Much better feeling about the Clemson football team after last weeks (first half) dismantling of the North Carolina Tar Heels on the road. From the first play, literally, it felt like there was some mojo back that had been nonexistent for the previous five games of the season.
Granted, it was North Carolina and they are in absolute shambles with a mass exodus of players and staffers, as well as reports that the greatest NFL coach of all time may be looking for a soft landing out of town sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, Clemson is not there yet. A loss to a team in that predicament may have led some fans to that brink, but as the old saying goes, “not my problem.”
Next on the docket is another road tilt against the Boston College Eagles up in the northeast where frigid weather has started to creep in. It should be a cool night in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on Saturday night.
Here is a look at everything you will need to know about the Tiger’s Week 7 Opponent, the Boston College Eagles:
Boston College Eagles
School Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Time: 7:30; ACC Network
2025 Record – 1-4; (0-3 ACC)
Wins Against: Fordham (66-10)
Losses against: Michigan State (42-40); Stanford (30-20); Cal (28-24); Pitt (48-7)
Head Coach Bill O’Brien
In just two years at Boston College, Coach Bill O’Brien has turned the Eagles from a grind-it-out, middle-of-the-pack ACC team into a disciplined, pro-style operation. True to his roots, O’Brien brought structure, tempo, and quarterback development back to Chestnut Hill. The offense leans on balance and precision, not flash, while the defense mirrors his no-nonsense approach; tough, physical, and assignment-sound. It’s not flashy football, but it’s grown-up football; and BC fans are seemingly buying in. The 1-4 start to the season is not great, but the Eagles have been in every ballgame with the exception of last week’s 48-7 lop-sided loss to Pitt.
Offense
Offensive Coordinator: Will Lawing – 2nd year as OC – Previous: New England Patriots TE Coach
In two years running Boston College’s offense, Coach Lawing has quietly built one of the ACC’s most methodical and efficient attacks. A Bill O’Brien disciple through and through, Lawing’s style leans on rhythm passing, tight end involvement, and a steady run game that sets up play-action shots. He’s not chasing highlight reels, he’s chasing first downs. The result? An offense that feels professional, prepared, and perfectly tailored to BC’s blue-collar identity. Again, although 1-4, this team has put up points, and passing yards in each game with the exception of their last one.
Boston College has averaged 31.4 points their first five games of the season (55th; Clemson is T-97th; 23.4 ppg) with 85 yards rushing per game (129th; Clemson is 115th) and 313.4 yards through the air (11th; Clemson: 29th) for a total of 398.4 yards of offense per game through five games (62nd; Clemson: 68th)
Here is a look at the projected starters for the Boston College Eagles from their released depth chart as well as their 2025 statistics through five games:
| Quarterback | Dylan Lonergan (Alabama) | RS Sophomore | #9 | 33 att. -31 net yards, TD | 120-178; 67.4%; 1277 yds. 9 TDs, 3 Ints |
| Running Back | Turbo Richard | Sophomore | #2 | 64 att. 331 net yds, 4 TDs | 17 catches, 165 yds, 2 TDs |
| Wide Receiver | Reed Harris | RS Sophomore | #4 | 1 att. -4 net yds. | 17 catches, 285 yds, 2 TDs |
| Wide Receiver | Lewis Bond | RS Senior | #11 | 3 att. 2 net yds. | 38 catches, 366 yds. |
| Wide Receiver | Dawson Pough | Freshman | #88 | 5 catches, 115 yds, TD | |
| Tight End | Jeremiah Franklin | Senior | #17 | 22 catches, 224 yds, TD | |
| Left Tackle | Jude Bowry | RS Junior | #71 | ||
| Left Guard | Eryx Dougherty | RS Sophomore | #56 | ||
| Center | Michael Crounse | RS Sophomore | #77 | ||
| Right Guard | Logan Taylor (Virginia) | RS Senior | #65 | ||
| Right Tackle | Kevin Cline | Graduate | #79 |
Defense
Defensive Coordinator: Tim Lewis – 2nd Year – Previous: Arlington Renegades DC
In his two seasons leading Boston College’s defense, Tim Lewis has brought an old-school, NFL-caliber edge to the Eagles. His units play disciplined, physical football. They’re rarely out of position and never shy about contact. Lewis preaches fundamentals over flash, emphasizing tackling, gap integrity, and smart situational play. It’s a defense built on trust and toughness, and under his watch, BC’s become a team that makes you earn every inch. Although in the early going of 2025, they’ve been prone to giving up a lot of points.
The Boston College defense has given up 31.6 points through the first five games (117th; Clemson: 43rd). They have given up an average of 133.6 yards on the ground (59th; Clemson: 31st) and 230.8 yards through the air (85th; Clemson: 89th). The Eagles are giving up a total of 364.4 yards thus far (70th; Clemson: 58th).
Here is a look at the projected starters for Boston College on defense along with stats from the their first five games:
| Defensive End | Edwin Kolenge | RS Junior | #17 | 18 tackles |
| Defensive Tackle | Kwan Williams | Senior | #55 | 15 tackles, TFL |
| Defensive Tackle | Sedarius McConnell (Illinois) | RS Senior | #88 | 10 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, FF |
| Defensive End | Quintayvious Hutchins | RS Senior | #15 | 14 tackles, 2 TFLs, sack |
| Linebacker | Owen McGowan | RS Senior | #33 | 25 tackles, 3 TFLs, sack, FR |
| Linebacker | Daveon Crouch | Senior | #1 | 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, sack, Int |
| Cornerback | Max Tucker | Junior | #3 | 14 tackles |
| Safety | Omar Thornton | Sophomore | #0 | 31 tackles, 6 TFLs, sack, Int, 2 FFs |
| Safety | KP Price | Junior | #2 | 37 tackles, 2 TFLs |
| Safety | Carter Davis | RS Sophomore | #7 | 26 tackles, TFL, sack, FR |
| Cornerback | Isaiah Farris | RS Junior | #16 | 13 tackles |
| Nickelback | Cameron Martinez (Ohio State) | Graduate | #29 | 9 tackles |
Special Teams
Here is a list of the specialists for the Eagles along with statistics from the 2025 Season:
| Kicker | Luca Lombardo | RS Junior | #99 | 6-6; long of 52 yds |
| Punter | Shamus Florio (Yale) | RS Senior | #28 | 40.7 yd avg. long of 63 yds |
| Punt Returner | Isaiah Farris | RS Junior | #16 | 7 returns, 8.1 yd avg. long of 20 yds |
| Kick Returner | Bo MacCormack III | Freshman | #24 | 6 returns, 16.8 yd avg. long of 22 yds. |
Turnover Margin
BC is minus-6 (-6) in turnover margin so far, having thrown 4 interceptions and have picked off 2 opponent passes. They have recovered 1 fumble so far while losing 5 fumbles to their first five opponents. Not good Bob!
Summary
Can this team win 2 in a row for the first time this season to get back to .500 and bring a little more life to the Valley when the Tigers return home next weekend to play a good SMU team? Only time will tell.
Yes, BC is 1-4. They’ve played very close in 3 of those 4 losses. They like to sling the ball around the field. Clemson needs to buckle down with the pass defense this weekend or it could be a long night for the Tigers.
I like Clemson’s chances here. It’s games like this one, against Boston College, that should be laughers by the 3rd quarter. We need to see that, as fans this week.
Spot the ball!
