According to Grant, only he and Marquette coach Shaka Smart are beginning the 2023-24 season holding similar pat hands. The Eagles have three starters and nine lettermen back from a team that won eight regular season ACC games, including upset victories over Florida State and Virginia, and one in the conference tournament.

“We have nine returners, which is rare in this era with transfers and NIL,” said Grant. “Somebody told me at the ACC meetings there are only two teams (in Division 1) that have that many returners and they are Boston College and Marquette.

“It’s been pretty refreshing and there were times in practice before I can actually teach a play or teach a scheme, the older team might do it before I teach it.

“They teach the other guys on their own so there is a great understanding of what we are trying to do. That’s because of the continuity and all the returners.”

The trio of returning starters include 7-foot center Quinten Post, who missed the first half of last season with a foot injury, point guard Jaeden Zachary and forward Prince Aligbe, who lit it up during the Eagles’ summer tour in Europe.

Despite the wealth of depth and experience on the roster that accounted for nine conference wins, BC was picked to finish 12th in the ACC preseason poll. Post, who was the ACC Comeback Player of the Year last season, was voted preseason All-ACC second team and freshman guard Donald Hand was one of the five players listed on the Rookie of the Year watch.

“I pay attention to it and I don’t love it,” said Grant. “We have good players and they are doing some good things, but I don’t love it and I don’t get to vote on that for myself.

“Every year they vote us pretty low. We are going to keep working at it and focus on the non-conference and be as good as we can be when the time comes to play that second season.

“We know it’s a fight on every corner and we have a pretty good group. But I’m not going to dwell on that because that is where they picked us.”

The Eagles’ goal is to play in March beyond the ACC tournament and last season’s 16-17 overall record was the result of some unforgiveable non-conference setbacks. BC suffered toxic losses to Maine, Tarleton State and New Hampshire and struggled to beat Stonehill.

BC begins the season at Conte Forum against Fairfield on Monday, Nov. 8, and plays regional games against Harvard, Central Connecticut and Holy Cross. BC opens ACC play at North Carolina State on Dec. 2. Grant knows the Eagles must clean up on their non-conference opponents if they hope to compete in the Big Dance or the NIT.

“The goal is to be playing in March and having a chance to advance in March,” said Grant. “Whatever that means, that’s where we are at and that means progress and that’s breaking through to the other side.”

A tall order

Post describes himself as a “modern big.”

The 7-0, 250-pound graduate pivotman from Amsterdam elected to return the Heights to get more seasoning for what he hopes will lead to the pro career. That would involve establishing his credentials as a “modern big” for all to see in the rough and tumble of the ACC.

“The modern big means having the ball in your hands a lot,” said Post. “Old school basketball was post up with your back to the basket and then it got to the point where bigs were setting pick and rolls. The modern big knows how to play with the ball in his hands.

“That means he is a kind of playmaker, shooting the three, passing and dribbling. Those are the things I can do and make reads, find the open guy, shoot the ball and be a playmaker from the center position.”

Post also has some unfinished business to attend to. Post missed the front end of last season with a foot injury and only appeared in 19 games with 13 starts. He scored 286 points (15.1 ppg.) with 23 treys, 107 rebounds, 29 assists and 17 blocks. That was good enough to get some pre-NBA Draft workouts with the Celtics and the Nets.

“Had I been an NBA first round (pick), I of course would have gone,” said Post. “I was going to work out for five teams but I tweaked my ankle. It was super cool experience getting the feedback. I missed a lot of last season so a lot of these teams were not familiar with me. But they were intrigued with what I bring as a modern big.”

Minutes man

Zackery is the one returning starter best left on the floor in all situations.

That was certainly the case last year when he 6-2, 220-pound junior guard from Salem, Wis., appeared in 33 games with 31 starts and logged a staggering 1,093.33 minutes (33.1 per game). He finished second in scoring with 10.7 points per game and 31 treys. He led the team in assists (90) and steals (45), and grabbed 104 rebounds.

“This year I need to step up and be more aggressive and not just score points but create for everybody,” said Zachery.

Zackery would switch off from point guard to the shooting guard last season, sharing the ballhandling duties with Makai Ashton-Langford. Grant has several guys who can take it up the floor, but he wants Zachery full time at the 1 this season.

New old guy

BC has many ACC-tested players back, but the one that got away is the toughest to replace. Makai Ashton-Langford was the Eagles’ most influential can-do player on the floor because he could score from anywhere and defend like a demon, but he transferred to the University of Central Florida.

To help fill the void, Grant imported Claudell Harris Jr., a 6-3, 190-pound junior from Charleston Southern, where he was a Big South second team all-star. He wrapped up his sophomore year with 17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

“I wanted to play in the ACC and Boston College gave me the opportunity to get play time, make shots and evolve my game,” said Harris.

New old look

Shooting guard Mason Madsen ditched the clean-cut well-adjusted Midwest look for something more West Coast radical chic from the 1970’s. Madsen let his hair grow out and donned an oversized logoed sweatband to go along with a full complement of facial hair.

“He looks like Bill Walton,” said Grant. “I don’t know if I’m going to have him clean it up if it gets too long, but he’s a free spirit. I don’t get caught up in guys trying to have their personalities and be themselves. I think he looks OK, like a hippie but he looks OK.”

In spite of his first name, Madsen didn’t throw up a lot of bricks last season. The 6-4, 195-pound senior guard from Rochester, Minn., led BC with 40 made three-point shots. Madsen played in a lot of pain last season and was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease he is treating.

BC coach Jeff Hafley cranked up the audio inside the facility to deafening decibels to prepare his team for the dome noise they will encounter in Western New York.

The Eagles (5-3, 2-2) resume ACC play when they engage the last-place Orangemen of Syracuse (4-4, 0-4) on Friday (7:30 p.m.) inside the JMA Wireless Dome. BC extended its win streak to four games with a 21-14 non-league victory over UConn at Alumni Stadium on Saturday while Syracuse was pelted 38-10 at Virginia Tech.

“We turned on the music as loud as you can make it so you can’t hear anything,” said Hafley. “It won’t sound exactly the same but we can make it so you really can’t hear.

“This is their homecoming I believe and I’ve been in domes over the years where it gets really loud so I’m expecting it. We simulated it and we were trying to make them uncomfortable. I’m sure the game will be loud, I’m sure there will be a great crowd and a great atmosphere. It usually is there and it’s a Friday night game.”

Hafley included non-verbal lines of communication within the game plan to account for the cacophony of sounds and oral brickbats that have nowhere to go. The volume tends to peak when the opposing offense is facing third and long.

BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos has enough to deal with just managing the Eagles multiple offense and the noise is another challenge to overcome. Hafley and his staff had Castellanos working on methods to get around the partisan clamor that will be hurled in his direction.

“You work different cadences, you work slap counts and you work a silent count,” said Hafley. “You use hand signals and that’s what you have to do in places like that on third down.

“We simulated it the way we did so the defense also had to learn how to communicate with their hands, which they did. I thought it was a really good day and for us it us a short week.”

The informational flow in the BC secondary is dispensed by free safety Cole Batson, a 6-4, 208-pound redshirt sophomore from San Clemente, Calif. Batson appeared in 11 games with two starts in 2022 but has become a fixture in the back end of the BC defense this season.

“We bumped up the crowd noise in practice super loud and we tried to simulate a super loud environment,” said Batson. “When it gets too loud, we basically go straight to all hand signals because you can’t hear each other on the field. As defense we have been practicing our hand signals a lot.”

Selling short

The condensed week of practice for Friday night’s game at Syracuse is a dress rehearsal for an even shorter week of preparation facing the Eagles in another away match down the road. BC returns home to play Virginia Tech at noon on Saturday, Nov. 11, before playing a night road contest at Pittsburgh on Thursday, Nov. 16.

“That will be even more accelerated so it will be a little bit different,” said Hafley. “It’s good work to get it in because we are one day short and then we will be two days short when we play at Pitt. This will be kind of a good way to ease into playing on a non-regular week and the guys have handled it well.”

Passing fancy

Castellanos had two receivers unexpectedly joined his list of pass catchers who had a reception of 30 or more yards against the Huskies.

Castellanos bumped the group to nine with a 30-yard toss to redshirt junior tight end Charlie Gordinier and a game long 34-yard throw to freshman wide receiver Jaedn Skeete.

Gordinier is listed third on depth chart and is used exclusively as a special teams’ player. The catch inside the UConn red zone was the first of his career.

“He finally gets a moment and he makes a play,” said Hafley. “You suddenly look over and everybody is going crazy for him and he is going to have to continue to step up.”

Skeete was added to the depth chart in place of injured starter Ryan O’Keefe. Sheete’s first career reception went for seven yards and the second was his big gain. He finished with team-high 61 yards on four catches.

“He is very talented and he is young but he is not scared of the moment,” said redshirt senior wide receiver Dino Tomlin, who tops the group with a 54-yard reception.

“He went pretty crazy and hopefully he can capitalize on that looking forward. I hope he gets more opportunities.

BC improved to 5-3 and can attain bowl eligibility with a third ACC win on Friday night at old rival Syracuse. The Eagles avenged last season’s disastrous 13-3 loss at UConn and leads the series 13-1-2. The final score in both ties was 0-0.

“We’ve won four in a row and that’s not easy to do, it’s not easy to win a game,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “We have a short week and we have to turn it around and I thought UConn had a good plan and played hard.

“It was a game we should win and ultimately it is what we did. When we play them, that’s the expectation.”

BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos took advantage of the unseasonably warm playing conditions to pass for 151 yards and a touchdown. Tailback Kye Robichaux led the ground game with 112 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns. Alex Broome added 80 more with a touchdown reception.

