Postgame Thoughts: Where does BC go from here?

With a favorable schedule seemingly custom-built to set BC up for a very interesting second half of the season, the inexplicable happened: Kansas 48, Boston College 24.

Your eyes aren't deceiving you. And you surely couldn't believe it yourself, except that you watched it happen.

Kansas had not won a road game against a Power Five opponent since 2008. The Jayhawks, under first year coach Les Miles, had just lost at home to Coastal Carolina the previous week. The same Coastal Carolina team that had lost to Eastern Michigan. And in the season opener, Kansas had eeked out a win against Indiana State.

Simply put, the BC defense has a million questions to answer after surrendering nearly 50 points, three touchdown passes, and unbelievably, 329 rushing yards to a Kansas team that was averaging 15 points per game against a Sun Belt team and an FCS squad.

It's one of the most head scratching losses even the most jaded Boston College fan will ever be able to remember, and it will go down as one of the worst losses in program history given what was at stake -- seemingly a front-half without blemish, a strong two games prior, and a home field advantage.

The game wasn't going to be national news under any circumstances that anyone could have envisioned. BC was supposed to win going away, either by four or five touchdowns or something closer because they should have been able to drain the clock.

But now the entire nation is aware of Les Miles' signature win and the nation is wondering what became of the Eagles for at least one night.

What's next?

Figuring out how to stop the run with a defense that had survived, bent without breaking, in the two weeks prior. In his media appearance on Monday, Steve Addazio had said that the No. 1 priority for any defense was stopping the run. Because, as he said, if you can't stop the run then the opposition won't need to pass.

Kansas was supposed to be a team with quality backs but no line, and certainly no passing game to take the pressure off by forcing defenders out of the box. But BC couldn't stop the run, allowing an 82-yard run by Kahlil Herbert and 22 carries for 121 yards by Pooka Williams Jr.

Things started just fine. BC built a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter when Anthony Brown connected with Korab Idrizi for a 20 yard touchdown pass.

From that point forward, BC allowed seven scoring drives to the Jayhawks.

3 plays, 43 yards.

8 plays, 72 yards.

4 plays, 85 yards.

12 plays, 69 yards.

8 plays, 87 yards.

9 plays, 60 yards.

It was the kind of shellacking that might happen in a closed scrimmage, from which the coaching staff might emerge to tell the media that the defense has to improve. But this was no exhibition, there are no do-overs.

BC will not play one team for the remainder of 2019 with lower expectations than Kansas.

The silver lining might be that this could be a wakeup call, an unnecessary but almost inevitable kick in the butt that could rally the troops and salvage what can still be a strong first half of the schedule. This team was 2-0 and it did beat Virginia Tech.

But if the run defense in particular doesn't improve, it could be a long season.