Boston College Looks to Continue Win Streak Saturday

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On Saturday afternoon, the suddenly red-hot Boston College Eagles (6-3, 3-2) football team will host the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-5, 3-2). Over the years, this has not been a great matchup for the Eagles. In league play, BC has an 8-10 record vs the Hokies. In the all-time series, VT leads with a 20-11 record. The Eagles are riding high these days. Five-game winning streaks seem to do that to teams. It is the first such streak since 2010. They have not won six in a row since 2007. Last week’s win over Syracuse also made this team bowl-eligible for the third time in four years under head coach Jeff Haffey. It is the second time under Haffey that the Eagles have become eligible after nine games. The other time was 2018 when the team started 6-2.

As has been the case throughout the streak, the QB position was the key. Thomas Castellanos scored the game-winning touchdown with 2:23 left in the game to give BC the 17-10 win over the Orange. For the game, Castellanos ran for 87 yards and threw for another 165 with one touchdown pass. He leads all QBs in the nation in rushing yards with 760 yards. That also ranks him 33rd among all ball carriers. His 10 rushing TDs are tied for 13th in FBS and is tied with USC QB Caleb Williams for most touchdowns by a QB. Castellanos is 34th in the country and fourth in the league with 274.3 yards of total offense per game.

If you are a BC football fan, there are two things to keep in mind when handicapping this game. The Virginia Tech Hokies are seventh in the nation in passing defense (163.8 yards per game) and 53rd in scoring defense. They allowed 24 points per game. On offense, the Hokies have not been shut out in 366 consecutive games, which has the program in fourth place in both all-time and active scoring lists. The Hokies, much like the Eagles, rely on a running game to jump-start their offense. RB Bhayshul Tuten has become the go-to back in his first season at Virginia Tech. He has run for 535 yards on 121 carries this year, with four rushing touchdowns. He has been used as a dual threat, as his 24 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns would suggest. This game could come down to a battle at the line of scrimmage. BC’s defense is ranked 100th in the nation in stopping the run. They give up almost five yards a carry and 170 yards per game which has the Eagles third worst in the league.

Another thing to keep in mind for Saturday is one-possession games. Boston College is 5-2 in such contests this season while Virginia Tech is 0-2.