Three Takeaways From Boston College Football’s Loss to Missouri
The No. 24 Boston College Eagles football team suffered its first loss of the season to the No. 6 Missouri Tigers 27-21 on Saturday afternoon at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.
Both teams proved why they each have a number beside their name, battling it out until the clock hit zero. The contest was anyone’s to win until Missouri iced it with a couple of first downs within the final two minutes.
Although the Eagles fell short, the matchup revealed good, bad and in-between qualities of this team. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Run Game is Biggest Part of Eagles Success
In 2023, the Eagles averaged 198.8 rushing yards per game which ranked No. 13 in the nation and No. 2 in the ACC. With improvement from quarterback Thomas Castellanos and running back Kye Robichaux as well as picking up running back Treshaun Ward out of the transfer portal during the offseason, Boston College’s successful run game got better in 2024. In the team’s Week 1 win over Florida State, the team rushed for 263 yards and two touchdowns in 52 attempts. In its Week 2 game vs. Duquesne, the Eagles tallied 306 yards and three touchdowns on 46 attempts. The ground game on Saturday struggled tremendously as the team tallied just 46 total yards on 26 attempts while Castellanos averaged 1.9 yards per rush which was his second-lowest average (lowest 1.2 vs. Pitt on Nov. 16, 2023) in his Boston College career. If the Eagles want to continue to see success on the field, the running game will have to become major priority.
Penalties Still a Struggle
“Disciplined, tough, hardworking football team that plays good in critical situations.” That is what Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien wanted this team to be known for, sharing that message at ACC Football Kickoff in July. The main way to do that is to limit penalties, something that has hurt the team in recent years and something that O’Brien and players emphasized throughout training camp. The disciplined play looked to be improved in Week 1 where the team only tallied one penalty for 15 yards on a punt and tallied five penalties for 35 yards vs. Duquesne. During the contest against the Missouri, Boston College was flagged five times for 28 yards which included four on the offense, two false starts, an illegal forward pass, and holding. The one defensive penalty, a pass interference by Khari Johnson, gave the Tigers a second-chance opportunity which resulted in a field goal. If the Eagles want to be known as disciplined, tough and hardworking, the amount of penalties has to get smaller.
Offense Needs to Control the Clock Better
One of the biggest keys to the Boston College offense that makes it so explosive is its ability to run fast and slow paced plays. Castellanos has a great arm and can gain ground with his feet, but the Eagles offense has a mixture of running backs that can make top-notch catches as well as has depth in the wide receiver room. One of the elements to Boston College’s early success has been control of the clock. In Week 1, the Eagles dominated the time of possession 39:09 to the Seminoles’ 20:51. In the first quarter of Saturday’s game, Boston College had possession of the ball for 10:18 vs. Missouri’s 4:42 and was leading 7-3. Through the rest of the contest, Missouri controlled the clock 31:04 to Boston College’s 13:56. The defense was visibly worn out as the game progressed having to continuously stay on the field. If Boston College wants to continue to see offensive success, it has to work on controlling the clock and giving the defense time to breathe and take a rest, especially in big matchups.
KIM RANKIN