Many FBS soccer groups expertise excessive video games that reach to reverse ends of the spectrum throughout the course of a 12-game season.
There is the sport the place a crew performs manner past its capabilities towards a superior opponent. Then there’s the sport the place they get blitzed from the onset and find yourself on the enterprise finish of an embarrassing blowout. The Boston College Eagles reached each extremities over the course of consecutive video games towards the highest two groups within the ACC.
The Eagles got here inside three factors of knocking off No. 3 Florida State in a 31-29 residence 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 go. On Saturday the Seminoles went into Death Valley and knocked off defending ACC champion Clemson to keep up its share of first place within the realigned convention.
The Eagles’ season bottomed out final 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 meals chain.
The Eagles (0-2, 1-3) should get north of the equator between Florida State and Louisville after 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,” stated BC coach Jeff Hafley throughout his weekly press briefing on Monday on the Yawkey Center.
“I believe some guys performed properly and we had good talks amongst ourselves and watched the tape critically. We checked out ourselves first however our job is to ensure our guys are contemporary and really 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 twin menace quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a sophomore switch from Central Florida, was capable of make the ultimate rating look extra respectable that it actually was. Louisville’s lightning begin took BC out of his working recreation and put the offensive burden on Castellanos.
Castellanos led BC in speeding with 49 internet yards on 10 carries that included a 39-yard landing run that made it 28-7 at 3:05 of the second quarter.
Castellanos accomplished 17-of-33 passes to 9 totally different receivers for 265 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Castellanos was sacked 3 times and that deducted 17 yards from his speeding whole.
Castellanos has performed in 4 video games and began three. His 909 passing yards by means of 4 video games is the third highest whole by a BC quarterback in his first 4 video 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,” stated 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 broad receiver Lewis Bond was the right candidate to leap the switch portal after spending two seasons as an addendum within the Eagles’ passing recreation.
“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,” stated 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 main receiver with 16 receptions for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns with a 15.4 common and a knack for making yards after catch and exhibiting up within the crimson zone. Bond had 4 catches for 71 yards with 64 yards after the catch and two touchdowns towards Louisville.
Disconnect on protection
Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer has one of many best statistically environment friendly outputs in program historical past by a signal-caller not named Lamar Jackson. Plummer accomplished 18-of-21 passes for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns with a protracted of 75, which was really a display go to tailback Jawhar Jordan. Plummer was voted the ACC quarterback of the week on Monday.
The Eagles issues towards the Cardinals passing assault have been twofold. The Eagles had two sacks however just one quarterback hurry and that allowed Plummer time to go deep.
On the backend, the Eagles secondary had one go breakup and have been routinely turnstiled by the Cardinals’ speedy receivers Jamari Thrash, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, and Kevin Coleman.
“On Saturday it was a combination of it all,” stated 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.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com