Exactly 365 days ago, Boston College football knocked off then-No. 17 Southern Methodist to secure its first bowl win since 2016, sending the Eagles into 2024 with momentum.
Since that day, just about everything changed for BC—its head coach, its quarterback, and the baseball field on which it played its bowl game. One thing, however, remained constant for the Eagles, the same hurdle that’s haunted the program for what will be 16 years.
Yet again, the eight-win mark eluded BC on Saturday, with the Eagles (7–6, 4–4 Atlantic Coast) falling short at Yankee Stadium in a 20–15 Pinstripe Bowl loss to Nebraska (7–6, 3–6 Big Ten). The loss marked the end of Bill O’Brien’s first season as BC’s coach—a campaign that ended with the same 7–6 record as a season ago.
“I thought we did a lot of good things, [but] not enough,” O’Brien said. “We can do a lot better. There’s a lot of things we can improve on both on and off the field. We’ll work hard to do that.”
Beyond just a tough Cornhuskers team, BC battled a series of opt-outs, transfer portal exits, and questionable officiating calls.
But what ultimately did the Eagles in was an inability to convert long drives into points. BC turned the ball over on downs four times on Saturday, with each coming well into Nebraska territory.
“I thought we were productive, but we couldn’t score,” O’Brien said. “So that’s a problem, because you have to score to win.”
To open the game, even soggy field conditions couldn’t slow Nebraska.
Although Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola tossed an interception deep in BC territory on their opening drive, a missed Eagles field goal allowed Nebraska to regain possession and subsequently march right down the field for the game’s first score—courtesy of running back Rahmir Johnson.
In response, BC recorded three consecutive turnovers on downs, including one inside Nebraska’s 10-yard line.
“For the most part, we were moving the ball,” BC quarterback Grayson James said. “It’s just about finishing those drives in the red area. That’s a big thing that Coach always talks about.”
The Cornhuskers took advantage of that trend and notched another touchdown with 2:46 left in the half. Aside from Ashton McShane returning a blocked Nebraska point-after-try, the Cornhuskers were rolling going into the second half, ahead 13–2 despite a number of quality opportunities for the Eagles.
“At halftime, we had the time of possession, we had the yardage, but we didn’t have the score,” O’Brien said. “So it’s just a combination of things.”
Down a number of offensive linemen, due to both injuries and opt-outs, BC’s inexperience in the trenches showed, particularly with Dwayne Allick snapping the ball at center. Even with the Eagles receiving the ball to start the third quarter, that inexperience culminated in a three-and-out, a lost fumble, and a turnover on downs to begin the half—enough for Nebraska to take a 20–2 lead into the fourth quarter.
“Today could have got really ugly,” O’Brien said. “Really could’ve, because Nebraska—they did a good job.”
With the clock seemingly running out on the Eagles and slipping into single digits, BC finally found some juice. Spurred by a 21-yard connection between James and Lewis Bond, Turbo Richard found paydirt with 6:11 left to play in the game.
Just seven plays later, BC added another score, after Victor Nelson blocked a Nebraska punt to set up a two-yard Jordan McDonald touchdown.
With under five minutes in regulation, the Eagles were one stop away from a potential game-winning drive.
“It’s college football—a lot can happen,” James said. “You’re just taking it one play at a time—things start going our way and got things rolling.”
Raiola had other ideas. Entering the Pinstripe Bowl, Raiola was coming off an unsteady performance in the Cornhuskers’ Nov. 29 loss to Iowa, in which he fumbled on his final drive to hand the game to the Hawkeyes.
In his last drive at Yankee Stadium, however, Raiola did just enough to stave off the surging Eagles. This time, Raiola finished off his final drive with three kneel-downs to clinch BC’s defeat.
“We just couldn’t get it done in the end,” said James, who, even behind a makeshift offensive line, piled up 301 yards—aided by Bond’s 99 yards on seven catches.
Despite the sour finish to the season, O’Brien holds optimism about BC’s future.
“It’s not great to go out on the losing end in the last game of the season, but I do think there’s a bright future,” O’Brien said. “I really enjoy the job, and I think there’s a lot of good players in that locker room coming back for 2025. ”
He wasn’t alone in that sentiment.
“Potential can be a dangerous word,” James said. “But I like where this team looks like we’re going.”
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