Boston College Football vs. Pittsburgh: 6 Panthers Players to Watch in Week 7

In four days, coming off its Week 6 bye, Boston College football will host Pittsburgh for the 33rd all-time meeting between the programs.

With a loss to SMU in Week 5, the Eagles fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while the Panthers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday to UNC by a final score of 21-17.

Pitt lost its starting quarterback, Mason Heintschel, to a season-ending ACL tear during its Week 5 win over Virginia Tech that kept the Panthers undefeated at the time, and it has already led to quite a devastating result in the form of a loss to the subpar Tar Heels this past weekend.

The Pat-Narduzzi-led squad is still loaded with talent, and it will require BC to be in tip-top form regardless of who plays under center if the Eagles want a chance of capturing the victory, which would mark their first ACC triumph of the year.

Here are the most notable players to look out for on the Pitt sideline, highlighting three on each side of the ball.

Offense:

WR Cataurus Hicks - A former Louisville Cardinal, the Miami, Fla., native transferred to Pitt as a junior in 2025 and had a career year for the Panthers, churning out 422 yards and four touchdowns on 24 receptions.

So far this season, Hicks has nearly eclipsed those totals with 21 catches for 365 yards and three scores while averaging 17.4 yards per catch.

He arguably logged his best game of the year so far in Pitt’s loss to North Carolina, reeling in a season-high six catches for 50 yards.

TE Carson Kent - Kent, who enrolled at Pitt in January following two seasons at Oklahoma and one at Kennesaw State, has already usurped his former season-high total in receiving yards of 217, which he recorded in 2024 for the Sooners, with 218 on 19 catches through six games played, including a touchdown reception that he notched against Bucknell on Sept. 26.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound Milton, Ga., native ranks third on the team in receiving yards, and he also brings a dependable blocking presence in the run game.

RB Damon Ferguson Jr. - While the Panthers feature a three-back committee, Ferguson ranks first in all aspects with 66 carries for 319 yards and three scores, including 16 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in the passing realm.

The true freshman out of Gwynn Oak, Md., who played under former NFL defensive lineman Reggie White at Milford Mill Academy, broke onto the scene in his second career game, in which he manufactured 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 10 attempts in a win over Syracuse.

Defense:

DB Cruce Brookins - A four-year player and two-time team captain, Brookins is strongly building off his 2025 All-ACC Honorable Mention season, in which he tallied 53 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and 0.5 tackles for loss.

This year, he has already compiled a team-high 37 tackles (24 solo) with two passes defended.

Like BC safety KP Price, Brookins mostly plays in the back end at safety, but he exhibits versatility and can also be of service on special teams.

LB Braylan Lovelace - A do-it-all type of linebacker, the 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound Lovelace was also tabbed Honorable Mention All-ACC last year after posting 80 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two interceptions (one TD), and two PBUs at Mike backer.

He has gotten off to a slower start this year with 20 tackles (8 solo), along with one sack, one PBU, and one interception, but he also missed the Panthers’ first game of the season against Miami (Ohio).

DL Jaeden Moore - Nobody has been more effective in the trenches for Pitt than Moore, a senior out of Hanford, Calif., who transferred into the program before last season from Oregon.

An injury limited the 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher to just four games of action in 2025, but in five starts this year, he has collected 2.5 sacks, three TFLs, two quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.

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