College Sports

Thomas Castellanos hit Lewis Bond for the go-ahead touchdown with under 90 seconds left in regulation.

By Trevor Hass, The Boston Globe

September 22, 2024 | 1:24 AM

When the 23-19 victory over previously undefeated Michigan State was cemented, the Boston College faithful flowed out of the Alumni Stadium bleachers and onto the field to mob the Eagles amid a sea of red.

They hugged Thomas Castellanos following his winning touchdown pass. They swarmed Lewis Bond, who made the catch and dash into the end zone. They embraced Max Tucker after his game-sealing interception. Then “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers played, and they jumped in unison.

“It’s amazing,” Castellanos said. “It’s a dream come true.”

This Red Bandanna Game thriller was the type of triumph a fan base in need of a jolt envisioned when Bill O’Brien became the head coach. Now, just four weeks in, the Eagles already have two signature wins.

Castellanos (10 of 16, 140 yards passing) hit Bond (6 catches, 102 yards) for a 42-yard strike with 1:28 remaining, then Tucker picked off a pass with 36 seconds left to seal it. Tucker stayed inbounds, and his momentum carried him into the student section in Lambeau Leap fashion.

The Eagles (3-1) had a larger purpose as they honored alumnus Welles Crowther, who is credited with saving at least a dozen people in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. A sellout crowd of 44,500 braved a steady rain to make for one of the most raucous BC games in recent memory.

“Exact atmosphere I wanted to see,” Castellanos said. “It was unbelievable. What the Red Bandanna stands for, and who we were doing it for. We weren’t doing it for us.”

Long before the chaos, the Spartans (3-1) jumped ahead on a 41-yard field goal from Jonathan Kim with 9:11 left in the first quarter.

Boston College advanced deep into Michigan State territory, but Cal Haladay forced a costly Treshaun Ward fumble at the 7-yard line. The Eagles held an 81-33 advantage in yards in the first quarter, and possessed the ball for nearly 10 minutes, but Michigan State took a 3-0 edge into the second.

Freshman Turbo Richard put BC ahead, 6-3, with an 11-yard rush, bouncing to the outside and finding daylight with 12:22 left in the half. Luca Lombardo missed the extra point after a high snap.

Michigan State responded, as quarterback Aidan Chiles found Montorie Foster Jr. for a 40-yard completion, then ran it in himself from 1 yard out. The Spartans nearly struck again, but Carter Davis intercepted a floating Chiles pass late in the half. Whenever Chiles took risks, the Eagles made him pay.

“We have a group of hungry guys on defense,” defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku said.

Michigan State added a field goal late, as BC’s Neto Okpala registered a key stop on third and 3 in the final minute. The Spartans took a 13-6 edge into halftime, holding Boston College to 20 passing yards, eight first downs, and 1-for-5 on third-down conversions.

BC struggled early in the rain and had trouble regularly churning out yards.

“I can’t repeat what I said to the players at halftime,” O’Brien said. “I’ll have to go to confession. I was upset with coaches and players, to be honest with you. I was upset with myself. A little Irish temper came out.”

The message clearly resonated, starting with the second-half kickoff. Davis, a promising redshirt freshman, dislodged the ball from Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Omar Thornton pounced on it at the Michigan State 7.

The Eagles couldn’t make it to the end zone, as Castellanos went backward on third down, but Lombardo drilled a 39-yard field goal to slice the deficit to 13-9.

Amari Jackson intercepted a Chiles pass, then Ward swerved in from 36 yards moments later to put the Eagles ahead, 16-13, with 12:22 left in the third.

Kim nailed another field goal, this one from 51 yards, to tie it at 16 with 9:06 remaining in the quarter.

Neither side scored the rest of the third, then the Spartans stuffed Castellanos on fourth and goal from the 1 early in the fourth. The Eagles couldn’t return the favor moments later, as Michigan State converted on fourth and 1 from its 42. Kim eventually drilled a 27-yard field goal as the Spartans jumped ahead, 19-16, with 4:12 remaining, to cap an 18-play, 89-yard drive.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board on that one,” O’Brien said, “but our defense did a really good job.”

Then Castellanos, Bond, and Tucker delivered to send the Eagles to another signature win.

Bond said he knew there was a good chance the ball was coming his way, and he simply wanted to make a play. Then came Tucker’s pick, and then came the flood of fans and pandemonium.

“Trapped,” Bond said of his vantage point. “They took everything up off me. My gloves, my towel, everything.”

With momentum on its side, BC welcomes Western Kentucky to Chestnut Hill next Saturday with a chance to move to 4-1.

“We’ve got something brewing here,” Ezeiruaku said.