Boston College Athletics
The Replay: Maine
September 20, 2026 | Football, #ForBoston Files
The Eagles advanced to 2-1 by defeating Maine on Saturday.
Boston College entered Saturday's game understanding that a stark size advantage and power-conference affiliation would not guarantee a victory over an FCS-level Maine team. Throughout the week, head coach Bill O'Brien stressed as much, and the importance of focusing solely on the Black Bears was echoed by players who believed in the Black Bears and their ability to fight for every inch, every yard, and every possession.
None of that stopped BC from carrying forward the moment from last week's win over Rutgers, and indeed, the 7-0 start quickly gave the Eagles an upperhand reminiscent of their previous wins over lower division opponents. An opening kickoff turnover set up a later three-play drive that was capped by a 39-yard touchdown run, and gashing the Black Bears through the point of attack later turned an interception into a short field, which in turn led to Maine committing an intentional grounding penalty in its end zone for a 9-0 score.
For the next three-plus quarters, the upstart Maine team found cracks in BC's scheme by punching back whenever the Eagles threatened to pull away. Turnovers and self-inflicted issues emerged, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Boston College finally turned those earlier advantages into a 22-16 victory, a result that set a tone steeped in both positives and negatives for a season that's still very much in its infancy - and, most importantly, features the Eagles holding an all-important 2-1 record.
"There are some things that we have to do a better job," said head coach Bill O'Brien. "We had a lot of missed opportunities. We had the ball inside of the 10-yard line - probably four or five times, and we didn't do a good job executing down there. We probably need to design some better plays, [but] it's a win. It's a win. I've been doing this a long time, and you can never take winning for granted. There are always things to build on, but I was proud of these guys."
Maine entered Saturday's game with a three-game scheme built predominantly around running Rashawn Marshall, so the switch to a nuanced offense centered around quarterback Eddie Buehler caught BC's defense off-guard after the Eagles attempted to get down and fast at the point of attack. He rarely attempted downfield passes and never looked for an intermediate option while instead rolling short passes to the middle and right for a combined 10-for-13 for 79 yards and a touchdown.
It sounded simple, but the right-handed quarterback opened his body and used Nick Laughlin and Evan Wallace for 12 catches and 88 yards with two touchdowns to Laughlin, a flexible back that was largely underutilized in the previous two games against Appalachian State and Merrimack. BC, in turn, attempted to force him left, an adjustment that forced an interception to KP Price as the Black Bears emerged from their own red zone and deep territory.
"There was just a lot of preparation," said Price, who earlier claimed a tip-drill type of pick on Buehler's second offensive drive. "All we do is watch film throughout the week before practice and after practice, so it was big to watch the double-slants. We called out plays and knew formations. As far as adjustments, we would go to the sideline and see what we needed to tighten up, and we saw whatever we were doing - good or bad - and just tightened it up."
The Eagles gained a first down in deep plus territory when Mason McKenzie completed a catch-and-run to Zeke Moore for 37 yards. A second pass to Johnathan Montague moved BC within Maine's 10-yard line on consecutive plays, but a stuffed run and a pair of short incompletions forced a Luca Lombardo field goal that stymied a potential 23-3 lead into a more manageable 16-point deficit.
Maine would later score before the end of the second quarter to cut the halftime deficit to nine points with nine minutes of possession in the second quarter.
"It wasn't the design at all," admitted Montague. "We had to go out there and finish, and we're going to continue to try and do that. We have to continue to keep getting better, and I think when we get into those red zone situations, we'll tough it out and finish [scores] next time."
Such was the situation centering on BC's Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium. The clear advantage from 186 yards rushing felt like missed opportunities because it only managed one early - and explosive - 39-yard touchdown, and pairing the ground game with a passing game that went 5-for-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter flattened when McKenzie went 4-for-10 in the second quarterback before attempting just two passes in the third.Â
"I think our pass protection from the offensive line has been decent since Cincinnati," said O'Brien. "So with Rutgers and this game, it's been the running game, and that starts with me. We have to see what we're doing in the running game and really take a look at it. A lot of those guys, it's the first time that they're playing together. They've only played together for three games, and there should be improvement moving into the ACC schedule."
On the other sideline, Buehler went 22-for-32 for 201 yards with two touchdowns while throwing two interceptions while the running game mustered little more than 69 yards and a two-yard per-carry average. Maine won the time of possession battle while going 7-for-15 on third downs, but a pair of fumbles - including one on the opening kickoff in the first quarter - beset five straight scoreless drives to start the game, the third of which ended in the first BC safety since a third quarter score in the 2024 win over Syracuse.
"Props to Maine," said Price, "but we wanted it more. It was a good one, but there are more opportunities to get a third [win] this season. We have a lot more to go, so we can't take [winning] for granted."
