BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos ran for four touchdowns against Army. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The complaint so far this season was that BC football started slow. Their start yesterday against Army West Point wasn’t fast, but it was better than that of the opponent.

With steady and occasionally heavy rain making both teams one-dimensional, the Eagles relied on the legs of QB Thomas Castellanos to take a half-time lead, survive a third-quarter surge by the Black Knights, and, after losing the lead in the fourth quarter, go on a 12-play 62-yard drive ending with a one-yard rush for a Castellanos touchdown with 25 seconds left and a 27-24 win.

Castellanos became the first BC quarterback to score four touchdowns on the ground and the first Eagle to score four rushing touchdowns since running back A.J. Dillon in 2017.

The Eagles scored first on a 20-yard run by Castellanos and, after an Army West Point field goal, scored a second TD on a four-yard rush by Castellanos to lead at halftime, 13-3. Kicker Liam Connor missed the PAT after the initial touchdown.

In the first half, BC had 13 first downs to Army’s 3 and 37 plays for 168 yards to Army’s 19 plays for 78 yards.

BC once again allowed its opponent to score on the initial drive of the second half. Army West Point got a great start with a 53-yard kickoff return bringing the ball to the BC 37. Six straight rushing plays brought the Black Knights to the endzone and cut the BC lead to 13-10.

The teams then traded touchdowns to enter the final quarter with BC in the lead 20-17.

Army West Point continued a 7-play, 61-yard drive to take the lead 24-20 with 11:43 to go. After BC punted on the next possession, Army appeared to score a touchdown on a 50-yard pass. The play was nullified after review determined the Army quarterback had been beyond the line of scrimmage when he threw the forward pass. Army punted.

The Eagles took possession with 5:34 remaining. Running 12 consecutive running plays, BC covered 62 yards, with the final play a one-yard rush by Castellanos for the touchdown. With the extra point, BC led 27-24 with 25 seconds remaining.

Army’s final series ended three plays later when BC recovered an Army fumble and then ran out the clock.

Overall, the Eagles gained 372 yards offense, 299 on the ground. Army West Point was held to 161 yards rushing and 266 yards total.

Castellanos finished with 142 net yards on 31 carries, leading rusher in the game for either team. RB Patrick Garwo contributed mightily with 111 yards on 14 carries. Castellanos was four-for-nine passing for 73 yards with one interception.

With this performance adding to his season totals, Castellanos ranks first in rushing among FBS quarterbacks overall and 26th among all players.

Highlights

BC improves its record to 3-3 halfway through the season. After a bye week, the Eagles play at Georgia Tech on Saturday, October 21, time TBD.