Dec 28, 2023; Boston, MA, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1) runs the ball against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second half at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports One team will open a new era while the other will look to bounce back from a season-opening loss when Boston College travels to No. 10 and defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Florida State for a Labor Day showdown.
The Monday night game marks Boston College’s season opener and its first game under head coach Bill O’Brien. Florida State (0-1, 0-1 ACC), meanwhile, returns stateside and to Tallahassee after a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in its Week 0 game last Saturday in Dublin.
Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said he hopes his team can improve after the “sickening” feeling of losing on a walk-off field goal in Ireland, though DJ Uiagalelei leading a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter left reason for optimism looking ahead.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to respond. Everybody’s disappointed in coming up short,” Norvell said. “We’ve got to go play better. It starts with me. It’s my job to make sure that in all things that we’re doing, come Monday night, our best football shows up.”
Uiagalelei, a redshirt senior who previously played at Clemson and Oregon State, was 19-for-27 passing for 193 yards in the opener. He converted on two fourth-down plays during the final drive.
Defensively, the Seminoles held Georgia Tech to 146 passing yards. Shyheim Brown earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after totaling a career-high 13 tackles in the opener.
Another mobile quarterback is on the horizon for Florida State’s defense in Thomas Castellanos, who became the fifth ACC signal caller since 1996 to post 2,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards during Boston College’s 7-6 season that ended with a Fenway Bowl win over new ACC foe SMU.
“It’s going to take all hats (to contain the Castellanos-led offense),” Norvell said.
Castellanos threw for 305 yards and ran for 96 more against Florida State last season. The Eagles’ 31-29 loss on Sept. 16 — which saw them score 19 unanswered points before falling just short — was their fifth straight in the head-to-head series, but four of those have been decided by seven points or less.
The Seminoles have won nine straight home games.
But the Eagles think things can be different this year.
Led by Castellanos, Boston College averaged 199.5 yards per game last season.
Also among the team’s 15 returning starters are Castellanos’ top target in the pass game, Lewis Bond (646 yards) and tackler Kam Arnold (66 total tackles).
Monday, though, begins a new season and O’Brien’s tenure with the Eagles.
“There’s definitely a little bit more excitement in the air, a little bit more of a second wind (entering game week),” O’Brien said. “These guys have worked hard. … We’re excited about the opportunity. We know Florida State is a very good team, great coaching staff, great crowd.”
O’Brien welcomes in 10 transfer newcomers, including an exciting receiver and kick returner in Jayden McGowan from Vanderbilt.
What certainly hasn’t changed is that Castellanos will be a focal point of the Eagles’ plans.
“He’s put a lot of work into this and he’s a much improved player,” O’Brien said. “We’re definitely going to let Tommy be Tommy. … He’s a very instinctive player. He’s gotten better in the passing game. We want him to play a clean game and just make good decisions for the team.”
O’Brien has 32 years of college and NFL experience. The former head coach of the Houston Texans and at Penn State, he was Bill Belichick’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the New England Patriots last season and had been hired for the same role at Ohio State before moving to Boston College in February.
–Field Level Media
