Boston College looks to continue its recent winning ways Saturday in its nonconference finale against New England rival Connecticut at Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Eagles (4-3) have won three straight games following a dominant finish last week in a 38-23 win at Georgia Tech. Now they aim to offer payback to UConn for handing them a loss for the first time ever in 2022.
“There is zero motivation needed to play this game,” Boston College coach Jeff Hafley said. “We’ll pour everything into it, just like we have the past few weeks. This is a team with a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum right now.”
At Georgia Tech, quarterback Thomas Castellanos and running back Kye Robichaux each rushed for two touchdowns as Boston College totaled a season-high 563 yards of offense and rode a 21-0, fourth-quarter rally to victory.
Castellanos, Robichaux, offensive lineman Christian Mahogany and defensive back Elijah Jones (two interceptions) were all ACC weekly honorees at their positions.
Boston College has rushed for 300 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2017.
“It’s how we’re going to win games here,” Hafley said. “If you play good defense and run the ball, you’ll have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. If we can do that, we’ll wear people out.”
Castellanos — the first Power 5 quarterback with multiple 100-yard rushing games this season — has consistently improved every week, and so has the team.
“We’re no longer the laughingstock of college football or the ACC,” Castellanos said. “We’re back, and we’re rolling.”
Ryan O’Keefe (neck) is also getting closer to a return for the Eagles, though Hafley said the wide receiver probably would remain out this week.
The Huskies (1-6) hope to rebound after falling 24-21 to South Florida last week, narrowly missing their second straight win after leading 21-10 in the fourth quarter.
“That was a gut-wrencher there,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “When you play your ass off, when the players played as hard as they could play, when it came down to it, we did not do enough as a team to win it.”
Sophomore Cam Edwards stepped up in the backfield after Victor Rosa went down with an ankle sprain, logging a career-high 149 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown run and a touchdown catch.
Mora said Tuesday that it was too early to determine Rosa’s status against Boston College.
“Victor is going to do everything that he can to be ready to play,” Mora said.
UConn’s Jackson Mitchell is coming off his second 15-tackle effort in three games. The linebacker also led the team with 12 stops in the Huskies’ 13-3 win over Boston College on Oct. 29, 2022. Huskies defensive lineman Eric Watts had 2.5 sacks in that victory over the Eagles, who fell to 12-1-2 in the all-time series.
–Field Level Media