Football teams rarely go for it on 4th-and-11. Especially in the first quarter when they’re in the lead, and nothing—absolutely nothing—is on the line.
Pittsburgh had the ball on Boston College football’s 38-yard line with two minutes left in the opening frame of Saturday’s ACC matchup. Due to penalties, Pitt had just crawled back from a 1st-and-35 situation, managing to parse it down to 4th-and-11.
With 11 yards needed to avoid turning the ball over on downs and giving BC excellent field position, the Panthers went for it—an irrational decision in most situations.
But Pitt’s (2–2, 1–1 Atlantic Coast) confidence—apparent from the very first drive of the game—paid off. The Eagles (1–4, 0–3) suffered their fourth straight defeat and first blowout loss of the season as the Panthers beat them 48–7.
BC has not beaten an FBS opponent or won a road game this season.
“We’re going to continue to work as hard as we can,” BC head coach Bill O’Brien said. “Look, I get it. There’s no excuses. I hope I’m making myself clear. You can put it out there—I’ve got to do a better job.”
The Eagles started the second quarter with the ball, attempting to piece together a drive after going down 10–0 early on.
Dylan Lonergan sent the ball to tight end Jeremiah Franklin, who broke a tackle and continued upfield, trying to get his team a few additional yards. BC probably would have preferred possession to that extra yardage, though.
What could have been a 32-yard gain turned into a loss of possession for BC, as Kyle Louis forced a fumble and scooped up the ball, stripping the Eagles of one of their few high points in a first half riddled with dropped balls, inaccurate throws, and an entirely nonexistent run game.
“I thought the offensive game plan was terrible,” O’Brien said. “Give Pitt a lot of credit. I’ve got to do a better job with the offensive game plan. I’ve got to—like I said—I’ve got to coach better. I’ve got to gameplan better. I’ve got to get the players and the coaches to coach and play better. That’s on me.”
Nothing improved for the Eagles as the game progressed.
Pitt only punted twice, scoring six touchdowns while its defense shut down BC time and time again.
After Franklin’s fumble, BC committed two more turnovers. Lonergan fumbled the ball in the third quarter, leading to a Pitt touchdown.
After that, O’Brien sent in Grayson James, who Lonergan beat out for the starting quarterback role back in August. James proceeded to throw an interception that resulted in another seven points for the Panthers.
While BC’s quarterbacks failed at every corner, freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel shined for the Panthers. He was named the starter on Saturday morning, as Pittsburgh benched Eli Holstein after he threw two interceptions last week in a loss to Louisville.
“They had a good game plan for [Heintschel],” O’Brien said. “He’s a good runner. He was poised—he got it out quick.”
Heintschel looked calm and collected. Part of that was a lack of pressure from the defense, as BC failed to compensate for injuries to its defensive unit.
To be fair, the injury list was extensive—Daveon Crouch, Amari Jackson, Quintayvious Hutchins, Sterling Sanders, Kwan Williams, Bryce Steele, Jaylen Blackwell, Palaie Faoa, Syair Torrence, and Marcelous Townsend were all listed out.
“The next guy’s gotta step up—injuries are never excuses,” O’Brien said. “It’s football—the next guys have to be ready to play, and we have to get them ready to play. And we gotta make the right calls to make sure we’re taking advantage of what they do well.”
The absence of Jackson, Crouch, and Hutchins was especially devastating for the Eagles, who registered just three QB hurries and two tackles for losses.
It looked like BC had finally caught a break in the fourth quarter as Pitt muffed a punt and the Eagles got possession. But Luke McLaughlin was called for targeting, suspended from the game, and the 15-yard penalty gave the Panthers a first down. They ended that drive with a field goal.
O’Brien said after the game that he did not foresee making any changes to his staff or their individual responsibilities this season.
Freshman Shaker Reisig saw the field for his first time as an Eagle in the fourth quarter. He completed a few zippy passes to Kaelan Chudzinski—the last for a touchdown—leading BC on its only scoring drive of the afternoon.
“I take full responsibility for what happened on that field,” O’Brien said.
