Previewing Boston College Ahead of Missouri's Week Three Showdown

The Tigers host Boston College for their toughest matchup of the early season and one of the best games in the nation in week three.

Michael Stamps | Sep 13, 2024

Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Boston College Eagles running back Kye Robichaux (5) celebrates a touchdown during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The No. 24 Boston College Eagles are next on the schedule for the Missouri Tigers and it appears as if they could pose a threat.

The Eagles are 2-0 early on, with a shocking week one win against the Florida State Seminoles to show for it. They handled business in week two, trouncing the Duquesne Dukes 56-0. The Eagles, unlike some other programs throughout the country, are battle tested. Their inter-conference matchup in week one gave them a worthy opponent to gauge where they were as a team.

At the helm of the Boston College offense is quarterback Thomas Castellanos. He appeared to be the main focus of defensive preparation leading up to Saturday morning, mainly because of his versatility in the air and on the ground.

The junior quarterback has thrown for 340 yards and six touchdowns this season on 26 attempts. More importantly, he has yet to throw an interception. Castellanos infrequently takes shots down the field, but is more than capable. He is known for his ability to read a defense, deciding whether to throw it or take off.

If the Tiger defense can stop Castellanos, they will have the defensive side of the ball figured out. Mastering when he will take off and run and when he will throw is a challenge not many defenses have conquered, but it is certainly possible. Last season, Castellanos was sacked 20 times in 13 games. That was no where near one of the worst numbers in the country because he is so challenging to get ahold of. Pressuring Castellanos is one thing, but keeping him contained and not letting him escape the pocket is another.

On his legs, he's accounted for 81 yards and a touchdown this season. Last year, he eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark, which should make evident his ability to torch teams on the ground.

Castellanos isn't the only member of the Boston College offense who can light it up running the ball. The Eagles have a pair of senior running backs in Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward that have a resemblance of a duo of Missouri's Marcus Carroll and Nate Noel.

Robichaux is a stronger, more powerful back, who is commonly used in power rush and third down situations. He is not heavily utilized in the receiving game either. Ward, on the other hand, has picked up four receptions for 91 yards, good for second most on the team. He is much quicker than Robichaux, which makes for a nice balance. Robichaux has out-carried Ward so far this season 25 to 20.

The Eagles have two monsters at their offensive tackle spots, with Ozzy Trapilo on the right side and Jude Bowry on the left. Trapilo stands at 6-foot-8, 309-pounds and Bowry 6-foot-5 and the same weight. As an offensive line unit, they have allowed four total sacks, three of which against Castellanos.

Defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku appears to be the face of the Boston College defense. He has yet to post stand out numbers, but his ability to put pressure on any opposing quarterback has been on full display. He's posted five tackles and two sacks so far on the year, while applying plenty of pressure. He currently holds two of the teams four sacks.

On the other side of Ezeiruaku sits veteran Neto Okpala. In his fourth year with the Eagles, Okpala has posted six early tackles and a sack. Like Ezeiruaku, he has plenty of pass-rush moves that make him stand out while rushing the quarterback. The duo of defensive ends will make for an important showdown between Missouri left tackle Marcus Bryant and right tackle Armand Membou Jr.

Their leading tackler through two games can be found at the free safety spot, in redshirt freshman Carter Davis. He's recorded 12 tackles so far, nine of which came in week one against Florida State. He was able to deflect only one pass in week two against the Duquesne Dukes, but has not been bad in coverage.

The Eagles third leading tackler from last season, linebacker Kam Arnold, has seen a quiet start to his fifth year of college football. In his junior year, he posted 65 tackles, three deflections, one sack and a forced fumble. Through two games this year, he's only been good for three tackles and a deflection. Arnold, a converted safety-turned-linebacker, is more than capable of being the face of the Boston College defense. Why he hasn't been leading the team as a tackler so far is a question mark.

One of the weaker position groups on the Boston College roster is at the cornerback spot, which does not bode well playing against the Tigers. Sophomore Max Tucker and junior Amari Jackson are likely to line up at the starting corner spots. Between the two, they have forced one turnover in their early campaign.

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