Opponent preview: Boston College Eagles touch down in Dallas

[PonyPride]

Opponent preview: Mustangs aim to ground Boston College Eagles
Teams meet in rematch of 2023 Fenway Bowl

The team rolling into Dallas to face the SMU Mustangs Saturday is not the Boston College team from the glory years of Doug Flutie. ItΓÇÖs not even the same team that knocked off SMU, 23-14, in the Fenway Bowl last December.

The Mustangs (8-1 overall, 5-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference games) and Eagles (5-4 / 2-3) square off at 2:30 p.m. in a game that can be seen on ESPN (be forewarned: the play-by-play announcer, Bob Wischusen, is a Boston College alumnus). It also can be heard on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM.

When the teams met some 11 months ago, BC was completely different. It was led by head coach Jeff Hafley, who left Boston after the game to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. He was replaced at the helm in Chestnut Hill by longtime NFL (and former Penn State head) coach Bill OΓÇÖBrien, who has brought a more pro-style offense with him to BC. He has overseen a significant transformation of the program, the most visible evidence of which will be at quarterback.

In last yearΓÇÖs matchup at Fenway Park, BCΓÇÖs video-game offense was led by quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a human joystick who ran around and through the SMU defense for a career-high 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and completed 11 of 18 passes for 102 yards, en route to winning Offensive Most Valuable Player honors.

But OΓÇÖBrien announced Tuesday that junior Grayson James (6-3, 226) will replace Castellanos (5-9, 195) at the helm of the BC offense; that it comes at SMU sets up a potentially special day for James, the Duncanville, Texas, native who played two seasons at Florida International, where he started 11 games and won Honorable Mention All-Conference USA honors before transferring to Boston College. OΓÇÖBrien declined to get into the differences in the skillsets of each quarterback, but they are evident to even the most casual observer: whereas Castellanos is a run-first dynamo able to slither through even the tightest creases in opposing defenses, James looks like the kind of passer OΓÇÖBrien prefers, standing six inches taller and carrying more than 30 pounds more than his displaced teammate. He is not as elusive as Castellanos, but he has more-than-adequate mobility, and presents a far more dangerous passing threat, thanks to a stronger arm and a quick release.

OΓÇÖBrien said that Castellanos, understandably, did not like the decision, and was given some time to process the move.

ΓÇ£Tommy has done a great job for us,ΓÇ¥ OΓÇÖBrien said. ΓÇ£He is an awesome competitor, we have a lot of respect for Tommy, but you know, he wasnΓÇÖt real thrilled with that, so heΓÇÖs taking a couple of days.ΓÇ¥

His appearance Saturday will not be the first of the season for James, who replaced Castellanos twice in games earlier this season. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 168 yards, one interception and a touchdown, and rushing for another touchdown, in BCΓÇÖs 21-20 win over Western Kentucky; then, last week, he completed five of six passes for 51 yards and a score in the EaglesΓÇÖ 37-31 win over Syracuse. Against the Orange, James connected with tight end Jeremiah Franklin on fourth-and-1 on an 18-yard touchdown pass in the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the schools. James had come into the game after Castellanos limped off the field after the opening drive in the third quarter, having completed just two of seven passes for 14 yards, with one touchdown pass and one interception.

BC ran up 313 rushing yards in the win over Syracuse, with two runners topping the 100-yard mark: senior Kye Robichaux (6-0, 217), a transfer from Western Kentucky, set career highs with 28 carries for 198 rushing yards ΓÇö the third-highest total in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year ΓÇö and a pair of touchdowns to earn ACC Running Back of the Week honors; Jordan McDonald (6-1, 227) added 133.

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee met the media in Dallas before OΓÇÖBrien made his announcement in Boston, but was well aware of the fact that the Eagles have played two quarterbacks this season. He acknowledged the challenge his team faced last year against Castellanos, and said the Mustangs would prepare as if they might see both Saturday.

James takes the reins of an offense that has scored 27.6 points per game, scoring more than 28 points just once so far, in a 56-0 pasting of Duquesne. The offense has gained almost identical yardage on the ground and through the air: 175.1 rushing yards per game, compared to 178.7 per game through the air.

The top receiving target ΓÇö by far ΓÇö is redshirt junior Lewis Bond (5-11, 199), whose five receptions against Syracuse gave him 44 for the season and an even 100 in his BC career. His 438 receiving yards lead the team, and he has reached the end zone three times. Graduate tight end Kamari Morales (6-4, 249) has turned 18 receptions into 226 yards, and is tied with graduate running back Treshaun Ward (5-10, 190) for the team lead with four touchdown catches; sophomore wideout Jaedn Skeete (6-2, 191) also has 18 catches, for 189 yards and a score.

