The harsh reality is those things didn't happen and a 1-3 start has disappointment again settling in over Chestnut Hill.
The good news is that Boston College has a decent chance to add to the win column on September 30, hosting a Virginia Cavaliers squad who is winless in four games this season.
One third through the '23 season, results have not gone quite as expected. Boston College has been competitive, with two of three losses by a combined five points, including that near upset over Florida State.
It's been a mixed bag across the board for the Eagles, who held optimism heading into the season. The struggling areas of their game can be fixed, hopefully leading to a productive rest of the season.
Boston College Eagles: The good
Averaging 28 points per game, the offense, despite some hiccups (and pre-snap penalties that hopefully are a thing of the past), has been solid so far in 2023.
It is an attack spearheaded by the dual threat capability of quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
Given the opportunity to see the field in the opener against Northern Illinois, the transfer from UCF took the reins and ran. So much, in fact, he has not relinquished them since, outside a handful of drives here and there.
Castellanos has started the last three games and continues to get better each time out. A 57.3 percent completion isn't the rosiest of numbers but part of that can be attributed to multiple drops by receivers each game. The positive aspect of that is Castellanos has thrown only two interceptions.
He has thrown for 909 yards and eight touchdowns and has been electrifying in the ground game. Whether by design or improvised, Castellanos has been brilliant in rushing for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
Castellanos has been able to spread the ball around in the air but three receivers are pulling away from the pack in terms of production.
Lewis Bond has been at it since game one this season and hasn't slowed down. Bond is tops on the team in receiving yards (246) and touchdowns (4), trailing only Ryan O'Keefe in receptions, with 16.
O'Keefe has been a little slower out of the gate but has come on in recent weeks. Each game is better than the last for him and he leads Boston College in receptions with 20. O'Keefe hauled in his first receiving touchdown last week against Louisville, and is second in receiving yards with 214.
Joe Griffin Jr. is the third member of this trio. Though Griffin has yet to find the end zone, his specialty last season, he has 11 catches for 174 yards.
Though they haven't been targeted as much, Jaden Williams and Dino Tomlin have proven to be adequate deep threats for the Eagles. The two have combined for 10 catches, with each averaging over 20 yards a reception.
None of this would be possible without the cohesive play of an improved offensive line. To be fair, it couldn't get much worse than last season's injury-riddle unit. Through four games, this season's unit is playing at a high level, allowing only six sacks and paving the way for 161.8 rushing yards per game.
Much of that is Castellanos but the contributions of Kye Robichaux are exceptional. Robichaux entered the season as fourth on the depth chart. Injuries vaulted him to the top and he responded in kind.
Robichaux, who first handled the workload against Holy Cross, has 206 yards and two touchdowns and is a fourth-down specialist vowing not be stopped. With Pat Garwo III, Alex Broome, and Cam Barfield getting back into the mix, it will be interesting to see what this unit does going forward.
The offense earns a passing grade so far. The defense, on the other hand, as a lot of kinks to work out.
Boston College Eagles: The disappointing
Sticking up for the defense is a hard task in the early going this season. Sure, they were average the first three games, finding moments of big plays. But in a blowout loss to Louisville, Boston College was exposed in all areas.
Thanks to those 56 points scored by the Cardinals, Boston College is now allowing 35.5 points per game. The Eagles are allowing 417 yards per game, 189 of which are coming on the ground for opponents.
The secondary, feeling the hit of being on the low-end of key returners from last season, was expected to face struggles in 2023. Experienced depth was going to be the main issue, and that took a hit even more when Alex Washington entered the transfer portal earlier this week.
Elijah Jones and John Pupel, second on the team with 28 tackles, each are doing their part in the secondary. But the defense has a whole does not have an interception through four games.
The front seven was to provide a lot of experience and hopefully take some of the pressure off the secondary. They've been about average and could really use a bump in stopping the run. Individual efforts have been there, it's simply about putting it all together to create a cohesive effort.
Vinny DePalma is having a good season, leading the Eagles with 34 tackles. And Neto Okpala up front has shined, collecting two of the team's four sacks.
Away from the defense, disappointment can be placed in the tight end position. Normally old reliable over the years at Boston College, tight ends are lacking (at least in the passing game). George Takacs and Jeremiah Franklin combined for only six catches and 36 yards.
Getting them going is a must, and hopefully something seen in the coming weeks.
Outlook for next four games
One major concern heading into the next four games is facing teams with a run-heavy focus.
That said, with games against Virginia, at Army (2-2), at Georgia Tech (2-2), and at home against the Connecticut Huskies, Boston College has an opportunity to go 3-1 or 4-0 in this stretch.
The toughest matchup is against Georgia Tech, who lost by only five to Louisville. The Yellow Jackets also picked up a conference win against Wake Forest.
If the offense keeps rolling and the defense finds its footing, a month from now the Eagles could be on the verge of becoming bowl eligible. If not, well, Boston College will be one step closer to seeing the Jeff Hafley period come to a close.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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