BC rolled up 433 yards of total offense with 30 first downs, 246 rushing yards and converted 10-of-16 on third down and 3-of-5 on fourth down. Freshman Jaedn Skeete caught the first four passes of his career and led the group with 61 yards with a long of 34.

“I thought we were sloppy today on offense and we have stuff to clean up,” said Hafley. “I think the run game has been the main difference and protecting the quarterback.”

UConn opened the game with a three-and-out while the Eagles’ first possession ended on a Castellanos fumble at the Huskies 49. UConn converted the turnover into a 7-0 lead when defensive tackle Jelani Stafford scored on a dive from the one with 4:26 to play for his sixth of the season.

“They get low and they have a 300-pound tackle that can run really hard,” said middle linebacker Vinny DePalma. “When you see him, you hope they kind of throw it.”

BC responded with a 10-play, 75-yard, drive that began with a 17-yard scamper by Castellanos. After converting on fourth and one to the UConn 31, BC needed three more plays to tie the game 7-7 with nine seconds to play in the first. Robichaux plowed through the middle of UConn’s short yardage defense from the five for his fifth of the season.

BC went ahead 14-7 with a methodical 12-play, 66-yard, drive that drained 6:02 off the clock. On third and goal from the six, Castellanos sidestepped a UConn blitz and hit Broome in the flat for an easy six with 6:26 to play.

BC had a chance to extend its lead after stoning the Huskies on a fourth and one at the UConn 40. Castellanos mounted an effective two-minute offense but was intercepted in the end zone to end the threat.

“At the end of the half we should have gone up with at least a field goal there,” said Hafley. “We kept UConn in the game and that is no disrespect.”

In a surprise development, Hafley started backup Emmett Morehead under center in place of Castellanos, who was attended to by the BC medical staff at halftime. Morehead completed 3-of-4 passes for 28 yards, but the drive fizzled on a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Liam Connor with 7:39 to play in the third.

“Thomas wasn’t feeling well at the half and Emmett was ready to go,” said Hafley. “He practices really hard and everybody had total trust in him.”

Castellanos resumed his duties on the next drive and converted on a third and 12 from the BC 28 with a 16-yard toss to Skeete. Castellanos was 3-of-3 passing for 55 yards and picked up 30 on a scrambling throw to tight end Charlie Gordinier at the UConn 13. Robichaux capped the trip on a 13-yard run with 40 seconds remaining for his second of the game and sixth of the season.

The Huskies caused a collective panic attack in the stadium when tailback Cam Edwards made it 21-14 on a 30-yard run with 13:51 to play in the game.

BC’s three-game win streak can be can be attributed in a large part to the Eagles’ success at getting off the field on third down.

The defense held Georgia Tech to 3-of-11 on third down conversions in last Saturday’s 38-23 victory in an ACC match at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Eagles (4-3, 2-2) will look extend the trend when they host UConn (1-6) in a non-league regional grudge match on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium.

“We spend a lot of time on it and we are trying to throw at lot of different looks at people,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley. “We are changing it up each week and there are times when we are really aggressive and we bring a lot of pressure.

“We are spending a lot of time looking at protections and breaking things down.”

BC actually had it most impressive day getting the opposing offense off the field on third down in a 31-29 loss to No. 5 Florida State on Sept. 16. The Seminoles’ balanced, high-powered attack was just 1-for-9 on third down.

After suffering every imaginable defensive breakdown in a 56-28 loss at Louisville, the Eagles regrouped the following week at home against Virginia. BC held the Cavs to 3-of-12 on third down in a 27-24 win. The following week at Army, BC held the Cadets to 3-of-10 on third down. In the last three games, BC has held the opposition to 9-of-33 on third down.

“I thought the Florida State game started it pretty well and then we hit that blip at Louisville,” said Hafley. “Virginia was lights out and Army was lights out and last week again. We are trying to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. To win games you’ve got to get off the field on third down.”

The BC pass rush gave Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King a severe case of “happy feet” in the second half. BC went into the game with just one interception but recorded three against Tech. Elijah Jones had two while Amari Jackson had a 30-yard pick six.

BC will have a tougher time containing UConn dual threat quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, a Penn State transfer who missed last season with a knee injury. Roberson has completed 104-of-175 passes for 1,145 yards with eight touchdown and three picks.

“He is effective and accurate and gets rid of the ball really quick,” said Hafley. “He’s athletic and quick on his feet and he has gotten better each week.”

The Minutemen went into the bye week after being blitzed 63-0 by No. 6 Penn State on Oct. 14 at Beaver Stadium. Army suffered a similar fate when it was obliterated 62-0 by No. 15 LSU last Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

Both Independent programs will look to regroup when the Minutemen (1-7) engage the Black Knights of Army (2-5) on Saturday (noon) at Michie Stadium. Army beat UMass 44-7 last season at McGuirk Stadium.

“The good thing is obviously the guys get a chance to recoup in terms of the physical piece,” said UMass head coach Don Brown. “On Monday we reviewed the (Penn State) contest and then moved on to get a jump on Army.

“Sometimes that (bye week) goes in a positive direction and sometimes in a negative direction and there is no predicting it. It all depends on what kind of health you have coming out of the contest and how well you played. Obviously, they ran into the SEC and took on the LSU challenge, not an easy process.”

The Cadets had exclusively run the Flexbone triple option attack for decades but were compelled to install a prostyle multiple offense over the summer. Army and just about every other triple option attack had to make a transition when the NCAA banned the cut block outside the tackle box after the 2022 season.

“Army is a huge deal because they have made a transition in their offensive style so that helped us prepare as well,” said Brown. “They don’t run the triple anymore and we are preparing ourselves for their scheme. All of the triple option teams had to make that adjustment because you can’t cut block.”

Brown feels dual threat quarterback Taisun Phommachanh could be back to full health in time for Army. Phommachanh led UMass to its 41-30 victory at New Mexico State on Aug. 26 but was injured the following week at Auburn.

Phommachanh, a redshirt junior transfer from Clemson, missed the next three games. He started the last three games and, on the season, has completed 73-of-116 passes for 813 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

“He is getting very close,” said Brown. “I can’t say 100 percent but each and every week there has been no setbacks so that has been a positive.”

BC is riding high after winning its third straight with last Saturday’s 38-23 victory over Georgia Tech in an ACC match in Atlanta. The Eagles improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC while the Huskies are 1-6 after a 24-21 loss at South Florida.

The situations were reversed last season when the bowl-bound Huskies humiliated the Eagles 13-3. BC would lose nine games in 2022, but the Eagles’ season bottomed out in all three phases at UConn.

“We talked about it and last year there was a feeling nobody was proud of playing there and playing the way we did,” said BC middle linebacker Vinny DePalma.

“I think it is a great opportunity for us with the chance to redeem ourselves and we are going in the right direction now. On paper it is a little bit of a trap game for us. But this is about as important of a game as this team has had.”

A year ago, the BC offensive line had been totally rebuilt, had lost its only returning starter Christian Mahogany in the off-season, and was hammered by injuries in the first half of the 2022 season. BC head coach Jeff Hafley put together a patchwork line that had problems containing the Huskies’ energized front seven.

BC rushed for 76 yards and threw for 259, a total negated by three interceptions. BC starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec suffered a season-ending injury while trying to run away from pressure. When it was all added up, the BC O-line was held accountable for the fiasco.

“The O-Line took a lot of bloody noses throughout the season last year but this is a new group and this is a new team and this is a new O-line,” said Hafley.

Hafley brought back offensive line coach Matt Applebaum to reconfigure the front and his efforts were visible during the three-game win streak. BC rolled up 563 yards of total offense against the Rambling Wreck that included 308 rushing yards. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos rushed for 128 yards and threw for 255.

In the previous win at Army, BC rushed for 321 yards on a bad weather day. Hafley said the holes the BC line opened up on the Yellow Jackets front seven were “big enough to drive a truck through.”

“I think we were rushing for 60 yards per game (63.2) last year and in back-to-back weeks we have rushed for over 300 yards,” said Hafley. “This is a totally different offensive line, a totally different quarterback, and a totally different offensive scheme.

“This is a different offense than played UConn last year and the rest of the teams that we played.”

Build A Back

BC junior tailback Kye Robichaux enjoyed a career day against Georgia Tech and made a case for being an every-down back for the remainder of the season.

The 6-0, 216-pound, junior transfer from Western Kentucky rushed for 165 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 54 yards with a long of 45.

“He has the set to play in all three downs because he can protect the passer on third down because is a bigger back and he can catch the ball,” said Hafley. “We have been tying to throw screens to him and get the screen game going more and more and he’s got good hands.

“He’s a young guy that hasn’t played much so we are starting to see what he can do and he has a good skill set. I think he is going to get better and better.”

Apt Pupel

Graduate transfer strong safety John Pupel led the Eagles defense with six solo tackles, two assists and a TFL against Georgia Tech. Pupel, an All-Ivy League selection for Dartmouth before coming to BC in 2022, has been in the top three in tackles in every game this season. After seven games, Pupel is second to DePalma (53) with 46 tackles, three TFLs, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“He is relentless to the ball, he is flying around and laying it out,” said Hafley “He plays with great effort, he’s a good tackler and he is always around the ball.”

BC improved to 4-3 overall, 2-2 in the ACC, with its third straight win and sets up a regional revenge match against UConn on Oct. 28.

“It was a big win and to have momentum to get a three-game win streak going and 2-2 in the ACC,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “I was really proud of … how they approached the bye week, they didn’t treat it as a vacation, they worked and kept getting better.”

BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos completed 17 passes for 255 yards and rushed for 128 on 13 carries with two touchdowns. Tailback Kye Robichaux rushed for 165 yards on 21 carries and two scores. BC rolled up 563 yards of total offense and outscored Georgia Tech 21-0 in the fourth quarter.

The three scorers in the game, Castellanos (Waycross), Robichaux (Columbus) and cornerback Amari Jackson (McDonough), who had a pick six, are all Georgia natives playing in front of family and friends.

“This was my first time playing at home in college and my whole family came out because they don’t get to see me play very often,” said Robichaux. “It was a great atmosphere.”

BC began its second possession on its own 12 and reached the Tech 12 on a 45-yard toss from Castellanos to Robichaux. The drive stalled inside the 10 and BC went up 3-0 on a 24-yard field goal by Liam Connor with 8:52 to play.

Georgia Tech countered with a ground based 69-yard drive on 10 plays and went up 7-3 with 3:49 to play. Tailback Jamal King went around right tackle and scored on a 16-yard for his fourth of the season.

BC went up 10-7 on a pick six with 1:42 to play in the first. The Eagles front seven brought pressure on King, who threw a sideline pass to split end Dominick Blaylock. Jackson, a sophomore cornerback, caught the ball with one hand and returned it 30 yards to the house with his first pick of the season.

“Ant time you can get a takeaway and score that early in the game, that was a big play,” said Hafley. “It was cool for Amari, a kid from Georgia, and I’m proud of him and happy for him.”

The Yellow Jackets tied the game 10-10 on a sustained drive that began on the Tech 10 and fizzled out on the BC 29. Place kicker Aidan Birr split the goal posts from 46 yards with 6:03 to play in the half.

BC closed out the half with a 13-play, 75-yard, scoring march that featured two drive extending plays and gave the Eagles a 17-10 lead at the break. Castellanos completed a 30-yard toss to tight end Jeremiah Franklin on second and 22 and followed with an 11-yard run on fourth and one to the Tech 12. Castellanos scored on a keeper with 52 seconds remaining for his eighth rushing TD of the season.

BC opened the third with a sustained drive that was snuffed out Tech cornerback Ahmari Harvey intercepted Castellanos in the Tech end zone. Georgia Tech tied the game 17-17 just four snaps later when King went 71 yards on a keeper with 12:06 to play. The run was the longest play by King in his college career.

Tech went up 23-17 on an 89-yard drive with 2:08 to play. The big play was a 37-yard slide screen to tailback Trey Cooley. Tight end Avery Boyd scored on a 17-yard pass from King for his second of the season. Birr’s PAT kick failed.

Castellanos opened the fourth quarter with a 27-yard pass to tight end George Takacs to the Georgia Tech 2. Robichaux scored over right guard and Connor made the PAT to put BC up 24-23 with 14:27 to play.

BC went up 31-23 when Castellanos ran 43 yards on a fourth and one with 8:44 to play. BC cornerback Elijah Jones picked off King on the Eagles’ 40. Robichaux followed with runs of 57 and three yards to put BC up 38-23. Jones recorded his second pick with under six minutes to play.

BC dual threat signal caller Thomas Castellanos has 512 rushing yards, good for third in FBS by a quarterback, on 98 attempts with seven touchdowns.

Castellanos averages 5.1 yards per carry and 83.3 per game. The sophomore transfer from Central Florida is also one of three quarterbacks in FBS to pass for over 1,000 yards and rush for over 500.

Castellanos enjoyed a career day running the football in BC’s 27-24 win over Army on a bad weather day at West Point on Oct. 7. Castellanos rushed for 142 net yards on 31 carries with four touchdowns.

Hafley is counting on his stable of suddenly healthy tailbacks to take greater control of the rushing duties when the Eagles (3-3, 1-2) confront the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1) on Saturday (noon) at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

“I think we did a good job of that last week and I think our backs had over 120 yards rushing,” said Hafley. “We definitely need to do that. We can’t go into a games thinking were are going to run our quarterback 31 times.

“That I hope was a one-time deal on a rainy day. But you have to rely on your running backs and wideouts and play complementary football. There are going to be games Thomas’ legs are going to carry us and then will be games with our backs.”

Castellanos has elevated the BC running game from the depths of the ACC a year ago. BC was last in the conference and all of FBS in rushing yards, averaging 63.2 per game. After six games this season, with back-to-back wins over Virginia and Army, BC is second in the ACC, averaging 193.7 yards per game.

The Eagles’ 321 net rushing yards at Army did inflate their rushing numbers and there were significant contributions from the running backs. Graduate student Pat Garwo rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries for a 7.9 yards per rush average while Alex Broome added 38 on eight carries.

Garwo notched the fifth 100-yard of his career and has 270 on the season with a touchdown. Transfer Kye Robichuax stepped up when Garwo was injured earlier in the campaign and has registered 218 yards with two touchdowns. All three backs have been helpful to Castellanos on checkdowns and screen passes, combining for 75 yards on 11 receptions with a touchdown.

“We’ve got some big backs and some smaller guys and we are getting healthy there and we have a real good O-line,” said Hafley. “You can see it. The holes have been really big and we have changed up a little more this year.

“There are more gap schemes where we are getting down hill on people. But at the same time, we have the quarterback run element where we can kind of hit you on the edge and pop one in the middle, too. We are going to need our backs. We can’t keep relying on our quarterback running.”

BC entered the bye week with consecutive victories over Virginia and Army to improve to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. Both games were back-and-forth struggles that were closed out by the defense late in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles will look to even their record in conference play when they travel to Atlanta to engage the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1) at venerable Bobby Dodd Stadium.

BC needs three wins in the last six games, five in the ACC and a regional home match against UConn, to attain bowl eligibility for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. After finishing 3-9 last season, playing a game in late December at a neutral site means a lot to the program.

“We talked at 1-3 that we have to get back to 3-3 at the bye and that was really important for us as a staff to think about,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley during his weekly press briefing at the Yawkey center on Monday.

“For the players, they can’t think ahead like that. If you are going to compete in a game you’ve got to pour everything into it and we did that against (Virginia and Army). Certainly, after the last two weeks we are playing better football and then with the bye week, there are a lot of things we have to get better at coaching and executing.”

Hafley and the BC coordinators and assistant coaches used the free weekend to hit the road recruiting the next freshman football class. Hafley focused primarily on the local crop of candidates and he expects this will be his smallest recruiting class since taking over in 2020.

“We were really spread out, we had guys in the Northeast and guys seeing committed kids wherever they are in the country,” said Hafley. “This will be a smaller recruiting class.”

No Doubting Thomas

Thomas Castellanos’ emergence as one of the most versatile and dangerous dual threat quarterbacks in the ACC has altered how opposing defensive coordinators game plan for BC.

“You have to imagine now teams are going to have to bring an extra guy in the box when you have a quarterback who can run the way he has run,” said Hafley. “But it’s not like we are playing wildcat, he can throw the ball.

“He can throw it from in the pocket, he can throw it on boot(leg) type plays and he can sprint out. If you bring guys up, we have guys that can run by you. I think you are going to see him take off throwing the ball in the next weeks.”

After six appearances and five starts, Castellanos has satisfied the passing component of playing the position in a Power-5 Conference. The sophomore transfer from Central Florida has completed 87-of-152 passes for 1,143 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has completed passes for 35 or more yards to five different receivers with a long of 52.

Castellanos is the Eagles’ leading rusher with 500 net yards on 98 carries for a 5.1 average and seven touchdowns. In the deteriorating weather conditions at West Point on Oct. 7, Castellanos rushed for 142 net yards on 31 carries with a long of 20 and four touchdowns.

“I’ve learned a lot about how the game has been going along and it’s been going really good,” said Castellanos. “I feel like I’ve been growing game in and game out and not just as a quarterback but as a leader of this team.”

O’Keefe on the Mend

Hafley said injured wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe has been making progress in his recovery but is unlikely to dress against the Rambling Wreck.

O’Keefe suffered an immobilizing neck injury at 14:07 of the fourth quarter of BC’s 27-24 victory over Virginia at Alumni Stadium on Sept. 30. O’Keefe was awaiting a wide receiver screen pass on the BC 33 when he was violently set upon by Cavaliers’ cornerback Malcolm Greene. He was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to Mass. General Hospital where he was released the next day.

“Ryan is getting closer and I think the key to that is making sure he is comfortable,” said Hafley. “He is going to meet with the doctors again but he is running and he looks fast and I think he is really close. But he’s got to be ready to do it, that is not something we are going to push him to do.”

After falling short in three consecutive home games, UMass (1-6) hits the road to engage the most daunting opponent it will have faced since moving up to FBS in 2012.

The Minutemen will reach the two-thirds point on the season when they travel to University Park, Pa., to confront the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, 3-0) at historic Beaver Stadium, capacity 106,572. Penn State was unranked when it beat UMass 48-8 on Sept., 20, 2014.

UMass is coming off an 41-24 home loss to Toledo at McGuirk Stadium while Penn State easily dispatched Northwestern 41-13 at Ryan Field. The UMass game will be the Lions’ tuneup for their Big 10 showdown at No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 21.

UMass played in a big house in its 59-14 loss at Auburn on Sept. 2. But hard experience has taught UMass coach Don Brown that Happy Valley is the loudest and most vitriolic venue in the Northeast. Brown visited Beaver Stadium a few times when he was Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at Michigan.

“The place is going to be packed, there is going to be over 100,000 people there,” said Brown. “You’ve got to be a big boy and put your big boy pants on and go to work.

