British Columbia football, O’Brien opens season with surprising win over No. 10 FSU

Academic sports

“These kids, ever since we walked in here… they’ve given us everything they’ve got. They’re tough.”

Thomas Castellanos and the Eagles toured all over FSU on Monday. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)

The Bill O’Brien era is off to a promising start at Boston College.

The Eagles started the season with a bang on Monday night when BC traveled to Tallahassee and defeated No. 10 Florida State 28-13 at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

It was a standout victory for O’Brien and the entire Eagles team, leaving fans eagerly anticipating a breakthrough season and a return to ACC glory.

Entering Monday night, the Eagles were 12-65 against AP top-10 opponents (5-31 away) — and hadn’t won a season-opening game against an AP top-10 opponent since 1976.

The Eagles beat FSU by dominating the trenches — Boston College’s offensive line and running attack routinely put the Seminoles’ defense on its back. The Eagles finished with 263 rushing yards, while Florida State gained just 21 on the ground.

“It’s really satisfying,” O’Brien told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter” after the win. “These kids, from the day we walked in here — which was seven months ago — they gave us everything they had. They’re tough.

“We talked about winning up front. BC, the tradition of the offensive and defensive lines — we won the game up front. We established a line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. And I thought those guys did a great job. I’m so proud of them.”

With BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos (10-of-16, 106 yards, 2 TDs/14 carries for 73 yards, 1 TD), Kye Robichaux (19 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD) and Treshaun Ward (12 carries, 77 yards) regularly shredding the FSU defense, the Eagles were able to put together several sustained drives that ate up the game clock. Boston College finished with 39:09 of possession, while FSU held the ball for just 20:51.

“You have to give Tommy a lot of credit,” O’Brien noted. “Tommy, he’s worked really, really hard to get to this point. Obviously, he’s got to keep that work ethic going all season, but he’s an electric player. He’s a guy who wants the ball. He’s a winner. He’s been a winner at every level. And we’re really excited and happy to have him on our team. That’s for sure.”

While BC thrived at the line of scrimmage on offense, the Eagles defense made life even more difficult for FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who completed just 21 of 42 pass attempts for 272 yards.

The Eagles also won the possession battle, 1-0, when Max Tucker intercepted a pass from Uiagalelei in the third quarter and ran it 58 yards for a BC touchdown just two plays later.

Expectations have been raised in Chestnut Hill this season, especially after O’Brien — who has had success with teams and programs including the Patriots, Penn State and Houston Texans — took over the team earlier this year following the departure of head coach Jeff Hafley.

But with 68 percent of last year’s 7-6 roster intact, the Eagles were already poised to capitalize on some of their promise in 2023.

Monday’s performance was a huge step forward for an Eagles team that is trying to make an impression in the ACC Open Conference this fall.

“The 24-hour rule, right, Scott? We’ll celebrate a little bit,” O’Brien said. “We won’t be back until 4:30 in the morning. … I think it’s a pretty business-like team. But we’ll find out, right? We’ll find out. We have to be, but we can’t wait.”

British Columbia football, O’Brien opens season with surprising win over No. 10 FSU

“These kids, ever since we walked in here… they’ve given us everything they’ve got. They’re tough.”

By meerna

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