Boston College football’s starting center Michael Crounse, one of five team captains, left the Eagles’ 2026 season opener against Cincinnati with an apparent knee injury in the late stages of the third quarter.

Crounse’s left knee was slammed into and bent inward on a Bo MacCormack III run play at the Bearcats’ 10-yard line. He was forced to lay flat on his back until two trainers helped him gingerly walk off the field.

Sophomore DJ Williams, who had trouble snapping the ball during fall training camp, entered the game for Crounse and made a near-costly mistake on his second snap, lifting the ball over McKenzie’s head before he was even ready to hike it. The Eagles dodged a bullet as McKenzie hastily picked up the ball and chucked it out of bounds, keeping the offense in close proximity to the endzone.

On the next play, running back Evan Dickens notched BC’s first touchdown of the year with a four-yard rushing score, decreasing its deficit to 24-8 with 2:01 left in the third quarter.

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