The wins can be applauded but it still proves this young team has work to do in being a consistent winner.
A variety of missteps and bad fortune down the stretch disrupted the Boston College Eagles (6-6, 3-5) and their bid for an eight-win season. Turnovers. Injuries. Dropped passes. And a defense, once getting by on pluck and red zone stands, couldn't find a way to stop opponents during the losing streak.
Two of those three games weren't even close, including the finale on Friday, a 45-20 Miami Hurricanes victory. The streak kicked off with Boston College allowing 48 points to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The meat of the losing sandwich, and perhaps the most disappointing game, was a 24-16 loss to the Pitt Panthers. Turnovers and mental errors were the main culprits in this defeat, and were ever-present down against the Hurricanes as well.
Hot & cold offense
Turnovers turned into a nightmare for Boston College, giving games away early and preventing comebacks late. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos, a work in progress in the passing game, threw six interceptions during the losing streak.
Against the Hurricanes, Castellanos was a perfect 4-4 on the game's opening drive. Things were looking up, and it appeared the Eagles were primed for a huge day on offense.
A dropped pass to open their next drive turned everything around. Hard to say that with the game only in the first quarter but Boston College never really seemed to be on track the remainder of the way.
Castellanos wasn't exactly horrible on the day, finishing 15-25 for 152 yards and a touchdown (along with two interceptions). He made some nice throws and showed flashes in the passing game that will eventually make him a fantastic all-around quarterback.
It was again in the ground game where Castellanos truly shined. In fact, he was the running game, as the Boston College running backs mostly floundered against the Hurricanes with the limited opportunity they had.
Castellanos carried the ball 19 times for 130 yards and a score, while Kye Robichaux and Alex Broome carried the ball a grand total of seven times for 13 yards.
Lewis Bond capped off a fine regular season with six receptions for 46 yards and Dino Tomlin had one of his best days, finishing with three catches for 48 yards.
Against Miami, there were simply too many three-and-outs by Boston College that involved one carry and then two incomplete passes. A lot of this took place in the first half, where this and a leaky defense contributed to Miami taking a 28-7 halftime lead.
Wherefore art thou, defense?
Too easy might be the best description for opposing offenses the last three weeks. The Boston College defense wasn't stingy in the season's first nine games but they also weren't necessarily porous.
Some sort of switch flipped the last three games, and not the good kind one wants to see.
Injuries played their part, as did a natural wear down of the season. The secondary's depth was tested, and the team simply ran out of steam.
Virginia Tech rang up 600 yards of offense against the Eagles. How did Boston College follow that up? By allowing 439 rushing yards in their final two games, allowing Pitt and Miami ball carriers to average six yards per attempt.
A lot of different players saw action in the final weeks, with a fair number of underclassmen seeing more time on the field. One was defensive back KP Price, who had six tackles against Miami.
Khari Johnson, though a senior, had one of his finest games as an Eagle. The transfer from Arkansas had nine tackles against the Hurricanes.
The slide at the end of the season for Boston College didn't ruin all the goodwill of that five-game winning streak. The Eagles will be headed to a bowl game, with a final chance to send the seniors out winners. Bowl games are a nice bow to a season, especially with a victory, but at some point one wonders when, and if, Boston College will take that next step. Hopefully soon, or chances are another coaching regime will be flipped out and brand-new hope ushered in. To repeat the cycle, all over again.
photo credit: Flickr
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