What Went Wrong for Boston College against Virginia?
Make no mistake about it - Boston College looked its worst all season in Saturday's ACC loss to Virginia. The Eagles fell 24-14 in the road loss.
From quarterback play to allowing the comeback victory, Boston College has a lot to clean up this week as the team gets a short bye before its next contest. So, what exactly went wrong for BC on the road?
Castellanos' Worst Showing of the Season
Thomas Castellanos has been rock steady in the time he's seen for Boston College thus far, but that script was the first to flip on Saturday. After coming out of the gates hotter than the team has all season, the Eagles and Castellanos started to fade during the closing moments of the first half.
The junior quarterback finished with 254 yards through the air on a 73 percent completion rate, and that sounds mighty fine until the rest of the stat line reveals itself. Castellanos finished with two touchdown passes - the lone scores of the game for BC - and two picks. Add a late fumble into the mix, and it's evident Castellanos wasn't able to keep consistent control of the football throughout the entire second half.
For first year head coach Bill O'Brien's offense to run smoothly, the signal caller has to be on point duty, and that didn't happen on Saturday. Boston College's last four drives all ended in a turnover one way or another, and that can't happen.
What Happened to the Run Game?
Speaking of O'Brien's offense, the run game stayed on the bus. BC finished with just 65 yards on the ground, which comes in at even less than the 68 yards the team managed in its only earlier loss against Missouri.
Turbo Richard led all rushers with 51 yards on nine attempts, 20 of which came off one play, but the rest of the stable remained quiet all day. Only Jayden McGowan, (the wide receiver) had a carry for longer than six yards.
In both of the Eagles' losses this season, the squad fell short of the century mark as a team on the ground. That mark is a pivotal point for the O'Brien offense which becomes one dimmensional without that threat.
The 'Second Half Team' Script got Flipped
Time after time, this Boston College team has emerged from the locker room at the halftime break a different team. O'Brien has spoken to the media several times about getting his team off to a better start, and that looked to be the case on Saturday after BC went up 14-0.
Fans should sense what happened next if they're not aware. UVA went on to score 24 unanswered points to complete the comeback win against what some were calling one of the best second half teams in the country. One could say UVA out Boston College'd Boston College, but their linguistics teachers probably wouldn't care for it.
So what's next for BC? The quest for bowl eligibility is still closer than it is farther away, but the road doesn't get easier. Thankfully, the Eagles get a bit of a reprieve before gearing up for a Thursday night matchup at Virginia Tech on October 17.
