Bill O'Brien Sympathizes With Boston College Football Fanbase, Understands Frustrations

Boston College football head coach Bill O’Brien was just as frustrated as any Red Sox fan when Boston fell in the second matchup of its three-game American League Divisional series against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.

He experienced the anger that came with the loss—one more, and the Sox could be out of the playoffs after returning to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

“No, look, I’m a fan, I mean, I’m a fan of the Red Sox,” O’Brien said. “I’m sad that they lost last night, but I know they got another opportunity tonight. You know what I mean? So I understand the fans. I’ve dealt with that a lot.”

While the Eagles are currently on a three-game losing skid, and face a tough opponent on the road this week at Pittsburgh, O’Brien sympathized with the fans who have supported BC through thick and thin.

Just because he is the head coach of the program does not mean he doesn’t understand what it feels like to be a member of a fanbase and have to endure the lows of painful losses, or the highs of victory.

He is just like any other person who follows a team in professional or collegiate sport.

“There’s people that bleed maroon and gold,” O’Brien said. “I get it, you know, but at the end of the day, we’re doing everything we can to improve and get better. And we want to win. Nobody wants to win more than we do. I can’t really help their frustration. We’re just working hard to get better, you know, and get on the right track.”

O’Brien’s tenure thus far in Chestnut Hill, Mass., could be defined as average. His overall regular-season record is 8-8, but the way that the Eagles have started in 2025—with a 1-3 overall record and an 0-2 conference record—has left many BC fans doubtful about the rest of the season.

It only gets harder from here on out, with contests scheduled against the Panthers, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech down the line, just to name a few.

But the message inside the locker room remains as clear as ever. There is no giving up at this early juncture of the season, or at any point, for that matter. Fighting is in the blood of BC, and the program will do whatever it takes to get back on track and not let the outside pressure creep in.

"Yeah, there's no [outside] pressure,” wide receiver Luke McLaughlin said. “We got to only worry about ourselves and the guys in the locker room right now. We're gonna fight out of this. We're kind of backed down right now, but we're gonna fight our way out. We're never gonna give up."

Bill O’Brien said after Tuesday’s practice that BC’s losses, which have all come in the range of 10 points or less, are the result of five or six bad plays which have gone in the other team’s favor. He cited turnovers as the primary reason for the losses, but last week, in a 28-24 loss to California, penalties were the main issue.

“It’s hard, [because] you just never know what those plays are going to be,” O’Brien said. “It takes just one play, you know, one guy, to make a play. They can turn a game [around], turn a season [around]. We’ve had opportunities to do that, and we haven’t been able to make those plays when we’ve made mistakes on those plays. … Hopefully we get it right.”

Injuries have led to some of the setbacks for the Eagles this season, especially on defense.

Both starting cornerbacks, Amari Jackson and Syair Torrence, sat out the past two games, and starting linebacker Daveon “Bam” Crouch was not able to suit up against the Golden Bears.

“I mean, there has been a ton of injuries,” O’Brien said. “That’s no excuse. Make sure I’m clear, [I’m] not making any excuses. It’s just a fact, especially on defense. But, you know, there’s guys that have stepped in. I mean, we got some real tough guys.”

O’Brien highlighted cornerback Max Tucker, defensive back Ashton Cunningham, linebacker Owen McGowan, offensive lineman Robert Smith IV, and wide receiver Dawson Pough as players who have done their job of executing a next-man-up mentality to a degree beyond what was asked of them at the beginning of the season.

But it all comes down to what unfolds during the game, and BC has yet to put together a full, 60-minute effort in all three of its losses this year.

“We want to get off to a good start, but at the end of the day, it’s a 60-minute game, so we have to do a good job,” O’Brien said. “We’ve actually been able to get off to good starts for us. It’s in the middle of the game, you know, gut up 14-0, next thing you know it’s a tight game. … Every single play is important in the game. Every play is a story unto itself.”