Virginia Football vs. Boston College Game Preview, Score Prediction

Matt Newton | 7 Hours Ago

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The Virginia Cavaliers and Boston College Eagles will put their undefeated ACC records to the test when the two ACC foes clash on Saturday in Charlottesville. Boston College is looking to improve to 5-1 for the first time since 2008 and 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2007, while UVA is looking to improve on its best start under Tony Elliott and best start since 2019.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Boston College with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction.

Virginia vs. Boston College Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. Boston College Eagles (4-1, 1-0 ACC)

When: Saturday, October 5th at 12pm ET

Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, Virginia

How to watch: ACC Network

How to listen: SiriusXM 158 or 194, SXM App 956 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: Boston College leads 7-1

Last meeting: Boston College defeated Virginia 27-24 last season in Chestnut Hill.

Virginia vs. Boston College Game Notes

• Boston College has had the upper hand in the all-time series with Virginia, leading 7-1 all-time, including a 2-1 record in Charlottesville.
• UVA's lone win in the series with BC came in 2020, when the Cavaliers defeated the Eagles 43-32 at Scott Stadium.
• Virginia is looking to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019 and the Cavaliers are seeking back-to-back ACC wins for the first time since 2021.
• UVA is 2-0 coming off of a bye week under Tony Elliott, including last year's upset victory on the road at then-No. 10 North Carolina.
• Virginia is looking to be 4-1 to start a season for the first time since 2019 and just the sixth time since 1999.

Read Virginia's injury report for the Boston College game here: UVA Football Week 6 Injury Report: Updates on Boley, Harris, Furnish, Wilson

See below for UVA's week 6 depth chart for the Boston College game.

Virginia Cavaliers week 6 depth chart vs. Boston College / Virginia Athletics

Opponent Scouting Report: Boston College

2023: 7-6, 3-5 ACC
2024: 4-1, 1-0 ACC

In year 1 under the direction of long-time NFL head coach Bill O'Brien, the Eagles have gotten off to an excellent 4-1 start, which includes blowout wins over Florida State and Duquesne followed by a competitive loss at Missouri, and then more recently, close victories over Michigan State and Western Kentucky.

The scouting report on Boston College became a lot simpler on Thursday with the news that normal starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos is expected to be available for the Eagles on Saturday at UVA after missing last week's game with an undisclosed injury. With Castellanos leading the way, BC can hope to return to form offensively after struggling on that side of the ball in a tight 21-20 victory over Western Kentucky last week. When Castellanos is healthy, the Boston College offense was certainly capable, opening the season with a 28-13 win at Florida State, nearly upsetting a top 10 SEC team on the road at Missouri, and coming from behind to beat Michigan State in week 4.

Though Castellanos is a dynamic quarterback, the run game is the focus for the Eagles, who call designed runs 55% of the time and have nearly twice the rushing attempts than passing attempts. Castellanos does his fair share of running the ball, but Treshaun Ward leads the way in the ground game, averaging 6.0 yards per carry, which ranks 10th in the ACC. Seven different Eagles have scored rushing touchdowns this season and three of them are averaging at least 4.0 yards per carry.

In the passing game, Boston College's strength is the efficiency of Thomas Castellanos, who ranks sixth in all of college football in passing efficiency and who has thrown only two interceptions as compared to 10 passing touchdowns. His top target is 5'11" redshirt junior Lewis Bond, who leads the BC receivers with 23 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Only one other Eagle has double-digit receptions for the year, so the Cavaliers should consider focusing on denying Bond and make someone else beat them.

Defensively, Boston College thrives on takeaways, forcing 10 turnovers through the first five games, eight of which have been interceptions. There's one player UVA quarterback Anthony Colandrea will have to locate before every snap and that's defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, who leads the entire country with eight sacks through the first five games of the season. To emphasize that mind-boggling level of production, Ezeiruaku is averaging more than one sack per game and has more sacks than the entire UVA defense combined.

Other defensive playmakers to keep an eye on for BC are defensive backs Max Tucker and Khari Johnson, who each have two interceptions on the season and know how to turn those picks into game-changing plays, as both Tucker and Johnson have more than 50 interception return yards this year. If Colandrea makes an ill-advised throw, it's a good bet that Tucker or Johnson will make him pay.

Overall, the BC defense ranks third in the ACC in scoring defense, though that's boosted significantly by the Eagles shutting out FCS Duquesne in week 2.

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Boston College

Quarterback Play
Before Thursday's news that Thomas Castellanos is likely to start at quarterback for Boston College at Virginia on Saturday, this key was going to be about what the Eagles could get from backup Grayson James. To his credit, James threw the game-winning touchdown pass against Western Kentucky, but BC's offense with James leading the way was uninspiring. With Castellanos expected to play, the question becomes how close to 100% of his normal dynamic play he provides in his return and whether the Cavalier defense can do a better job of containing him than last season, when he threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 78 more to lead the Eagles to a comeback in the second half. On the other side, the quarterback facing Castellanos will be different as Anthony Colandrea looks to do what Tony Muskett couldn't last year and lead the Hoos to a victory over the Eagles for just the second time in the history of the series.

Second and Fourth Quarter Trends
Boston College tends to get off to a slow start offensively, scoring just 21 points in the first quarter through five games. The Eagles then turn it on in the second quarter, putting 62 points on the board this season in second quarters. In the fourth quarter, the BC defense locks in, giving up just six total points in five fourth quarters this season. Virginia has outscored each of its opponents in the second quarter this season and showed much improvement in fourth quarter execution, which was perhaps the team's greatest weakness last season, in the comeback victory at Wake Forest. How each team performs before halftime and in the closing possessions of the game will be even more important in this game than they usually are.

Battle in the Trenches
The Eagles lean heavily on their physical play at the line of scrimmage, relying on a capable run game and an effective pass rush to turn the tides in their favor. Virginia can flip the script by disrupting Boston College's efforts to dominate the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball. The UVA defensive front must contain BC's run game and force the Eagles into third and long situations. But perhaps mostly importantly, the Cavalier offensive line must hold up against Donovan Ezeiruaku and the BC pass rush. Keep an eye on the left tackle spot, as McKale Boley is slated to make his season debut after missing the first four games with an injury. It wouldn't be surprising to see both Boley and Jack Witmer, who started those four games at left tackle, split reps in this game, and look for the Cavaliers to potentially double team Ezeiruaku in order to take him out of the game if possible.

Virginia vs. Boston College Prediction

Boston College has owned the series against Virginia. Though the two teams have met only eight times, it still seems almost unfathomable that the Cavaliers have prevailed over the Eagles only once in the 60-year history of the series, and that one win came with just 250 fans in attendance at Scott Stadium during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. There should be plenty of fans in the stands on Saturday for UVA's Homecomings game to see the Hoos face their toughest challenge yet against a well-coached team that has proven to have a winning mentality. UVA is 3-1, but still unproven without a marquee victory against a quality opponent. That could change on Saturday in what should be a very competitive ACC football game. I see this one coming down to the wire, with the Cavaliers showing that their improvements in late-game execution are for real.

Score prediction: Boston College 23, Virginia 26

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