Familiar foes with second-year head coaches will try to conclude disappointing seasons on a winning note as Boston College and host Syracuse clash on Saturday.
One team’s long skid will be broken in the season finale. Boston College (1-10, 0-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) has lost 10 straight and looks to avoid finishing winless against FBS competition, while Syracuse (3-8, 1-6) is out to break a seven-game slide.
“This is a big game for us, a big game for them,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “It’s a much-needed game for both organizations going into the offseason.”
The Orange took a 70-7 loss at then-No. 9 Notre Dame last Saturday, allowing three defensive and special-teams touchdowns while falling behind 35-0 in the first quarter. It was one of six games Syracuse played this season against six teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Brown tabbed freshman walk-on quarterback Joseph Filardi for just his second career start against the Fighting Irish. He threw for 83 yards and three interceptions and also rushed for 33 yards, including the only Orange touchdown.
“We just told Joe to go out here and still play, a little competition, and I think there’s one other guy (true freshman Rich Belin) that’s healthy enough to get an opportunity,” said Brown, who has played four signal-callers and 22 first-time starters overall this season.
Boston College has been idle since a 36-34 home loss to then-No. 16 Georgia Tech on Nov. 15. Coach Bill O’Brien’s team racked up 537 yards and held a fourth-quarter lead before falling just short.
In one final game, the Eagles will look to show the fight they have shown all season.
“That’s been the one thing about this team that I’ll never forget,” O’Brien said. “Nobody wants to be where they are record-wise, but at the end of the day, these guys have fought very hard in every single game.”
Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan started at quarterback against the Yellow Jackets and will again this Saturday.
Against Georgia Tech, Lonergan passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Reed Harris and Lewis Bond — the latter who is the program’s new single-season and career receptions leader — became the first pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game for Boston College since 1993.
“He made a lot of great throws, he anticipated well, he took off a couple times which helped us a lot,” O’Brien said of Lonergan. “We just tried to keep getting better every single day. He works very hard.”
