Thomas Castellanos passed for a touchdown and ran for another as Boston College knocked off host Syracuse 17-10 in Friday’s Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
Castellanos finished 20 of 37 passing for 165 yards and added a team-high 87 yards on the ground as the Eagles (6-3, 3-2 ACC) won their fifth straight game.
LeQuint Allen rattled off 142 rushing yards on 18 carries for the Orange (4-5, 0-5), who have dropped five in a row.
Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader was a surprise scratch with an undisclosed injury suffered in last week’s loss to Virginia Tech. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson started in his place and went 7 of 17 for 37 yards with four interceptions.
With the game tied at 10-10, Castellanos rushed around the left end for a 7-yard touchdown with 2:23 remaining. On the next offensive play, Del Rio-Wilson’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Cole Batson, and the Eagles ran out the clock.
CJ Clinkscales intercepted Del Rio-Wilson near midfield on Syracuse’s first possession of the game, allowing the Eagles to convert that turnover into a 24-yard field goal by Liam Connor.
The Orange got on the board late in the first quarter, covering 65 yards in only four plays. Allen began the possession with a 32-yard scamper and then had a pair of modest runs before Del Rio-Wilson broke free up the middle for a 27-yard score.
The teams then exchanged empty trips until Boston College scored in the final minute of the second quarter.
The possession began when Elijah Jones intercepted Del Rio-Wilson on a deep pass to the end zone for a touchback. The Eagles then marched 80 yards in 18 plays, including two fourth-and-1 conversions. The scoring play was a 2-yard pass from Castellanos to Owen McGowan with 48 seconds left in the half.
There was no scoring in the third quarter. Boston College trekked to the Syracuse 24 late in the period before Castellanos was stuffed on a fourth-and-1.
The Orange began the ensuing possession with Allen’s 56-yard run, leading to Brady Denaburg’s 36-yard kick to forge a 10-10 tie with 14:18 remaining.
–Field Level Media
