Boston College Run Blocking Not up to Par With Pass Protection in Blowout of Fordham

For everything Boston College football did right in its season-opening defeat of Fordham, inevitably, there were also parts of the game which exposed areas of BC's offense and defense that needs to improve in preparation for Michigan State. Even in a blowout as lopsided as Saturday’s.

There was one particular facet of the game in which the Eagles did not play up to their typical standard, and before BC travels to East Lansing, Mich., next weekend to face the Spartans on the road, they will need to address that item—run blocking.

Out of BC’s 555 total offensive yards in the 66-10 Week One win over Fordham, 458 of those stemmed from the passing game.

“I think the protection was better than the run game,” O’Brien said. “I give Fordham a lot of credit. They moved around a lot. They were not standing still. They were moving on every play, blitzing and twisting, doing a lot of different things, but we have to do a better job of blocking movement. … We got to really work on that this week. No doubt.”

Splitting carries primarily between sophomore Turbo Richard and senior Jordan MacDonald, the Eagles failed to reach 100 rushing yards in the win and averaged 2.5 yards per carry—1.6 yards lower than BC’s season average in 2024.

In the past two seasons, the Eagles have been known to control the line of scrimmage on offense, especially in the run game.

BC’s offensive line units produced three National Football League draft picks over the past two seasons alone—Christian Mahogany (Detroit Lions), Ozzy Trapilo (Chicago Bears), and Drew Kendall (Philadelphia Eagles)—along with additional undrafted free agent signings from its position group up front.

The Eagles possess size on their offensive line in 2025. The average height of BC’s starting five in the trenches is 6-foot-5, and there are five additional players in the two-deep depth chart that are listed above 6-foot-4.

Aug 30, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles running back Jordan McDonald (5) runs the ball in for a touchdown against Fordham Rams defensive back Nate Lindsey-Gill (8) during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

But BC’s run game was unable to generate holes in the gaps against the Rams’ defensive line, leading to short-yardage gains and forcing the passing offense to take care of long second- and third-down situations due to the lack of pickup on first-down rush attempts.

The Eagles’ leading rusher was Richard, who only manufactured 48 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. With that being said, three running backs scored for the Eagles on Saturday—Richard, freshman Bo MacCormack III, and senior Alex Broome—and the goalline run game looked up to par with the passing offense, which dazzled.

“If we can run the ball better, which we'll work hard on that this week, that'll really help our play-action offense,” O’Brien said. “We definitely don't want to be three yards in a cloud of dust. We don't want to get into 15-play drives, like that's really not who we are.”

Left tackle Jude Bowry held up against Fordham’s pass rush with ease, protecting Dylan Lonergan from sack trouble—Lonergan was sacked twice but only on the run or while rolling out to the right—and the remainder of the O-line appeared solid in pass pro as well. That includes left guard Eryx Daugherty, center Dwayne Allick, right guard Logan Taylor, and right tackle Kevin Cline.

But to be able to score against a Big Ten team like Michigan State, which will have a defensive line that features opposing lineman and edge rushers that are far more physical and bigger in size, it will require a better rushing attack, and that all starts with the players up front.

“I think we have to be a team,” O’Brien said. “We hit some chunk plays, which I thought was good to see. Dylan hit some. Grayson had a couple. Those are good to see. That has to be a part of our offense. But in order to do that, we got to run the ball better.”