Instant Analysis From BC Football's 34-12 Dismantling of the Orange

With a 34-12 road victory over Syracuse on Saturday afternoon, the Boston College football program snapped a 10-game losing streak to finish the season 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference—second-to-last, only to the team it beat, the Orange.

The Eagles came close to eking out an upset win over No. 14 Georgia Tech before going on its bye week on Nov. 15, falling 36-34.

In both outings, BC showed promise for a squad which had been battered and bruised all season long. And ending the year on a high note with the road win over its rival, Syracuse, is the silver lining heading into the offseason in preparation for 2026.

“We don’t ever want to experience this type of a season again, but there’s a lot to carry from this season, as far as adversity, never quitting,” BC head coach Bill O’Brien said.

Here are the immediate takeaways from the Eagles' season-finale win.

- Practically since he first arrived in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Grayson James displayed what being an exemplary teammate is all about, and he deserved everything that he got in the final ride of his collegiate career.

James has often gotten the worse end of the stick in his time on the Heights, from starting as the backup in 2024 to Thomas Castellanos before taking over in the final six-game stretch to not being named the starter for the 2025 season and having to sit behind redshirt-sophomore Dylan Lonergan.

That never deterred James from his job as a teammate and a role model, which always set him apart from the brunt of the pack and for which he was praised for in the locker room and among the BC coaching staff.

“[Grayson James is] one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around,” O’Brien said. “He’s shown to be a hell of a relief pitcher. Comes in, he’s ready to go, and just can’t say enough great things about him.”

Saturday was no different, as James stepped in for Lonergan on the Eagles’ first series, when Lonergan injured his throwing-hand thumb by smashing it into an opponent’s helmet.

James dialed in after essentially going three-and-out to finish up Lonergan’s first drive under center, steering the Eagles to their first points of the game on the very next series. He attacked the middle of the field with command for the remainder of the night, throwing for 288 yards on a completion percentage of 67 percent.

"I'll remember this forever,” James said. “Being here, it just makes you stronger. You know, adversity hits, how you respond, that's all about what life is, how you respond to adversity. Things are gonna be tough, but [you] gotta stand up and bounce back."

- Redshirt-senior wide receiver Lewis Bond, who broke the program record for most career receptions and the most receptions in a single season by an individual player—both were previously held by Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens—left BC on a note of pure dominance.

Bond was so unstoppable that it was like he was coughing up a parting gift before his imminent exit from the program to professional opportunities just to make the fanbase miss him more, racking up eight receptions for 171 yards while averaging 21.4 yards per catch.

“Yeah, he's got a great future,” O’Brien said. “He's one of the best ever to do it here at Boston College. [I’m] very happy for him. He's a tough guy. Slammed his head on the turf on one of those catches there, crossing around. I mean, we had a million crossing routes. It was awesome. But he slammed his head, and he came back in. He was cleared and he came back in. He's just a tough guy. He's a great, great player.”

That is also why James and the rest of the team call Bond a "quarterback’s best friend," which James attested to after the game.

- BC’s production on the ground, particularly in the scoring realm, was mightily effective in the victory thanks to stellar offensive-line play and the vision of running backs Turbo Richard and Jordan McDonald, who each tallied a pair of rushing touchdowns and combined for 130 yards.

https://t.co/x9XQ5vikHq pic.twitter.com/0LVagSIv2H
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 29, 2025

Richard averaged 6.8 yards per rush while McDonald averaged 5.6.

- As they have been for most of the year, defensive backs KP Price and Omar Thornton were the primary contributors on the defensive side, as Price generated 10 solo tackles while Thornton added four of his own, including a sack and a tackle for loss.

Omar ‼️ pic.twitter.com/HRhSA5W5gi
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 29, 2025

For the second time in his career, Price finished the season as the Eagles’ leading tackler with 93 total tackles and 65 solos, including a fumble recovery and two interceptions. Thornton, meanwhile, came into his own this year, trailing behind Price with 82 total tackles and two sacks, four forced fumbles, an interception and a pass break-up.

BC also controlled the trenches on defense, which it has failed to do for most of the season.

That is in large part thanks to defensive linemen E’Lla Boykin, who registered six tackles and two tackles for loss, and Edwin Kolenge, who contributed four tackles.

- Aside from Bond, kicker Luca Lombardo was the most-valuable player for the Eagles in 2025.

With two field goals in the game, Lombardo finished his 16 field goals on 17 attempts, including a perfect 35-for-35 mark on extra-point kicks.

2/2 from 99 https://t.co/Ye9vLdLyCW pic.twitter.com/WoK9W7h1xr
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) November 29, 2025

He missed a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter—his first miss of the year—but he was perfect from the spot otherwise.

- On Sunday, the Eagles get right back on their grind—at least the coaching staff does—with a 2 p.m. meeting to address the future of the program heading into the offseason, according to O’Brien.

"We get back to Conte at 10:30, go home, probably have a slice of pizza, go to bed, wake up and get going,” O’Brien said. “2026 starts tomorrow.”

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