles answered again.

MacCormack carried the ball four times on the ensuing possession and completed his three-touchdown afternoon with a 19-yard run. His final score gave BC 49 points and ended any possibility of a Georgia Tech comeback.

“When they’re moving people downfield and opening up holes, it’s easy for us to do our job in the backfield,” MacCormack said.

O’Brien offered a more direct assessment of his running back.

“Bo is one of the toughest competitors that I’ve been around,” O’Brien said.

McKenzie and MacCormack combined for 325 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Nolan Ray added 36 yards on three carries, while Mekhi Dodd rushed five times for 33 yards.

Altogether, BC averaged 8.5 yards across 47 rushing attempts.

The dominance on the ground opened every part of O’Brien’s offense. Georgia Tech could not consistently defend MacCormack between the tackles while also accounting for McKenzie on the perimeter. Once the Yellow Jackets began hesitating, the Eagles controlled the game.

This was the first time all season that BC’s offense fully resembled what O’Brien envisioned when he made McKenzie his starting quarterback.

The offensive line created movement. The running backs finished carries. McKenzie punished the defense for collapsing inside. Receivers and tight ends blocked on the perimeter even when the passing game was not producing significant numbers.

BC’s defense also made the plays required to turn control into separation. The Eagles intercepted Mendoza twice, recorded three sacks and held Georgia Tech to 101 rushing yards.

The first half cannot be ignored. Nine penalties for 91 yards would have been fatal against a stronger opponent, and the special-teams failures remain an immediate concern. BC missed three kicks and briefly appeared unable to trust any part of its field-goal operation.

What followed matters just as much.

The Eagles committed no penalties after halftime. They scored on five consecutive offensive possessions. When Georgia Tech reached the end zone, BC answered. When the offense built a lead, Comella turned it into a rout.

This was Boston College’s best win of the season.

It was the Eagles’ first road victory, their second consecutive conference win and the most convincing evidence yet that this reconstructed roster is beginning to become a team.

“We recruited good guys, guys that aren’t gonna fold when things get hard,” McKenzie said. “And that’s kind of what we’ve showed the past two weeks.”

BC will remain on the road next Saturday when it faces Duke at noon on The CW. The Eagles will enter Durham seeking their third consecutive ACC victory and a fifth win that would move them within one of bowl eligibility.

O’Brien was not interested in treating two victories as an accomplishment large enough to admire for long.

“Last year was last year. This is a new year. We gotta keep it going,” O’Brien said. “That’s the key.”

Boston College is just two wins short of a bowl.

After what happened in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium, that possibility no longer feels theoretical.

Mac Hutchinson, a columnist in Boston, is the Director of Digital Media for Eagles Daily, co-host of Eagles Weekly Podcast, and the founder of @BCFootballFans. He

By MIKE DiMAURO

OK. I know what you’re thinking. You see “Boston College football” and “College Football Playoff” in the same sentence.

And you summon your inner Jim Mora. “Playoffs? Playoffs? You kiddin’ me?”

I get it. But let me humbly suggest that while the college football fan in me hates the idea of the proposed (and gaining momentum) 24-team playoff structure, the BC loyalist in me loves it.

That’s because it gives the program a chance at the postseason it does not have right now.

Some history: Fourteen times in BC football history have its teams finished in the top 25 – 11 since 1982 – thus triggering the general idea that had a 24-team structure been in place, BC would have made the playoffs in each of those seasons. (Hell, the Flutie to Phelan year, 1984, the Eagles would have had a first-round bye).

For the sake of argument, the 11 finishes since 1982 are modest compared to the blue bloods, but still a decent number. I don’t think that with more commitment to the program, particularly through more NIL opportunities for the players, that finishing in the top 24 would be considered extreme heavy lifting.

This is not a giddy overreaction to a very nice win over Pitt on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. This is simple reality. Put it this way: Of all the great things that happened Saturday – Landon Wright’s emergence and Mason McKenzie’s accurate deep throws at the top of the list – the very best thing that happened came after the game.

Father Jack was in the locker room.

That’s right. Father John T. “Jack” Butler, Boston College’s 26th President, celebrated all weekend at his inauguration, got the game ball from Bill O’Brien to the cheers of all the kids. Father Jack was even wearing an old school BC cap with the Adidas logo, meaning he’s had it for a while. To me, this is more than symbolic. This is a new era, personified. There’s a new sheriff in town and he cares about sports, namely football, for which he was once team chaplain.

When the man at the top cares about sports, the inevitable trickle down happens. This has a chance to be a magnificent trickle. And it’s tied to the premise of this column. If Father Jack cares, they all care. And when they all care, the program gets everything it needs to succeed. And maybe more. 

I’m not going to suggest, as others have, that Father Leahy ignored sports. But I always got the feeling he viewed them as a nuisance, rather than their more proper function as a great campus uniter and a window into the rest of the university. Father Jack gets it. 

