Instant Analysis: UConn 38, Boston College 23

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College football suffered a loss to the UConn Huskies 38-23 on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium for the team’s homecoming game. 

Eagles quarterback Grayson James got the nod to start the contest over Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan. James started five out of his six games played in 2024, but lost the starting job to Lonergan during training camp. 

James had a solid outing in his first start and third appearance of the year. The redshirt senior went 16-of-28 for 204 yards, two touchdowns, and 141.9 passer rating. 

Boston College’s running game also improved from previous games. The unit was led by running back Jordan McDonald, who amassed 123 yards on 14 carries and averaged 5.1 yards per run. 

James ran for 26 yards on 17 carries while running back Turbo Richard notched six attempts for 25 yards, and running back Bo MacCormack III had two carries for 17 yards. 

Although no touchdowns came from the ground game, the Eagles run game totaled 191 yards, a season-high, and nearly the same as the passing game which had 204. 

Boston College’s pair of touchdowns came from the passing game, the first a nine-yard catch by Kaelan Chudzinski in the second quarter and the other a 39-yard catch by wide receiver Reed Harris. 

Kicker Luca Lombardo had three good field goals, a 47-yarder and 22-yarder in the first and a 25-yarder in the fourth. 

The performance keeps Lombardo perfect on the year as he has gone 10-of-10 in field goals and 22-of-22 in extra points. 

Boston College’s struggles did not come from the offensive side of the ball. The Eagles’ defense, which is already lacking depth due to injuries and unavailable players, could not get a UConn stop and left receivers wide open which resulted in multiple of UConn’s touchdowns. 

In total, the defense allowed 455 total yards, 21 first downs, 58 total plays, 7.8 yards per play, and let the Huskies go a perfect 3-for-3 in red zone attempts. 

With the loss, Boston College falls to 1-6 on the year and remains winless (0-4) in ACC play. 

The Eagles will attempt to bounce back next weekend, but that will pose an even bigger challenge as they head to Louisville, Ky., to face the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. 

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