Boston College Athletics
October 21, 2026 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Mason McKenzie's deep pass to Landon Wright illustrated another dimension of BC's offense against Pitt.
Saturday's 27-21 win over Pittsburgh offered a view in how the Boston College football program previously sought breakout performances. The Eagles trailed by nine before much of the afternoon audience settled into its college football Saturday, so the ability to run past the Panthers after falling behind an opponent previously ranked in the national polls illustrated the mental fortitude from a team that built its improvements over the previous six weeks.
The Eagles weren't perfect - the explosive play and blocked punt to start the game very clearly said otherwise - so staging the comeback required the team to identify its points of emphasis over a 60-minute contest. BC relied on their practices and preparation in ways that broke through Pitt's overall scheme, and the fluidity and intelligence offered a blueprint for their success for the remainder of the 2026 season.
"I think any time that you come off of a win, that's obviously good," said head coach Bill O'Brien during Tuesday's session with the media. "The trick is to keep it going. I thought these guys showed up ready to go again on Sunday, and they had a good practice. We have to put one together [on Wednesday], one day at a time."
Pitt's base 4-3 defense built a unique scheme into the simplicity that translated into success ahead of Saturday's loss to BC. It was second in the ACC in rushing defense and third in both scoring defense and total defense after holding five of its first six opponents below 100 rushing yards, and four teams rushed for less than 50 yards against its uncomplicated aggression.
Even in the prior week's loss, Pitt held North Carolina to less than one yard per rush, and the Panthers used the point of attack to limit the Tar Heels to 13 first downs and three third down conversions - none in the fourth quarter - because the obvious passing downs led to a base rush against man-to-man coverage by a defensive backfield with seven players with at least one interception.
Stopping it from breaking the game open in the first few minutes therefore required the Eagles to understand and identify the direction of the oncoming rush. Shifts and stunts weren't as prevalent as a complex and confusing scheme with five defensive backs and multiple safeties, so Mason McKenzie's job with his offensive line aligned with identifying if the linebackers intended to split gaps or fade back into coverage.
"It's a very downhill attacking defense," said O'Brien after Saturday's game. "The pressures look the same as normal downs, so you have to try to get as much information as possible before the snap. I thought, for the most part, we did a decent job of that, but they got us a few times, too, especially early in the game. We allowed a tackle-for-loss. We allowed a sack. It looked like it was going to be a long day early on, and I thought that our guys, over the course of the game, understood what they were trying to do and were able to block it a little bit better."
Landon Wright's 69-yard touchdown catch therefore offered a prime example of everything coming together for an explosive and game-breaking play. Right from the pre-snap read, McKenzie ran a play action to running back Mekhi Dodd as a way to freeze linebacker Jeremiah Marcelin in a position to make a block, and tight end Zeke Moore bumped edge rusher Isaiah Neal before pulling Braylan Lovelace into a lower spot.Â
Alex Sanford was ultimately left in an empty spot to cover underneath, and Javarius Green's inside-out route towards the sidelines kept safety Cruce Brookins in a lower spot, away from the downfield crossing route that would have pitted Wright against over-the-top help. Defensive back Raion Strader, meanwhile, stopped his own downfield coverage when Green peeled away from Brookins, leaving Cole Woodson in single coverage against a speedier receiver.Â
One desperation tackle attempt later, Wright was 69 yards into the end zone for a massive score.
"Seeing one deep guy, I know that I'm usually faster," said Wright, "I just need to be better with my abilities. I just had so much confidence in myself to make that play, and that was really it."
There's no way of knowing if McKenzie utilized Wright as a primary option because BC's execution opened the door for several different checkdowns. The play action zone read might have been a run, Dodd might have released into a receiving spot, Moore might have found himself open, and Green might have moved to the sideline for a first down. None of that's for sure or certain, but its mere existence offers proof of the progress within the Eagles' overall mentality and offensive cohesion.
"We got the win," said McKenzie during Tuesday's media availability, "and that's what matters. We went into the game plan that we were going to try to take advantage of Pitt's defense, just take advantage of those one-on-one matchups with the safeties, with Landon [Wright] and the other receivers, and they did a great job of going and winning the one-on-one battles. When they didn't necessarily win, we'd throw it up and get a couple of [pass interference calls] as well. So I think that the receivers did a great job of executing the game plan, and the line did a great job of protection as well."
