BC Bulletin

Boston College Football Players Not Fazed by Slow Start in ACC Play: The Rundown

How does the Boston College football team rebound from an 0-1 start in conference play and a 1-2 start to the season? Something the players call "amnesia."
Graham Dietz|
Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Boston College Eagles defensive lineman E'Lla Boykin (center left) and defensive lineman Favor Bate (41) celebrate during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Boston College Eagles defensive lineman E'Lla Boykin (center left) and defensive lineman Favor Bate (41) celebrate during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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Boston College Eagles

After suffering two straight losses and starting 0-1 in conference play, the Boston College football team’s mindset heading into its Week Five matchup against the California Golden Bears has pivoted to what some players are calling “amnesia.”

Following Wednesday’s team practice at Fish Fieldhouse in Chestnut Hill, Mass., tight end Jeremiah Franklin and defensive lineman Sedarius McConnell told Boston College Eagles On SI what “having amnesia” means, and what the benefits are.

“So amnesia, that’s a great point, like as long as you make sure you forget about the bad, but not the good,” Franklin said. “It’s always great to have momentum, because let’s say we have amnesia and we’re forgetting about the bad, maybe the other team isn’t.”

The Eagles were in closely-contested games in both losses—a 42-40, double-overtime loss at Michigan State in Week Two, and a 30-20 loss at Stanford in Week Three—before heading into their first bye week of the season.

While certain aspects of those losses were coined "bad football" by the players, including BC head coach Bill O’Brien, there were also moments in which the program flashed impressive potential.

“Forgetting about the bad, you can’t let it sit dormant in your mind, because then it’s just going to affect you moving forward,” Franklin said. “And once something affects you moving forward, you’re just going to be thrown off. You’re not gonna be as focused.”

Franklin, in particular, has made the most out of his time on the field, racking up 19 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown. His receptions total ranks second in the nation among tight ends, and he has played one less game than the majority of FBS schools due to the early bye week.

The senior veteran said that he is okay with getting the ball less. He just wants to be on the field. As long as he is out on the turf alongside his teammates, he could care less about what his stat total is at the end of the day, or how many times he was targeted.

His mentality is team-first, through and through, and the same goes for the rest of the squad.

“We all got a short-term memory when it comes to wins and losses,” McConnell said. “We know everything is just moving forward. We win the game, we got to move forward. We lose the game, we got to move forward. So we’re not dwelling on anything.”

The season is still in the early stages, which McConnell, nor Franklin, nor any of the players on BC's roster has forgotten.

The Eagles have only played 25 percent of their 2025 campaign, and only 12.5 percent of their conference slate. Nobody can count them out just yet, especially considering how wide-open the Atlantic Coast Conference has shaken out to be.

“We gotta have amnesia for the negatives, and like I said, we can’t dwell on anything,” McConnell said. “Just got to move forward, positive and negative. We just gotta keep moving forward. We got a long season.”

Here is The Rundown for Thursday, September 25.

Thursday's Schedule:

Women's Hockey: at Minnesota, 7 p.m. | Preview | Watch | Live Stats

Women's Soccer: at Stanford, 10 p.m. | Preview | Watch | Live Stats

Wednesday's Results:

There were no games scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Countdown to Boston College men's hockey's season opener:

8 days.

Did You Notice?

  • The BC football program continues to put in hours of work each morning in preparation for its second home tilt of the season, and second conference game of the year. Bill O'Brien's home record through one year and three games at the helm is 7-1.
  • The Boston College women's lacrosse program picked up a commitment from five-star 2027 attacking prospect Allie Pisano on Wednesday.
  • The time for the SEC/ACC Men's and Women's Basketball Challenge matchup between the Boston College men's basketball program and LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 3, was scheduled for 7 p.m.

Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:

“Back then, it was all Massachusetts kids. They were all my friends. When I went to live there, it was like living there with the same guys I was playing with at my house in Pembroke. It was all the best players in Massachusetts, all my buddies, when I went to BC and it was awesome.”

- Kevin Stevens

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Graham Dietz
GRAHAM DIETZ

Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.

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