2026 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 3: Maine

Every year, Boston College football schedules a game that is widely viewed as a total mismatch, even if BC head coach Bill O’Brien is not willing to admit it.

This season, that matchup for the Eagles will come against Maine on Sept. 19, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

While BC and Maine are considered relatively even opponents in a sport like hockey, the football teams are in two completely different stratospheres.

For starters, Maine is an NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) team, which is the lowest tier in Division I. The Eagles, meanwhile, belong to a Power-Four conference in FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), which is the equivalent to the apex level of college football.

While it only holds a 7-3 record in the all-time series, BC has not lost to the Black Bears since 1915 — well before what is even close to the modern era.

Here’s an early look at the Eagles’ Week 3 opponent:

Offense

For the first time since 2023, Carter Peevy will not be the Black Bears’ starting quarterback, paving the way for redshirt junior Caden Drezek, a left-handed thrower, to become Maine’s QB1 after serving as a backup in 2025.

In his backup role last year, the 6-foot-2 Drezek attempted just 13 total passes, completing seven of them for 58 yards with an interception, so this will be quite a major transition for the Seymour, Conn., native.

One thing that will ease the adjustment period for Drezek, however, is the return of running back Rashawn Marshall for his redshirt-sophomore campaign.

Marshall, who was named a 2025 Freshmen Third Team All-American by Phil Steele, rushed for 684 yards and four touchdowns on 128 attempts last year, leading the Black Bears’ backfield in carries.

He additionally racked up 21 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.0 yards per reception on top of 5.3 yards per carry.

With Marshall as the focal point of the offense, Maine’s staff built around its star ball carrier with transfer additions such as 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end Isaiah Jones from Southwest Mississippi, All-MEC wide receiver Keyon Concepcion out of Concord University, and 6-foot-4, 195-pound wideout Malik McNeely from VMI (Virginia Military Institute).

Class of 2026 recruits like wide receivers Corey Rideout and Ty Boone, or running back Aidan Winter, could also step into prominent roles over time.

Purely from a statistical view, running back Nick Laughlin, who reeled in just 11 receptions for 202 yards, is the Black Bears’ top returning pass catcher, so the players mentioned will need to make up for a decent chunk of lost production.

Defense

The graduation of linebacker Chris Thomas, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent on April 25, is truly a monumental loss for Maine’s defense.

As a graduate student in 2025, Thomas recorded 120 tackles (56 solo) — double the amount of Devin Vaught, who ranked second on the team — including 12 tackles for loss, five sacks, three pass breakups, three quarterback hits, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. He was essentially a one-man wrecking crew responsible for nearly half of the unit’s production.

What’s more? The Black Bears additionally lost their next four leading tacklers from last season after Thomas, which accounts for an additional 202 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 12 PBUs, seven QBHs, four fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble combined.

Redshirt-junior defensive lineman Chris Bacon will need to take another big leap after posting 35 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, four sacks, two pass breakups, a team-first eight QBHs, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble last year, but he likely won’t replicate the one-man operation that Thomas was.

Some other returners who logged quality minutes last year consist of defensive back Jamaree Gibson, linebacker Noah Carpenter, defensive lineman Ta’Kai Chisolm, and defensive back Brayden Isaiah.

In terms of transfers, Maine signed 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker Elijah Alvarado out of Reedley College, as well as defensive back Jeremiah McGill from UMass, where he spent the past four seasons and registered 85 career tackles plus two interceptions.

Schedule

This cross-division road matchup for the Black Bears comes after tilts at Towson on Aug. 27 and App State on Sept. 5, followed by their home season opener against Merrimack on Sept. 12.

Maine will then travel to Elon on Sept. 26, come back to Orono for three straight games (Sacred Heart on Oct. 3; Bryant on Oct. 17; Campbell on Oct. 24), head back on the road to Rhode Island on Oct. 31 and Albany on Nov. 14, and close out its 2026 regular-season campaign as hosts to New Hampshire on Nov. 21.

Outlook

Unlike the first two games of BC’s third season under O’Brien, this one should not be considered a toss-up by any means.

In terms of sheer talent alone, the Eagles trump the Black Bears at nearly every position group, and BC should realistically be shuffling some of its backups and reserves from the depths of its roster by the end of the third quarter at most.

The closest margin of victory in the last five matchups between the two programs, all of which ended in favor of the Eagles, was three touchdowns, and this year’s edition should be no different. It would be fair to assume that BC will open as close to a 21-point favorite, or possibly even higher.

The Game

Date: Sept. 19, 2026

Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: ACCNX

Location: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Series history: Boston College leads the all-time series 7-3.

Last meeting: The Eagles defeated the Black Bears 38-17 on Sept. 17, 2022 at Alumni Stadium.

The Team

Head coach: Jordan Stevens

Offensive coordinator: Mikahael Waters

Defensive coordinator: Umberto Di Meo

2025 record: 6-6

Returning starters: 12 (6 on offense, 6 on defense)

Players to watch: RB Rashawn Marshall, OL Jack Boutaugh, DL Chris Bacon, DB Jamaree Gibson

The School

Location: Orono, Maine

Founded: 1865

Enrollment: 11,000+

Nickname: Black Bears

Colors: “Maine blue”, navy blue, and white

Mascot: Bananas T. Bear

The Program

Last time beat BC: Oct. 16, 1915

Last time won CAA (Coastal Athletic Association): 2018

National championships: None

Conference championships: 13 (nine in Yankee Conference, two in Atlantic 10, two in CAA)

Bowl record: 0-1

Heisman trophies: None

2026 NFL Draft

LB Christian Thomas (UDFA) – Las Vegas Raiders

The Schedule

Aug. 27: at Towson

Sept. 5: at App State

Sept. 12: vs. Merrimack

Sept. 19: at Boston College

Sept. 26: at Elon

Oct. 3: vs. Sacred Heart

Oct. 17: vs. Bryant

Oct. 24: vs. Campbell

Oct. 31: at Rhode Island

Nov. 14: at Albany

Nov. 21: vs. New Hampshire

Early Opponent Preview Series:

This is the third story in Boston College Eagles On SI's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Boston College football in 2026. Ensuing stories will be published throughout the rest of July.

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