Everything Bill O'Brien Said During Wednesday's Press Conference

Ahead of Saturday's matchup with Western Kentucky - the last non-ACC game of the season - Bill O'Brien held his usual Wednesday Zoom call with the media after practice.

Here's everything he said during the 10-ish minute session:

On Western Kentucky's ability to bounce back the last few weeks after 63-0 loss to 'Bama

"They're a really good team. Alabama beats a lot of teams down. Alabama's an excellent football team. I think for us, they've won three in a row. They're a very well-coached team. They play very hard. They have a very difficult scheme to go against. Look, I think we've practiced well. I think we've had two good days of practice, but we're going to have to have another one (Thursday). This is a very, very good football team. It's going to be a very tough game for us."

On opponents only scoring three touchdowns in 10 red zone trips against BC so far

"I think at the end of the day, you've got to be able to stop the run down there and I think we've done a pretty good job of stopping the run and put them in passing situations. Tim and the staff have done a good job of teaching these guys about the red zone and what's important relative to the red zone. Coverage wise, communication wise, recognition wise, all of those things and then the guys have really played well. Again, that's a big, big deal for us. We have to continue to do that. That was a big deal in the Michigan State game, being able to hold those guys to field goals, so that has to continue."

On if film on Western Kentucky has helped guys avoid any possible let down this weekend

"Yeah, I mean, look...if there's a let down, then shame on us. Absolute shame on us if there's a let down. Absolute on shame on Boston College football. We need to show up and be ready to play. Noon kickoff, put the tape on, Western Kentucky's a hell of a football team. They've won three in a row, beat Middle Tennessee, beat Eastern Kentucky. They've done an excellent job of beating Toldeo. Three in a row on a real hot streak. We better be ready to go. Shame on us if there's a let down."

On Castellanos behind the scenes and bouncing back against Michigan State after Missouri

"He's a very competitive guy. Cares about the team. He really tries hard to prepare. He feels bad when he doesn't make a good play or makes a mistake. He tries not to make the same mistake twice. He's a very...he's a great guy to coach."

On NIL and how it's affecting CFB

"I think it's really important that when the time is right, that you explain to your team and their families how you do it. I think everybody here at Boston College has a pretty good idea of how we've set it up. Things will change. There's a lot of litigation still to play out relative to revenue sharing. There's just a lot of things that are still kind of up in the air. We have an 'earn it' philosophy at BC. Meaning, are you a good guy in the locker room? Are you a good teammate? Do you go to class? Do you participate in the community when called upon - or even doing it on your own? If you check all those boxes and a few more boxes and you do that over a period of time, then you've earned it. To promise a guy - and this is me at Boston College - I don't know anything about UNLV, Holy Cross, no idea about that stuff...but, nobody will ever be promised anything here. They will have to come in and earn it. Some people may listen to that and say 'coach, how are you going to survive?' We'll survive. We'll survive. Boston College is a very special place. We have a lot to offer at Boston College besides NIL. Look, if you come to BC and you get a BC degree, then NIL will seem like peanuts to you 10 years down the road. Peanuts. So, NIL is a part of what we're doing, but, at the same time, we have a very, very resilient football team that understands the 'earn it' philosophy."

On Cam Horsely

"He has just been a greta player for us through the first four games here. I mean, he got a game ball from Michigan State. He was a dominant player up front. Did a really good job against the run. I think his pass rush has gotten better. It's hard to rush the passer from in there. Many times you're double teamed, it's just different. It's totally different from rushing the passer from the edge. It's just different. I think the guy fights. I think he's a hell of a player. I think the guy's going to be a really good player on Sundays. I love coaching him. He shows up every day. Lunch pail guy, very tough, tough guy. It's hard to play that position every day. It's very, very difficult. It's like 50 car crashes per day. That's a tough, tough position to play and he's a tough guy. It's been great to watch him play."

On the O-line pass protection and discipline so far

"Look, I think our offensive line is really good. I think there's always areas to improve. I think their pass protection's been very, very good for the most part. I think they've got to play with better pad level in the run game, get their pads down. We hold them to a high standard. They're a very good offensive line. They need to play to that standard every single game and they really do. They have great leadership up there with Drew Kendall, Ozzy Trapilo, Jack Conley, Logan Taylor, Jude Bowry. These are great guys. Very tough, very athletic, really what...former BC offensive linemen I believe should be very proud of this offensive line. They carry the tradition very well. There's always things they need to do to improve and we're working hard to improve. But, overall, I think they've played well."

On Western Kentucky having a high blitz rate and going against a team that does it a lot compared to those that only bring four usually

"Look, I think it's very difficult. I think it's very, very difficult. You better be on high alert. You better know in the passing game what the protection is. You better know where you're going. You better gain as much information as you can before the snap of the ball because there's probably going to be some free rushers the way they do it. You have to be tuned in. Quarterback, offensive line, everybody. It's a very, very difficult challenge."

On getting another good crowd inside Alumni Stadium on Family Weekend

"I think it's awesome. I think that's one of the great things about college football, right? It's Parents' Weekend at BC. There'll be so many people here with their children who go to school here. Obviously, our team, a lot of parents come. We have a parents' tailgate. We have great parents here at BC. Parents that really care about their kids and understand the value of a BC education. So, I think it's an awesome weekend. It's another one of those weekends where we're probably going to have another really good crowd. Again, it's a noon kickoff, so I really...I ask the students, hey man, please show up early. Please be in there. Be in there at 11:30 because our team really feeds off of that. That was such an awesome crowd against Michigan State. Our team feeds off of that and we've got to continue to play well to have that type of fan base. But, between the Parents' Weekend, our own students, let's have a great crowd on Saturday, it'll be awesome."