BC beats No. 10 FSU in season-opening win — The Heights

A season ago, Boston College football quarterback Thomas Castellanos exploded in front of Eagles fans during a tense Red Bandanna Game against then No. 3 in Florida.

On Monday night, Castellanos and BC (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) broke through in front of the entire country, finishing off a 28-13 victory over No. 10 Florida State (0-2, 0-2) in a nationally televised prime-time series.

“Everything we did in the offseason, from winter practice, summer practice, spring practice — it all led up to this, and we prepared for this,” Castellanos said. “It all worked out, we came out here, executed and played together as a team, and we got the dub.”

Apart from the results themselves, both matches could not have gone any differently.

BC had 17 fewer penalties. BC had never lost. But most importantly, BC had a new coach on the sidelines: Bill O’Brien.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” O’Brien said. “They were very resilient today to come here against a team that I’m sure really, in their minds, had to win this. It’s a hell of a statement for BC.”

O’Brien’s new system was implemented with very few disruptions in the early going, with the Eagles playing solidly and disciplined overall, while their quarterback remained calm and composed in front of a fired-up Seminoles crowd.

“That has to be the key to our continued development,” O’Brien said. “We have to be a disciplined football team. We have to be a team that plays with composure – a resilient team.”

Although Treshaun Ward’s erratic pass on third down thwarted BC’s first drive, the Eagles scored two touchdowns on their next two drives, overwhelming the Seminoles’ defensive line.

“Our motto is, ‘One move at a time,’” Castellanos said. “That’s the whole idea. I just kept telling the guys, ‘One move at a time, just keep going, we have to finish this move.’”

Donovan Ezeiruaku and the Eagles’ defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage on the other end of the field, stifling FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei with three consecutive three-and-outs early in the game. Ezeiruaku had one sack and was on his way all night against first-team All-ACC FSU right quarterback Darius Washington.

“I thought our front line played really well,” O’Brien said.

Midway through the second quarter, BC took complete control of possession, with receiver Reed Harris coming within feet of giving the Eagles a three-point lead on a deep shot by Castellanos.

The Seminoles eventually began to gain some momentum, scoring two field goals to take the game to 14–6. Poised to receive the ball early in the second half, FSU appeared poised to take control of the game and reaffirm their top-10 status.

Instead, it was all BC to open the final 30 minutes. The Eagles forced the Seminoles into a fourth-and-5 when Max Tucker picked off an errant pass from DJ Uiagalelei and ran the ball all the way to the FSU seven-yard line. Two plays later, Castellanos connected with Kye Robichaux to give BC a 21-6 lead.

“Max Tucker made a great play and it was one of the highlights of the game because it really got us going in the second half,” O’Brien said.

The Seminoles reached the end zone on a series of plays and pulled to within a point, losing 21–13.

The Eagles running back duo of Robichaux and Ward continued to force the Seminoles defensive line into submission. Robichaux totaled 89 yards while Ward amassed 138 yards against his former team.

“Ecstatic, ecstatic,” Robichaux said of Ward’s performance. “Focus on the game, but deep down it’s always nice to have one of your teammates play that little return game.”

While Ward and Robichaux dominated the interior, Castellanos cut FSU apart on the outside. As a team, the Eagles recorded 263 yards on the ground to the Seminoles’ 21 in a dominant performance. Robichaux’s second score of the game all but sealed the victory for BC.

“That type of play is important in every close game I’ve ever been a part of — you have to have an answer to the play,” O’Brien said. “Our guys did a good job. We ran the ball a lot in that play, and I thought the offensive line really got going in that play.”

The season-opening victory is British Columbia’s first away win in the top 10 since 2002 and his the biggest such a win in program history. It’s a stark departure from the previous two season openers, in which the Eagles suffered demotivating losses to teams like Rutgers AND Northern Illinois.

But for the Eagles’ new leader, the most important thing is to focus on one game at a time.

“That’s honestly my biggest problem,” O’Brien said. “It’s a great win — it’s a great win for BC — but we have to close the chapter because we have to keep this going.”

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