Boston College wants a bounce-back recreation in an enormous manner.
The Eagles rallied from 14-point deficit within the fourth quarter solely to flatline on either side of the ball in extra time throughout final Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Northern Illinois within the season opener at Alumni Stadium.
The mathematical reality is that fifty % of groups lose within the first week. But the overwhelming majority of the groups which might be favored to win their opener, as a rule, usually do.
BC mustn’t have allowed a staff with the second-worst file within the MAC in 2022 to enter an ACC area and exit the sphere feeling good about themselves.
The Eagles have a strategically scheduled alternative to reverse course after they have interaction long-time regional rival Holy Cross (1-0) on Saturday (midday) 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,” stated 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 an analogous heartbreaking loss in final yr’s opener and by no means recovered from it en path to a 3-9 mark, the one dropping season on Hafley’s watch. Rutgers mounted a 12-play, 96-yard, scoring drive late within the fourth quarter to safe a 22-21 victory. The unhealthy OT loss to NIU reopened that outdated Rutgers’ wound.
“I think it is a little different this time,” stated Hafley. “When you placed on the (NIU) tape, there have been so many performs we left on the market.
“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 switch from Central Florida changed Emmett Morehead, an achieved incumbent with ACC expertise. Castellanos started the comeback with a 2-yard scoring run to make it 21-14 with 5:59 to play.
Castellanos accomplished the comeback in regulation with a 30-yard throw to Jaden Williams with 1:44 remaining. He completed 13 completions for 138 yards with two touchdowns and one pricey interception. Despite taking the vast majority of the snaps, Hafley was not prepared to call Castellanos the starter in opposition to 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,” stated Hafley. “We thought they each deserved to play and we wished to see how they each 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 will not be your common FCS program. The Crusaders loved a historic run in 2022 by going undefeated within the common season, successful a fourth straight Patriot League title, after which superior to the quarterfinal spherical of the FCS playoffs with a college file 12 wins.
Holy Cross had 11 preseason All-Patriot League alternatives and 5 preseason FCS All-American picks on the gridiron when it beat Merrimack, 42-20, within the season opener on Saturday at Fitton Field
Hafley started his profession on the Division II degree at Worcester Polytech in 2001 and adopted that with 5 years within the FCS at Albany.
“They are a really good team and last year they had a heck of a run,” stated 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 this system, is a pondering man’s MIKE linebacker who performs the place from completely different areas alongside the Eagles’ entrance seven.
DePalma was the dominant defensive presence within the NIU recreation on both aspect. He completed with six solo tackles and 6 assists in opposition to a staff that rushed the ball 48 instances. Defensive finish Donovan Ezeiruaku was second on the staff with eight tackles and one sort out for a loss.
“He’s our middle linebacker but sometimes it might look based on motion or shifts that he is on the outside,” stated Hafley. “Vinny played a solid game, tackled really well, communicated really well and just what you would expect.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com