Boston College made five trips inside the Maine 20 on Saturday and scored zero touchdowns on any of them. Evan Dickens was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the 15, and Nolan Ray was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the 5. BC won 22-16 anyway. The trips produced two Luca Lombardo field goals from 26 yards, one Mason McKenzie interception at the goal line, and both actual touchdowns scored from outside the 20 entirely. BC coach O'Brien called the work inside the 20 "Terrible."
That is the whole game. BC led 16-0 after one quarter on plays that never required a short field. Syair Torrence forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, Dickens broke a 39-yard touchdown run, Maine was flagged for holding in its own end zone for a safety, and McKenzie hit Johnathan Montague Jr. from 31 yards. Then Maine outscored the Eagles 16-6 over the final three quarters. Three Maine turnovers, the kickoff fumble and two KP Price interceptions, produced three total points for Boston College.
Saturday, noon ET, ACC Network
Virginia Tech comes to Alumni Stadium for BC's ACC opener, and the Hokies are 3-0 after a 35-26 win at Maryland. The betting market has Virginia Tech favored by 14. Our model is far friendlier at 46% for BC at home, close enough to a coin flip that a Boston College win would not qualify as a shock. Believe whichever you like. Both can be true if the Eagles finish drives, and neither will matter if they don't.
The specific problem has a specific name attached. Brent Pry went 3-0 against Boston College as Virginia Tech's head coach, 27-10 in 2022, 48-22 in Chestnut Hill in 2023, 42-21 in 2024, before Virginia Tech fired him in September 2025 after an 0-3 start. He is back this season as Virginia Tech coach James Franklin's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and Saturday is his first ACC game since the dismissal. Every BC drive that reaches the 15-yard line will be met by the only coach on either sideline who has never lost to this program.
What to watch, in order
Dickens on second-and-3. He ran 15 times for 102 yards against Maine, his best day of the season. The number is also inflated. The 39-yard touchdown was roughly 40 percent of it, and one of the other 14 carries was the stuffed fourth-and-1. O'Brien's own diagnosis was that BC "didn't run the ball well" near the goal line. Against Pry's front, the question isn't whether Dickens can pop a long one. It's whether BC can get two yards when Virginia Tech knows two yards is what's coming.
McKenzie's decisions in tight space. He was efficient enough against Maine, 14 of 21 for 173 yards, but threw two more interceptions, the second on third-and-goal after a 10-yard sack, turning a drive that should have ended in at least three points into a possession that ended in nothing. He is at three touchdown passes against five interceptions through three games. Against an FCS defense those cost BC points. Against Virginia Tech they hand over the game.
The takeaway defense against a quarterback who doesn't give them away. This is the fun matchup. Ted Roof, hired as BC's defensive coordinator in January to fix a unit that surrendered 32.8 points a game last season, has his group second nationally with six interceptions through three games. Ethan Grunkemeyer has not thrown one all year, with two 300-yard games already, and Maryland's pass rush got to him exactly once. If Roof's secondary breaks that streak, BC gets the short fields it needs. Price, who took both picks Saturday, said the part out loud. "We definitely have to put teams away. We can be up, but at the same time, you have to know how to finish."
That's the honest shape of this one. BC's defense has already shown it can hand the offense the ball in plus territory. The offense spent Saturday proving it can waste that gift against a 1-3 FCS team. Virginia Tech will not leave five chances on the table, and Pry will not be surprised by anything BC runs from the 5.
The Week 4 guide has the rest of the matchup detail, and the methodology explains where the forecast comes from.