“When I trained for Pro Day, I had to come in at 6 a.m. to use the facility before the team,” former BC receiver Dino Tomlin wrote on X after Saturday’s game. “Father Jack Butler would be getting done working out when I got there. Not a facade! Football guy! Pushed real weight, too!”

Boom. 

I know last week wasn’t great for the program. Kenyatta Watson’s mysterious departure was a horrific look, later exacerbated by a dreadful start against Pitt. But then, perhaps the rest of Saturday was a microcosm of what is to come: hang in there, better days ahead. 

As previously stated: The college football fan in me hates the 24-team thing. It cheapens what college football does best: perpetual regular season games with playoff implications, exactly what college basketball cannot deliver. Twenty-four teams zaps much of the drama. Example: Alabama will play LSU on Nov. 7 in what becomes a de facto 2026 elimination game. Two of the game’s heavyweights playing for their lives. It’s just the kind of theater a 24-team structure won’t deliver.

But from the BC perspective? Hey, they’ve done it 11 times since 1982. Translation: It’s doable. I know that BC football gives us all O.T.S.D. (Ongoing Traumatic Stress Disorder). But with the right coaching and support, well, if you’ve already done something 11 times, you should be able to do it a 12th.

My BC friends will tell you I’m rarely a glass half full guy. I’m more like: It’s not merely half empty, but one of those trick dribble glasses that’ll ruin your best shirt. But even at 3-3, they had Virginia Tech down in the fourth quarter and went toe to toe at SMU. And have we mentioned Mason McKenzie appears to be tougher than Clorox?

Better days are coming, folks. So root for the 24-team structure. And have faith in the new sheriff.

Mike DiMauro, a columnist in Connecticut, is a contributor to Eagles Daily and a member of BC’s Class of 1990. He may be reached at m.dimauro@theday.com or on X @BCGenius

Saturday afternoon’s matchup against Pittsburgh was shaping up to be another disappointing one for Boston College, as the Eagles found themselves trailing 12-0 midway through the first quarter. However, behind a career performance from quarterback Mason McKenzie and several timely defensive stops, the Eagles were able to overcome their early struggles, defeating the Panthers 27-21 for their first ACC victory of the season.

The afternoon could not have gotten off to a much worse start for the Eagles. On the first play from scrimmage, Pitt quarterback Corey Dailey connected with receiver Cataurus Hicks for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead just 18 seconds into the game. Things would only get worse for BC, as a safety and a 28-yard field goal from Antonio Chadha extended Pittsburgh’s lead to 12-0.

Fortunately, the Eagles were able to find some offensive rhythm late in the opening quarter. McKenzie led BC on a 14-play, 75-yard drive, highlighted by several double-digit gains and a 17-yard rush from Bo MacCormack III. MacCormack would eventually punch the ball into the endzone from one yard out, cutting the Panthers’ lead to five.

The Eagles’ defense, which had looked vulnerable early, began to settle in during the second quarter. Captain KP Price came up with a crucial interception, giving McKenzie and the offense possession near midfield with just over two minutes remaining in the half. Seven plays later, McKenzie connected with Javarius Green for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 14-12 lead heading into the locker room.

Coming out of halftime, McKenzie wasted little time extending that lead. On BC’s opening possession of the third quarter, the redshirt sophomore found Landon Wright for a 69-yard touchdown, the longest completion of his career. Suddenly, an Eagles team that had looked completely outmatched in the opening minutes held a 21-12 advantage.

Unfortunately, the Panthers were not going away quietly. Pittsburgh responded with consecutive field goal drives, cutting BC’s lead to just three points heading into the fourth quarter. While Ted Roof’s defense had largely kept the Panthers out of the endzone, Pitt continued to move the football with relative ease.

However, McKenzie and Wright would connect once again, this time for a 53-yard gain that set up an Evan Dickens rushing touchdown. The score gave BC a 27-18 lead, although a missed extra point left the door open for Pittsburgh.

The Panthers responded with another field goal, bringing the score to 27-21 with just over eight minutes remaining. And with BC unable to put the game away offensively, Pittsburgh would get another opportunity to steal the victory. Fortunately for the Eagles’ faithful, Charlie Comella intercepted Dailey with under two minutes remaining, allowing BC to run out the clock.

McKenzie finished the afternoon with a career-high 295 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Wright contributed 122 receiving yards. Defensively, Carter Davis and Price recorded 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, helping the Eagles overcome an otherwise shaky performance.

While Saturday’s victory was undoubtedly encouraging, it was far from perfect. BC surrendered 392 total yards, including 199 on the ground, and McKenzie’s two interceptions nearly proved costly. Still, the Eagles managed 398 yards of their own and capitalized on a Pittsburgh team that committed 133 penalty yards.

After entering the afternoon with a disappointing 2-3 record, BC now sits at .500 with its first conference victory under its belt. The Eagles will travel to Atlanta next Saturday to face Georgia Tech, where they will look to build on what was arguably their most encouraging performance of the season.