The Boston College Eagles (4-4, 1-3 ACC) football team lost their third straight game Friday night to the Louisville Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) 31-27.

The Eagles jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Cardinals slowly chipped away at the deficit and outscored Boston College 24-7 in the second half to secure the victory.

Below are three immediate takeaways from the contest.

Boston College’s turnover woes have improved

During the Eagles’ two-game road trip to Virginia and Virginia Tech, they turned the ball over six times, three in each game. Clean play has been a focal point for Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien throughout the week, and it appears to have helped. In the loss, the Eagles didn’t turn the ball over once, so at least for now, it looks like their turnover woes have improved.

The defense has been hit or miss amid injuries

Boston College’s defense entered the game with the Cardinals down two starters, cornerback Amari Jackson, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, and linebacker Kam Arnold, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Both team veterans are big shoes to fill and after a complete game without a pair, the question of how the group can make up for the absences still has no solid answer. Several guys stepped up to make big plays and forced a run for their money in defensive backs Omar Thornton and KP Price, defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins and linebacker Owen McGowan, but overall the defense gave up 31 points, 461 yards and allowed a 24-7 comeback for Louisville in the second half. So how the group can make up for its losses is no closer to being resolved.

Special teams is still a problem

A constant of Boston College’s season has been the struggles on special teams. Problems continued to plague the facility Friday night. Punter Ivan Zivenko struggled all night, averaging 33.8 yards per carry and only punting one inside the 20-yard line. The worst of the night was a 24-yard field goal in the second half that went out of bounds. The problem was so consistent that Sam Candotti, who hadn’t played since Boston College’s Week 2 game against Duquesne, entered the game for a fourth-quarter punt that went 45 yards.

However, it wasn’t just the play-off that had problems. Kicker Liam Connor missed an extra point on second down that left Boston College needing a touchdown instead of a field goal late in the game. On top of that, there were two false start penalties called against the Eagles in the first two points of the night. So after eight games, the problems are still not improving.