TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Boston College earned its first victory over a top-10 opponent in a decade, taking a 28-13 win over #10 Florida State on Monday night.
The win was the first of the Bill O'Brien era, as he becomes the fifth straight BC head coach to win his debut on the Eagles' sideline.
Quarterback Thomas Castellanos finished 10-of-16 for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 14 times for 73 yards and a score. BC finished the game with 263 rushing yards, led by Kye Robichaux's 85 yards on 19 carries. Treshaun Ward covered 77 yards in 12 carries, while also hauling in three passes for 61 yards and a TD.
After a pair of possessions that ended in punts, the Eagles manufactured a long scoring drive to start the second quarter. Castellanos found the end zone from four yards out, capping a 14-play, 71-yard drive that chewed up more than nine minutes on the Doak Campbell Stadium clock.
On the next possession, BC's defensive efforts forced another three-and-out for the Seminoles and the Eagles' offense took it down the field once again for another score. Castellanos connected with Treshaun Ward on a 13-yard pass down the left sideline and into the end zone, making it 14-0 with 9:58 left in the half. Earlier in the drive, the tandem connected on a 41-yard passing play.
After FSU got the ball on a short field, Boston College's defense held the Seminoles to three, paced by a Donovan Ezeiruaku sack of DJ Uiagaleiei on second down and Kam Arnold broke up a potential touchdown pass on third down.
The Seminoles added a second field goal with less than 30 seconds left in the half, making it 14-6 at the half.
FSU had the ball to start the second half, but Max Tucker took it back. The sophomore defensive back from Boston snagged Uiagaleiei's fourth-down pass and returned it 57 yards into the Eagles red zone. Two plays later, Castellanos and Robichaux linked up from four yards out to make it 21-6 with 11:58 left in the third.
The Seminoles found the end zone for the first time on the night with 5:19 left in the third quarter, trimming the BC lead to 21-13. But the Eagles simply would not be denied, using its ground game to bully the 'Noles, covering 60 yards on eight runs - capped by a two-yard plunge by Robichaux to make a two-score game - 28-13 - with 1:03 remaining in the period. Boston College got to the FSU four-yard line under the 2:00 timeout, but took a knee to bleed the clock and seal the win.
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak against top 10 opponents, with the last win coming against No. 9 USC on Sept. 13, 2014 in the inaugural Red Bandanna game.
Boston College returns to Alumni Stadium next Saturday, when it hosts Duquesne on Sept. 7 in the 2024 home opener. Kickoff against the Dukes is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network Extra.
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