With the blistering sun beating down from up above, Boston College football practiced in uppers for the first time this fall.
The heavy focus of the Eagles’ third practice of training camp was run installment, according to quarterback Mason McKenzie, which improved as practice went on.
Morning from Chestnut Hill.
Here for the third practice of @BCFootball training camp.
After practice, we’ll be speaking with defensive coordinator Ted Roof, QB Mason McKenzie, and DB Max Tucker.
Practice notes and stories to come @BostonCollegeSI. pic.twitter.com/ue0zNdRs4t
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) August 8, 2026
After practice, defensive coordinator Ted Roof, McKenzie, and redshirt freshman defensive back Max Tejpaul spoke with the media.
Here is an account of all the sights, sounds, and details from a sweaty morning in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Practice Notes:
– While the offense struggled in terms of executing downfield passes, BC head coach Bill O’Brien spent a great deal of team periods testing out different versions of run plays.
Liberty transfer Evan Dickens and Bo MacCormack III had some explosive pickups on the ground, and they executed them with low pad level, which allowed them to burst through the line of scrimmage into the second and third level effectively.
“They got to bend,” Roof said of defending against the run. “They got to play with good pad level. They got to bend at their ankles, knees, and hips so they can strike on the rise and hit people on the rise, whether it’s thud or whether we’re tackling, and not be waist benders because when you bend into waist and play with straight legs, you miss tackles, or you catch tackles and you get dragged for five yards.”
“It’s good those guys hit it downhill and force us to fight real tight and be in good position.”
– In the beginning of team periods, O’Brien was visibly upset with the offensive line, and he brought the entire unit, including coach Kurt Anderson, to the sideline and let them hear it. There was noticeable improvement from that point on, as the interior line created solid gaps for the backs to weave through.
The pass protection was more troublesome, but there were only a few plays each period that required the line to protect the pocket cleanly for more than a couple of seconds.
“There’s a lot that goes into a Bill O’Brien offense,” McKenzie said. “I’ll tell you that. It’s definitely difficult, and in the spring, it was really hard. Now it’s getting easier, and just day by day it’s getting easier. Today was easier than yesterday. Yesterday was easier than the day before. … It’s not all about the outcomes every day. You got to be a process-oriented guy, because the outcomes are not always going to be great.”
– Sophomore defensive back Marcus Upton was flying around the field making plays left and right. He had multiple pass breakups and tackles for loss throughout team drills and 1v1s, and he made the sole interception of the day on a deep ball intended for Jackson Wade from McKenzie.
“He brings a lot of athleticism,” Roof said. “He’s very instinctive, and what I’ve seen from him this summer, he’s a different guy than he was in spring. … Now I think that he’s playing with a lot more confidence because he knows what to do. He anticipates and he’s used to playing with guys and being able to talk, and he’s playing well right now. … He’s turning in a good direction.”
– The punters were initially off, but once they got going, they were flat-out booting the ball like it had wings on the sides.
Andy Quinn and Bryce LaFollette split the reps, and both had some 50-yard bombs with tight spirals down the middle of the field.
– During the portion of practice where the quarterbacks and wide receivers spent time honing in route concepts, McKenzie’s deep-ball accuracy was on a different level.
He dotted up Jonathan Montague Jr. on a simple fade and then DJ Biggins on more of a deep option to the sideline, and both throws landed straight in the bucket. O’Brien threw up the touchdown hand signals after each one, too.
– Jackson Wade, who was featured mainly in the screen game, displayed elite shiftiness off the line of scrimmage at the start of his routes.
– Chris Marable Jr., Favor Bate, Josiah Griffin, and Steve Klein were all noticeable up front in terms of stopping the run, batting down passes, and even making some recoveries on fumbles by the quarterbacks, most of which stemmed from botched handoffs or bad snaps.
– Safety Carter Davis and linebacker Anthony Palano continued to display leadership on the defensive side. They were both on top of their games in run pursuit, staying level with the ball and making tackles.
“He brings a guy that has a lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of pride,” Roof said of Palano. “He’s very prideful in knowing what to do and executing, trying to be physical with it. And he’s a guy that his energy rubs off on other people on our defense. … That’s what you want of a guy that’s in the middle of that, to provide that.”
– Cornerback Syair Torrence, who suffered a season-ending injury after just two games last year, is looking increasingly comfortable in his return to the field.
– McKenzie has added roughly 15-20 pounds of muscle this summer, and it’s extremely noticeable.
Mason McKenzie is in completely different shape right now than he was in the spring. Put on 15-20 lbs.
“You get 3-4 true meals a day, and that makes a big difference. Saginaw was great. They gave us everything they could give us, but we just didn’t have what we have here.” pic.twitter.com/0fbyjTlsmG
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) August 8, 2026
“You get 3-4 true meals a day, and that makes a big difference,” he said. “Saginaw was great. They gave us everything they could give us, but we just didn’t have what we have here.”
He said the extra weight will make a big difference when it comes to running the ball, as well as taking hits behind the line of scrimmage, whether that’s inside or outside of the pocket.
Tale of the Tape:
The quarterbacks –
Mason, Grayson, and Femi throwing on the run during Indy: pic.twitter.com/o783Tu5GsG
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) August 8, 2026
The defensive backs –
DBs working on open-field tackling: pic.twitter.com/Ci1FXNr2zB
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) August 8, 2026
The receivers –
Receivers trying to explode through blocks: pic.twitter.com/dDJxVRZjcn
— Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) August 8, 2026
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