Boston College (3-3, 1-2 ACC) at Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2 ACC). Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, Atlanta, ACC Network.
Your hosts are Siobhan Dunleavy, a Boston College grad student and former debate champion who argues every play like a moot-court case, and Wendell Quist, a Georgia Tech aerospace engineer who models the trajectory of every punt.
Siobhan: All rise. Your graph paper is impressive, counselor. But I have the gavel.
Wendell: I respect the gavel, Siobhan. But the gavel obeys gravity too.
Players to watch
Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza has 1,528 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions, completing 71.2% of his passes. Wide receiver Jordan Allen has 38 catches for 432 yards. Running back Justice Haynes has 462 yards. Defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas has 32 tackles and two sacks.
Boston College quarterback Mason McKenzie is a former Division II quarterback. He has 1,262 passing yards and leads the Eagles with 444 rushing yards. Running back Evan Dickens leads with three rushing touchdowns. Linebacker Anthony Palano has 43 tackles, a sack and two interceptions. BC's pass defense ranks 18th in FBS, allowing 169.3 yards per game.
Wendell: Seventy-one percent completions. That's a very accurate launch angle.
What happened last week
Boston College beat Pittsburgh 27-21. McKenzie threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. Landon Wright caught two passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Dickens ran for 57 yards and a score.
Georgia Tech lost 34-24 at Virginia Tech. The Jackets fell behind 24-3, then cut it to seven early in the second half. Mendoza went 29 of 38 for 335 yards and two touchdowns, and Allen caught 10 passes for 120 yards.
Siobhan: Exhibit A: two catches, 122 yards. The defense rests. Well, ours doesn't.
Injuries and availability
The official ACC report for this game has not been published yet; first reports post three days before kickoff. No injury news has surfaced for either team, so check back closer to kickoff.
What the coaches are up to
Brent Key was hired at Georgia Tech on Nov. 29, 2022. The win over No. 23 Duke on Oct. 10 made the Jackets 8-1 against ranked ACC opponents under Key. His defense is the project: it allows 179.0 rushing yards per game, 110th in FBS.
Bill O'Brien became Boston College's 37th head coach on Feb. 9, 2024. He went 15-9 at Penn State and won four AFC South titles with the Houston Texans. At Alabama, he coached Heisman winner Bryce Young. O'Brien also has Georgia Tech history, so this is a homecoming of sorts for him, too.
Player storylines
McKenzie's legs against a Georgia Tech run defense ranked 110th is the clearest matchup. Mendoza against BC's 18th-ranked pass defense is the other. Two numbers to watch: BC scores on only 60% of red-zone trips, 135th in FBS. Georgia Tech is minus-4 in turnovers and averages 70.5 penalty yards per game, 117th.
Siobhan: Free yards are admissible evidence.
What's happening on campus
It's Homecoming on The Flats. Georgia Tech celebrated the 65th anniversary of the Ramblin' Reck at the Duke game. Georgia Tech has drawn nine straight crowds of more than 45,000 at Bobby Dodd, its longest such run since 2014-16. It also has six straight crowds of 50,000 or more, the longest since 1966-67. Volleyball makes it a big weekend too: Georgia Tech hosts No. 2 Pitt on Friday night and No. 5 SMU on Sunday at McCamish Pavilion.
Anything else fun and true
Georgia Tech leads the series 8-5. Last year the Jackets won 36-34 at Boston College, snapping a three-game series skid. Georgia Tech claims national titles from 1917, 1928 and 1990.
Wendell: Thirty-six to thirty-four. I've re-run that one. It still works.
Siobhan: Objection. Relevance. Court is in session Saturday.
The Cover Window
My call: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 28, Boston College Eagles 21.