BC rebounds in the fourth quarter to beat Western Kentucky

University sports

The Eagles trailed by 13 points in the fourth quarter, but fought for the win without starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

By Trevor Hass, The Boston Globe

September 28, 2024 | 7:08 p.m

Saturday’s match between Boston College and Western Kentucky had the makings of a trap game.

With starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos out, a Red Bandanna Game thriller behind them and the heart of the conference game looming, the Eagles seemed sluggish at the start against the Hilltoppers.

In the past, BC teams may have crumbled and stumbled through defeat, but so far the Eagles have shown a different level of fortitude under head coach Bill O’Brien. Boston College erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Western Kentucky 21-20 in a thriller at Alumni Stadium.

It was the largest fourth-quarter deficit the Eagles (4-1) have overcome to win in program history, surpassing 12-point comebacks against Holy Cross in 1980 and Pittsburgh in 1988.

“The message from player to player was: Don’t panic,” defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku said. “We are a resilient team. We just have to go out there and show it.”

Ezeiruaku (14 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 quarterback hits) forced a fumble at Western Kentucky’s 20-yard line with 6:26 left, which led to an 8-yard pass from quarterback Grayson James to Jerand with 3:33 left Bradley led. KP Price fended off a final attempt by the Hilltoppers (3-2) as the Eagles escaped.

“I feel like we were able to seize the moment,” James said.

James, a junior transfer from Florida International who filled in for Castellanos, finished 19 of 32 for 168 yards, one touchdown, one interception and one rushing touchdown. He sputtered early but found a rhythm as the game progressed.

The chemistry he already had with his John Paul II (Texas) High School teammate Bradley paid off in his first start in BC. James floated the ball where only the 6-foot-2 Bradley could catch it, and Bradley took care of the rest.

“It was like we were having flashbacks of what we used to do,” Bradley said.

While it was certainly a powerful finish from the Eagles, it was far from a convincing overall performance.

The Hilltoppers took a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard pass from Caden Veltkamp to Kisean Johnson with 3:05 left in the first quarter.

On Western Kentucky’s next drive, BC’s Khari Johnson pounced and intercepted a floating ball from Veltkamp. The Eagles briefly had momentum, but James gave it right back when he threw a pass right into the arms of Keondre Williams for an interception early in the second period. James appeared nervous at the start and struggled to get the correct readings on short and medium passes.

James said Castellanos approached him after the pick and assured him he would be more than fine.

“He had a lot of faith in me,” James said. “The whole offense did it.”

Western Kentucky capitalized on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Veltkamp to Easton Messer. At that point, WKU had a 129-12 lead in the passing game.

BC showed signs of life late in the second when James Lewis found Bond for a key third-down conversion to set up a 3-yard touchdown rush by Kye Robichaux (18 carries, 81 yards, 1 touchdown) against his former team .

“It was almost goosebumps at half-time, it would have been completely embarrassing,” said O’Brien.

The Hilltoppers struck back when Lucas Carneiro made a 22-yard field goal as time expired.

WKU had a 17-7 halftime lead and managed 247 yards compared to 133 for BC. The Hilltoppers had 106 yards after the catch while the Eagles only had 33 yards. James finished the half 12 of 16 and found his composure late after a slow start.

The sluggishness on offense wasn’t shocking given the quarterback situation, but the inconsistency on defense was puzzling given BC’s success on that side of the ball this season.

“We have to play better in the first half of these games,” O’Brien said. “I know we can, so I have to find out.”

BC started the second half with a promising attack, but Bond attempted to impede a defender and fumbled. Carneiro hit a 35-yard field goal to extend WKU’s lead to 20-7 with 8:44 left in the third.

The Eagles caught a break when Veltkamp’s pass bounced off Michael Mathison’s fingertips and into the hands of Kam Arnold, who intercepted it late in the third period. This led to a 1-yard TD rush by James that cut the deficit to 20-14 with 11:36 left.

“I feel like I’ve been able to settle in and the guys have been able to rally around me,” James said.

Ezeiruaku recorded a key sack that led to a Western Kentucky punt moments later. On the Hilltoppers’ next drive, Ezeiruaku delivered a devastating blow to Veltkamp to force the fumble on a strip sack and set up the Bradley score.

The Eagles almost certainly wouldn’t have prevailed without the brilliance of Ezeiruaku, who now has the fourth-most sacks in BC history and is in the running for Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

“Donovan is a great player,” O’Brien said. “One of the best players in the ACC. He’s a playmaker, he’s smart. He knows when the right time is to make a play.”