BC rallies to emotional Red Bandanna Game win over MSU

When the 23-19 victory over previously undefeated Michigan State was sealed, the Boston College faithful left the stands of Alumni Stadium and took the field to attack the Eagles amid a sea of ​​red.

They hugged Thomas Castellanos after his game-winning touchdown pass. They surrounded Lewis Bond, who caught the ball and ran into the end zone. They hugged Max Tucker after his game-winning interception. Then the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” came on and they jumped in unison.

“It’s incredible,” Castellanos said. “It’s a dream come true.”

This Red Bandanna Game thriller was the kind of triumph a fan base in need of a boost had envisioned when Bill O’Brien took over as head coach. Now, just four weeks into the season, the Eagles have already won two big games.

Castellanos (10 of 16, 140 yards passing) connected with Bond (6 receptions, 102 yards) for a 42-yard pass with 1:28 remaining, then Tucker intercepted a pass with 36 seconds left to seal the game. Tucker stayed inbounds and his momentum carried him into the student section in Lambeau Leap fashion.

The Eagles (3-1) had a bigger goal as they honored alumnus Welles Crowther, who is credited with saving at least a dozen people in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. A sellout crowd of 44,500 braved steady rain to watch one of BC’s loudest games in recent memory.

“That’s exactly the vibe I wanted to see,” Castellanos said. “It was amazing. What the Red Bandana represents and who we were doing it for. We weren’t doing it for ourselves.”

Well before the chaos, the Spartans (3-1) took the lead on a 41-yard field goal by Jonathan Kim with 9:11 left in the first quarter.

Boston College advanced deep into Michigan State territory, but Cal Haladay forced Treshaun Ward into a costly fumble at the 7-yard line. The Eagles held an 81-33 advantage in yards in the first quarter and possessed the ball for nearly 10 minutes, but Michigan State took a 3-0 advantage into the second quarter.

Freshman Turbo Richard gave BC the lead, 6-3, with an 11-yard run, bouncing to the outside and finding daylight with 12:22 left in the half. Luca Lombardo missed the extra point after a high snap.

Michigan State responded, with quarterback Aidan Chiles finding Montorie Foster Jr. for a 40-yard pass and then running it back a yard. The Spartans nearly scored again, but Carter Davis intercepted a floating pass from Chiles late in the half. Every time Chiles took a risk, the Eagles made him pay.

“We have a hungry group of guys on defense,” defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku said.

Michigan State added a late field goal, while BC’s Neto Okpala recorded a key stop on a third-and-three in the final minute. The Spartans took a 13-6 halftime advantage, limiting Boston College to 20 passing yards, eight first downs and 1-of-5 on third-down conversions.

British Columbia struggled early in the rain and struggled to consistently accumulate yards.

“I can’t repeat what I said to the players at half-time,” O’Brien said. “I’m going to have to confess. I was angry at the coaches and the players, to be honest with you. I was angry at myself. I felt a little bit of Irish anger.”

The message resonated loud and clear from the opening kickoff of the second half. Davis, a promising redshirt freshman, knocked the ball away from Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams and Omar Thornton pounced on it at the Michigan State 7-yard line.

The Eagles couldn’t reach the end zone as Castellanos fell back on third down, but Lombardo kicked a 39-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 13-9.

Amari Jackson intercepted a pass from Chiles, then Ward made a 36-yard deflection moments later to give the Eagles a 16-13 lead with 12:22 left in the third quarter.

Kim made another field goal, this one from 51 yards out, to tie the game at 16 with 9:06 remaining in the quarter.

Neither team scored the rest of the third period, then the Spartans checked Castellanos on a fourth-and-goal from the 42-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles couldn’t return the favor moments later, when Michigan State converted on a fourth-and-goal from the 42-yard line. Kim eventually made a 27-yard field goal and the Spartans took the lead, 19-16, with 4:12 left to cap an 18-play, 89-yard drive.

“We have to go back to the drawing board on that,” O’Brien said, “but our defense did a really good job.”

Then Castellanos, Bond and Tucker delivered to send the Eagles to another iconic victory.

Bond said he knew there was a good chance the ball was going his way, and he just wanted to make a play. Then came Tucker’s interception, then came the flood of fans and pandemonium.

“Stuck,” Bond said of his view. “They took everything from me. My gloves, my towel, everything.”

With momentum on its side, BC hosts Western Kentucky in Chestnut Hill next Saturday with a chance to improve to 4-1.

“Something is brewing here,” Ezeiruaku said.