Boston College returns to the field on Saturday, September 26, when the Eagles host Virginia Tech in their ACC opener. Kickoff is slotted for 12 p.m on the ACC Network.
None of that stopped BC from carrying forward the moment from last week's win over Rutgers, and indeed, the 7-0 start quickly gave the Eagles an upperhand reminiscent of their previous wins over lower division opponents. An opening kickoff turnover set up a later three-play drive that was capped by a 39-yard touchdown run, and gashing the Black Bears through the point of attack later turned an interception into a short field, which in turn led to Maine committing an intentional grounding penalty in its end zone for a 9-0 score.
For the next three-plus quarters, the upstart Maine team found cracks in BC's scheme by punching back whenever the Eagles threatened to pull away. Turnovers and self-inflicted issues emerged, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Boston College finally turned those earlier advantages into a 22-16 victory, a result that set a tone steeped in both positives and negatives for a season that's still very much in its infancy - and, most importantly, features the Eagles holding an all-important 2-1 record.
"There are some things that we have to do a better job," said head coach Bill O'Brien. "We had a lot of missed opportunities. We had the ball inside of the 10-yard line - probably four or five times, and we didn't do a good job executing down there. We probably need to design some better plays, [but] it's a win. It's a win. I've been doing this a long time, and you can never take winning for granted. There are always things to build on, but I was proud of these guys."
Maine entered Saturday's game with a three-game scheme built predominantly around running Rashawn Marshall, so the switch to a nuanced offense centered around quarterback Eddie Buehler caught BC's defense off-guard after the Eagles attempted to get down and fast at the point of attack. He rarely attempted downfield passes and never looked for an intermediate option while instead rolling short passes to the middle and right for a combined 10-for-13 for 79 yards and a touchdown.
It sounded simple, but the right-handed quarterback opened his body and used Nick Laughlin and Evan Wallace for 12 catches and 88 yards with two touchdowns to Laughlin, a flexible back that was largely underutilized in the previous two games against Appalachian State and Merrimack. BC, in turn, attempted to force him left, an adjustment that forced an interception to KP Price as the Black Bears emerged from their own red zone and deep territory.
"There was just a lot of preparation," said Price, who earlier claimed a tip-drill type of pick on Buehler's second offensive drive. "All we do is watch film throughout the week before practice and after practice, so it was big to watch the double-slants. We called out plays and knew formations. As far as adjustments, we would go to the sideline and see what we needed to tighten up, and we saw whatever we were doing - good or bad - and just tightened it up."
The Eagles gained a first down in deep plus territory when Mason McKenzie completed a catch-and-run to Zeke Moore for 37 yards. A second pass to Johnathan Montague moved BC within Maine's 10-yard line on consecutive plays, but a stuffed run and a pair of short incompletions forced a Luca Lombardo field goal that stymied a potential 23-3 lead into a more manageable 16-point deficit.
Maine would later score before the end of the second quarter to cut the halftime deficit to nine points with nine minutes of possession in the second quarter.
"It wasn't the design at all," admitted Montague. "We had to go out there and finish, and we're going to continue to try and do that. We have to continue to keep getting better, and I think when we get into those red zone situations, we'll tough it out and finish [scores] next time."
Such was the situation centering on BC's Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium. The clear advantage from 186 yards rushing felt like missed opportunities because it only managed one early - and explosive - 39-yard touchdown, and pairing the ground game with a passing game that went 5-for-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter flattened when McKenzie went 4-for-10 in the second quarterback before attempting just two passes in the third.Â
"I think our pass protection from the offensive line has been decent since Cincinnati," said O'Brien. "So with Rutgers and this game, it's been the running game, and that starts with me. We have to see what we're doing in the running game and really take a look at it. A lot of those guys, it's the first time that they're playing together. They've only played together for three games, and there should be improvement moving into the ACC schedule."
On the other sideline, Buehler went 22-for-32 for 201 yards with two touchdowns while throwing two interceptions while the running game mustered little more than 69 yards and a two-yard per-carry average. Maine won the time of possession battle while going 7-for-15 on third downs, but a pair of fumbles - including one on the opening kickoff in the first quarter - beset five straight scoreless drives to start the game, the third of which ended in the first BC safety since a third quarter score in the 2024 win over Syracuse.
"Props to Maine," said Price, "but we wanted it more. It was a good one, but there are more opportunities to get a third [win] this season. We have a lot more to go, so we can't take [winning] for granted."
Boston College returns to the field on Saturday, September 26, when the Eagles host Virginia Tech in their ACC opener. Kickoff is slotted for 12 p.m on the ACC Network.
Players Mentioned
Saturday, September 26
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