Boston College was eager and adamant to get off to a strong start after coming off of a terrible 2022 campaign in which they went 3-9, which was tied for the team’s lowest record in a decade. In their 125th season of football, they would like to commemorate the team’s return to the big title eligibility.
Unfortunately, they opened the 2023 college football season with a tight loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies at Alumni Stadium. The BC supporters, though, at least found some comfort in their quarterbacks’ performances.
Boston College QB steals the show vs. Northern Illinois
Even though Boston College came up short in the game, the Eagles quarterback’s effort won the crowd over. The game was opened by BC starter Emmett Morehead, who only lasted two series before being replaced by Castellanos.
Starting the second half of the game at quarterback for the Eagles, Morehead returned to the action and finished 4 for 10 for 30 yards. Later, Castellanos took his position for the game’s second possession and went on to complete 13 of 28 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns while also gaining 67 yards on nine attempts in the running game.
Northern Illinois defeated Boston College in overtime
A fierce competition was anticipated from the match because both institutions concluded the season with 14, placing them both at 109th in the country. However, Northern Illinois showed that they were better equipped to begin the season by defeating BC 27-24 in overtime.
After a scoreless first quarter in which both teams were trying to find their offensive rhythm, NIU opened the second half with a strong drive that featured both its passing and running games. With 1:44 left in the game, Castellanos was able to quickly advance the Eagles down the field with a lengthy sprint, a toss to O’Keefe, and a 30-yard pass to Jaden Williams for a touchdown.
This tied the score at 21-21 and led the match to overtime and after winning the extra coin toss and electing to play defense first, the NIU teams’ defenses kept BC to a 39-yard field goal in overtime as the Eagles were unable to get a first down.
Gavin Williams carried eight yards to the one and Brock Lampe gained 16 yards after a one-handed catch from Lombardi, setting up the quarterbacks’ fast snap sneak. Their incredible win over BC marked the 18th “Boneyard Win,” and their head coach Thomas Hammock was ecstatic about it following the game.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team, I couldn’t be more proud of our coaches. I knew we had a good team. It was good to see those guys go out and do it.”
On Saturday, Boston College and Holy Cross will square off. It remains to be seen if they can build on the weaknesses of their previous game and make a strong comeback.
