⚡ CFB Dashboard

Boston College got the win they needed Saturday afternoon, but very little about the 22-16 win over Maine went according to plan. The Eagles improved to 2-1 and won their second straight game, yet an FCS opponent that entered Alumni Stadium as a 38.5-point underdog stayed within one possession late in the fourth quarter. BC produced 359 yards of offense and ran the football effectively, but turnovers, red-zone failures, third-down problems and an offense that disappeared for long stretches prevented the Eagles from putting Maine away. With ACC play next, the final score only tells a fraction of the story. These 15 numbers explain where BC struggled, what went right and why Saturday's performance leaves plenty to clean up. 1. Boston College 22, Maine 16 Start with the number that matters most. BC won, but a six-point margin against an FCS opponent that entered the game 1-2 was considerably tighter than expected. The Eagles were nearly 40-point favorites and still needed to protect a one-score lead late in the fourth quarter. Appalachian State defeated this same team 55-3 earlier in the season.  2. BC scored just six points over the final three quarters The Eagles exploded to a 16-0 advantage in the first quarter and everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Instead, BC scored only two field goals the rest of the way and was shut out in the fourth quarter. That's perhaps the clearest statistic illustrating the offensive disappointment. After the opening quarter, Maine actually outscored BC 16-6. This continues a concerning trend, as we saw BC jump out to a 14-0 lead against Rutgers and barely hold on to win that game as well.  3. BC went 2-for-5 in the red zone This was arguably the most alarming offensive number. Boston College reached the Maine red zone five times and came away with points on only two of those opportunities. Against an FCS opponent, BC repeatedly created scoring opportunities without finishing them. The Eagles' inability to turn field position into touchdowns kept Maine alive throughout the afternoon. 4. Zero offensive touchdowns on five red-zone trips It gets worse when you dig deeper. BC's two red-zone scores were both Luca Lombardo field goals, meaning the offense did not score a touchdown on any of its five red-zone opportunities. BC's two touchdowns came on Evan Dickens' 39-yard run and Johnathan Montague Jr.'s 31-yard reception. Once the field shortened, the offense couldn't finish drives. This is going to be a major problem when the level of competition gets harder. Right now, the Eagles have a 27.7% red zone TD rate (meaning 27.7% of drives end in the 20 end with a touchdown) That is dead last in FBS by almost 6%, and the lowest number in college football since '22 5. BC went 0-for-2 on fourth down Bill O'Brien gave his offense opportunities to stay on the field, and BC couldn't capitalize. Both failures came on 4th-and-1 inside the Maine 20 in the first quarter. Those are situations in which an ACC offensive line should expect to create a yard against an FCS opponent. Instead, Maine's line won on both plays. 6. Boston College was just 4-for-12 on third down BC converted only 33.3 percent of its third downs. That contributed heavily to the offense's inability to sustain drives after the first quarter. Maine, meanwhile, converted 7-of-15, or 46.7 percent. Boston College is currently 124th in the country in 3rd down conversions percentage, last year they were 83rd. 7. Mason McKenzie threw two interceptions McKenzie's inconsistency continued again against Maine. He completed 14-of-21 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown, but the two interceptions loom large. This is his second straight game with two interceptions, and both of these throws were on him this time. Through the air, this was a significant step backward from what BC needed entering conference play. 8. Four combined interceptions Turnovers continue to be part of the BC story on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. McKenzie threw two interceptions, while BC intercepted Maine quarterback Eddie Buehler twice. The good news is that BC's defense answered the offense's mistakes. The problem is that the Eagles again played a game in which turnovers helped dictate the game, and that should never be the case against an FCS team. 9. Maine had 18 first downs. BC had 18. This might be one of the most worrisome numbers from the game. An ACC team playing at home against an FCS opponent finished dead even in first downs. BC had a huge 11-6 advantage in rushing first downs, but Maine actually produced 11 passing first downs compared with BC's six. Frankly that should never happen. Last year against Fordham, BC had 26 first downs compared to 13 for Fordham.  10. Maine quarterback Eddie Buehler threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns BC's defense did plenty well, especially against the run, but Buehler still finished 22-of-32 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Most concerning was Maine's ability to manufacture sustained passing drives. Its touchdown before halftime covered 75 yards in 13 plays, while its fourth-quarter touchdown drive traveled 80 yards and turned what should have been a comfortable BC victory into a 22-16 game. 11. Maine managed only 69 rushing yards Going into this game, we said that the Eagles needed to have a strong run defense. For the most part they did that. The Eagles completely bottled up Maine's running game, holding the Black Bears to 69 yards on 34 attempts, just 2.0 yards per carry.  12. BC recorded four sacks in the game The pass rush also deserves credit. Boston College sacked Buehler four times. Those negative plays played a major role in Maine averaging only 4.1 yards per offensive snap despite Buehler completing nearly 69 percent of his passes. 13. Evan Dickens: 15 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD Dickens was one of BC's biggest positives. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry and produced the game's first touchdown with his 39-yard run. Take away that run and Dickens still gained 63 yards on his other 14 attempts, an average of 4.5 per carry. He gave BC the steady rushing presence it needed even as the rest of the offense sputtered. 14. BC rushed for 186 yards but scored only one offensive rushing touchdown This is where the offensive performance becomes frustrating. BC averaged 4.8 yards per carry, accumulated 186 rushing yards and produced 11 rushing first downs. Those are solid numbers. Yet all of that production resulted in only one rushing touchdown because the Eagles repeatedly failed when the field shortened. 15. Maine had two touchdown drives of 75+ yards While alot of the blame is on the offense, the defense had some troubles too. Maine put together touchdown drives of 75 and 80 yards, including the 80-yard march in the fourth quarter that cut BC's lead to 22-16. BC's defense dominated the Maine running game and produced plenty of negative plays, but allowing an FCS opponent to manufacture two long touchdown drives kept the game uncomfortable until the end, and again not a good sign.