WEST POINT, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 7: Jack Latore #92 of the Army Black Knights chases down Thomas Castellanos #1 of the Boston College Eagles for a sack in the first half at Michie Stadium on October 7, 2023 in West Point, New York. (Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images)
Thomas Castellanos had so much success running the ball that the best hit on him came from the umpire.
So when Boston College needed a play to win the game, calling for a quarterback run was an easy choice.
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Castellanos ran for his fourth touchdown of the game with 25 seconds left to give the Eagles a 27-24 victory over Army on Saturday.
Castellanos rushed for 142 yards and powered the Eagles to an early lead with his three earlier scores, and the last brought them back after Army had controlled much of the second half. After Boston College was stopped on two attempts from inside the 3, Castellanos kept it to himself on third down and ran to his right for the go-ahead score.
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“If my number’s called, my number’s called and I’m ready to put my body on the line for the team,” Castellanos said. “I’ve got to get the first down or I’ve got to get a touchdown.”
Castellanos had earlier rushed for TDs of 20, 4 and 10 yards, when it seemed the only person he couldn't outrun was umpire Mark Wilson.
Boston College (3-3) has won two straight for the first time since 2021.
Bryson Daily ran for 99 yards and threw a touchdown pass for Army (2-3), which narrowly missed its first victory over a team from a Power Five conference since beating Missouri in 2021. The Black Knights haven't beaten one at Michie Stadium since topping Duke in 2017.
But after stopping the Eagles on fourth down midway through the fourth, they lost a TD that potentially could have put it away when replay showed Daily's pitch to Hayden Reed was a forward pass. Castellanos capitalized when that drive stalled.
“At that point, I’m telling you the stadium, the cadets, our guys could have just tapped it in,” BC coach Jeff Hafley said. “But we stopped them, we get it back, we run the ball, we drive down and we finish in the end zone to win the game.”
The Black Knights struggled most of the game to contain Castellanos, who came in as BC's leading rusher and used his legs far more than his arm on a miserably rainy day in New York.
Playing its second straight game against an ACC team after losing to Syracuse two weeks ago, Army was uncharacteristically sloppy to start. The Black Knights came into the game with a FBS-low nine penalties but committed one on the game's first drive, an offsides call on a BC punt that allowed the Eagles to keep possession.
On BC's next drive, the Eagles took a 6-0 lead when Castellanos dropped back to pass, escaped trouble and took off up the middle for a 20-yard score.
Those were the first points allowed by Army in the first quarter this season.
The Cadets cut it to 6-3 before Boston College got the ball back and kept it for 8 minutes, 44 seconds, going 75 yards in 17 plays. The drive could've been much shorter, as Castellanos appeared on the verge of a long run — maybe a touchdown — when he broke free but crashed into Wilson and fell down after a 10-yard gain.
That only served to delay Castellanos from scoring again. The Eagles converted two fourth downs on runs by Patrick Garwo and eventually got the ball to the 4, where Castellanos took it in with another run right up the middle as BC took a 13-3 lead with 1:24 remaining in the half.
“Disappointed with the way our guys played in the first half, the way we coached," Army coach Jeff Monken said. “And I thought our guys played harder, played better in the second half but still made far too many mistakes.”
Castellanos later made it 20-10 but Army turned it around with three straight TD drives.
THE TAKEAWAY
BC clearly has a good one in Castellanos, who passed for 305 yards and ran for 95 when the Eagles made a late comeback attempt against No. 3 Florida State. The Eagles might wish their bye wasn't next week, having finally gotten some momentum after a 1-3 start. Meanwhile, Army missed a rare chance to beat a team from one of the big leagues.
HARD HIT
Castellanos believed he easily would have scored before crashing into Wilson. He said he didn't even know it was an official who hit him until he got up and watched a replay.
“I was talking to him on the sideline after. I was like how, ‘Oh man, much do you lift?’” Castellanos said.
UP NEXT
Boston College: At Georgia Tech on Oct. 21.
Army: Hosts Troy next Saturday.
