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ABOVE VIDEO: No. 3 Florida State recovered from a slow start, a comeback effort, and an injury scare to QB Jordan Travis to eke out the win in Chestnut Hill over Boston College, 31-29. Travis had 212 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in the win, and Johnny Wilson racked up 105 yards receiving for the Noles. The Eagles’ Thomas Castellanos was impressive in the start, with 305 yards and a touchdown through the air to go with 95 yards and a score on the ground.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (Seminoles) – In a game of scoring runs by both teams, Florida State, which led 31-10 early in the third quarter, staved off a second half Boston College rally to defeat the Eagles 31-29 in Chestnut Hill on Saturday.
Jordan Travis, who missed FSU’s last snap in the first half but played the entire second half, completed 16-of-24 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions on a day when the Seminoles found rushing yards hard to come by.
The Seminoles managed just 128 yards on the ground on 34 attempts and Travis had 38 of those on four carries.
Jaheim Bell led all FSU receivers with five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Johnny Wilson had four catches for 105 yards.
BC sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos was 20-of-35 for 305 yards and a touchdown and converted two long third downs with passes in the fourth quarter to keep the Eagles close. He also led the Eagles in rushing with 95 yards on 16 carries.
The Eagles’ final possession came with 4:37 left in the game on their own 22, but two quarterback sacks coming off blitzes by Seminole cornerbacks forced a punt.
Boston College served notice from the outset that they were ready to play scoring on its first drive of the game on a 32-yard pass to Lewis Bond. Castellanos completed each of his four passes on the opening drive for 76 yards.
BC’s game plan to use as much time as possible worked early as FSU had just one offensive possession in the first quarter. On that lone drive, the Seminoles used two big passes to Wilson, including a 21-yarder for a first down on 4th-and-2 to drive 61 yards on 11 plays. A 30-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald made it 7-3 with 5:59 left in the quarter.
BC once again worked the clock on their next drive eating over 7:00 minutes on a 16-play, 72-yard drive that gave them a 10-3 lead after a 21-yard field goal with 13:22 left in the half.
On just its second offensive set of the game, FSU marched 75 yards on six plays tying the score when Travis hit Bell on a short pass in the left flat that he ran in from the 19 to tie the score at 10 with 10:23 before the half.
Trey Benson gave FSU its first lead at 17-10 with a 2-yard touchdown plunge behind the left side of the offensive line with 1:27 left before the half. The Seminoles drove 88 yards on seven plays and used just 3:27 to do so.
After allowing the Eagles offense to score on its first two drives, FSU’s defense adjusted allowing BC just 64 yards on 16 plays on their last three possessions of the first half with 45 of those coming on a Castellanos run.
Florida State took the opening possession of the second half. It took FSU just six plays and 2:32 to take a 24-10 lead. Travis used play action on the scoring play finding Preston Daniel all alone on a 4-yard touchdown pass.
The Noles’ defense continued their outstanding adjustments on the next play when linebacker DJ Lundy picked off Castellanous’ on the BC 40 setting up FSU’s 21st unanswered point when the Seminoles scored just two players later. Travis hit Bell with a 39-yard pass down to the one and Lundy, who had checked in at fullback, carried it in to make it 31-10 with 11:20 left in the third.
Boston College cut into the lead with a 12-play, 80-yard drive that made it 31-16 with 1:02 left in the third after Kye Robichaux piled in from the 1. The Eagles missed the extra point.
BC squibbed the ensuing kickoff and pounced on the mishandled ball on FSU’s 26 to swing momentum their way. But FSU’s defense stymied a dive play on 4th-and-2 at the 5 to maintain their two-score lead.
On the ensuing possession, FSU fumbled and Eagle defender Khari Johnson scooped the ball at the 8 and raced in for the score. BC’s two point attempt failed when the receiver caught the ball out of bounds and with 11:18 it was 31-22 in favor of the Seminoles.
After FSU’s drive stalled, Alex Mastromanno pinned BC’s offense with a perfect pooch punt that was marked out of bounds at the Eagles’ five-yard line at the 7:30 mark. The Eagles converted on a third and long to get their drive started and Castellanos found an open receiver for 42 yards to move into FSU territory. He hit another big pass before the defense stiffened again to force a 4th-and-1 at the 7-yard line and he took it himself around the left side for a touchdown making it 31-29 with 5:19 left to play. It was BC’s 19th unanswered point in the second half.
FSU got the ball back with 2:08 left in the game and sat on it for the win.
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