Boston College loses RB Evan Dickens for the season ahead of trip to Georgia Tech

Boston College will play the rest of its season without its top tailback. Evan Dickens is expected to miss the remaining games with a knee injury, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. CBS Sports was first to report the news. Dickens is already listed as out for Saturday's game at Georgia Tech.

The injury came with the game nearly over. According to Sports Illustrated, Dickens went down on a one-yard run in the final 1:30 of last week's 27-21 win over Pittsburgh, while the Eagles were trying to pick up one more first down and run out the clock. He could not put weight on his right leg and needed help getting to the medical tent.

Dickens arrived as a transfer after running for 1,339 yards and 16 touchdowns at Liberty last season. At BC he had 65 carries for 293 yards, second on the team behind quarterback Mason McKenzie, and 407 scrimmage yards with five total touchdowns through six games. He also gave the Eagles a downfield receiving option. His best-known catch this year was a 43-yard touchdown from McKenzie in the loss at SMU. There is a twist to the timing, too. SI notes that Dickens, a Marietta, Ga., native, spent two seasons at Georgia Tech before he went to Liberty.

The carries now go to a group with very little production so far. Sophomores Bo MacCormack III and Mekhi Dodd and redshirt junior Nolan Ray have 38 carries for 136 yards between them, per ESPN. MacCormack is averaging 3.1 yards per attempt. Dodd has gained 41 yards on five carries, and Ray has run the ball only four times while working through injuries. Before anyone knew how badly Dickens was hurt, coach Bill O'Brien told ACC Network he wanted his backs to take more of the load off McKenzie. After the news, he told SI, "It could be a number of different guys back there."

What it means at Georgia Tech

Boston College is 3-3 and coming off its first ACC win. The schedule so far has gone back and forth: a 15-34 opening loss at Cincinnati, wins over Rutgers and Maine, then losses to Virginia Tech (14-21) and No. 21 SMU (16-25) before the Pitt game. The Eagles have not scored more than 28 points in any game, and now they have to replace the back who carried most of the load outside of McKenzie. The trip to Georgia Tech is Saturday, October 24, on ACC Network.

The board for the game has Georgia Tech favored across 11 venues. On Novig, the Yellow Jackets are -203 on the moneyline and Boston College is +199. The best Georgia Tech price anywhere is -200 at Hard Rock Bet. Novig lists Georgia Tech -5.5 at -108 and Boston College +5.5 at +104, but the spread varies from venue to venue. Fanatics has BC at +6, while Hard Rock Bet has Georgia Tech at -4.5, so the venues are a point and a half apart. The total is 50.5 on Novig, compared with 50 at Pinnacle and 51.5 at theScore Bet. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.3% to 6.5%.

The gap between those numbers shows how hard it is to price Boston College's backfield right now. The Eagles' offense already relied heavily on McKenzie, and without Dickens it will be even more about what he can do. How much the new backs can take off his plate on the road will likely go a long way toward deciding whether BC can climb back above .500.