Boston College Eagles vs. Virginia Cavaliers Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 5th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Boston College will attempt to impede Virginia's resurgent ground game as the two teams clash on Saturday afternoon for an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0) are fresh off a bye week following a dominant performance on the ground, racking up a whopping 384 yards rushing in a 43-24 victory over previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina on September 21st. This was the highest rushing total for the Cavaliers since their 446-yard game against San Jose State in 1998.
"Our goal is to establish a strong running game," stated Virginia head coach Tony Elliott. "We want to be effective and efficient in our rushing attack. And when given the opportunity to take control of the game with our running game, that's exactly what we intend to do."
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Off to their best start since the 2019 season, where they began 4-0, Virginia currently ranks third in the ACC with an average of 195 rushing yards per game.
Leading the way for the Cavaliers is running back Xavier Brown, who has amassed 293 rushing yards and leads the ACC with an impressive 8.9 yards per carry. Kobe Pace has also been a key contributor with 210 rushing yards, while quarterback Anthony Colandrea has added 135 yards on the ground.
However, they will face a tough challenge in the Boston College defense, which ranks sixth in the conference against the run, allowing just 101.4 yards per game. In their five games this season, the Eagles (4-1, 1-0) have only given up two rushing touchdowns.
Last weekend, Boston College mounted a comeback to secure a 21-20 victory over Western Kentucky at home. Backup quarterback Grayson James, filling in for the injured Thomas Castellanos, rushed for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass in the final 11:36 to overcome a 20-7 deficit.
"Our team showed great resilience and toughness," said Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien. "They practice hard and work hard, and it showed in their performance. At halftime, they took a good look at themselves and made adjustments, and I'm very proud of that."
As of Tuesday, Castellanos' status for Saturday's game against Virginia remains uncertain.
Boston College currently holds a 7-1 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, including a 27-24 victory over Virginia last season in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Cavaliers' only win in the series came in a 43-32 victory in Charlottesville in 2020.
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Boston College Eagles vs. Virginia Cavaliers Recap OCT 5TH 2024
A pair of fourth-quarter turnovers fueled Virginia's 24 unanswered points en route to a 24-14 win over visiting Boston College in Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday at Charlottesville, Va.
Anthony Colandrea's 30-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Fields and a Jonas Senker scoop-and-score helped the Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0) clinch their first 2-0 conference start since 2019.
Colandrea completed 15 of 26 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown to Fields, who led Virginia with 63 yards off four receptions.
The Cavaliers recorded 339 yards of total offense, including 223 in the second half.
Three Will Bettridge field goals in four drives helped Virginia begin climbing out of its 14-0 hole, with the lone exception coming after KP Price broke up a Colandrea pass to the end zone on fourth-and-2 with 3:40 left in a scoreless third quarter.
Bettridge's 27-yarder made it 14-9 with 13:29 left, but the ensuing drive was halted when Chico Bennett Jr. intercepted a tipped Thomas Castellanos pass at midfield.
After an explosive run by Kobe Pace (19 carries, 83 yards), Colandrea dialed up a deep ball to Fields for a go-ahead touchdown and hit Andre Greene Jr. for a 2-point conversion with 10:39 left.
The visitors made it across midfield again, but a fumble turned into Senker's 40-yard run for another touchdown with 6:03 remaining.
Boston College (4-2, 1-1) led 14-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter, as Jaedn Skeete and Kamari Morales (77 yards) each caught a touchdown pass from Castellanos.
Castellanos, who was injured last week against Western Kentucky, completed his first 11 passes before finishing 22-of-30 for 254 yards but throwing two late interceptions.
Bettridge missed a 47-yarder, but a Kendren Smith pick gave the ball back to Virginia with 3:04 left to finish out the game.
After Virginia netted just nine yards on its opening series, Castellanos got off to a 6-for-6 start while leading Boston College on a methodical touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead.
A key 34-yard connection to Morales set up Skeete for his third catch -- a 9-yard score -- halfway through the opening quarter.
The visitors doubled their lead 1:52 into the second after Castellanos hit another open receiver in Morales over the middle for a 29-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
A 14-play drive spanning 8:15 allowed Virginia to score on Bettridge's 35-yard field goal with 4:46 left before halftime.
Multiple Boston College penalties -- including a targeting call on cornerback Khari Johnson -- put Virginia in position to kick a 33-yard field goal entering the break.