Three Things That Must Be Cleaned Up By Boston College After Close Win Against Maine

Boston College struggled to put Maine away in their 22-16 win. To succeed in 2026, the Eagles need to clean up some critical issues.

Boston College WR Johnathan Montague Jr. celebrates his touchdown with WR Jackson Wade during the first half against Maine. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Saturday, the Boston College Eagles fell short of expectations, defeating FCS opponent and the 37.5-point underdog Maine Black Bears, just 22-16.

Despite the undesired result, if the Eagles can clean up a few things, they can surprise some people in 2026 and perhaps earn bowl eligibility.

Turnover Issue

In a Week 1 beatdown, Boston College turned the ball over twice to Cincinnati and lost 34-15. In Week 2, the Eagles gave the ball away another three times to Rutgers.

Fortunately for them, Scarlet Knight quarterback AJ Surace had four interceptions, leading to an exciting 28-21 win for the Eagles. Boston College hoped to clean up a lot of its issues and beat up on Maine, but that didn't exactly happen.

Quarterback Mason McKenzie had two ugly interceptions, one on a third-down-and-goal. These two turnovers not only robbed the Eagles of points, but also allowed Maine to crawl back into the game.

Things were pretty much going according to plan as Boston College jumped out to an early 16-0 lead in the first quarter. From there on, McKenzie and BC just couldn't get the offense going, and they scored only six more points for the rest of the game.

If the Eagles want a chance to be bowl-eligible or even competitive with teams like Virginia Tech, SMU, Notre Dame, and Miami in the future, they must not turn the ball over. Some turnovers are going to happen, but BC has already given the ball away seven times in just three games. That's like gift-wrapping the game, putting a bow tie on it, and handing it to the other team.

Offensive Consistency

The Eagles' inability to move the ball much on Maine in the second half allowed the Black Bears to close and give Boston College a big scare.

In the first three games, the Eagles haven't looked very good on the offensive side, averaging only 21.7 points, the third worst so far in the ACC. The first thing that needs to be fixed on the offense is the first issue that was mentioned, which is of course turnovers.

That alone should lead to scoring more points. But even then, more is needed. McKenzie has thrown for three touchdowns and five interceptions, while also leading the team in rushing with 225 yards on 48 carries. BC has also missed field goals and found ways to kill drives.

Ideally, an offense is more effective when its leading rusher isn't its quarterback. A dual-threat quarterback is great, but McKenzie isn't exactly Vince Young or Tommie Frazier. While comparing McKenzie to those all-time greats might seem unreasonable, that's the point. Unless the quarterback is that kind of guy, a team is almost always better with the leading rusher coming out of the backfield.

Evan Dickens has been decent with 205 yards on 39 carries and three touchdowns (5.3 AVG), but the rest of the room hasn't matched his success. The defense hasn't been something to highlight either, but the offensive consistency has been a big issue for this team.

Cleaning up this issue will immediately make Boston College a tougher team to beat and give the Eagles a chance against some opponents on the upcoming schedule.

Too Many Chunk Plays

A chunk play is the best way for a team to break another team's momentum and score quickly. So far, BC has allowed too many chunk plays and needs to clean this issue up immediately.

The Eagles have allowed a play to go for 19 yards or more 11 times so far in 2026. This team's defense has been put in bad situations and has shown flashes of potential, but 20-, 30-, or 40-yard plays can waste effort and swing momentum dramatically.

Down the road in 2026, Boston College will face some very good offenses, far better than those of Cincinnati, Rutgers, and, of course, Maine, so limiting explosive plays is the only way to avoid getting pummeled by many teams.

It isn't a question of whether BC will stop allowing opponents chunk plays; it's whether it can minimize them. So far, with how the Eagles have performed, why wouldn't some opponents like Virginia Tech, which looked great in a 35-26 win on the road against Maryland last Saturday, look to throw the ball downfield?

If that doesn't change, this team's ceiling isn't very high. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see it make some necessary strides to improve in 2026.

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