BC Bulletin

Upon Further Review: Dissecting the tape from Boston College's 28-24 Loss to Cal

The Eagles fell to Cal, 28-24, on Saturday and dropped to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference—dead last in the conference.
Graham Dietz|
Sep 27, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Dylan Lonergan (9) looks to pass during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Dylan Lonergan (9) looks to pass during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Boston College Eagles

Since Aug. 30, when the Boston College football team battered the Fordham Rams, 66-10, to start the 2025 season 1-0, the Eagles have lost three straight games—all by 10 points or less.

On Saturday, BC held a 24-21 lead over the California Golden Bears until 1:31 left in the fourth quarter, when opposing quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele aired out a 51-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mason Mini to retake the lead at 28-24.

BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan managed to drive the ball all the way to Cal's 5-yard line on the ensuing drive, but Luke Ferrelli picked off the redshirt-sophomore right on the goal line with 15 seconds left in regulation to officially pick up the road victory.

Here is a deeper look at the film from Saturday's loss for the Eagles, which took their record to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Notes from the tape:

  • The entirety of BC’s first offensive drive is possibly the best example of how Bill O’Brien envisions the offense and how it is ideally supposed to operate. A mixture of quick passes, even tempo, motioning to confuse the defense, and timely runs were all featured, resulting in a rushing touchdown for Lonergan.
  • Omar Thornton’s interception was pure instinct. He was hovering over the middle but made the correct read on Sagapolutele’s eyes and changed his direction instantly to make the play.
  • Turbo Richard’s ensuing 27-yard rushing touchdown is what BC’s offensive line should strive for in the run game. Between the blocks on the right side working effectively to some pulling action from the left side, not only did Richard have a gap to gain positive yardage and more—he only needed to beat a couple of defenders in the second level and secondary because most of Cal’s defenders were already being accounted for in the block scheme. The play also involved misdirection and was possibly an RPO from the way Lonergan faked taking off to the left side while Turbo bounced through the B gap and fled down the field to score.
  • Regarding Trond Grizzell's catch at 7:03 mark in first quarter: It’s not the most-promising matchup in the world for BC, throwing out a freshman defensive back—who’s only in because of bulk injuries in the secondary—to guard a 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior wide receiver in man-to-man press at the line of scrimmage, especially if the safety doesn’t arrive in time to knock the ball out. Grizzell ran a double-move and faked the comeback so well that he was able to create a full two yards of separation on Marcelous Townsend before Carter Davis arrived just after Grizzell had caught the ball, a second too late.
  • Quintayvious Hutchins face-mask penalty while Kendrick Raphael was already moving out of bounds cannot happen (3:28 in the first quarter). Raphael clearly intended to get out of bounds, and instead of shoving him or tripping up his feet, Hutchins wrapped his hand across the running back’s helmet and tore him down in a spin-cycle motion as his feet were already passing over the sideline. Hutchins has to be more disciplined than that, even if it was 1st-and-goal. But BC responded well, not allowing Cal to score until a 4th-and-goal at the 2.
  • BC has been working tirelessly on kickoff returns in practice and it proved to have more success than in past games. Freshman TJ Green debuted as a returner this season and impressed with his speed and awareness while sprinting up the field. Looks like Green and Alex Broome were, for the most part, the featured returners on kickoffs, replacing redshirt-freshman running back Bo MacCormack III.
  • Cade Uluave's sack at the 13:25 mark in the second quarter was quite frankly embarrassing for BC’s pass protection, but that’s what a player like Uluave can do to an opponent. However, BC was completely outmanned in pass protection from the right end. There were three pass rushers against two lineman and Alex Broome, who had no chance against the more powerful, hard-hitting Uluave crashing into the interior toward Lonergan.
  • Overall, it’s noticeable that BC does not create enough of a pass rush to stop quarterbacks who are capable of reading the field well and go through their progressions while processing the defense rapidly because it really doesn’t have true edge-rusher threat. Including some injuries, which makes it even harder for BC’s banged-up secondary to keep up all game with the receivers and skill players in coverage without a BC pass rush, there is inevitably going to be holes in BC’s defensive game plan, and it’s only a matter of time before the opponent finds out what they are.