“It is really simple. You focus your attention at the task at hand. Stay in the fight for 60 minutes and that kind of the deal. That is the approach you’ve to take. It is not rocket science.”

What is not simple is designing a game plane that can counter the Nittany Lions’ methodically balanced offense and shutdown defense. Penn State has averaged 40.60 points per game with 203 first downs and has given up 9.60 points per game and saw the chains moved against its defense 48 times, less than 10 per contest.

The Lions have rushed for 1,205 yards and allowed 542, more than double what the defense has given up. Penn State has thrown for 1,178 yards and given up 698.

“They are 50-50 in the run pass ratio so you are going to have to have balance,” said Brown. “Obviously, you have to do a great job in the run game on the early downs and on third down. You better be ready to handle it because they throw it around pretty good.”

The Lions’ defensive front seven has recorded 20 sacks while the offensive line has allowed three. Quarterback Drew Allar has completed 102 of 168 passes (64.56 percent) for 1,092 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.

“The thing I like about their quarterback is that he does a very good job of just dumping the ball down and getting it out of his hand,” said Brown. “He gives the receivers a chance to make first downs and that is kind of a big one.”

UMass showed a workable balance on offense against Toledo. Tailback Kay’Ron Adams rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Quarterback Taison Phommachanh completed 20-of-30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

BC improved to 3-3 and enters the bye week with two straight victories and first on the road. BC resumes ACC play at Georgia Tech on Oct. 21.

Castellanos, a sophomore transfer from Central Florida, carried the ball 31 times for 142 yards behind a committed offensive line that maintained its discipline despite the adverse weather conditions.

Army quarterback Bryson Dailey rushed for 99 yards and threw for 105 more and a touchdown. BC outgained Army 299-161 in rushing yards and had 19 first downs to 12 for the Cadets.

“This is a hard team to game plan for, it is very different and then the rain made us both one-dimensional running the football,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “We shrunk the game plan and we dummied it down to play fast and stay on our assignments and our players made plays.”

The BC defense forced a three-and-out on the Cadets’ opening possession and a shanked Cooper Allan punt gave the Eagles the ball on the Army 40. BC went up 6-0 when Castellanos escaped pressure, found a seam in the Black Knights’ secondary and went 20 yards for a touchdown with 7:35 to play. Liam Connor’s PAT kick failed. Army had not allowed points in the first quarter in its previous four games.

“The coaches wanted me to keep rolling out and finding the edge,” said Castellanos. “That was me making a play and putting quick points there.”

Army caught a huge break when strong safety Quindrelin Hammonds intercepted Castellanos’ pass to Dino Tomlin and returned it the BC 43. Army advanced the ball inside the BC 10, where the drive stalled. Kicker Quinn Maretzki made it 6-3 with a 22-yard field goal with 10:08 to play.

BC went up 13-3 on a drive that would have found favor with Army coach Jeff Monken. BC went 75 yards on 17 plays, consuming 8:44 off the clock. The trip was extended by two fourth-down conversions and ended with Castellanos’ second touchdown run of the half.

The highlight of the drive occurred when Castellanos broke into the Army secondary and was running for daylight. Castellanos’ rush was cut short when he collided with umpire Mark Wilson and went down like a sack of rice.

“I was talking to him (Wilson) on the sideline and I asked him, ‘How much are lifting?’ It was like hitting a brick wall,” said Castellanos.

Army return specialist Zach Mundell took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and ran it 53 yards to the BC 37. Six plays later, wingback Tyrell Robinson scored from the 10 to make it 13-10 with 10:48 to play.

The Eagles’ response was fast and furious. BC went 75 yards on five plays that included a 50-yard run by tailback Pat Garwo to the Army 10. Castellanos scored on a rush around left tackle for his third of the game to make it 20-10 with 7:36 to play.

Army answered with a scoring drive to make it 20-17 with 2:51 to play. Featured tailback Hayden Reed went up the middle from to six for his second of the season. The Black Knights took their first lead, 24-20, when Daily completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyson Riley with 11:43 to play.

Army’s defense stopped Castellanos on a fourth and two, but BC got it back when Daily was flagged for an illegal forward pass on third down and Army had to punt.

The Minutemen opened the stretch with hard-luck losses to New Mexico and Arkansas State, and the Rockets are the toughest opponent of the three.

The Rockets are 4-1 overall, 2-0 in the West Division of the MAC and they clobbered the Minutemen 55-10 last season. The need for a win takes on greater urgency because UMass plays at No. 6 Penn State on Oct. 14.

“We’ve got to have it,” said UMass coach Don Brown, who is in the second season of his massive rebuilding process. “Obviously we are healthier on the offensive side and that’s a good thing and we just have to get off on the right foot and go fast.

“That’s really been our push and we’ve met on it as a staff and the approaches we can make. We are working hard so we can be ready to go when the gun goes off.”

Getting off to a fast start has been nonexistent for the Minutemen since they rolled New Mexico State 41-30 in the season opener at Los Cruces, N.M., on Aug. 26.

The Minutemen’s combination of sluggish starts on offense and major mistakes on defense have resulted in unmanageable first-half deficits in the five games since New Mexico State. But those defects were particularly glaring against New Mexico and Arkansas State because they were clearly the more winnable matches of the season.

New Mexico had just lost to New Mexico State the game before, but the Lobos jumped to a 28-14 halftime lead in the homestand opener. The Minutemen battled back to tie the game, only to be outscored 6-3 in overtime in a 34-31 loss.

The Minutemen had injured quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, who went down with an undisclosed injury in the second game at Auburn, back under center for Arkansas State. Phommachanh enjoyed a statistically sound game against ASU by completing 29-of-38 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown with one pick.

UMass was quickly reduced to a one-dimensional offense because Arkansas State led 17-0 after the first quarter and 31-10 at the half in a 52-28 victory. Phommachanh was sacked four times for minus 35 yards in the process.

“I guess you put the blame on me because I’m certainly not putting it on the players,” said Brown. “The bottom line is we have to get off on the right foot.”

BC improved to 2-3 and 1-2 in the ACC with last Saturday’s 27-24 win over Virginia and has an opportunity to be .500 going into the bye week. Army (2-2) is one of the four FBS independent programs.

Army coach Jeff Monken has gotten away from his total commitment to the Flexbone attack. The Flexbone is an adaptive version of the triple option derived from the original Wishbone offense instituted at Texas by coach Darrell Royal in the late 1960’s.

Army still uses the triple option in certain situations, but the Cadets have updated to a modern passing game and employ multiple sets and formations. In other words, the Black Knights of the Hudson are a hard read.

“Army has always been kind of unique on offense but from what we’ve seen they have changed from the traditional wishbone triple option,” said DePalma, a 5-11, 232-pound graduate student from Wayne, N.J.

“There are still a lot of downhill runs but they have changed up and do some different stuff with the tight ends and quarterback runs. It’s about recognizing pre snap formations and getting aligned and you have to have great eyes and be disciplined.”

Army has added a greater degree of balance to its attack but the Cadets are still quarterback-centric in the run game. The Black Knights’ offense is executed by Bryson Dailey, a 6-0, 215-pound junior from Abernathy, Texas.

Dailey possesses dual threat capabilities comparable to Holy Cross FCS pre-season All American quarterback Matthew Sluka, who gave the Eagles’ defense all kinds of problems in the second game of the season.

Dailey leads the Cadets in rushing with 76 carries for 275 yards and three touchdowns. On the passing side, Dailey has completed 29 of 60 passes for 592 yards and five touchdowns with four picks.

“The style hasn’t really changed, they are a good team and it will be a real challenge,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “He (Dailey) is a big guy and a tough kid and he is going to break tackles.

“He tries to run through you, not necessarily around you, and then there is their scheme. They have a lot of quarterback designed runs, whether it is the option or quarterback power plays. They have it all.”

BC coach Jeff Hafley delivered the good news about O’Keefe during his weekly press briefing on Monday morning at the Yawkey Center. O’Keefe suffered an immobilizing neck injury at 14:07 of the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 27-24 victory over Virginia at Alumni Stadium.

O’Keefe was awaiting a wide receiver screen pass on the BC 33 when he was violently set upon by Cavaliers’ cornerback Malcolm Greene. Both players required medical attention, but O’Keefe was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to Mass. General Hospital.

“Ryan is doing well and he is on the road to recovery,” said Hafley. “It was really good to see him Sunday, it was good to have him around his teammates and he came to practice but obviously didn’t practice.

“The guys were really excited to see him and I was excited to see him. I thought our doctors and our trainers deserve a lot of credit for doing everything on the field and that was a scarry moment. But he is doing really good right now and on the road to recovery and that is the best news we could ever have.”

Hafley had no timetable on when the 5-10, 174-pound, graduate transfer from Central Florida can resume practice, but he’s been ruled out for Saturday’s clash with Army at West Point. BC enters the bye week after the Army game and resumes ACC play at Georgia Tech on Oct. 21. In his five starts, O’Keefe has 23 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown.

“We have to clear some things but I know he wants to get back out there,” said Hafley. “His safety and his health are obviously our No. 1 concern. I would be hopeful to get him back but not at the expense of him being injured.”

O’Keefe is classified on the depth chart as the F-receiver which is actually the slot and the job comes with blocking responsibilities. Hafley said all the BC split ends are interchangeable, but Hafley expects redshirt senior Dino Tomlin will be in the slot against the Black Knights of the Hudson.

“Dino can backup all positions and the F for us is the slot,” said Hafley. “Dino can definitely slip into Ryan’s spot and we can move Lewis (Bond) around and there some other young guys who might get a chance.”

