Boston College’s coach didn’t need to give the mother of all halftime speeches to rally the Eagles to their first ACC win.
Deflated and down 14 after two, the Eagles outscored (20-3) and outgained (256-39) the Virgina Cavaliers in the second half and to secure a 27-24 victory before 41,868.
The Eagles (2-3, 1-2) notched their first win against and FBS opponent and exited the basement of the ACC in the process. BC will take a break from league play when it engages the Cadets or Army next Saturday (noon) at West Point.
“We have a resilient group that could have laid it down but they didn’t,” said coach Jeff Hafley. “Speeches only go so far and what you say to fire them up and get them to run out of the tunnel, that doesn’t last.
“It how resilient they are and trust and believe in the team. Sure, we made some adjustments and we picked up the temp on offense. We came out and played a way better second half.”
BC regained the lead on a 42-yard field goal by sophomore Liam Connor with 2:11 to play. The Cavs got the ball back on the 28 with 2:05 to play but turned the ball over on downs.
BC sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos completed 16-of-26 passes with two touchdowns and two first-half interceptions. He added 78 yards to the BC ground attack that churned 183 yards and a touchdown. Tailback Pat Garwo led the way with 87 yards on 23 carries and a score.
Virginia quarterback Tony Muskett, who made his first start since suffering a left shoulder injury in the season opener, completed 22 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, almost exclusively in the first half. In the second half he threw an interception, was sacked four times, and only managed to convert two BC fumbles into three points.
“Guy do not have it to quit when adversity comes our way,” said defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, who finished with five tackles and a sack. “We knew we had the guys and front and the back end to do the job.”
BC opened the third with an impressive ground game that churned 63 yards on 11 plays. The drive stalled on the 24 and Connor made 21-10 with a 42-yard field goal with 9:47 to play.
BC cut the lead to 21-17 Castellanos capped a four-play, 63-yard drive with a 4-yard toss to Joe Griffin with 6:09 to play.
BC cornerback Elijah Jones intercepted Muskett on the BC 35 to set up the go-ahead drive. The march was extended when Castellanos gained eight on a fourth and two on the Virginia 47. BC went up 24-21 when Bond caught a wide receiver screen and went 33-yards down the right flank with 1:04 to play in the third.
The Eagles defense played equally inspired football, holding the Cavs to 12 yards and zero points in the third. The Eagles D sacked Muskett for the fourth time on the second play of the fourth quarter to force another three-and-out.
The game was paused at 14:07 after a violent collision on the BC 30. BC’s Ryan O’Keefe set up for a wide receiver screen and was poleaxed by Cavs’ cornerback Malcolm Greene. Both players required medical attention, but O’Keefe was taken from the field on a stretcher.
“Certainly, all of our prayers are with Ryan O’Keefe but I have no updates at this moment,” said Hafley. “That’s what I told our players. Ryan wanted me to tell them to go finish and win the game but I have not heard anything.”
The Eagles’ second fumble of the second half gave the Cavs’ the ball on the BC 37. Virginia tied the game 24-24 on a 44-yard field goal by Will Bettridge with 7:10 to play.
The first half went Virginia’s way from start to finish. The Cavaliers scored on their opening possession and on the final play of the half. Virginia exited the frame up 21-7 on a 39-yard Hail Mary toss from Muskett to Malachi Fields on the final play of the half.