As has been the case with any OΓÇÖBrien-coached team, the EaglesΓÇÖ offensive success starts up front. Since redshirt junior left guard Logan Taylor (6-7, 308) returned from an offseason injury, the Eagles have followed the same quintet of blockers in each of their last seven games; continuity is a habit at BC, which started the same offensive line in 11 of 12 regular season games in 2023.

As always, BCΓÇÖs offensive line is huge: redshirt junior center Drew Kendall is ΓÇ£the little guyΓÇ¥ at 6-4 and ΓÇ£justΓÇ¥ 299 pounds, but he is a talented anchor in the middle of the line, starting in 29 of the EaglesΓÇÖ last 30 games and earning Freshman All-America honors two years ago. The right side of the line looks like a heavyweight basketball team, with graduate transfer right guard Jack Conley (6-7, 325) and graduate right tackle Ozzy Trapilo (6-8, 309) leading the way. Trapilo earned second-team all-ACC honors last season, while Conley is a versatile blocker who started at four positions two years ago and last year made five starts as the worldΓÇÖs largest eligible tight end.

The Boston College defense is led by a veteran coach who is familiar to PonyFans of a certain age: Tim Lewis coached the defensive backs at SMU from 1989-92.

Lewis runs a 4-2-5 as his base alignment, starting with a defensive line that prioritizes speed above all else. The leader in just about every statistic is senior defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (6-2, 247), who leads the defense with 58 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, numbers that helped him get named one of 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year; he also is a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, which is presented by the Rotary Club of Houston to college footballΓÇÖs top lineman. He ranks second in the ACC in both tackles for loss and sacks, and his 10 sacks ΓÇö three more than the seven collected by rest of the BC roster combined, including three by backup defensive end Quintayvious Hutchins, a 6-3, 246-pound redshirt junior ΓÇö rank fourth in the nation among FBS defenders. Over his career, he has 23.5 sacks, good for third in program history.

While many teams use their defensive linemen to consume blockers while linebackers and defensive backs run free to the ball, the EaglesΓÇÖ linemen make plenty of plays on their own: Ezeiruaku, now in his second season as a team captain, is the unquestioned headliner, but he is one of three defensive linemen among the top seven tacklers on the team. Graduate nose tackle Cam Horsley (6-4, 306) has 35 tackles, while senior defensive end Neto Okpala (6-1, 250) has 32; both have five tackles for loss, and Okpala has added a pair of sacks.

Okpala said he relishes the idea of facing the Mustangs for the second time in less than a year.

ΓÇ£I think itΓÇÖs pretty exciting,ΓÇ¥ he said. ΓÇ£It should be a lot of trash-talking ΓÇö I would assume so ΓÇö so itΓÇÖll be pretty entertaining, fun to play them again.ΓÇ¥

The linebackers are very similar: junior Daveon Crouch (6-1, 227) has 47 tackles, while graduate Kam Arnold (6-1, 229) has 40. Arnold has grown ΓÇö literally ΓÇö into his role. The former high school cornerback began his college career as a safety and then moved up to linebacker as he grew into his frame.

The Eagles normally utilize five defensive backs, led by sophomore strong safety K.P. Price (6-1, 200), who ranks second on the team with 52 tackles and got his first career interception October 25 against Louisville. Redshirt senior nickelback Khari Johnson (5-11, 192) and sophomore cornerback Max Tucker (5-11, 187) each have two of the teamΓÇÖs 11 interceptions this season.

It is a safe bet that no team in the country manages a stable of kickers and punters the way Boston College does: through nine games, the Eagles have attempted just two field goals … and have needed two kickers for the job. Junior Luca Lombardo (5-11, 174), who wears the always-stable-for-a-kicker jersey number 99, hit his only attempt, from 39 yards, September 21 against Michigan State, while junior Liam Connor (6-2, 207) missed his only attempt. (Not to be outdone by Lombardo, Connor wears 95 on his jersey.)

So far, Boston College has punted 41 times … while using four different punters. The primary option is sophomore Ivan Zivenko, who averages 37.1 yards on 25 attempts.

Boston College has as much experience as a team can have: including special teams, the Eagles could start as many as 15 players who are seniors or graduate students.

The game is the final road game of the year for the Eagles, who at 5-4 (2-3 in ACC games) are one victory shy of bowl eligibility. BC has played in Dallas four times ΓÇö losing at SMU in 1986 and three appearances in the Cotton Bowl.

[SMUFan]

Yet another reason we're lucky to have stud DEs like Elijah Roberts, Jahfari Harvey, Isaiah Smith, etc.: prepping Savion Byrd, PJ Williams and the rest of the OTs for guys like Ezeiruaku. I saw their game against Western Kentucky and Virginia, and he looked like an NFL player.

[ClassOf81]

We've done well against teams that try to run quick guys to the edges, but BC has 2 power running backs and a good O-line. If they get through our D-line, our LBs will be tested a lot.