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On Monday night, the Boston College Eagles kicked off their 2024 season with a decisive 28-13 win over the #10 Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee. The Seminoles, coming off a loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland, faced Boston College under the leadership of new head coach Bill O’Brien. From the outset, it was clear that BC was ready to make a statement. The Eagles surged ahead early and maintained control throughout, overpowering the Seminoles at the line of scrimmage.
The first half was a showcase of BC’s dominance. The Eagles, guided by O’Brien, held possession for nearly 14 of the first 15 minutes. They bulldozed through the FSU defense, particularly on crucial 3rd-and-short plays. Thomas Castellanos, Kye Robichaux, and Treshaun Ward carved their way down the field, scoring two touchdowns before the Seminoles had a chance to respond. In contrast, Florida State’s offense struggled with basic plays and failed to gain any traction.
As the second quarter unfolded, FSU managed to regroup somewhat. The Eagles' offense encountered more resistance, and while Florida State’s special teams provided solid field position, a crucial sack by Donovan Ezeiruaku limited them to just a field goal, narrowing the score to 14-3. Despite a few big plays bringing FSU close to the goal line again, they fell short, settling for another field goal and going into halftime trailing 14-6. DJ Uiagalelei, FSU’s quarterback, missed several key throws, and his receivers had issues with drops, further dampening the Seminoles’ chances.
But just when FSU was starting to make things more manageable, they shot themselves directly in the foot. The second half started with a baffling decision from the Seminoles to go for it on 4th down in their own territory, followed by an even more baffling INT thrown by DJU into triple coverage. Boston College returned the pick to near the goal line and punched it in for the score, taking a 21-6 lead almost immediately to start the second half. It was a devastating turn of events for Florida State, who seemed way too desperate to get something going on their opening drive.
After a few drives that went nowhere for either team, FSU finally managed to get going thanks to a trick play. DJU was able to hit a receiver way downfield on a ball reversal, and then hit another deep pass down the sideline for a quick touchdown to cut BC’s lead to 21-13. With Amari Jackson sitting out with a cramp midway through the drive, the Eagles’ secondary started getting very exposed. But the BC offense wasn’t about to just go away. The Eagles went right back to their ground-and-pound style and smashed FSU’s defensive line into submission. Castellanos, Ward, and Robichaux once again combined for a deadly smashmouth rushing attack, driving all the way down the field for an eventual Kye Robichaux punch-in TD to expand their lead to 28-13.
As the fourth quarter began, Florida State faced a double-digit deficit and needed to mount a serious comeback. DJ Uiagalelei started to connect on several long passes along the sideline, exploiting a cramping Boston College secondary. However, a costly intentional grounding penalty from DJU set FSU back and stalled their drive near midfield, where they failed to convert on 4th-and-16.
After a brief and unproductive drive by BC, FSU had another chance to close the gap. But a sack by Neto Okpala on the first play of their drive, followed by a key stop by George Rooks at the line of scrimmage, put the Seminoles in a tough spot. The BC defensive line, much improved from last season, forced a quick punt from FSU during this critical stretch.
When BC's offense faltered again, FSU got another opportunity to exploit the weakened Eagles secondary. Yet, their drive ended poorly with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after an offensive lineman shoved Neto Okpala to the ground. Thomas Castellanos then guided the Eagles to a crucial first down as FSU exhausted their timeouts. Boston College ran down the clock, sealing a convincing 28-13 victory over the ranked Seminoles.