The Odd Couple

In most instances on a college football team, guys that play the same positions tend to room and hang out together off the field. Those kinds of groupings come naturally but that isn’t the case with O’Keefe, who is the roommate of Eagles left guard Kyle Hergel.

O’Keefe is a downfield burner from Austin, Texas, while Hergel moves mountains in the trenches and is a Maple Leafs fan from Toronto. They do have a Lone Star connection. Hergel transferred to BC from North Texas State.

“I was pretty worried out there too and that’s my guy,” said Hergel. “I came in with him and we were like the original two transfers and we live together and we went through the whole process together.

“I got to go to the hospital and see him quick. They let me in and I wasn’t going to let him sit there alone. I made sure I was there to see my guy.”

Goodbye Virginia

The BC defense gave a clinical lesson on how to close out game against the Cavaliers late in the fourth quarter. Down 21-7 at the half, BC rallied to take its only lead on a 42-yard field goal by Liam Connor that made it 27-24 with 2:11 remaining.

The Cavaliers got the ball on the 28 yard line with 2:05 minutes remaining but managed only seven yards before turning the ball over on downs.

“The mindset for a defense is every play we’ve got to stop them and get a three and out, especially when it’s two minutes to go in the fourth quarter,” said redshirt sophomore defensive tackle George Rooks, who finished with five tackles and 1.5 of BC’s six sacks.

“That is premium time. We have to stop them and get them off the field and I think all of us as a defense answered that.”

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.

Defensive tackle Billy Wooden has been a bulwark in the Minutemen’s front seven with the capacity to stop the run and get after the passer.

Brown will be counting on Wooden again when the Minutemen (1-4) host Arkansas State (2-2, 1-0) of the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday (3:30) at McGuirk Stadium. ASU beat UMass 35-33 last season.

Wooden held down one of the few positions that Brown wasn’t urgently looking to upgrade in the transfer portal during the off season. He appeared in nine games last season and recorded 16 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles with 5.5 TFL’s and a forced fumble.

“The good thing with Billy is that we are kind of finally getting the really healthy Billy Wooden,” said Brown. “Last year was a year removed off his ACL injury so obviously there was a period of time where you have to get comfortable, get your strength back and be at full speed. We are seeing that guy this year for sure.”

Wooden has nearly exceeded those totals in five starts this season while establishing himself as a turnover machine. The 6-1, 310-pound, senior from Towson, Md., has five starts with 14 solo tackles, seven assisted with seven TFL’s, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Wooden recorded four solo tackles, three assists, three TFL’s, a sack and forced fumble in the Minutemen’s 34-31 overtime loss to New Mexico last Saturday at McGuirk.

“It has been a good ride for me this season,” said Wooden. “This is my last ride and I just want to leave it all out on the field. I give props to my coaches who have put me in this position and my body is feeling so much better than last year.”

Brown thought he had his quarterback situation solved when he brought in Clemson transfer Taisun Phommachanh and Carlos Davis from Western Kentucky.

Phommachanh looked terrific in the team’s win at New Mexico State in the season opener but got hurt the following game at Auburn. Davis has proven to be a capable back-up, but he was injured against New Mexico and his status is day-to-day.

BC has lost consecutive ACC matches to No. 5 Florida State and Louisville, two of the four undefeated first-place teams in a realigned league. The Eagles (0-2, 1-4) have their best opportunity to notch an ACC win when they host Virginia (0-1, 0-4) on Saturday afternoon (2) at Alumni Stadium.

Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer completed 18-of-21 passes for 388 yards that averaged out to 21.5 yards per catch. Louisville had six receivers with catches of 27 yards or more that included touchdown strikes of 45, 42, 75 and 55 yards.

Those numbers were especially disconcerting to BC head coach Jeff Hafley, who built his coaching portfolio as a defensive coordinator and defensive backfield instructor.

“It is going back to what we do, our defense is built to eliminate explosives,” said Hafley. “We normally play the free safety in the middle of the field and he needs to be where he is supposed to be and make good breaks on the quarterback.

“In certain situations, they have to stay on top and know where their help is. Now it is just hit the reset button because we really haven’t given up explosive plays in the past. I don’t foresee it becoming an issue.”

Hafley anticipates the Cavaliers will look to jump-start their passing game using two quarterbacks. Freshman Anthony Colandrea beat out several incumbents and a portal jumper to win the starting job and has taken most of the snaps this season.

Colandrea has completed 63-of-102 passes for 923 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. Tony Muskett, a senior transfer from Monmouth, is also expected to play.

“I anticipate both playing,” said Hafley. “(Muskett) has thrown for a ton of yards in his career and he was an FCS All-American and he started the season against Tennessee.

“He has a quick release and throws a real catchable ball with a great touch and is very accurate. I give Colandrea a lot of credit, he is gritty guy and is really quick and athletic and keeps it moving around.”

Wide receivers Malik Washington and Malachi Fields account for 50 of the Cavs’ 72 completions and 726 of their accrued 1,017 receiving yards.

There is the game where a team plays way beyond its capabilities against a superior opponent. Then there is the game where they get blitzed from the onset and end up on the business end of an embarrassing blowout. The Boston College Eagles reached both extremities over the course of consecutive games against the top two teams in the ACC.

The Eagles came within three points of knocking off No. 3 Florida State in a 31-29 home loss on Sept. 16. BC was a 24.5-point underdog and FSU’s margin of victory was a missed PAT kick and errant PAT pass. On Saturday the Seminoles went into Death Valley and knocked off defending ACC champion Clemson to maintain its share of first place in the realigned conference.

The Eagles’ season bottomed out last Saturday when the Louisville Cardinals scored touchdowns on their opening seven possessions enroute a to 56-28 victory at L&N Stadium. Louisville (4-0, 2-0) is tied with FSU (4-0, 2-0) atop the ACC food chain.

The Eagles (0-2, 1-3) must get north of the equator between Florida State and Louisville when they host the Virginia Cavaliers (0-1, 0-4) in an ACC match on Saturday (2) at Alumni Stadium.

“We didn’t look like ourselves, we looked a little sluggish and a little slow at certain positions but certainly not all,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley during his weekly press briefing on Monday at the Yawkey Center.

“I think some guys played well and we had good talks among ourselves and watched the tape critically. We looked at ourselves first but our job is to make sure our guys are fresh and feel good.

“We have to look at practice and reps and we all have to work together and be ready to go. I think we have a really good plan going forward. Our guys are excited to get back to work and get the taste of that last game out of their mouths.”

BC dual threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a sophomore transfer from Central Florida, was able to make the final score look more respectable that it really was. Louisville’s lightning start took BC out of his running game and put the offensive burden on Castellanos.

Castellanos led BC in rushing with 49 net yards on 10 carries that included a 39-yard touchdown run that made it 28-7 at 3:05 of the second quarter.

Castellanos completed 17-of-33 passes to nine different receivers for 265 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Castellanos was sacked three times and that deducted 17 yards from his rushing total.

Castellanos has played in four games and started three. His 909 passing yards through four games is the third highest total by a BC quarterback in his first four games behind Shawn Halloran (1985) and Phil Jurkovec (2020).

“The offense is getting better and I think the quarterback is getting better and our offensive line has drastically improved,” said Hafley. “There is improvement there and I think Thomas is starting to be more consistent. The wideouts are probably more comfortable with him now because he’s played more games.”

The Name is Bond

BC redshirt sophomore wide receiver Lewis Bond was the perfect candidate to jump the transfer portal after spending two seasons as an addendum in the Eagles’ passing game.

“It’s one of those stories where all these kids want to get into the transfer portal if they are not playing by their second year and that is the reason I appreciate Lewis so much,” said Hafley. “Lewis and I had conversations after his first and second year about the transfer portal but he didn’t go and he kept on working.”

Bond is the Eagles leading receiver with 16 receptions for 246 yards and four touchdowns with a 15.4 average and a knack for making yards after catch and showing up in the red zone. Bond had four catches for 71 yards with 64 yards after the catch and two touchdowns against Louisville.

Disconnect on defense

Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer has one of the greatest statistically efficient outputs in program history by a signal-caller not named Lamar Jackson. Plummer completed 18-of-21 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns with a long of 75, which was actually a screen pass to tailback Jawhar Jordan. Plummer was voted the ACC quarterback of the week on Monday.

The Eagles problems against the Cardinals passing attack were twofold. The Eagles had two sacks but only one quarterback hurry and that allowed Plummer time to go deep.

On the backend, the Eagles secondary had one pass breakup and were routinely turnstiled by the Cardinals’ speedy receivers Jamari Thrash, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, and Kevin Coleman.

“On Saturday it was a combination of it all,” said Hafley. “You look at the passing yards and some were thrown over our nickel’s head a one-yard pass turned into a 75-yard play.”

The Cardinals scored a touchdown on their opening seven possessions to improve to 4-0 and 2-0 in the ACC. Louisville compiled 374 yards of total offense in the first half and had seven explosive plays of 27 yards or more. BC fell to 1-3 and 0-2 and will host Virginia next Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

“The lack of execution and loss of one-on-ones and we were uncharacteristic on defense, I’ve never seen us play like that since we’ve been here,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley.

“I did not see that coming, we had a great week, upbeat, and I thought we had a very good plan and we just came out flat and didn’t execute. This won’t happen next week, I am very confident in that.”

Louisville senior transfer quarterback Jack Plummer shredded the BC secondary by completing 18-of-28 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns. UL tailback Jahar Jorden rushed for 134 yards with two touchdowns and finished with 249 all-purpose yards and three scores. BC dual threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos completed 17-of-33 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought he (Castellanos) did some good things but there are things we have to clean up,” said Hafley. “He gave us a chance to score points.”