  • Cal's touchdown before the end of the second half (around the 3:48 mark of the second quarter) definitely had some players on BC’s defense all twisted up and confused. KP Price wasn’t anywhere near a pass-catcher, and maybe his zone assignment was to contain that area of the field, but it really hurt when two players were essentially left wide open crossing over the middle with BC defenders trailing behind by three or so yards—Max Tucker's man, Jacob De Jesus, scored the touchdown. It was just too easy of a play for Sagapolutele to complete, and he had more options. Again, there was such a clean pocket for Sagapolutele, and he delivered while BC’s secondary and second level was completely flummoxed.
  • Multiple deep shots from Sagapolutele in which BC’s defensive backs did not turn their head, which either resulted in a catch or a pass interference penalty, bailed Cal out of situations in which the defense was close to a stop—look at 14:55 in the third quarter, in which Grizzell caught a ball against Isaiah Farris, and Farris' pass interference on Cal’s touchdown-scoring drive in the fourth quarter to make it 28-24. In both cases, Farris did not turn his head at all while tumbling into the receiver.
  • Logan Taylor played a terrific game at left tackle. It will be interesting to see what Bill O’Brien and Will Lawling do once Jude Bowry, the former starting left tackle, returns from injury. The timetable for his return is not clear, but he was out with the team for warmups on Saturday without a boot on or anything else, for that matter, which could mean he is in a position to return as soon as this Saturday against Pitt.
  • Cal’s run play at the 7:45 mark in the third quarter showed how explosive opposing run games can be against the Eagles once a gap is formed in the defensive line. There was also no reinforcement in the second level to contain Raphael because Owen McGowan and Thornton were too focused on Sagapolutele running the ball instead of the running back. Both players were too eager to process the field and it was a little too late before they realized Raphael had the ball, which he took right up the middle for a long gain.
  • BC’s defense struggled with shedding blocks on screen plays to the receivers out wide, which resulted in easy mid-distance gains for Cal. There were two late-third-quarter instances of this, the latter of which included McGowan missing a one-on-one tackle which led to a first down for Cal, and he knew it, shaking his head after the play and pounding is fist to his chest.
  • Lonergan has been praised for throwing the check-down pass when he is unable to find a man downfield, but instead of doing so on his first interception just after the first minute of the fourth quarter, he threw it into semi-double coverage just a second or two late, which gave Hezekiah Masses ample time to break on the ball and step in front of the receiver. That was not a Lonergan-esque decision. He tried to force the throw and it was thrown to Dawson Pough’s backside, where Masses was guarding him. That is what can result when you choose to make a last-ditch throw over the middle while your body is moving in the opposite direction of your throwing motion—the power to force it across the field in the opposite direction of your body, as opposed to across your body, is not a throw the average quarterback in college can make.
  • Richard’s 72-yard touchdown run was another instance where the left side of BC’s offensive line formed a wide hole through the B gap. This time, there was more breathing room after Richard broke free from the second level with the safety making the wrong read going to the outside, and the other safety manning against Bond on the opposite side of the field, resulting in the score for BC which put it up, 24-21.
  • On the 51-yard touchdown play which ultimately won Cal the game, Carter Davis needed to be more aware of the fact that his assignment is in the deep quadrant of the field, not at the line of scrimmage, and has to trust that BC’s defensive line and linebackers will take care of their assignments. There were three defenders capable of making a tackle on Sagapolutele if he decided to run, and Davis left his assignment, Mini, over the top. Sagapolutele’s pump fake worked too well, which allowed Mini to creep just past Davis down the field, catch the ball, and race into the endzone.
  • On the final BC offensive drive, it was still evident how much composure Lonergan has with completing throws to soft spots on the field where the defense is allowing pockets of the field to be exposed. His pass to Bond at 1:21 in the fourth quarter was an example of this. The throw to Reed Harris at the 0:24 mark was an even better example—and a better throw. That is the type of throw that only a few quarterbacks in the NCAA can make, and Lonergan’s got that ability in his pocket.
  • Cal only rushed four defenders on the final interception of the game, dropped seven, and Lonergan has to know better that a throw over the middle in the redzone with seven players in dropped coverage is a risky take. There was nobody open, and too little room to air out the ball in time for it not to either get batted down or… intercepted. Simply put, that was not a game-winning play call or decision by the signal caller.

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Graham Dietz
GRAHAM DIETZ

Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.

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