It was the only ranked vs. ranked game on the Saturday slate, as #24 Boston College took their 2-0 record on the road to #6 Mizzou.
Unfortunately for Eagles fans, 2-0 moved to 2-1, as BC was unable to maintain an 11-point first half lead, losing to the Tigers 27-21 in Columbia, Missouri.
Through three possessions for the Eagles offense, Boston College had built a 14-3 lead, dominating the time of possession through the first quarter-and-a-half.
That fast start got going on the opening possession of the game, as BC marched down the field on a 14 play, 75-yard drive that ate up the first 7:29 of the ballgame, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead from the jump.
Two possessions later, junior quarterback Thomas Castellanos made what might be his highlight play of the season so far - dropping a shotgun snap that he wasn’t ready for, scooping the ball up and taking advantage of a Mizzou defense that looked as if they thought the play was dead, and heaving it deep downfield up the left sideline to freshman Reed Harris for a 67-yard touchdown to put his team up 11.
A sold out Memorial Stadium was starting to sound a lot like Doak S. Campbell Stadium did on Labor Day night, when BC went in and sucked the life out of the rowdy home crowd early en route to a historic 28-13 upset win over #10 FSU.
The Eagles offense was clicking, and the Tigers offense was unable to get their All-SEC wide receiver Luther Burden III in a rhythm.
But once Burden awakened, things done changed for the Tigers.
On Mizzou’s third possession of the ballgame, fifth-year senior quarterback Brady Cook found Burden for a 44-yard catch on 1st and 10 from Mizzou’s 27 yard line that brought the Tigers all the way up to BC’s 29. A few plays later, the Tigers kicked a field goal to make it a 14-6 game with 4:54 left in the second quarter.
And in the blink of an eye, Mizzou’s offense was back on the field as Castellanos threw his first of two interceptions in the ballgame on the Eagles’ first play of their fourth possession. The Tigers brought that pick all the way to the BC 25 yard line.
Three plays later, it was Burden making noise again. This time, it was a 19-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put his entire skill set on full display. And after a two-point conversion attempt was good on the ground for Mizzou, the score was tied at 14-14.
The Tigers then forced BC to punt, giving Mizzou the ball with 42 seconds left in the half for their fifth possession of the game.
Six plays later, freshman kicker Blake Craig was hitting a 56-yard field goal for Mizzou with time expiring, and the Tigers were up 17-14 heading into halftime.
For those keeping score at home, that was field goal-touchdown-field goal on three straight possessions to bring Memorial Stadium’s crowd back to life.
Momentum was officially behind Mizzou, and they carried it right into the third quarter as they got the second half started with yet another scoring drive, set-up by - you guessed it - Burden.
Cook found his star receiver again for a 38-yard catch on 3rd and 4 that brought the ball from the Mizzou 49 yard line to the BC 13. Three plays later, Cook scrambled for six, and the Tigers went up 24-14.
Those four-straight scoring drives for Mizzou ended up being the difference in the ballgame.
BC head football coach Bill O’Brien told the media postgame that a big part of Mizzou’s success during this four possession stretch was their ability to dominate on third downs.
“One of the differences in the game was their ability to convert [on third down],” O’Brien said on Zoom. “They had a lot more third-and-shorts than we did. We had a lot of third and longs, and that’s not a recipe for success, especially against a good team.
“So we’ve gotta stay on schedule better offensively. And then defensively, we’ve got to do a better job on first and second down. You know, they had too many third-and-twos, third-and-threes. And, you know, that’s not really a good recipe for success. So they definitely won the third down battle, no doubt. Give them credit.”
After both teams traded punts on the next four possessions, Castellanos threw pick number two, which inevitably led to another Mizzou field goal, giving the Tigers a 27-14 lead with 7:24 to go in the fourth quarter.
After two games of almost flawless football for 5’9 second-year starter, Saturday marked Castellanos’ worst game of this young season. Those two turnovers in a one possession game on the road were crucial for an Eagles team who came into Columbia as a significant underdog at sportsbooks across the board.
When asked to assess his overall play on Saturday during his postgame press conference on Zoom, Castellanos said he was “terrible.”
“Terrible, really terrible,” said Castellanos. “If I played better, we would’ve won.”
Despite this being his worst game of the season, and despite what he said postgame, Castellanos did not have a “terrible” game.
Of course, an ultra competitive QB is going to say otherwise after a loss, but 16 of 28 passing for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns is not a bad performance.
O’Brien made sure to show support for Castellanos postgame, while also acknowledging the need for more consistent decision making moving forward.
“Look, he’s done so many good things for us, and all of us wish we could have plays back,” said O’Brien. “We wish we all could have plays back, coaches and players alike. So we’re going to work very, very hard to get him back on track. He’ll work very hard, he’s a very, very good player.
“We’re lucky to have Tommy. We’re in the game because of Tommy and some of the plays that he made, and he knows that he’s got to execute better, make better decisions, more consistent decisions. And he’ll do that.”
One of those plays O’Brien was referencing that kept BC in the ballgame was the final touchdown of the game by either team, as Castellanos capped off an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass to grad transfer tight end Kamari Morales, which made it a 27-21 ballgame with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter.
But it was too little, too late for BC, as Mizzou ran out the clock on the next possession over the final 3:45 in the fourth quarter, securing the 27-21 win to move to 3-0 on the season.
Dating back to last season, Mizzou is riding a seven game win streak, with their last loss coming to a top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs team on the road in Athens, GA. Since the start of the 2023 season, the Tigers have won 14 of their last 16 games.
If you believe in the idea of a “quality loss,” Saturday would constitute just that for the Eagles.
“I was very proud of these guys to come on the road in the SEC,” said O’Brien. “We’re never going to accept losing - it’s not a moral victory, that’s not what I’m saying. I want to be real clear about that. But, you know, even with the adversity that we dealt with - we turned the ball over, we had trouble stopping the run - at the end, we were in the game.
“You know, if we stop them on that second-to-last third down, got a shot to get the ball back, you never know what’s gonna happen. So, shoulda-coulda-woulda, no doubt about it. But I think we got a lot to build on here, and I’m really proud of these guys. And I’m looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow.”
Up next for BC is another tough out-of-conference opponent, as an undefeated Michigan State team (3-0) heads to Chestnut Hill for the Eagles’ annual “Red Bandana Game” in honor of 9/11 hero Welles Crowther.