O’Brien era kicks off with Lewis’ impeccable defense and Castellanos’ solid preparation in win over FSU — The Heights

This is what everyone expected to happen, right? That the Boston College football team would go to Tallahassee, Florida, and soundly dominate an opponent that was ranked in the top 10 on national television.

Well, not exactly.

The top-10 win wasn’t just a rare event for the Eagles, who weren’t picked by any college football analyst to win their season opener. ESPN College GameDay SpecialThe win was monumental, even program-defining. The identity of BC’s 2024 football program was revealed in front of the entire college football world on Monday night. On Tuesday afternoon, BC finished second in the AP Top-25 list behind Texas A&M.

With a Away win by 28-13 Above No. 10 Florida State, first-year head coach Bill O’Brien put the Eagles where they’ve been trying to get to for more than a decade: a top seed. National Media is taking warningO’Brien said it was “one game,” which is fine. That mindset is sound. His approach is disciplined, but it is already infinitely more important than one game or one moment.

This is what true hope feels like for this generation of BC fans. It’s a genuine enthusiasm that hasn’t been felt in a long time, and the hype around O’Brien throughout the preseason and all offseason is showing its true colors.

The win marked BC’s first victory over a top-10 team since… Shocked No. 9 USC in 2014. The Eagles haven’t started the year with a top-10 win since defeating No. 7 Texas in 1976. Additionally, BC hasn’t earned a win at Doak Campbell Stadium since 2008.

The “BoB” era is officially underway and it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

Here are my thoughts on the season-opening win:

Castellanos’ preparation is evident

A big question heading into the season was whether quarterback Thomas Castellanos could develop into a mature pocket thrower to complement his preternatural ability to run the ball. That question was certainly answered Monday.

Last year, Castellanos finished with nearly as many touchdowns (15) as interceptions (14) and an overall completion percentage of 57.3 percent. presented Flashes He had arm talent, but his poise as a quarterback needed to be honed. He needed more time to prepare, and this first game showed his progress. early morning wake ups Reviewing the playbook and film with quarterbacks coach John DiBiaso during preseason camp paid off.

Castellanos completed 10 of 16 passing attempts against the Seminoles for 106 yards and two passing touchdowns, and posted a total quarterback rating of 87.1, which ranks 18th in the nation after Week One. Unsurprisingly, he also racked up 73 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

The biggest difference was Castellanos’ ability to control the field and not force breakaways, something he relied on often last season. The Eagles converted 9 of 16 third-down opportunities, and most of those were pass plays. Castellanos also spread the field and connected with seven players in total.

A big factor was how well the offensive line held up, especially in the running game, which dominated despite being without starting offensive guard Logan Taylor, a preseason All-ACC selection. Jude Bowry, Ozzy Trapilo, Jack Conley, Drew Kendall and Dwayne Allick all appeared in the trenches and upheld BC’s “O-line U” moniker.

Robichaux has company

The running game is BC’s bread and butter, and Kye Robichaux is at the center of it. In the matchup, Robichaux proved that his season-high totals (780 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns) were no fluke. He had 85 rushing yards, a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to basically put the game away.

But O’Brien made some additions to the backfield, which is now a three-headed monster. Treshaun Ward, a transfer from Kansas State and Florida State, was clearly the standout player of the game.

Ward received the ACC Football All-Award. Runner of the Week Award Having totaled 77 rushing yards, 61 receiving yards on just three receptions and one receiving touchdown, he’s not a downfield runner like Robichaux, but he does possess an elusive ability that makes him dangerous in open space and difficult to catch. Ironically, his BC career began with arguably one of the worst turnovers of his college career.

On the Eagles’ first offensive series, Ward slid down the left sideline on a wheel route on 3rd-and-5, and Castellanos threw a dime at his legs. The ball caught Ward in motion and couldn’t have landed softer, but it bounced off his fingers and onto the turf. Even as the ball remained in the air, sinking back to the surface, Ward’s hands reached up and brought the ball to his helmet as he went into total shock. He didn’t drop a single ball for the rest of the night.

Ward ended up scoring on the exact same concept a little more than halfway through the second quarter to put BC up 14-0, and he regained his confidence from there. With the addition of Ward, the Eagles could easily compete for the ACC’s best rushing offense for the second straight year, and could even claim to have the best rushing attack in the country if all goes well.

New makeup for the defense

Aside from a 29-yard touchdown run by Seminoles wide receiver Kentron Poitier, the Eagles’ defense was impeccable. Even under former BC head coach Jeff Hafley, now the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, the defense never looked this good.

BC’s defense barely allowed any big plays, and the pass rush was phenomenal and offered a glimpse of a legitimate NFL prospect. The secondary, which to Hafley’s credit, was developed through him, was brilliant. 247 Sports selected BC defensive coordinator Tim Lewis as one of the top two in the ACC. “coordinator of the week” And rightly so.

Donovan Ezeiruaku really stood out after a rather disappointing 2023 season, where he finished with just two sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. The senior defensive end from Williamstown, New Jersey, recorded two sacks and two tackles for loss in the contest for a total loss of 21 yards, in addition to four tackles. His jump in the pass rush looked phenomenal as he tormented first-team All-ACC left tackle Darius Washington with a series of twitchy moves off the line.

Neto Okpala also finished with a sack for a loss of seven yards and 1.5 tackles for a loss of yardage. However, the leader in tackles was rookie defensive back Carter Davis (nine tackles, six solo), who looked like a flying stick.

In the secondary, Catholic Memorial product Max Tucker had a clutch performance with a game-changing interception on fourth down in the third quarter, which he returned for 58 yards and set up another scoring drive for the offense. Tucker and Amari Jackson will be a force to be reckoned with for opposing quarterbacks, and that was evident with DJ Uiagalelei’s dismal performance.

Poitier’s touchdown was really the only instance where a BC player didn’t complete a tackle or make a play to stop the ball. Tucker charged at the wide receiver but Poitier tore him apart and the receiver broke away for the score after making another defender miss. Other than that, the defense displayed stellar pursuit of the ball and ball carriers all night, limiting the Seminoles to just 21 rushing yards compared to BC’s 263.

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