Boston College Plays Season's Final Road Game at SMU Saturday

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Last Saturday at Alumni Stadium, the Boston College Eagles (5-4, 2-3) returned to what they do best, running the ball. The 37-31 win over Syracuse was largely due to a running game that gained 313 yards on the ground. It was the second time this season that BC went over 300 yards on the ground. The other game was back on September 7 vs Duquesne (302 yards).

If there was any bad news, it would be the lack of a passing game. Starting QB Thomas Castellanos struggled throwing the ball on Saturday (2-of-7, 1 INT, 14 yards, 1 TD). He was replaced in the third quarter by Grayson Allen who was a little better at 5-of-6, 51 yards, TD. The touchdown was a big one, an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Franklin on a fourth down in the red zone in the fourth quarter. Coach Bill O’Brien was asked about the QB change after the game and said “It was the best decision for the team.” As the Eagles prepare for their final road game of the season at SMU, O’Brien has chosen Allen to start Saturday’s game.

The running game was on center stage last weekend. Kyle Robichaux was named ACC Running Back of the Week with 28 carries for 198 yards and two scores, and Jordan McDonald, who O’Brien said was elevated from the “scout team,” ran 15 times for 137 yards and a score. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage opening big holes for both backs to run through. The running game allowed Boston College to keep the ball for 30 minutes and 43 seconds. Defensively, the Eagles did as well as could be expected. They were facing one of the better passing attacks in the league and country. Syracuse threw for 392 yards on 31-of-48 passing by QB Kyle McCord. He was sacked four times while throwing a couple of touchdowns. The key play of the game turned out to be a safety caused by a sack of McCord by Eagles DE Donovan Ezeiruaku halfway into the third quarter. It gave BC a lead of 23-21 at the time. A lead they would never give back.

This week will be a tough test in Dallas, TX. The Mustang are playing for a shot at the conference championship game in their first year in the league. This will be the third meeting between the two, and the second one in less than a year. These two teams met back in December of 2023 in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park with the Eagles coming away with a 23-14 win. Boston College is 4-7 all-time in the state of Texas. They are one win away from being bowl-eligible in back-to-back years.

The #13 Mustangs had last week off. They are 8-1 and 5-0 in the league. During their current six-game winning streak, they are averaging 43 points a game. They have forced 19 turnovers this season and in seven of their last eight games, they have forced at least one turnover. The Mustangs are 28-5 at home since 2019. Their offense knows how to spread the ball around. In 25 of the last 26 games, at least seven receivers have caught a pass. On special teams, kicker Collin Rodgers is 10th in the nation in field goals with 15 made. QB Kyle Jennings is third in the country in yards per pass at 9.69 and fifth in passing yards per completions at 14.96. He has the highest passer efficiency rating in league games at 178.6. SMU is 17-2 in their last 19 games and 16-1 in their last 17 games.