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Boston College seeks a more balanced offense, and other keys to its late-night football showdown at Stanford
College Sports
Boston College has largely relied on quarterback Dylan Lonergan to find success on offense to start the season.
In Bill O’Brien’s first year at Boston College, the Eagles finished with the second-most rushing attempts and fewest passing attempts in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Through two games in 2025, BC is 12th in rushes and 16th in yards per rush, compared with second in passes and first in completions and completion percentage.
The benefits of a pass-heavy attack are obvious, as the Eagles are leaning on a steady diet of Dylan Lonergan darts and moving the ball with fluidity. The next step is finding the sweet spot, where the run game complements the passing game and makes BC multidimensional and even more potent.
“We strive for balance, but we also do what we believe it takes to win the game,” O’Brien said. “In the last game, we had to throw the football to move the ball, but the running game has to improve. We go into every game wanting to be 50/50.”
The Eagles (1-1) will have an opportunity to find consistency in that area when they face Stanford on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. Yes, it’s an ACC matchup 3,122 miles across the country that will likely end at close to 2 a.m. back home.
O’Brien isn’t sure of the last time he stayed up that late, but he acknowledged it’s been a long time.
BC’s players embrace the challenge and are eager to start conference play convincingly against the Cardinal (0-2).
Here are three keys to victory for Boston College:
⋅ Lonergan to Lewis. While it’s important to not become one-dimensional, that doesn’t mean the Eagles should veer away from what’s working.
Lonergan is the second ACC quarterback this century to post eight-plus touchdown passes and no interceptions in the first two games of a season. O’Brien is largely pleased with what he’s seeing, but he made sure to put the scorching start into perspective.
“It’s only two games,” O’Brien said. “We’re not sending him quite yet to the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame. We’re not sending him to Canton just yet. But he’s off to a good start. We’re thrilled that we have him.”
Twenty-two of Lonergan’s 60 completions have gone to star receiver Lewis Bond, who leads the nation in receptions.
Bond is a master route runner who has a knack for creating separation in tight windows. He has 147 career catches, putting him on track to eclipse Zay Flowers’s school record of 200.
“Give a lot of credit to Lewis Bond,” O’Brien said. “He’s one of the best players to ever play at Boston College, no doubt about it.”
⋅ Goin’ to Owen. Senior captain Owen McGowan, a Canton native and Catholic Memorial product, has excelled in an increased role.
O’Brien credited McGowan for keeping the Eagles in last Saturday’s double-overtime loss to Michigan State. His sack of Aidan Chiles gave BC a chance, and he added eight tackles.
“If you’re not physical, you’re not going to make them,” McGowan said. “You have to have the mind-set that you’re not going to miss tackles.”
The Eagles are well aware that they missed some tackles they should have made against Chiles and Co.
BC’s top three tacklers this season are defensive backs, which is a double-edged sword that illuminates a strength and a weakness.
“We do have to tackle better,” linebacker Daveon Crouch said. “So we obviously incorporated that a lot into our practice this week.”
Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson has completed just 51.6 percent of his passes and thrown three interceptions, but the Eagles know that doesn’t mean they can sleep on him or a potential replacement.
Putting pressure on the quarterback, and creating chaos defensively, could go a long way in ensuring BC takes care of business.
⋅ Put it in the past. The Eagles started last season 4-1, before dropping three straight in an uninspiring stretch against Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Louisville.
The loss to the Spartans was just one game, but BC needs to ensure it doesn’t spiral into more. Right tackle Kevin Cline said the Eagles are focusing on converting the feeling of losing into fuel and expelling the emotion they have through each rep.
“Win or lose, it’s coming,” Cline said. “Next week is coming. You’ve got no time to sulk in it or glorify yourself in it. You’ve got to keep moving, keep your head down, keep being persistent.”
BC enters as a 13½-point favorite, which is rare for the program on the road in conference play. O’Brien said he believes the Eagles “can be a good football team,” but they have to “go do it.”
It’s up to BC’s players to rise to the occasion and not let a winnable game slip away.
“Not a lot of us have been out West, so it will be a fun trip,” said wide receiver Luke McLaughlin. “I think we’re all excited to get the ACC games going.”
The 24-year-old forward had a career-high 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 2024-25 with the Sabres before getting traded to Utah in June, 2025. Peterka posted 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) through 82 games in his first year with the Mammoth.
