Boston College ended a three-game losing streak with a 37-31 win at home against Syracuse. The Eagles leaned entirely on the run game for over 300 yards to overpower the Syracuse defense, while the defense applied timely pressure throughout.

The Eagles took an early 14-point lead, but struggles from Castellanos would see Syracuse level things up by halftime. After a rough first drive to start the second half, Bill O’Brien pulled the plug on Castellanos and brought in backup Grayson James, who started earlier this season against Western Kentucky. Officially called a lower-body injury, O’Brien noted after the game that he felt the decision was in the best interest of the team. James didn’t have to do much, completing just 5 passes in 6 attempts, but it was all BC needed.

UCF running back Jordan McDonald and Kye Robichaux carried the load for BC. McDonald’s 41-yard run put BC in scoring position on their first possession, but Liam Connor missed a short field goal. After trading punts, Quintayvious Hutchins recovered a fumble for BC, setting up Robichaux for the first score. Hutchins and Ezieruaku applied pressure all day, recording a pair of sacks each.

The BC defense came up big again with a stop on downs around midfield. Castellanos would complete his first pass of the game for a touchdown against Lewis Bond midway through the second quarter.

But the Syracuse offense wouldn’t be left out for long, Kyle McCord and the Cuse receivers would make some great plays and tie the ball up near halftime. McCord was a bit inconsistent at times, but finished the game 31-48 with almost 400 yards passing.

Cuse running back LaQuint Allen gave the Dutch the lead in the second half, but that wouldn’t last long. With Grayson James at the helm, the BC offense came alive. It took Robichaux just three plays to tie the game. Robichaux would lead the way for BC with 198 yards on 28 carries.

Ezieruaku and the BC defensive line went back to work, depriving McCord of the ball. But the sacked King couldn’t get the ball cleanly back in the end zone, so the Eagles had to settle for a safety to take the lead 23-21. James and the backs would follow that with a 7 minute drive, this time McDonald finding his way into the end zone. He was a revelation for BC and put up 133 meters himself.

McCord led Syracuse back to a one-score game, but BC responded with a flawless 10-play, 78-yard drive, ending with a 17-yard touchdown pass from James to tight end Jeremiah Franklin on fourth down. With BC now up 37-28, the Eagles only needed a few more plays to close out the game.
The Dutch made a late field goal to make it a one-score game, but the subsequent onside kick recovery was called back due to an illegal block. Even though BC’s special teams muffled the retry, the Eagles still recovered and closed things out. BC moves to 5-4 and heads to Dallas next week for a Fenway Bowl rematch.