Boston College will face Duquesne, looking to build on big win over Florida State

Duquesne (0-1) at Boston College (1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ACCN)

Record of the series: First meeting.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

After defeating No. 10 Florida State in its first game under Bill O’Brien, Boston College returns to Chestnut Hill for the new coach’s home debut. The victory was the largest away win over a top-10 opponent in BC history. It earned the Eagles a vote in The Associated Press poll, and an impressive performance against FCS Duquesne could lift them into the top 25. Duquesne, the reigning Northeast Conference champion, is coming off a 49-10 loss to Toledo. The Dukes are hoping to return to the FCS playoffs.

A key clash

Boston College rushed for 263 yards against then-No. 10 Florida State, and the Eagles could handle a defensive line that allowed Toledo to average 6.7 yards per play. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos ran for 73 yards and quarterback Treshaun Ward added 77 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving. BC was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 13th nationally in rushing yards per game last year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Duquesne: NEC All-Conference first-team quarterback Darius Perrantes completed 15 of 26 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Toledo. He has 45 touchdown passes and needs two more to move into fifth place on the Dukes’ all-time touchdown passes list.

Boston College: Castellanos broke BC’s record for rushing for a quarterback, increasing his total to 1,186 in 14 games. His 14 carries against Florida State included three kneel-downs that lost 11 yards, effectively gaining 84 yards on 11 carries. He ran six first downs, three of them on third downs and two of them on his final drive as BC drained the final 6:04 on the clock.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Duquesne opens the season against two FBS teams and then two non-conference FCS teams before opening the NEC season against Long Island University on Oct. 5. … Dukes coach Jerry Schmitt is the reigning NEC Coach of the Year. He is in his 20th season as Duquesne’s head coach and 31st on the staff. … Perrantes was a finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award and is on the watch list this year for the honor, which goes to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. … The 28-13 victory over Florida State was the largest road win over a top-10 opponent in BC history. … BC has won 34 straight games against Division I-AA or FCS opponents. … The Eagles last played an NEC team in 2016, defeating Wagner 42-10.

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