BC returns to the gridiron on Saturday when the Eagles travel to Georgia Tech to play the Yellow Jackets. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ACC Network.
The Eagles weren't perfect - the explosive play and blocked punt to start the game very clearly said otherwise - so staging the comeback required the team to identify its points of emphasis over a 60-minute contest. BC relied on their practices and preparation in ways that broke through Pitt's overall scheme, and the fluidity and intelligence offered a blueprint for their success for the remainder of the 2026 season.
"I think any time that you come off of a win, that's obviously good," said head coach Bill O'Brien during Tuesday's session with the media. "The trick is to keep it going. I thought these guys showed up ready to go again on Sunday, and they had a good practice. We have to put one together [on Wednesday], one day at a time."
Pitt's base 4-3 defense built a unique scheme into the simplicity that translated into success ahead of Saturday's loss to BC. It was second in the ACC in rushing defense and third in both scoring defense and total defense after holding five of its first six opponents below 100 rushing yards, and four teams rushed for less than 50 yards against its uncomplicated aggression.
Even in the prior week's loss, Pitt held North Carolina to less than one yard per rush, and the Panthers used the point of attack to limit the Tar Heels to 13 first downs and three third down conversions - none in the fourth quarter - because the obvious passing downs led to a base rush against man-to-man coverage by a defensive backfield with seven players with at least one interception.
Stopping it from breaking the game open in the first few minutes therefore required the Eagles to understand and identify the direction of the oncoming rush. Shifts and stunts weren't as prevalent as a complex and confusing scheme with five defensive backs and multiple safeties, so Mason McKenzie's job with his offensive line aligned with identifying if the linebackers intended to split gaps or fade back into coverage.
"It's a very downhill attacking defense," said O'Brien after Saturday's game. "The pressures look the same as normal downs, so you have to try to get as much information as possible before the snap. I thought, for the most part, we did a decent job of that, but they got us a few times, too, especially early in the game. We allowed a tackle-for-loss. We allowed a sack. It looked like it was going to be a long day early on, and I thought that our guys, over the course of the game, understood what they were trying to do and were able to block it a little bit better."
Landon Wright's 69-yard touchdown catch therefore offered a prime example of everything coming together for an explosive and game-breaking play. Right from the pre-snap read, McKenzie ran a play action to running back Mekhi Dodd as a way to freeze linebacker Jeremiah Marcelin in a position to make a block, and tight end Zeke Moore bumped edge rusher Isaiah Neal before pulling Braylan Lovelace into a lower spot.Â
Alex Sanford was ultimately left in an empty spot to cover underneath, and Javarius Green's inside-out route towards the sidelines kept safety Cruce Brookins in a lower spot, away from the downfield crossing route that would have pitted Wright against over-the-top help. Defensive back Raion Strader, meanwhile, stopped his own downfield coverage when Green peeled away from Brookins, leaving Cole Woodson in single coverage against a speedier receiver.Â
One desperation tackle attempt later, Wright was 69 yards into the end zone for a massive score.
"Seeing one deep guy, I know that I'm usually faster," said Wright, "I just need to be better with my abilities. I just had so much confidence in myself to make that play, and that was really it."
There's no way of knowing if McKenzie utilized Wright as a primary option because BC's execution opened the door for several different checkdowns. The play action zone read might have been a run, Dodd might have released into a receiving spot, Moore might have found himself open, and Green might have moved to the sideline for a first down. None of that's for sure or certain, but its mere existence offers proof of the progress within the Eagles' overall mentality and offensive cohesion.
"We got the win," said McKenzie during Tuesday's media availability, "and that's what matters. We went into the game plan that we were going to try to take advantage of Pitt's defense, just take advantage of those one-on-one matchups with the safeties, with Landon [Wright] and the other receivers, and they did a great job of going and winning the one-on-one battles. When they didn't necessarily win, we'd throw it up and get a couple of [pass interference calls] as well. So I think that the receivers did a great job of executing the game plan, and the line did a great job of protection as well."
BC returns to the gridiron on Saturday when the Eagles travel to Georgia Tech to play the Yellow Jackets. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ACC Network.
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