Boston College Head Coach Bill O'Brien Previews Cal

The Eagles head coach spoke about the challenges the Golden Bears bring ahead of their matchup.

Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien gestures after a touchdown by running back Jordan McDonald (not shown) during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Boston College (1-2, 0-1 ACC) football is looking to get back in the win column this weekend as it hosts the Cal Golden Bears (3-1) on Saturday afternoon. 

After practice on Thursday morning, Eagles head coach Bill O’Brien talked about Cal’s explosive offense and shared what he thinks the team has to do to contain the unit.

“Yeah, they do a good job of spreading the ball around,” said O’Brien. “Tight ends, wide receivers, running backs do a really good job. I mean, it's a good offense. Coach Harsin does a great job with that offense and it's very, very important to play disciplined football against that offense which is what we're going to try to do.”

O’Brien went on to talk about the different looks the Golden Bears bring out in their offense during games. 

“Oh yeah,” said O’Brien. “A lot of motions, a lot of shifts, what we call ‘funky formations’, a lot of different things that you got to be ready for. So, you got to play each play. Every single play is a story unto itself. And so, you got to play it that way. You got to understand the situation and what they're trying to do and make sure you get lined up and have great eye discipline.”

The second-year head coach also had very high praises for Cal linebacker Cade Uluave who has notched 34 total tackles and five tackles for loss in four games so far this season. 

“Yeah, he's one of the best we've played against,” said O’Brien. “Yeah. Excellent player, definite NFL prospect. Very instinctive. Really in the however many games I've been here, he's definitely one of the top five guys we've played against at that position. No doubt about it.”

Additionally, O’Brien also spoke on Cal’s defense and its success with stopping the run game this year. The Golden Bears rank No. 27 in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 94.8 yards per game. 

“Yeah, they're big up front,”  said O’Brien. They throw a lot of different fronts at you. You really never know what you're going to get, so you got to trust your rules. You got to trust your game plan and you got to do it one play at a time. You got to try to gain positive yards every single time you run the football.”

Boston College and Cal kick off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.