COLUMBIA, Mo. — Here comes momentum.
After facing two vastly inferior teams to begin the 2024 season, No. 6 Missouri faces one of the nation’s more buzzworthy teams in Week 3: No. 24 Boston College.
The Eagles earned their ranking after a high-profile road win against Florida State — at the time, an upset, though the Seminoles’ implosion challenges that status now — and comfortably beat Duquesne in Week 2.
Now, the Tigers have a ranked opponent coming to sold-out Memorial Stadium for Saturday’s 11:45 a.m. kickoff on the SEC Network.
“They’re battle-tested, obviously, with their road win versus Florida State,” MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I think they’re very polished as a team. I think Coach (Bill) O’Brien has done a tremendous job with not only the transition from taking over from Coach (Jeff) Hafley but also the program alignment.”
People are also reading…
Despite having quite the resume — he was the head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans and an assistant under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, plus a rather successful stint at Penn State following the school’s scandal — O’Brien’s hire at Boston College went relatively under the radar.
He kept talent in place from last year’s squad that went 7-6 overall and 3-5 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, but the intrigue became significantly more tangible after beating Florida State in prime time.
The Eagles’ headliner is Thomas Castellanos, a mobile quarterback whose arm and legs are both dangerous. He transferred to Boston College from Central Florida ahead of last season and wound up setting the Eagles quarterback rushing record with 1,113 yards and 13 scores on the ground.
Passing was a little bit more of a question mark for him in 2023, with 2,248 yards and 15 passing touchdowns — to 14 interceptions — but this season, he looks more well-rounded.
“I think they kind of put him in a box, so to speak, last year and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to create a dynamic run game for you and then the play-action pass,’” Drinkwitz said. “I think they’re treating him as he should be, which is a really good player at the quarterback position. They don’t really define what he has to be. He’s growing in a lot of different ways. Last week, they went empty (backfield) quite a bit with him and let him throw the ball vertically down the field based off what the coverage was giving him. There hasn’t been a lot of quarterback designed runs so far. I’m sure they’ve got them, but so far, it’s just been taking what the defense gives.”
Castellanos has run the ball 17 times through two games for 71 yards. But just 11 of those yards have come on plays designed for him to tuck and run, according to Pro Football Focus, with the other 60 picked up on scramble plays.
It’s that off-schedule, improvised kind of playmaking that could especially challenge an MU defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown in its past 12 quarters of action.
Drinkwitz said he likes “ƵCenter” anchor Scott Van Pelt’s comparison of Castellanos to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray — both are on the shorter side and can slip out into space.
“I think that’s a very good comparison,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s a dynamic player with his feet, but I think he’s a very accurate passer. The play is never over with the ball in his hands.”
Castellanos has been under pressure for just six of his 26 throws this season, which suggests the Tigers defensive line could make him uncomfortable in new ways. Containing Boston College’s signal caller, though, might mostly come down to Missouri’s linebackers.
“We’ve just got to be ready to contain him, be ready to run,” outside linebacker Triston Newson said. “A guy like him, he can come out of the backfield so quick.”
Mizzou could use a linebacker as a “spy,” keeping him roving outside the pocket to stop any Castellanos scrambles before they amount to much — middle linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. would seemingly have the speed and athleticism to keep pace in that role. However, that can lead to vulnerabilities in other parts of the field.
“It’s definitely a chess match,” Drinkwitz said. “I don’t think you can go in and say, ‘We’re going to do just this one thing,’ or, ‘We’re just going to do this thing and hope it works.’ You’re going to have to have multiple options and see which one plays.”
At other positions, Mizzou will see a pair of players it’s familiar with from their tenures at previous schools.
Running back Treshaun Ward is Boston College’s leading rusher, with 20 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown, plus four catches for 91 receiving yards and two scores through the air. He previously played at Kansas State before transferring over the offseason.
Former Vanderbilt receiver Jayden McGowan, a return specialist, is likely to be in the special teams mix.
“We know him well from his time at Vanderbilt and have a lot of respect for him as a player and know that he has game-breaking speed,” Drinkwitz said.
The Tigers are unlikely to find the same advantages around the line of scrimmage that they did against Murray State and Buffalo, but that reality is already on MU linemen’s radar.
“They’re big; they’re physical,” left guard Cayden Green said. “Watching that Florida State game, they really just out-physicaled them. They got a lot of draft picks on that D-line, so it’ll be a good test.”