Bill O’Brien appears to be the right hire for Boston College. Last year’s record for the Eagles was 7-6 and 3-5 in ACC play. Expectations rose by bringing in the former Penn State and Houston Texans head coach. They luckily started with an opening win over FSU. For the new man in charge, this pointed to a significant shift within the program.
Now sitting at 4-1, with an ACC win, a high Bowl Game is in grasp. However, some are hoping for a potential conference championship push, even if they aren’t quite ready for that step yet. Being a part of that conversation deep into December will show tremendous progress.
Unfortunately, an injury at the most important position showed some early limitations. This team will go as Thomas Castellanos goes. And fair enough. Outside of Texas, it’s nearly impossible for a lot of rosters to overcome losing their starting quarterback. But still, even with Grayson James stepping in, BC got the win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
During that Boston College game, in particular, two big aspects were highlighted. This team will heavily lean on the run, and Castellanos is the one who unlocks it best. Through five games, the team is averaging 176.2 rushing yards per game. This is good for 59th most in the nation. Meanwhile, the passing attack falls behind at only 184.0 yards per contest by comparison.
Being a non-academy school that has such a high rush output is an identity. Coach O’Brien is bringing a toughness and clear path to victory in Chestnut Hill. Their ability to force other teams to adjust while leaning on their strength can be suffocating when executed properly.
However, the critical piece is their returning man under center, who is now returning after missing a game. Being able to be an athlete in open space and make others miss is, of course, important. But being able to execute the offense and then to take advantage of a creeping linebacking corps is not something everyone can do.
Development of the Boston College quarterback
Improving doesn’t always come hand-in-hand with experience. For some, the ceiling hits early. Or worse, regression can be seen as opposing defensive coordinators see what someone does well and take it away. However, for the junior, the jump in his game doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Last year, Castellanos threw for 57.3% while only earning 6.8 yards per completion. Despite the run-intense system, both of those numbers have significantly gone up. His growth now reflects a stronger 64.3% completion rate and 10.4 yards per completion.
As noted earlier, he’s doing an excellent job of taking the deep shot when it presents itself and is keeping his eyes downfield for open receivers to make plays. Case and point, he already has 10 touchdown throws on the year. In all of 2023, he threw for 15 total scores. Some national headlines are focused on Boston College right now, and they have the right two people in key positions, ready for their upcoming UVA test.