# 2024 Boston College Eagles football team
The 2024 [Boston College Eagles football](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-college-eagles-football) team represented [Boston College](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-college) in the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, finishing 7-6 overall and 4-4 in [Atlantic Coast Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-coast-conference) (ACC) play under first-year head coach Bill O'Brien and losing the Pinstripe Bowl to Nebraska, 20-15.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/2024.html) • [2](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/12/28/football-pinstripe-bowl-recap)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 7-6 overall (.538), 4-4 in ACC play (.500)[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/2024.html) |
| Head coach | Bill O'Brien, the 37th head coach in Boston College history, hired February 9, 2024; 7-6 in his first season[3](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/2/9/boston-college-names-bill-o-brien-head-football-coach) • [4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/index.html) |
| Signature win | 28-13 at then-No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, September 2, 2024[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Bowl game | Lost the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl 15-20 to Nebraska, December 28, 2024, at Yankee Stadium[2](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/12/28/football-pinstripe-bowl-recap) |
| Scoring | 366 points scored (28.2 per game) against 309 allowed (23.8 per game)[6](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/stats/2024) |
| Venue splits | 6-1 at home, 1-4 on the road, 0-1 in neutral-site games[7](https://www.warrennolan.com/fbs/2024/team-advanced?team=Boston-College) |
| Highest ranking | No. 24 in the AP Poll during the season[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/index.html) |
## Coaching change
Bill O'Brien, a former head coach of the [Houston Texans](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-texans) and Penn State who spent the 2023 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots), was announced as the Gregory P. Barber '69 and Family Head Coach on February 9, 2024, and was introduced on February 15.[3](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/2/9/boston-college-names-bill-o-brien-head-football-coach) His 2024 staff included Will Lawing as offensive coordinator and [Tim Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-lewis) as defensive coordinator.[8](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/roster/2024)
## Season summary
**A ranked road upset to open.** The Eagles opened on [Labor Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/labor-day), September 2, with a 28-13 win at then-No. 10 Florida State in Tallahassee, a result that put Boston College in the AP Top 25 at No. 24.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) • [4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/index.html) After a 56-0 home win over Duquesne, the Eagles lost a close game at then-No. 6 Missouri, 27-21, on September 14.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) Home wins over Michigan State (23-19 in the Red Bandanna Game) and Western Kentucky (21-20) carried the team to a 4-1 start.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024)
**Midseason slide.** ACC play turned the season: losses to Virginia (24-14), [Virginia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-tech) (42-21), and Louisville (31-27) dropped the Eagles to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference by late October.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) A 38-28 loss at then-No. 14 SMU on November 16 left the team at 5-5 and needing a win to reach bowl eligibility.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024)
**Strong close.** Boston College won its final three regular-season games, beating Syracuse 37-31, North Carolina 41-21, and [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) 34-23, all at Alumni Stadium, to finish 7-5 and 4-4 in the ACC.[5](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) In the final ACC standings the Eagles' 4-4 conference record placed them mid-table in a league won by Clemson at 7-1.[9](https://theacc.com/standings.aspx?standings=114)
## Pinstripe Bowl
The Eagles accepted a bid to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl and faced Nebraska of the Big Ten at [Yankee Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/yankee-stadium) in the Bronx on December 28, 2024. Boston College lost, 20-15, closing the season at 7-6.[2](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/12/28/football-pinstripe-bowl-recap) • [10](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/2024-schedule.html) The loss left the program's all-time bowl record at 15-14 in 29 appearances.[11](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/bowls.html)
## Team statistics
Boston College outscored opponents 366 to 309 across 13 games, averaging 28.2 points per game on offense while allowing 23.8.[6](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/stats/2024) • [7](https://www.warrennolan.com/fbs/2024/team-advanced?team=Boston-College) The running game produced 2,163 rushing yards at 4.1 yards per attempt with 24 touchdowns, and the passing attack totaled 2,591 yards with 24 touchdowns against 7 interceptions.[6](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/stats/2024)
The quarterback job was shared. Thomas Castellanos played 8 games, completing 61.49 percent of his passes for 1,366 yards and 18 touchdowns with 5 interceptions, while [Grayson James](https://www.edgepedia.org/grayson-james) played 6 games and threw for 1,202 yards and 6 touchdowns with 2 interceptions.[6](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/stats/2024) Defensively, senior Donovan Ezeiruaku led the nation in sacks at 1.38 per game, and his 16.5 sacks tied the Boston College single-season record while leading all FBS players in the regular season.[12](https://bceagles.com/documents/download/2025/11/24/GAME_12_BC_NOTES_112425.pdf)
## References
1. [2024 Boston College Eagles Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/2024.html)
2. [Eagles' Second Half Rally Falls Just Short in Pinstripe Bowl, Boston College Athletics](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/12/28/football-pinstripe-bowl-recap)
3. [Boston College Names Bill O'Brien Head Football Coach, Boston College Athletics](https://bceagles.com/news/2024/2/9/boston-college-names-bill-o-brien-head-football-coach)
4. [Boston College Eagles College Football History, Stats, Records, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/index.html)
5. [2024 Football Schedule, Boston College Athletics](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/schedule/2024)
6. [2024 Football Cumulative Statistics, Boston College Athletics](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/stats/2024)
7. [Boston College Football Advanced Stats, WarrenNolan.com](https://www.warrennolan.com/fbs/2024/team-advanced?team=Boston-College)
8. [2024 Football Roster, Boston College Athletics](https://bceagles.com/sports/football/roster/2024)
9. [2024 Football Standings, Atlantic Coast Conference](https://theacc.com/standings.aspx?standings=114)
10. [2024 Boston College Eagles Schedule and Results, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/2024-schedule.html)
11. [Boston College Eagles Bowls, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/boston-college/bowls.html)
12. [Bill O'Brien game notes, Boston College Athletics (2025)](https://bceagles.com/documents/download/2025/11/24/GAME_12_BC_NOTES_112425.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license