Michigan State hasn’t forgotten how last year’s meeting with Boston College slipped away – etched in memory is the final 88 seconds, when Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos connected with Lewis Bond on a 42-yard strike that sealed the game.
Four turnovers and a missed opportunity to close out the game haunted the Spartans through the offseason, and now, with Saturday’s rematch looming at home, head coach Jonathan Smith is making the stakes clear.
“These games are won in the fourth quarter,” Smith said. “We could have got a stop last year, didn’t do it. Had the ball at the end of the game, couldn’t finish it.”
This time, the Spartans aim to rewrite the ending.
Michigan State (1-0) enters the matchup riding the momentum of a 23-6 win over Western Michigan, where the defense held firm without surrendering a point and added a second-half safety. The offense came out firing with three touchdowns before halftime, but sputtered through an uneven final two quarters.
“We weren’t pleased with what it looked like in the second half offensively,” Smith said. “And so we’re gonna need to do a better job of playing really a complete game, 60 minutes offensively.”
Boston College (1-0) made quick work of Fordham on Saturday, cruising to a 66-10 rout behind a dominant aerial attack led by quarterback Dylan Lonergan. The Alabama transfer was nearly flawless, completing 26 of 34 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles shredded the FCS opponent.
While happy with the passing attack, Eagles head coach Bill O’Brien said there’s room for improvement, especially with the running game which produced just 97 yards on 39 attempts.
“We have to run the ball better,” O’Brien said. “We have to start the game better on defense. We gave up too many plays where we missed tackles or weren’t aligned right.”
O’Brien said a key will be containing quarterback Aidan Chiles, who was 17 of 23 for 155 yards and a touchdown pass in the season opener.
“I watched the tape,” O’Brien said. “He’s very good. He’s a good passer. He’s got a really good arm. He can throw the ball down the field. … I think Chiles does a great job. If you let him run around, if you let him take the game over, it’ll be a long night for us.”
