CHESTNUT HILL — Connection. Love. Execution.
Those were the locker room’s defining points of the rally Boston College used Saturday afternoon, overcoming a 12-point deficit from the game’s forgettable opening seven minutes and doing enough on both sides of the ball to earn a 27-21 win over ACC foe Pittsburgh at Alumni Stadium.
The Eagles, now at 3-3 and 1-2 in the ACC, have already eclipsed their 2025 win total this season.
BC quarterback Mason McKenzie had a career-high 295 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the way, pairing with a defensive effort that didn’t allow a touchdown to the Panthers (5-2, 2-2 ACC) after they tossed a 75-yard scoring strike on the game’s opening play in the woeful start.
That turnaround included forcing three turnovers after Pitt took a 12-0 lead with a touchdown, safety and field goal in the first quarter.
“On the sideline, I kept telling everyone ‘We’re good, we’re good,’” said redshirt-junior safety Carter Davis. “It was like the first 30 seconds of the game. Thirty seconds don’t define who we are. I’m proud of the team for (turning it around) because in the past, that’s a game most likely we get blown out.”
The Eagles certainly didn’t want to come out of their bye week the way they did in the first quarter.
Panthers true freshman Corey Dailey got the nod for his first start two games after first-string quarterback Mason Heintschel tore his ACL in a win over Virginia Tech. And Dailey made his mark immediately with the long heave to a wide-open Cataurus Hicks (5 catches, 135 yards) for a 7-0 lead just 18 seconds in.
BC answered with a three-and-out turned worse when its punt was blocked and an illegal bat through the end zone made it 9-0 on the safety.
Pitt’s Damon Ferguson (119 rushing yards) sliced through the Eagles defense on the next drive until it got to the red zone and was forced to a field goal for a 12-0 lead only 7:02 into play.
“The guys did a really good job of being resilient,” BC head coach Bill O’Brien said. “We didn’t start well at all. First play was a touchdown, then the blocked punt, safety. But you know, these guys are tough, they’re resilient. They hung in there.”
Forcing that field goal proved critical as a spark plug for the turnaround, immediately giving the Eagles momentum it used to drive 75 yards on 14 plays and cut the deficit to 12-7 on Bo MacCormack’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the opening quarter.
Pitt went 0-for-3 converting for touchdowns in the red zone in total, and were forced to another field goal after reaching the Eagles’ 21-yard-line on a separate drive. Panthers kicker Antonio Chadha (4-for-4 on field goals) had a busy day despite Pitt’s 392 total yards.
“I think (red zone defense) was a big part of the game, a huge part of the game,” O’Brien said. “It was definitely bend but don’t break, which we’re not really like that, (defensive coordinator) Ted (Roof) is a very attacking defensive coordinator. But that was just the way it worked out, and then when they got closer, we were able to hold them to field goals. It was huge.”
Davis (11 tackles, forced fumble), senior KP Price (10 tackles, interception) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Anthony Palano (eight tackles, split sack) led BC’s defense and forced Pitt to 2-of-10 on third down. Redshirt sophomore Charlie Comella added an interception, and redshirt sophomore Demetrius Ballard had five tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
“It was a great team effort,” Davis said. “We honed in on the details today. Just doing our job, making the plays that we’re all supposed to make.”
Grit and tenacity shone through whenever BC needed it most, and McKenzie led in that way for the offense despite a couple of mistakes.
The 14-play drive BC used to get on the board had two third-down conversions he passed for, as well as a fourth-and-8 conversion before MacCormack ran in a third-and-goal touchdown at the goal line. McKenzie followed with a rough interception in the Pitt red zone on the next drive, but later linked with Javarius Green for an 11-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half to give the Eagles a 14-12 halftime lead.
His first pass in the third quarter was a 69-yard heave to Landon Wright to make it 21-12. And after Pitt clawed to 21-18 right before the end of the frame, McKenzie took a massive hit as he released the ball for a 53-yard connection to Wright to get the Eagles to the 1-yard- ine.
Evan Dickens (58 rushing yards, TD) was nearly stuffed at the goal line on the ensuing carry, but McKenzie bulldozed into Dickens’ back to push him across for the 27-18 lead.
“He’s one of the toughest players I’ve coached,” O’Brien said of McKenzie. “That’s saying a lot because I’ve coached a lot of tough players. He’s competitive, he has a tremendous will to win, he’s the same guy every day. … He really wants to be a part of a winning culture here and he’s going to do whatever it takes.
“I wouldn’t want any other quarterback. He does an unbelievable job for us.”
Connecting on the deep ball was crucial in moving the chains for BC. Johnathan Montague Jr. (three catches, 54 yards) and Green (five catches, 60 yards) were big targets for McKenzie, but Wright broke out with his speed.
“Just seeing one deep guy, I know I’m faster … I just have so much confidence in myself that I’ll make the play,” Wright said. “I’m just (using) my God-given ability to run it. … I’m just (feeling) blessed. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. I knew when I got this opportunity, I was going to take it.”
“(Wright) is an explosive player,” O’Brien added. “We’ve been trying to do that with him. … He’s a great guy to coach. Awesome energy.”
Dickens left the game late, helped off without being able to put weight on his leg.
The Eagles were still able to convert on their last drive to kneel out a win, after the defense made one final stand against Pitt with a chance to take the lead in the last two minutes.