After shredding then-No. 17 Southern Methodist in last year’s Fenway Bowl, Boston College football quarterback Thomas Castellanos wasn’t satisfied.
“You guys will see,” Castellanos said after that game. “Next year will be special. And Boston College football will be different. It will be.”
He was partially correct—this year’s Eagles’ team is different.
Bill O’Brien has taken over for Jeff Hafley as BC’s head coach. Castellanos is no longer with the team after Grayson James replaced him as the Eagles’ starter. And this time around, BC couldn’t overcome the No. 14 Mustangs, falling 38–28 on Saturday.
Not everything has changed, though. Through 10 games, BC sits at 5–5—just a tick worse than its 2023 6–4 start. Much like last season, inconsistency has often plagued the Eagles, prompting yet another quarterback swap.
In the first game of the James era, BC’s inconsistency struck again. James’ presence provided the Eagles enough juice to bring the game down to the wire, but not quite enough to pull off the upset.
Here are three observations from the loss.
Swiss Cheese Secondary
BC’s pass defense hasn’t exactly been its calling card this season. The unit ranks 12th in the ACC, allowing an average of 248.8 yards to opposing offenses.
With BC down defensive backs Max Tucker and Bryquice Brown, along with linebackers Owen McGowan and Kam Arnold, SMU seemed poised to have its way offensively.
Led by quarterback Kevin Jennings, that’s exactly what the Mustangs did on Saturday. Jennings racked up 298 yards, averaged 8.5 yards per throw, and consistently found holes in the Eagles defense. Three different SMU receivers picked up gains of 25-plus yards, highlighting BC’s inability to prevent chunk plays.
“We were really struggling to stop them,” O’Brien said. “I don’t really think we stopped them at all. They probably stopped themselves.”
The Eagles’ thin defensive back and linebacker corps hurt their run defense, as well. Whenever SMU running back Brashard Smith broke through BC’s front and into the second level, the Eagles’ defense struggled to keep him contained. Smith averaged 6.7 yards on 18 carries—the longest of which went for 45 yards and positioned the Mustangs for a pivotal field goal late in the first half.
Time and time again, the Eagles’ soft coverage slowed any momentum they found—a trend best exemplified by a Jennings’ 38-yard touchdown pass that came less than two minutes after BC had claimed its first and last lead of the game.
Special Teams Circus
A number of flaws have emerged for the Eagles this season—whether that be unreliable quarterback play or difficulty maintaining leads—but none of them have been nearly as glaring as BC’s special teams issues. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say the unit is as bad as any in the Power 4.
Punter Ivan Zivenko, who may have lost his job to placekicker and kickoff specialist Liam Connor, ranks last in the country in average yards per punt (37.1). Connor, meanwhile, hasn’t exactly fared any better on the kicking side. The junior ranks 171st in the nation in field goal attempts, a sign of O’Brien’s limited trust in the unit.
BC’s special teams woes most clearly manifested itself in its fourth-down mentality. Hesitant to punt or kick field goals, O’Brien elected to go for it on fourth down six times—a season-high.
“As long as it was manageable, we were going for it,’ O’Brien said.
With no clear alternatives available on BC’s roster, O’Brien will have to continue coaching around his struggling special teams unit.
Grayson’s Good Enough
BC’s upset bid came crumbling down after James took a pair of sacks—the first of which came despite tight end Jeremiah Franklin flying down the seam uncovered. It was a difficult sequence for the Eagles’ new starter, but it shouldn’t overshadow an otherwise competent performance.
After a shaky first quarter, James eventually settled in and found a groove by the start of the second half. Remaining composed in front of a rowdy SMU crowd, James commanded a methodical scoring drive to begin the second half and push the Eagles ahead 21–20.
James completed 18 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. His strengths as a pocket passer helped diversify offensive coordinator Will Lawing’s play calling and kept the Mustangs’ run defense honest against the Eagles’ deep running back corps.
James’ 20-yard rushing touchdown was longer than any run Castellanos had notched this season, further vindicating O’Brien’s decision to swap quarterbacks.
Whether James can sustain this level of play is critical to the Eagles’ bowl hopes, but the early returns have shown promise.
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