BC crossed midfield on its opening drive only to turn the ball over on downs at the Louisville 41. Hafley’s gamble on fourth and two paid off for the Cardinals when Jordan scored on a 33-yard run to make it 7-0 with 9:47 to play.

The Cardinals put BC in a 14-0 hole with an 11-play, 62-yard scoring drive with 3:21 to play in the first. Big play was a 32-yard pass from Plummer to Kevin Coleman on third down to the BC 16. Plummer capped the trip with a 1-yard toss to tight end Nate Kurisky.

Louisville entered blowout territory on their third possession following another BC three-and-out. On the first play of the second quarter, Plummer completed a 45-yard touchdown pass on a go route by Ahmari Huggins-Bruce to make it 21-0.

The game transitioned from tragedy to comedy on Louisville’s fourth possession when Plummer scored on a 9-yard run to make it 28-0 at 8:43 of the second.

BC showed its first sign of life when Castellanos turned a designed draw into a 39-yard touchdown run with 5:39 to play in the half. The euphoria was short-lived when Jordan pounded in from the 2-yard line to make it 35-7.

BC scored on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 35-14 with 33 seconds to play. On fourth and nine, Castellanos scrambled away from pressure and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ryan O’Keefe. Plummer faked taking a knee and closed the half with a 42-yard touchdown pass Jamari Thrash to make it 42-14 with eight seconds on the board.

“The kneel play we had guys there and our guys stood straight up and we needed to make a tackle, get off blocks and finish,” said Hafley. “We’re in a coverage where we should have had a safety deep and that safety wasn’t where he was supposed to be.”

Louisville scored on the opening play of the third, a 75-yard screen pass from Plummer to Jordan to make 49-14 just 14 seconds into the half.  BC made it 49-21 on a 21-yard strike from Castellanos to Lewis Bond at 12:53. Louisville made its first punt at 10:52 of the third and it was downed on the BC three.

Louisville’s Malik Cunningham was the ACC’s uber dual threat quarterback forged from the same mold as his predecessor, Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

Louisville first-year head coach Jeff Brohm will field a different kind of signal caller when the unbeaten Cardinals (3-0) host the BC Eagles (1-2) on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Louisville’s Jack Plummer is a 6-5, 215-pound, senior transfer who posted impressive passing numbers in his previous stops at Purdue and California. Plummer is more of a stay-at-home pocket passer and less of a threat to run like Cunningham and Jackson.

“He is an experienced guy and he’s had at least two years of throwing for 3,000 yards and he looks very comfortable and can manage the game,” said Hafley. “He’s throws a lot of explosive passes and he’s more athletic than you think.

“I am not comparing him by any means to Malik, there are few people who could do what he could do. But he (Plummer) is good athlete who can extend plays when he has to with his feet and gets rid of the ball pretty quick.”

In three starts against Georgia Tech, Murray State and Indiana, Plummer has completed 47-of-76 passes for 732 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Plummer’s go to guy is redshirt junior wide receiver Jamari Thrash, who has 14 catches for 329 yards and four touchdowns.

In an ironic twist, what was once Hafley’s primary concern on defense is now Brohm’s. BC college sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a transfer from Central Florida, is an electrifying ACC prototype who put up Cunningham-type numbers in last Saturday’s 31-29 loss to No. 3 Florida State. Castellanos completed 20-of 33 passes for 305 yards and rushed for 95 in his second career start and first ACC game.

“This is the first time in quite awhile that we have had a quarterback that can make as many plays with his feet and keep things alive,” said Hafley. “He’s had a good week of practice and we’ve made it hard on him because this is our first away game and they are 3-0.”

The Minutemen played their first game McGuirk on Sept. 9 against Miami (Ohio), but it felt nothing like a home opener and was devoid of any home field advantage.

The Minutemen’s 42-28 loss to the Red Hawks was interrupted by a near six-hour weather delay. When the game resumed, the empty stands turned the stadium into a neutral site.

“It is great to be home and obviously the players got robbed on the first one, there was nobody there,” said UMass second-year head coach Don Brown. “We have New Mexico coming in this weekend and they are playing better football so it is a challenge for us for sure. But we are excited about the game.”

The match against Los Lobos (Translation: The Wolves) is the first of three consecutive home games. UMass will host Arkansas State on Sept. 30 and Toledo on Oct. 7.

“We just have to stay together and I think we are close to making a lot of plays happen,” said Josh Atwood, a 6-1, 320-pound junior center from Natick.

“We just need to get that extra strain and effort to finish our plays. I think we are really close but we just need to finish.”

Brown is hopeful injured quarterback Taisun Phommachanh will be under center for New Mexico. The redshirt junior transfer from Clemson was the offensive force behind the Minutemen’s 41-30 victory in the season opener at New Mexico State. Phommachanh was injured in the fourth quarter of the Minutemen’s 59-14 loss at Auburn and sat out the team’s consecutive losses to Miami and at Eastern Michigan (19-17) last Saturday.

Carlos Davis, a transfer from Western Kentucky, has been an able second option. He enjoyed a career day against Eastern Michigan by completing 23-of-41 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown.

Those gains were offset by three interceptions and three sacks. UMass’ first three drives of the game ended in turnovers, so making smart decisions with the ball and securing it when in play were Brown’s points of emphasis. On a side note, New Mexico was beaten 27-17 at home by New Mexico State last Saturday.

The 5-10, 196-pound, sophomore from Waycross, Georgia, established himself as an ACC prototype in his second career start, a 31-29 loss to No. 3 Florida State in the league opener for both teams on Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

Castellanos attacked the Seminoles’ vaunted defense in the air and on the ground during a second half rally that fell just short. The transfer from Central Florida completed 20 of 33 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. Castellanos led the Eagles in rushing with 95 net yards on 16 carries with a touchdown.

Since 1996, only 22 FBS quarterbacks have thrown for 300 yards and rushed for at least 95 against an AP Top 25 opponent. Of those 22 quarterbacks, 18 were from the ACC and a few of them were named Lamar Jackson.

BC co-offensive coordinators Steve Shimko and Rob Chudzinski will make greater use of Castellanos’ dual threat components when the Eagles (1-2) travel to face the Louisville Cardinals (3-0) next Saturday (3:30) at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

“I think that game gave him a lot of confidence playing against players who can run and he was one of the faster and better players on the field,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley. “I think we can keep adding, giving him more stuff to learn.

“I think each week you are going to see more tweaks and some new this and that. But then again, some of his biggest plays were when he was moving around either throwing to his receivers down field on when he would take off himself. I’m excited to see where we as a staff can take him and at the same time, we have to be careful.”

Castellanos has showed the ability to scramble, extend plays and make use of all his receivers against a secondary that had previously stoned LSU and Southern Mississippi. Four of the BC wide receivers had a reception of 25 or more yards and Castellanos opened the scoring with a 32-yard catch and run to Lewis Bond at 10:53 of the first.

Senior wide receiver Dino Tomlin led the group with a 52-yard reception, the longest of his career. Speedster Ryan O’Keefe was the top target with six catches. When the final stats were tallied, 205 of Castellanos’ 305 passing yards were yards after catch.

“We had a lot of big catch and runs in that game and I think a lot of that had to do with him keeping the play alive,” said Hafley.

“Thomas does a really good job keeping his eyes downfield when he scrambles. He keeps his eyes down the field and he sees it pretty well and give credit to the wide outs for coming back to the ball.”

How Disconcerting

Of the school record 18 penalties issues against the Eagles, two of them extended a 75-yard FSU scoring drive with an edict from the back pages of the rules book. The Eagles’ defense was on the wrong side of two “delay of game disconcerting signals penalties” on the Seminoles’ drive that tied the game 10-10 at 10:23 of the second quarter.

A Google search revealed that a delay of game disconcerting signals penalty “occurs when a defensive player imitates the offensive signal, specifically the quarterback in cadence, with the intention of causing confusion among the offensive team.”

“I think in every game there are some good calls and I think in every game there are some missed calls,” said Hafley. “I am still trying to figure that one out.”

Changes in Latitudes

There is no room for scheduling consistency in an age where conferences run their own networks and dictate kickoff times to generate the broadest exposure for their brand.

BC has been the exception to that rule so far this season. The Eagles opened the 125th campaign in school history with three straight home games, all of them with a noon kickoff.

The Eagles will have to break that pattern with a trip to Louisville and a midafternoon start.

“This is going to be different and I’m going to be challenging them on it when I build a plan for how we are going to win this game,” said Hafley. “We have had the same Friday Saturday every week and now it is going to be different, a 3:30 game on the road.”

“We have to understand this is a business trip and I think we will. We have to put in the work and then we have to handle to the road. I’m going to count on the leaders and count on the coaches to help me out.”

The Eagles (1-2, 0-1) were undone by a school-record 18 penalties, a missed PAT kick and an errant PAT pass in a 31-29 loss to No. 3 ranked Florida State University (3-0, 1-0) before 41,383 on Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

The Vegas oddsmakers had BC a 24.5-point underdog at game time.

The record 18th infraction was a 15-yard facemask penalty that gave the Seminoles the first down they needed to run out the clock. The previous record of 17 was set against Tennessee on Nov. 5, 1988. BC plays its first road game next Saturday at Louisville.

“I think we just ran out of time with the facemask penalty got us at the end,” said BC linebacker Kam Arnold. “I think we just ran out of time and we have a really good football team.”

BC sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos established himself as one the prominent dual threat ACC signal callers with his effort against the Seminoles.

