How BC legend’s message inspired Thomas Castellanos in win over Michigan State

CHESTNUT HILL — As Thomas Castellanos warmed up in the northeast corner of the Alumni Stadium playing field Saturday night, an unassuming figure approached him.

In any other context, this man—sixtysomething, gray hoodie, baseball cap, blue jeans, running shoes—might have passed for an ordinary family man. But at Boston College, he is a king.

It was Doug Flutie, stopping by to share some words of wisdom with another undersized, dual-threat quarterback from BC.

The two men spoke only briefly, but Castellanos took the Heisman Trophy winner’s message to heart.

Four hours later, he mounted a late-game comeback that would have made Flutie proud, hitting Lewis Bond for a 42-yard game-winning touchdown to beat Michigan State 23-19 in the 11th annual Red Bandanna Game.

“It was unbelievable,” Castellanos said. “In pregame warmups, (Flutie) came up to me and said, ‘You can do this. Lead your guys.’ Former Heisman winner, a legend here. You walk around, and you still have his jersey sold in bookstores and you still see people wearing it.

“It’s kind of motivating, for a guy like that to come back and give words of encouragement or just details or things here and there to help my game or help me as a leader on and off the field. It’s incredible.”

Bond’s touchdown wasn’t as spectacular as Flutie’s famous Hail Mary in Miami (there was still 1:28 left on the clock), nor was it as dramatic (the Eagles and Spartans were unranked). And unlike Flutie in that iconic 1984 win, Castellanos struggled as a passer for much of Saturday’s rain-soaked game. Before BC’s final drive, he was 7 of 13 for 75 yards.

But after Michigan State kicked a game-tying field goal to lead 19-16 with 4:12 left, Castellanos sealed the score, completing 3 of 3 passes for 65 yards on the winning drive. All three completions were by Bond, BC’s leading receiver since last season, with Castellanos ignoring his teaching on the winning field goal.

“I’m probably going to get in trouble on film for throwing that ball because the defender was in a hash-route position — a fade slot — so I wasn’t supposed to throw it,” the QB said with a smile. “But Lewis is a great football player. He won for me. I held the safety, just gave him a good ball and he made a good play.”

Bond, who finished with a game-high six receptions for 102 yards, caught Castellanos’ pass at the 15-yard line and ran past a final Michigan State defender to the goal line.

“He trusts me,” Bond said. “If he sees a 1-on-1 coverage like he did last time, he’s going to look my way. So I know I have to win for him, but more importantly for my receiver group and the team. Because that’s a play I know I can make. I just have to do it when it comes my way.”

Max Tucker’s interception in the end zone 52 seconds later sealed a dramatic and gutsy victory for B.C. The sellout crowd celebrated by storming the field.

“It’s a dream come true,” Castellanos said. “I remember when I was a kid watching football games and the fans and students would take over the field. It was the first time I’d ever seen that. It was amazing to see how excited they were for us and for this team.”

A loss Saturday would have wiped out much of the positive momentum built during the first three weeks of the Bill O’Brien era, in which the Eagles upset Florida State in Tallahassee on national television, throttled FCS Duquesne and then gave No. 6 Missouri a scare in a six-point road loss.

With the win, its first against a Big Ten team since 2019, BC is now 3-1 on the season with a home game against Western Kentucky. Of its eight remaining opponents, only one entered this weekend ranked in the AP Top 25 (against Louisville on Oct. 25).

While they’re still far from being national title contenders, the Eagles are well-positioned from a talent, coaching and schedule perspective to compete in the wide-open ACC. At the very least, they’re relevant again after a decade and a half of mediocrity, something Castellanos and his teammates accept.

“We’ve come a long way,” Castellanos said. “This team has come a long way in the last few years, so it’s really amazing to see this program back up and running, and it’s really fun to watch. I know the fans and everybody are excited. Coach OB says all the time that there’s interest in this program, and (Saturday) definitely showed that we have that.”

Originally published: September 22, 2024 at 11:32 a.m.