Meet Your Insider
All rise, Eagles fans. Welcome to The Cover Window. I'm Siobhan Dunleavy, your Boston College insider, grad student and former debate champion. I argue every play like it's a moot-court case, and I always appoint myself the judge, which my co-hosts find wicked unfair. I travel with this team and I live with this team, with a large iced coffee in hand at all times, including January. When we win, I bang my toy gavel and announce, "Objection overruled, we WON." When we lose, I file an appeal with the Court of Iced Coffee. The court has never ruled in my favor, and I keep filing anyway. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, argued on the merits. "Objection: sustained."
The School in 60 Seconds
Boston College plays at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, listed at 44,500. Here's my opening statement: this team was supposed to finish near the bottom of the ACC, and it has shown more fight than expected, according to Georgia Tech's own beat writers. Even the other side concedes the point. We beat Rutgers, Maine and Pittsburgh, and one of our losses, to Virginia Tech, came in terrible weather. The defense rests. Actually, the defense ranks 18th in FBS against the pass. I'll get to that.
The Coach and the Scheme
Bill O'Brien was named Boston College's 37th head coach on Feb. 9, 2024. His résumé is a long exhibit list. At Penn State in 2012 and 2013 he went 15-9 and won the Bear Bryant and Maxwell Club coach of the year awards in 2012. With the Houston Texans he went 52-48 and won four AFC South titles. At Alabama, as offensive coordinator, he coached Heisman winner Bryce Young, and his 2022 Alabama offense scored 41.1 points a game, fourth nationally. In Houston his teams went 11-5 and 10-6 in back-to-back seasons. And he returns to Atlanta this week, where he coached earlier in his career. In 2026 we run on about 57% of our plays. The defense is the strong case: 328.8 yards allowed a game (42nd) and 169.3 passing yards (18th). We've forced 11 turnovers, and we're plus-1 (61st). The weak spot, I'll stipulate: the red-zone offense scores on 60.0% of trips, 135th in FBS. Wicked inefficient. Our pass rush has 13 sacks, and our blockers have allowed 16. We hold the ball 30:27 a game (56th), which is respectable, your honor.
Players to Know
QB Mason McKenzie (No. 10): a former Division II quarterback with 1,262 passing yards, 7 TD and 7 INT, plus a team-best 444 rushing yards. Against Pittsburgh he threw for 295 yards and two TDs, with two interceptions. At SMU he ran 21 times for 74 yards. The man is a dual-threat motion, and the motion carries.
RB Evan Dickens (No. 23): a team-high 3 rushing TDs, including 57 yards and a score against Pitt.
WR Landon Wright: two catches for 122 yards and a touchdown against Pitt. WR Javarius Green: 23 catches, 229 yards.
LB Anthony Palano (No. 1): 43 tackles, a sack and 2 INT.
The Conference Picture
We're 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC, 3-1 at home and 0-2 on the road. The wins: Rutgers 28-21, Maine 22-16 and Pittsburgh 27-21. The losses: at Cincinnati, Virginia Tech 21-14 and at SMU 25-16. Winning on the road is the next exhibit. We haven't done it yet. Duke is next on the road, so a win in Atlanta would make it a streak.
This Week: Boston College (3-3) at Georgia Tech (2-4)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 3:30 p.m. ET · Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta. It's homecoming for Georgia Tech. TV wasn't confirmed in the AP preview I used.
Last week: we beat Pittsburgh 27-21. Georgia Tech lost 34-24 at Virginia Tech.
Our offense vs. their defense: Georgia Tech allows 179.0 rushing yards a game (110th) and converts 43.2% of opponents' third downs (112th). McKenzie's legs are Exhibit A.
Their offense vs. our defense: QB Alberto Mendoza has 1,528 yards, 9 TD and 71.2% completions. He threw for 335 yards at Virginia Tech, and WR Jordan Allen caught 10 passes for 120 yards. Our pass defense ranks 18th. That's the trial.
Series: Georgia Tech leads 8-5. We won in 2020, 2021 and 2023, but Georgia Tech won last year 36-34.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Red-zone finishing. We're 135th, and that must change. (2) Turnovers. McKenzie has 7 interceptions, and Georgia Tech is minus-4. (3) Penalties. Georgia Tech averages 70.5 yards a game (117th). Free yards are admissible evidence.
And to Wendell Quist, Georgia Tech's insider: your graph paper is impressive, counselor. But I have the gavel.
My call: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 28, Boston College Eagles 21.