BC Football: Home Opener a Breeze for Boston College

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College blanked Duquesne, 56-0, in the 2024 home opener at Alumni Stadium on Saturday. With the win, BC opens the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season.

The Eagles compiled 563 total yards of offense, including 306 yards on the ground. Those team totals were the most since last season’s win at Georgia Tech on Oct. 21, 2023 (563 total; 308 rush). It was the first shutout victory since Sept. 4, 2021 (Colgate – 51-0) and the most points scored in a game since tacking 58 on Syracuse on Nov. 2, 2019.

Thomas Castellanos was outstanding in an abbreviated day, connecting on 9-of-10 pass attempts for 234 yards and four touchdown passes. He connected on TD strikes of 72, four, 49, and 30 yards in the first half – becoming only the second BC signal caller over the last 27 years to connect on at least three TD passes of 30 yards in a single game (Anthony Brown at Wake Forest, Sept. 13, 2018).

Seven Eagles combined for more than 300 rushing yards, led by Turbo Richard’s 74 yards. The true freshman carried the ball a team-high 15 times. Ward (65 yards, one TD), Datrell Jones (65 yards, one TD), and Jordan McDonald (54 yards) all rushed for more than 50 yards on the day.

Lewis Bond led BC with 98 receiving yards, hauling in five passes – including a 49-yard TD reception. Reed Harris logged his first catch for the Eagles – good for a 72-yard touchdown. Treshaun Ward and Jerand Bradley each hauled in a 30-yard reception on the day.

Ward opened up the scoring for the Eagles on a three-yard plunge in the first quarter, 7-0, with 8:40 to go in the first quarter. BC covered 80 yards on seven plays, including two big pass play connections between Castellanos and Jerand Bradley (30 yards) and Lewis Bond (26).

Another big passing play – 78 yards – from Castellanos to Harris made it a 14-0 game with less than a minute and a half left in the opening frame. It was his first career touchdown.

Two Eagles registered their first career milestones in the second quarter, resulting in scores. Khari Johnson tallied his first career interception and returned it 45 yards for the pick-6 touchdown, making it a 21-0 game early in the second quarter. Kamari Morales hauled in his career TD with less than eight minutes left in the half, connecting with Castellanos from four yards out, making it 28-0.

Castellanos dialed long distance twice more to close out the first half, connecting on a 49-yard touchdown pass to Bond and a 30-yard strike to Ward to make it 42-0 at the half.

Datrell Jones scored his first collegiate touchdown, rushing 47 yards for the score with 4:29 left in the third quarter and pushing the Eagles’ lead to 49-0. Jacobe Robinson, seeing his first action under center for BC, rushed for a nine-yard touchdown late in the fourth, making it 56-0.

Daveon Crouch and Sedarius McConnell each logged four tackles, while six different Eagles made three stops on the day. BC’s defensive corps logged six tackles for a loss and a sack, two interceptions, and five pass break-ups.

Boston College returns to action next week when it travels to Columbia, Mo. to take on No. 9/10 Missouri. Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m. ET and the game will air live on SEC Network.