By Trevor Hass, The Boston Globe With its season at a tipping point, and in danger of collapsing once again, the Boston College football team broke through with conviction. After watching double-digit leads disappear in losses to Virginia and Louisville , the Eagles saw a 14-point cushion over Syracuse morph into a 7-point deficit Saturday. This time, BC responded, playing inspired football late to secure a 37-31 triumph at Alumni Stadium.
“I think it was probably the first time in a while, I would say all the way back to the beginning of the season, where we played a complete game,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. Backup quarterback Grayson James entered with BC down 7 early in the third when starter Thomas Castellanos hobbled off with an apparent leg injury. James spearheaded three scoring drives, as the Eagles (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued to lean heavily on their overpowering offensive line to wear down the Orange (6-3, 3-3).
Kye Robichaux (28 carries, 198 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jordan McDonald (15 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD) led the way, as the Eagles racked up a season-high 313 rushing yards. “That’s what we have to be,” O’Brien said. “We’re in Boston.
We’re not in LA. We’re in Boston. We’re in a city that’s built on toughness and determination and grittiness and overcoming adversity.
That’s who we are.” James found a wide-open Jeremiah Franklin for an 18-yard strike on a fourth-and-1 play-action pass with 6:51 rema.
