While last season’s opening-game loss to Rutgers was disappointing, this season’s opener against Northern Illinois turned out to be one of the hardest Boston College football games to watch in recent memory. After failing to score a single point in the first half against the Huskies, and dropping the matchup 27–24 in overtime, BC will need to rebound in Week Two against Holy Cross.
Holy Cross shares much in common with BC as a fellow Jesuit school in Massachusetts. One thing that it does not have in common with BC is that it plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in the Patriot League. The Eagles, on the other hand, are a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of Division I football. Any FBS team, like the Eagles, should be able to handle a team like Holy Cross, and BC fans can only hope this will be the case on Saturday.
Who is BC playing?
Holy Cross
When is BC playing?
Saturday, Sept. 9, 12 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
How to watch:
The game will air on ACC Network and BC Sports Network from Learfield on WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM.
Series History:
Going into their 84th meeting, BC (0–1) leads the all-time series 49–31–3 against the Crusaders (1–0), and the two in-state rivals have a long and rich history. The two teams used to play each other almost every year, but they’ve only played once since 1986, when the Eagles smacked Holy Cross by a final score of 62–14 on Sept. 8, 2018.
BC is 33–3 against FCS opponents and has won 33 games in a row against FCS teams since the NCAA first subdivided in 1978. The Eagles have not lost a game against Holy Cross since 1978, when the Crusaders prevailed by a single point.
What to Expect From Holy Cross:
Offense
The Crusaders are ranked fifth overall in the FCS, and their offense is a huge part of why they hold that ranking. Holy Cross went 12–1 last season, scoring over 37 points per game, and it returned both its star quarterback Matthew Sluka and running back Jordan Fuller. Sluka is a dominant force on the ground, as he ran for over 1,200 yards last season. Fuller was backing up Peter Oliver in 2022, but he showed what he could do in the Crusaders’ Week One affair with Merrimack, rushing for 120 yards on just 13 carries, good for 9.2 yards per attempt.
The Crusaders ran all over the Warriors, but Sluka only notched 190 yards through the air on just nine completions.
“They played their game, and we played right into it,” BC head coach Jeff Hafley said about Northern Illinois after the Eagles’ Week One loss.
If a similar thing happens against Holy Cross, BC will face serious problems. The Eagles’ run defense, which surrendered 166 rushing yards to the Huskies, will face a stiff task with Holy Cross’ rushing attack. If BC’s smaller defensive line allows Sluka to get into rhythm with play action, it could have a long day ahead of itself.
Defense
In comparison to their offense, the Crusaders’ defense isn’t top notch for an FCS program. Holy Cross allowed nearly 20 points per game last season, and Merrimack hit that mark exactly in Week One. Bearing in mind that all of these offenses are FCS-level, BC should not have much trouble scoring more than that. But if a situation unfolds where the Eagles’ signal callers are switching on and off, like they did last week, it could make things harder for the dynamic flow of the offense.
Merrimack’s quarterback Gavin McCusker rushed the ball 16 times last weekend, an aberration given that he ran the ball 39 times in 2022 and only gained 51 yards on those attempts—good for an average of just 3.2 yards per carry. If dual-threat Thomas Castellanos gets the majority of quarterback reps for BC, he should have the opportunity to do much better than McCusker did.
BC will need a strong offensive performance to keep up with Holy Cross’ rushing attack and it will have the opportunity to do that against a defense that is mediocre, even in FCS ranks.
Outlook:
If BC loses this game, disappointment will be an understatement for the feeling surrounding this season. This is an absolute must-win game against an in-state opponent. Despite its success, Holy Cross is an FCS team and an FCS team on paper should never beat a Power 5, FBS team—even if it is highly ranked in the lower division.
The other 13 teams in the ACC all have something that BC lacks—an identity. Switching quarterbacks, failing to shut down an inferior opponent for all four quarters, and many other factors have led to uneasy feelings on the Heights. This season was supposed to feature the easiest schedule in the Power 5, so dropping its first two games against Mid-American Conference (MAC) and FCS squads would be a low for the program. This could be a shootout—and should be—if the offense finds that identity.
