The Boston College Eagles (4-4, 1-3 ACC) football team lost its third consecutive game on Friday night to the Louisville Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) 31-27. 

The Eagles had a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Cardinals slowly chipped into the deficit and outscored Boston College 24-7 in the second half to secure the victory. 

Below are three immediate takeaways from the contest. 

Boston College’s Turnover Woes Improved

During the Eagles two-game road trip at Virginia and Virginia Tech, they turned the ball over six times, three in each game. Playing clean was a focus point for Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien throughout the week and it seems like it helped. In the loss, the Eagles did not turn the ball over once, so at least for now, it looks like the turnover woes have improved. 

Defense Was Hit-or-Miss Amid Injuries 

The Boston College defense went into the matchup with the Cardinals down two starters, cornerback Amari Jackson who is out for the season with a torn ACL and linebacker Kam Arnold who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Both team veterans are big shoes to fill and after one full game without the pair, the question of how can the group make up for the absences still doesn’t have a solid answer. Multiple guys stepped up to make big plays and forced takeaways in defensive backs Omar Thornton and KP Price, defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins, and linebacker Owen McGowan, but as a whole, the defense gave up 31 points, 461 yards, and allowed a 24-7 comeback for Louisville in the second half. So, how the group can make up for its losses is no closer to being solved.  

Special Teams is Still a Problem

One constant of Boston College’s season has been struggles on special teams. The issues continued to plague the unit on Friday night. Punter Ivan Zivenko struggled all night, averaging 33.8 yards per punt and only pinning one inside the 20-yard line. His worst of the night was a 24-yard punt in the second half that went out of bounds. The problem was so consistent that Sam Candotti, who hasn’t taken the field since Boston College’s Week 2 game versus Duquesne, entered the game for one punt in the fourth quarter that traveled 45 yards. 

It wasn’t just the punting game that had issues though. Kicker Liam Connor missed an extra point in the second that made Boston College need a touchdown instead of a field goal at the end of the game. On top of that, there were two false start penalties called against the Eagles on their first two punts of the night. So, after eight games, the problems have yet to improve.