The transfer from Central Florida completed 20-of-33 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. He led BC in rushing with 95 yards on 16 carries with a long of 45 and a touchdown. Castellanos became the 22nd FBS quarterback since 1996 to pass for over 300 yards and rush for 95 against a Top 25 opponent.

“He had two touchdowns and he’s a young kid and a sophomore making his second start,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley. “This is probably the biggest game he’s played in his life and I’m proud of him.

“He stayed composed and he’s a tough kid. He sees down the field and made some big throws and had some big runs and it was a gutty performance. He’s going to be a great player.”

Castellanos’ FSU counterpart, Jordan Travis, a recognizable name on the Heisman Trophy watch list, completed 16 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 38. Travis was on the business end of a many hits and appeared worn down in the fourth quarter.

“We tried to put a lot of pressure on him and we knew when we had the chance, we had to hit him and make him feel it,” said Arnold.

FSU scored on its first two possessions of the second half. The Seminoles opened with a six-play, 74-yard drive to go up 24-10. The chunk play of the drive was a 44-yard hook up from Travis to Johnny Wilson. FSU scored on a 4-yard toss from Travis to tight end Preston Daniel.

On the ensuing possession, Castellanos was picked off by linebacker DJ Lundy on the BC 40. On the first snap, Travis hit Bell for 39 yards. Lundy worked both sides of the street when he scored on a 1-yard dive with 11:20 to play.

“We could have buckled, they could have run away with this game, which they had done,” said Hafley. “This is a team that has totally taken over in the second half against LSU.”

BC regrouped with an uplifting rally after falling behind by 21 points. BC scored two straight touchdowns, the first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kye Robichaux with 1:02 to play in the third. The defense got on the scoreboard when linebacker Khari Johnson returned an FSU fumble 8 yards for a score that made it 31-22. BC missed the PAT kick and a two-point pass on those touchdowns.

Between the Robichaux and Johnson scorers, BC was stopped on fourth and one from the FSU 5. BC cut the lead to 31-29 on a 95-yard, nine-play drive. Castellanos capped the drive on a seven-yard touchdown with 5:19 to play.

“I told those guys, this is a home game in the second half and had a lot of time on the clock to not give up and keep fighting,” said Castellanos. “I told them to keep fighting and eventually we came back.”

Portal transfers Taisun Phommachanh (Clemson) and Carlos Davis (Western Kentucky) have different styles with a common problem. Both have a tendency of getting hurt in the second half.

After guiding UMass to a 41-30 win at New Mexico State in the season opener, Phommachanh was injured the next week in a 59-14 loss at Auburn.

Davis finished the Auburn game and looked sharp for three quarters in the Minutemen’s 43-28 loss to Miami (Ohio) in the home opener last Saturday at McGuirk Stadium. Before Davis left the game in the fourth quarter, he completed 22-of-32 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start.

“Carlos is fine, we checked him out and he’s good to go,” said Brown. “He came out in the fourth quarter midway through but he played really well in the third quarter.

“He showed some complementary football during that time and stayed the course and helped us get back into that game.”

Davis appears to be the healthier of the two and will likely start when the Minutemen (1-2) take on Eastern Michigan (1-1) on Saturday (2 p.m.) at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich. UMass got up early on EMU in last year’s meeting at Rynearson but lost 20-13. The Minutemen’s starting QB in that game was Gino Campiotti, who is currently the team’s No. 1 tight end

“I’m excited about our guys getting this opportunity, a good opportunity for us to get our second win,” said Brown.

Davis completed 69 percent of his passes and compiled a 163.7 quarterback rating against the Red Hawks. The most impressive aspect was his ability to spread the ball around, read his progressions and target different receivers in the end zone.

Wide receivers George Johnson and Mark Pope combined for 11 receptions for 120 yards and both scored. Davis connected with featured tailback Kay’Ron Adams four times for 32 yards while his backup, Gregory Desrosiers of Lawrence, had his first receiving touchdown. Adams was the leading ball carrier with 57 yards on 16 carries.

“I thought he sprayed the ball around pretty good,” said Brown. “I would like to see us get more targets to Gino.”

How rich is that for irony?

The outer bands of Hurricane Lee are expected to hit the the region hours before Boston College (1-1) and No. 3 FSU (2-0) kick off on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium in the ACC opener for both squads.

“I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “Usually when you go down there you are worried about a hurricane.

“Who would ever guess Florida State coming to Boston that we’re going to be in a hurricane up here and not down there? This might be a first timer.”

Most teams in the Northeast factor in at least one weather game per season, but they generally take place in the cold and sleet of November. This September surprise has Hafley and staff designing a game plan to accommodate both Lee and the Seminoles on both sides of the ball.

“I have never played in hurricane-type weather but we will have a good plan,” said Hafley. “If you are forced to run it changes up your offense, it changes up your defense and your kicking game.

“It’s the wind that could be the factor if the gusts are that strong. Then there is the timeouts. Do you call your timeouts when you have the wind to keep the ball moving? It’s the winds, if they get up that high, it is the passing game and the kicking game that are affected.”

The Eagles have a rebuilt offensive line, good receivers, three backs that can run and catch the football and a dual threat quarterback that has show proficiency with the run pass option. Florida State has all of that on steroids, having scored 111 points in wins over LSU and Southern Mississippi.

BC was thin at running back going into last Saturday’s 31-28 win over Holy Cross at Alumni Stadium. Alex Broome did not dress and the problem got worse when featured back Pat Garwo was injured in the first quarter.

Western Kentucky transfer Kye Robichaux, who was listed fourth on the depth chart, joined the fray and rushed for 94 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown. Broome is ready to play against FSU and Garwo got in some practice time.

Eagles’ middle linebacker Vinny DePalma recovered a fumble with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to preserve a 31-28 victory over the unintimidated Holy Cross Crusaders last Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

The Eagles (1-1) open the ACC portion of the slate on Saturday when they host the resurgent national powerhouse Florida State Seminoles (2-0).

The Seminoles claimed the No. 4 ranking in the AP poll with a 45-24 victory over LSU in the season opener and jumped a spot with last Saturday’s 66-13 dismantling of Southern Mississippi.

BC coach Jeff Hafley feels the Seminoles’ ambition to replace Clemson as the dominant force in the ACC starts at the top with head coach Mike Novell.

“Florida State obviously, what are they, three right now? And certainly could be one or two depending on who you ask,” said Hafley Monday at the Yawkey Center.

“I think the biggest thing is I think coach (Mike) Novell does a good job. I have a lot of respect for him and I think he is good person and a good football coach.”

Florida State won the national championship in 2013 with coach Jimbo Fisher at the helm and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston and All-American tailback Dalvin Cook rolling over opposing defenses.

The Seminoles then went into a slow inexplicable decline and eventually became a house divided. That internal schism prompted Fisher to jump ship for Texas A&M after the 2017 season. The Seminoles floundered for four seasons in the Clemson-dominated ACC Atlantic Division before Novell awoke the sleeping giant from Tallahassee.

“It is a very talented roster and what jumps out to me is the depth they have,” said Hafley. “It is like they overwhelm these teams and if you watch that LSU game it was close in the first half, it was a tight game.

“But then they overwhelm teams with their depth and their speed and as they roll guys through. They have a lot of talented players and they do a good job of using them all. That is the biggest thing I see and maybe the best team I have seen in a long time.”

Red Bandana Game

BC has a direct connection to the tragedy at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and the Eagles honor one of their own who was lost that day with a football game.

The Red Bandana game is played annually to commemorate former BC lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who lost his life on a rescue mission in the South Tower. Crowther became known as the “man in the red bandana,” a decorative lucky charm from his playing days at BC. Crowther wore a bandana over his face against the dust and smoke while saving dozens from the inferno.

“Obviously we are playing the red bandana game and it is nice that we are playing it on the week that is 9/11,” said Hafley. “It has not been forgotten and it will be an honor to wear those jerseys again this week.

“We spend a whole week in the off-season where we talk to our players about 9/11 and about Welles and the red bandana game. We show them the video and we dedicate a practice to it.”

Man on the Run

Nothing gains the collective respect and admiration of an offensive line than a ball carrier who is willing gives up his body and fight for every inch.

BC reserve tailback Kye Robichaux was listed fourth on the depth chart but moved up a spot when Alex Broome did not dress for Holy Cross. Robichaux was elevated to featured back when No. 1 Pat Garwo was hurt early in the game. The junior portal pickup from Western Kentucky led BC with 94 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.

“Kye ran really hard and there was that one play where he dragged a guy for eight yards and that really fired us up,” said center Drew Kendall, a redshirt sophomore from Norwood.

“He stepped up big for us when Pat went down. Running the ball and running hard really gets us fired up.”

That makes next weekend’s home encounter with No. 4 Florida State in the Eagles’ ACC opener just plain frightening.

BC veteran middle linebacker Vinny DePalma recovered a Matt Sluka fumble with 1:01 remaining to preserve an 31-28 victory in a game that lasted five hours and 37 minutes.

Holy Cross had a first and 10 from the 25 with 1:58 remaining when the game was suspended at 3:20 due to a severe weather alert. A colorful rainbow had just dissipated when play resumed at 5:33 with the original attendance of 40,122 reduced to assorted clusters of Holy Cross fans.

Sluka opened the drive with a 35-yard run to the BC 40. After a 12-yard completion, Sluka fumbled away the Crusaders’ best opportunity to end a 43-year hex. BC scored on its opening four possessions but self-destructed in the second half with senseless, drive-killing penalties.

“Obviously it is good to win the game and we did,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “That’s a good team, I think the quarterback (Sluka) is an NFL player and we found a way to win the game. We are a good football team and two weeks in a row we kept teams in the game.”

