Despite an uninspiring start, O’Brien believes BC is on the cusp of breaking through. The Eagles (1-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) have lost by 2 points in double overtime to Michigan State, 10 at lowly Stanford, then 4 at home against California. They’ve watched each winnable game slip away in more disappointing fashion than the last.
“We’re right there,” O’Brien said. “We’re very close. Close isn’t good enough.”
A win at Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1) on Saturday at noon vaults the Eagles back into relevancy and gives them momentum heading into a showdown against Clemson. A loss signals their first 1-4 start since 2012 and keeps a season full of setbacks on its current course.
Seven of BC’s last 10 games were decided by 10 points or fewer. The Eagles are 1-6 in those games, including 0-3 this year, and scored just 13 combined second-half points in the three this season.
“There’s no magic pill. There’s no magic dust,” O’Brien said. “We have to watch the tape, we have to correct it.”
Here are three ways the Eagles can capitalize in the clutch:
It sounds like an oversimplification, but for this particular team, it really does often come down to avoiding a game-changing turnover.
Against Stanford, Turbo Richard fumbled on the goal line for the second time in as many games. Against California, Dylan Lonergan threw an interception in the end zone with 15 seconds remaining. Other plays have altered the trajectory, but those two loom particularly large.
O’Brien said the Eagles went back to the fundamentals with Lonergan on Sunday before shifting their focus to the Panthers. Against a potent Kyle Louis-led Pittsburgh defense that leads the ACC in sacks with 14, Lonergan will need to make quick decisions and not force passes that aren’t there to complete.
“There’s times during the game where he’s on fire,” O’Brien said. “Then there’s other times where he gets a little stuck, or maybe he misses something, like every young quarterback that has only played four games.”
BC has a tendency to try to seek balance offensively. While leaning on both the passing and run game equally would be ideal in a perfect world, the Eagles shouldn’t veer away from whatever is working against the Panthers.
They know they can’t fix what’s happened, but they can learn from it.
“It’s really being where your feet are at,” offensive lineman Logan Taylor said. “You can’t look at the future. You can’t look in the past.”
The pick-6 and fumble wounded Boston College against Stanford, but even after those miscues, it still had a chance to prevail. Then came a string of missed tackles that resulted in a 75-yard gain and a touchdown.
Last week against Cal, Boston College lost track of 6-foot-4-inch tight end Mason Mini, who torched the Eagles with a 51-yard touchdown. BC’s inability to finish its own drive that followed will stand out to fans, but the Eagles also had plenty of chances to seize command and end the game on defense.
“It’s got to start at some point,” O’Brien said of execution in the clutch. “Why not this week?”
It doesn’t get any easier against powerful Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein and elusive running back Desmond Reid. Holstein, also a player O’Brien recruited to Alabama along with Lonergan, has the second-most passing touchdowns in the conference.
Holstein, a 6-4, 225-pounder, missed last year’s 34-23 BC win. He’s racked up 300-plus passing yards twice this season but has also thrown at least one interception in each game.
One overwhelming positive for the Eagles has been the consistent play of kicker Luca Lombardo, who is 6 of 6 on field goals, including 2 for 2 on 50-plus-yarders, and 18 of 18 on extra points. If BC can find a way to shift some of those pivotal plays its way, it should continue to have faith that Lombardo will deliver.
Another weapon is freshman TJ Green, who showed flashes returning kicks against the Golden Bears. On the flip side, Pitt is second in the conference in both kickoff return and punt return yards. A special teams play one way or the other could change the complexion of this one.
Special teams captain Luke McLaughlin said he expects a gritty game. He said O’Brien told the players that Pitt is a tough team from a tough city. The Eagles pride themselves on sharing those same attributes.
“We’ve got a fight mentality,” McLaughlin said. “We’re going to fight out of this. We’re kind of backed down right now, but we’re going to fight our way out. We’re never going to give up. We’re going to keep going.”
Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.
