One final time for the seniors.

One final time running out of the tunnel, through the smoke, with the fireworks going off under the lights.

One final time looking around the locker room while putting the pads on and strapping up the helmet, knowing you’re in for a three hour battle with you and 50-ish of your closest friends.

Regardless of the record, Saturday night’s game against Syracuse provides one final time for the senior class to experience Division 1, ACC football at Boston College.

That’s really the main focus for head coach Jeff Hafley and players this week. BC might be 3-8 and on the verge of finishing one of the most disappointing seasons in recent program history, but none of that matters at 7:30 on Saturday night. This class also means a lot to Hafley since it’s the first three-year class he’ll have had while at the helm of the Eagles’ program.

"They’ll always be very meaningful for me, becoming a first-time head coach and being with those guys for the first three years,” he said during the last regular season in-person press conference on Tuesday. “This is a special group, and that’s why this game is important. Just go and empty it all out for the seniors."

Playing ACC football is quite a privilege, but when you’re dealing with 17, 18, 19 and 20 year old kids, the lack of results in the win/loss column can easily derail any focus or commitment a kid may have, especially if he’s looking towards the NFL or these days, probably most likely looking at the transfer portal. That hasn’t been the case this season. Guys have continued to play hard for Hafley and this staff, which is commendable.

"That’s what makes this an emotional game,’ Hafley added. It hasn’t been perfect, but there’s no quit. There’s resiliency, and that’s going to propel us into the future. I really believe that."

Speaking of the future, it seems bright. Health will obviously improve this offseason and young guys who probably wouldn’t have gotten much of a chance this year have gotten some invaluable playing time in some pretty big moments. Aside from getting the seniors a win, a victory over Syracuse at home on Thanksgiving weekend can certainly build some positive momentum before coaches hit the recruiting trail and before you know it, winter workouts and then spring ball will be upon us.

“You’d like to win the game and have something to build on for a lot of the young guys going forward, feeling good going into the offseason,” said Hafley.

Ultimately, this game is 90% about the final ride for the seniors though and everyone knows it.“

More importantly, you’d like the guys who will never play again to sing the fight song in the locker room one last time,” Hafley added.

“I don’t know if it’ll hit me before the game, or on the field after the game, or a week or two later, but it will definitely hit me,” Marcus Valdez added on Tuesday. He - maybe more than anyone - would love to sing in the locker room around 11 P.M. on Saturday night after spending so many years here.

“I’m grateful to be playing for this long here, at the same school. That’s rare, so I’m just going to enjoy every moment."