“He’s got an elite shot. Probably gives us another look on the elbows in a power play situation. His power play minutes dipped a little bit last year; his 5-on-5 production has been really good, plays both wings, can probably play with a couple different types of centers,” Sweeney said.
Peterka had a similar assessment for himself.
“I think a pretty fast game, likes to score goals,” he said. “Just overall, exciting player that loves to make plays.”
Sweeney also sees a versatility in Peterka’s game that can benefit his new teammates up and down the lineup.
“I think he fits into a good group age-wise because he’s able to have played in the league with all the experience he’s had, the success he’s had, so he can ride shotgun with David because he has had scoring,” Sweeney said. “He can go down and drive a line, which he has done.”
The prospect of him playing with someone like David Pastrnak is something that excites both Sweeney and Peterka.
“That would be pretty sick, not going to lie,” Peterka said. “If you have that caliber of a player, I think everyone wants to play with him. From the past, playing against him, even watching him, was always super special. I would be super honored, for sure.”
While Peterka has already played four full seasons in the NHL, he still has his whole career in front of him. He joins a young new wave of Bruins players – alongside the likes of Reichel, Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and James Hagens – who will carve the future identity of the team. The ceiling is high for Peterka.
“In JJ’s case, he has had success. We have to come in and put him in the right situations so he continues to score at the level we think he can. Morgan [Geekie] is a great example,” Sweeney said. “Did we think he was going to score 39 goals when we first acquired him? No. But that’s always the hope – that a player will take advantage of a new opportunity and playing with different types of players than what they were in their other environment.”
Peterka is ready for the challenge and to prove that he has another gear to his game to help the Bruins win.
“I think it’s always nice to have a fresh start. I think especially after the year I had last year where I wasn’t really happy with the performance I put on the ice,” Peterka said. “For me, I feel like it’s a fresh start. And for a team like Boston, it couldn’t be any better.”
Editor’s note: Follow live World Cup standings updates and analysis for the round of 32
Paraguay fans can breathe a sigh of relief, their team is headed to the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay rebounded nicely after a tough first match against the United States, defeating Turkey and drawing Australia, finishing the group stage in third place and officially qualifying for the knockout rounds when Uruguay lost to Spain on Friday night.
However, it does not get easier from here, as Paraguay will take on Germany in the round of 32.
SHOP: Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup tickets
The match will take place outside of Boston at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy tickets for Paraguay vs. Germany’s in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay tickets
Germany vs. Paraguay round of 32 World Cup ticket price
With its Group E win, Germany will play its Round of 32 match at Gillette Stadium on Monday, June 29. As of publication, the cheapest available tickets for Germany’s game in Boston start at $1,044.
Germany World Cup Round of 32 game information
- Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
- What time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Tickets: Starting at $826
- When: Monday, June 29
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets
More: Here’s how to buy 2026 World Cup Final tickets in New York
When is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany clinched the top spot in Group E on Saturday, its Round of 32 match will take place on Monday, June 29.
Where is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany and Paraguay will play their round of 32 game outside of Boston. This will be the team’s first game in Foxborough, Mass. for the tournament.
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets
Germany World Cup schedule
- Sunday, June 14: Germany def. Curaçao WIN 7-1
- Saturday, June 20: Germany vs. Ivory Coast WIN 2-1
- Thursday, June 25: Germany vs. Ecuador LOSS 2-1
- Monday, June 29: Germany vs Paraguay in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets
World Cup Group E standings
Paraguay World Cup schedule
- Paraguay vs. United States – LOSS 4-1
- Paraguay vs. Turkey – WIN 1-0
- Paraguay vs. Australia – DRAW 0-0
- Monday, June 29 – Paraguay vs. Germany in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
World Cup Group D Standings
Shop Paraguay vs. Germany tickets
Boston, MA
Photos: Norway takes on France in high-powered World Cup matchup in Foxborough – The Boston Globe
The fifth World Cup match in Foxborough features two strong teams and two of the best strikers in the world.
Kylian Mbappé leads France against Erling Haaland and Norway in the final group-stage game being played in Foxborough. On Monday, Germany will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in a Round of 32 elimination game, and Foxborough’s final match will be a quarterfinal on July 9.
Here are scenes from Friday’s game from Globe photographers.
Lane Turner can be reached at lane.turner@globe.com. Finn Gomez can be reached at finn.gomez@globe.com. Christian Kantosky can be reached at christian.kantosky@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram at @ckantoskyphoto.
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