Pitt vs. Boston College 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions

The Pitt Panthers fell to 2-2 last week after a brutal 34-27 loss to the Louisville Cardinals. This week, they stay at home and welcome 1-3 Boston College to Acrisure Stadium. Both teams are looking for their first conference win, and both looking to avoid losing three games in a row. Desmond Reid should be good to go; and for now, Eli Holstein is still the starting quarterback. Can the Panthers find a way to play mistake free football and get back in the win column? Let’s dive into this 2025 Pitt vs. Boston College preview and find out.

Pitt Panthers vs. Boston College Eagles: Matchup History

Pitt and Boston College have played 34 times since their fist game in 1959. Overall, Pitt is 18-16 all-time against the Eagles. More recently, the Eagles leads 3-2 since Pitt joined the ACC 12 years ago. The largest margin of victory in those games is 11 points from when BC beat Pitt 34-23 last November.

These games have mostly been one-possession battles featuring more low-scoring affairs. The highest point total also occurred in last year’s game.

Pitt vs. Boston College 2025 Preview: Keys to the Game and Predictions

Key Players for Pitt

Running back Desmond Reid is slated to return this week. He has not been in action since the first quarter of the West Virginia game over two weeks ago. Reid left with a lower body injury and has been out ever since. Pitt’s offense was seriously hamstrung with Reid on the sideline. More specifically the run game, as they have barely eclipsed 100 rushing yards combined in the last two contests.

Assuming Reid is 100-percent healthy, expect Pitt’s offense to try to control the clock. They will also likely use the running back in the outside run and short passing game. Pitt with a healthy Desmond Reid is a completely different team, and they show that on Saturday.

Defensive back Rashad Battle has been relatively quiet for Pitt this year. The fifth-year senior will be one of the players tasked with stopping Boston College’s high octane pass attack. The Eagles already have over 1100 passing yards as a team, averaging close to 300 yards per game. With Pitt being known for using man coverage with corners, Battle will be tested plenty. Expecting 6+ tackles and multiple pass breakups from Battle on Saturday. Pitt needs him to play well to try to turn this season around.

Wide receiver Kenny Johnson has also been mostly a non-factor this year too. With the emergence of Blue Hicks, targets have been hard to come by for Johnson. Through the first four games Johnson only has 12 receptions and one touchdown. It’s likely that offensive coordinator Kade Bell will make it a point to get Johnson involved as much as possible this week. Look for him to be a big part of Pitt’s passing game.

Key Players for Boston College

Quarterback Dylan Lonergan is the leader of this team. The sophomore took over the starting role in 2025 and has been nothing short of amazing so far. Through four games he has 1188 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions, while completing 69-percent of his passes. However, after starting the year with eight touchdowns and no interceptions in two games, Lonergan has only thrown one touchdown in their last two contests. Expect a bounce-back effort from him this week.

Wide receiver Lewis Bond is the Robin to Lonergan’s Batman in this offense. Bond already has 36 receptions and over 300 yards in the first quarter of the season. Pitt just gave up 10 receptions and 135 yards to Louisville’s Chris Bell last week, so expect another good game from Bond, who is on pace for an All-ACC season.

Game Prediction

The Panthers come into this game as 6.5 point favorites on most books. This line makes sense as Boston College is coming off a loss to Cal against a sell-out home crowd. But so far, Pitt has played like a bottom-tier team. If this game was in Boston, Pitt likely loses. However, with yet another home game, expect extra preparation from the Panthers in this contest.

Pitt should control the clock and try to run the ball from the start of the game. We should still see Juelz Goff get work with Reid coming back from injury, but there should be 20+ carries between the two backs in Week 6.

The big difference I am looking for is Pitt’s secondary making an impact. If the Panthers force a turnover from Lonergan late to seal the deal, they could win this battle.

Score Prediction: Pitt 27, Boston College 20