McKenzie Wills Eagles Past Pitt for First ACC Win

October 19, 2026 · by · in Football

By Luke Ballard

Boston College Football (3–3, 1–2 Atlantic Coast Conference) picked up its first conference win of the season Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, defeating Pittsburgh 27–21. The Panthers (5–2, 2–2 ACC) dropped their second game in a row after losing their Heisman hopeful starting quarterback Mason Heinstchel in early October. 

Dickens Walks in for a Touchdown, per @BCFootball on X

For Bill O’Brien’s squad, yesterday’s homecoming weekend victory may be turning point of the season, marking their arguably most meaningful ACC win since their 2024 win over Pitt on November 30. 

There were vast improvements made on both sides of the ball for Boston College. Most notably, BC’s third down conversion rate doubled the average from this season. Before Saturday’s contest, the Eagles ranked No. 118 in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for third down conversions, with a mere 32% average in their first five games. However, BC converted 8-of-13 third downs against Pitt, a 29.5% increase. 

Junior transfer Mason McKenzie seems to have found his stride in ACC play, throwing for a season-high 295 yards along with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Although McKenzie looked increasingly comfortable in the pocket, both interceptions are a cause for concern. With both plays occurring from inside the red zone, BC continues to struggle with red zone conversions, leaving McKenzie’s two decisions with room for improvement. 

Despite the season-high 295 yards in the air, McKenzie was held to just seven yards on the ground with eight carries, a drastic drop from the past two games where O’Brien had McKenzie run 21-plus times in both contests. However, with McKenzie in the pocket, the rest of the field opened up in ways we have not seen this season. Utilizing a variety of wide outs and running backs as targets, McKenzie willed BC to victory on Saturday. 

McKenzie’s pocket presence allowed for a multitude of BC receivers’ involvement in the passing game. Landon Wright and Javarius Green received both of McKenzie’s touchdown passes as they carved open the Panthers’ defense. Despite only two receptions, Wright totaled 122 yards receiving, while Green added 60 more on five receptions. Johnathan Montague Jr. was another outlet for McKenzie, catching three balls for 54 yards, including a crucial late-game third down conversion over the middle. 

Ranking No. 75 in pass yards per game before Saturday’s contest, BC averaged 217.8 passing yards a game through the first five games. Now, although a switch seems to have flipped for BC’s offense, BC struggled in the run game. 

Coming up against one of the best run defenses in the nation in Pitt, who held North Carolina to 20 rushing yards on 25 attempts last week, BC met a somewhat similar fate. Though the Eagles totaled 103 rushing yards, it was still well below BC’s average this season of 136.4, placing them No.82 in the FBS. 

Evan Dickens found his groove in the later parts of the game, adding 57 yards on 15 attempts and a touchdown. Backup Bo MacCormack III also added a rushing touchdown and 35 yards on 11 attempts. Pitt shut down McKenzie’s run game entirely, as the junior had his least amount of carries in a game this season, and five less than his next lowest from the Rutgers Red Bandana game. 

Ted Roof and his defensive unit looked sharp as well, led by senior captain and safety KP Price. They allowed Pitt to convert only 2-of-10 on third downs, and totaled three turnovers. Interceptions came from Price and Charlie Comella, while Marcelous Townsend recovered the lone fumble. 

The defensive line for the Eagles had a standout performance, with impressive showings from Favor Bate, Demetrius Ballard, and E’Lla Boykin. The defensive line unit was responsible for three-and-a-half tackles for losses and one sack, as they denied true freshman Corey Dailey to find his groove for Pitt in his first career start. 

Roof’s defense limited Dailey’s pass completion to 11 passes on 25 attempts and kept him relatively quiet, outside of his 75 yard touchdown on the opening play of the game. 

The Eagles have much to look forward to after this impressive performance. This weekend they will travel to Atlanta, GA, taking on ACC opponent Georgia Tech in week seven.