The game achieved high entertainment value from the compelling play of competing dual threat quarterbacks, Sluka and BC’s Thomas Castellanos. Sluka rushed for 131 net yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns and completed 10 passes for 130 yards.

Castellanos rushed for 69 yards and completed 17 passes for 201 yards and no interceptions. Despite the numbers in his first career start, Hafley was irate with Castellanos for a senseless and ill-timed taunting penalty in third quarter.

“He’s not going to play if he keeps doing that and I told him that coming off the field,” said Hafley.

Down 24-14 at the half, Holy Cross opened the third quarter with a five-play, 78-yard scoring drive. Junior tailback Jordan Fuller gained 45 on a sweep left and Sluka capped the trip with an 8-yard scamper to make it a three-point affair with 12:40 to play.

BC went back up by 10 on the opening play of the fourth. Castellanos capped the six-play, 45-yard drive with a 5-yard pass to sophomore tight end Jeremiah Franklin, his first career touchdown reception.

The Crusaders cut the lead to 31-28 on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that featured two defining plays. Tailback Jordan Fuller picked up 13 yards on a fourth-and-one from the HC 34. On a third and 21 on the BC 38, Sluka was sacked by DePalma for an 8-yard loss. But the drive was extended on a hands-to-the-face penalty. Fuller completed the trip with a 15-yard run with 7:26 to play. Fuller finished with 109 yards on 123 carries and two touchdowns.

“When we clean this up and we will, we are going to be really good,” said Hafley.

Trench warfare

BC’s perceived advantage across the line of scrimmage became the reality on the Eagles’ opening drive. The BC offensive line spearheaded an 85-yard, 14-play drive that consumed 6:08 off the clock. The Eagles went ahead 7-0 on a 3-yard plunge by junior tailback Kye Robichaux, a portal pickup from Western Kentucky.

Castellanos was the catalyst of the drive, throwing for 34 yards and rushing for 23. Tailback Kye Robichaux, who moved up the depth chart from fourth to second, had 17 rushing yards with an 8-yard reception. Robichaux led BC with 94 yards on 17 carries.

Trench warfare II

The Holy Cross offensive line responded in kind on the Crusaders’ first possession. The Crusaders went 75 yards on 15 plays that consumed 8:53 off the clock. Fuller tied the game 7-7 with a 2-yard plunge at 14:56 of the second quarter. Sluka was the catalyst on the drive by rushing for 44 yards and throwing for 23.

He’s just not saying who it is.

“We have made our decision on the quarterback and you will respectively see (who) when we kick off on Saturday,” said Hafley. “We know what our quarterbacks are going to do and we will continue to work that way in practice.”

Emmett Morehead was the incumbent atop the depth chart coming out of training based on his four ACC starts at the end of last season. Morehead’s stay at No. 1 ended after two possessions in last weekend’s 27-24 overtime loss to Northern Illinois in the home opener.

Morehead was replaced by dual threat sophomore Thomas Castellanos, a transfer from Central Florida. Castellanos played the remainder of the game and erased a 14-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Castellanos completed 13-of-28 passes for 138 yards, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.

“(The decision) was from conversations with the coaching staff and that was pretty much it,” said Hafley. “We had to figure it out and you practice the first time on Tuesday so we wanted to figure it out Monday.

“We sat down and talked about it Monday at length and we are full speed ahead.”

BC co-offensive coordinators Steve Shimko and Rob Chudzinski installed a new offense, but there is no one size fits all scheme that can accommodate two diverse quarterbacks.

Morehead is a 6-5, 235-pound pocket passer who can see over the line, make progressions, and deliver an accurate ball. Castellano is a 5-10, 198-pound dual threat, run pass option quarterback who can make plays with his feet and creates opportunities on the run.

The disparities in size and style between the two contending quarterbacks presents a game planning conundrum for Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney, who has taken the Crusaders’ program to new heights in his six seasons.

“Here is the thing, we may not know who their quarterback is but there are also two really different offenses for each quarterback,” said Chesney. “They have two different quarterbacks that do two different things and there is going to be a lot on the staff and the players as we progress through this week.”

Chesney is fielding the strongest most experience team on his watch with 11 preseason All-Patriot League selections and five FCS preseason All-Americans, including QB Matt Sluka.

UMass opened the 2023 season on Aug. 26 with an inspiring 41-30 win at New Mexico State. Last Saturday the Minutemen tried to take a big bite out of the SEC apple but got more than they could chew. After a slow start, the Auburn Tigers dispatched UMass 59-14 before a capacity crowd at historic Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala.

“We were playing a very good opponent, an SEC caliber opponent and we need to play better for things to happen,” said UMass second-year coach Don Brown.

“But what we really needed to happen was to take care of the ball and that’s a complementary thing that didn’t happen in any phase.”

After securing a road split, the Minutemen return to McGuirk Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to engage Miami (Ohio) in the most anticipated home opener in years. UMass had gone 1-11 the last two seasons under Walt Bell and Brown. But the win over the Aggies in Las Cruces, N.M., was an early indicator that the Minutemen are no longer independent pushovers for the rest of FBS.

“This is big and it’s one that we’ve been pointing to and it’s really good when you have the chance to play at home,” said Brown. “We’ve been on the road for two weeks now and the kids have been anxious about playing at home and they are going to get their chance for sure.”

The biggest fallout for the Auburn game was the early exit of quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, the redshirt junior transfer from Clemson who orchestrated the offensive onslaught at New Mexico State.

Phommachanh scored the Minutemen’s first touchdown against Auburn on a 1-yard run that tied the game 7-7 with 7:20 to play in the first. Phommachanh was on the business end of four sacks and four quarterback hurries before exiting the game favoring his shoulder and leg.

Carlos Davis, a redshirt senior transfer from Western Carolina, replaced Phommachanh when the game was well out of hand. Davis battled Phommachanh in training camp for the starting job and the competition brought out the best in both of them. Brown said Phommachanh was on the mend but expressed his confidence in Davis to do the job if needed.

“He (Davis) has been getting equal time in practice and we know what we are going to get from him,” said Brown.

The Eagles rallied from 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter only to flatline on both sides of the ball in overtime during last Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Northern Illinois in the season opener at Alumni Stadium.

The mathematical truth is that 50 percent of teams lose in the first week. But the vast majority of the teams that are favored to win their opener, as a rule, generally do.

BC should not have allowed a team with the second-worst record in the MAC in 2022 to enter an ACC domain and exit the field feeling good about themselves.

The Eagles have a strategically scheduled opportunity to reverse course when they engage long-time regional rival Holy Cross (1-0) on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium.

“First you look hard at last week’s game and you recap the things you did well and you recap the missed opportunities, the penalties and you’ve got to fix it,” said BC head coach Jeff Hafley.

“We have to make it about ourselves first. There were multiple opportunities to make plays and we have to make those plays. We practice them and we have to make them in the game. There is obviously some stuff we have to do better coaching.”

The Eagles suffered a similar heartbreaking loss in last year’s opener and never recovered from it en route to a 3-9 mark, the only losing season on Hafley’s watch. Rutgers mounted a 12-play, 96-yard, scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to secure a 22-21 victory. The bad OT loss to NIU reopened that old Rutgers’ wound.

“I think it is a little different this time,” said Hafley. “When you put on the (NIU) tape, there were so many plays we left out there.

“There were 10 or 12 of them out there and our guys are capable of making those plays, they have done them. Then you show them the plays they did make and there needs to be more consistency. It is still a confident group.”

The late rally was orchestrated by Thomas Castellanos, a 5-10, 190-pound, sophomore dual-threat quarterback who made his BC debut on the Eagles’ third possession.

The transfer from Central Florida replaced Emmett Morehead, an accomplished incumbent with ACC experience. Castellanos began the comeback with a 2-yard scoring run to make it 21-14 with 5:59 to play.

Castellanos completed the comeback in regulation with a 30-yard throw to Jaden Williams with 1:44 remaining. He finished 13 completions for 138 yards with two touchdowns and one costly interception. Despite taking the majority of the snaps, Hafley was not ready to name Castellanos the starter against Holy Cross.

“We have an idea but I am not going to go down there yet but there will be a time when we let you know,” said Hafley. “We thought they both deserved to play and we wanted to see how they both would play.

“Obviously Thomas played more and I though he did some good things with his legs and made some nice throws. For the first time him playing, I thought he did some really good things.”

A Cross to bear

The Holy Cross Crusaders are not your average FCS program. The Crusaders enjoyed a historic run in 2022 by going undefeated in the regular season, winning a fourth straight Patriot League title, and then advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs with a school record 12 wins.

Holy Cross had 11 preseason All-Patriot League selections and five preseason FCS All-American picks on the gridiron when it beat Merrimack, 42-20, in the season opener on Saturday at Fitton Field

Hafley began his career at the Division II level at Worcester Polytech in 2001 and followed that with five years in the FCS at Albany.

“They are a really good team and last year they had a heck of a run,” said Hafley. “I coached at that level and we played teams at the FBS level. You get good players and they stay there and you get a lot out of them. They play with a chip on their shoulders.”

Dirty dozen

Graduate Vinny DePalma, a six-year veteran of the program, is a thinking man’s MIKE linebacker who plays the position from different locations along the Eagles’ front seven.

DePalma was the dominant defensive presence in the NIU game on either side. He finished with six solo tackles and six assists against a team that rushed the ball 48 times. Defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was second on the team with eight tackles and one tackle for a loss.

“He’s our middle linebacker but sometimes it might look based on motion or shifts that he is on the outside,” said Hafley. “Vinny played a solid game, tackled really well, communicated really well and just what you would expect.”