By Jay Berry
On a rainy night in Boston, the house had no empty seats for The Red Bandanna game in front of a raucous Alumni Stadium crowd.
The Red Bandanna Game
The Red Bandanna game takes place yearly and honors the life and legacy of Boston College alumnus and former men’s lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who lost his life after rescuing more than a dozen people in the 9/11 attacks.
The Excitement
The electric atmosphere at Alumni Stadium on Saturday night was unlike anything else the stadium had experienced in a long time. First-year coach Bill O’Brien has already revitalized the program, and hosting a Big Ten opponent at night only added to the excitement.
Despite a lackluster first-half performance, Boston College refused to be defeated in this game. After mustering only six points in the first half, the Eagles came out ready to take over in the second half, outscoring Michigan State 17 to 6 in the second half.
O’Brien had this to say in the post-game press conference about the first-half underwhelming first-half performance.
“I can’t repeat what I said to the players at halftime, I’ll have to go to confession. I was upset with the coaches and players, to be honest with you. I was upset with myself. A little Irish temper came out.”
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The game was tied at 16 going into the 4th quarter. Michigan State kicked a field goal with 4:12 left to take a 19-16 lead.
Less than three minutes later, the Boston College crowd went into a frenzy after Lewis Bond scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Castellanos with 1:28 left in the game. That would end up being the game-winner.
https://twitter.com/bcfootball/status/1837689871730901104
Castellanos struggled most of the night, going 10 of 16 with 140 yards passing, but engineered a late-game drive that brought the stadium to pandemonium.
The BC defense intercepted Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles three times. Michigan State had four turnovers in the game, while Boston College had just one.
When the game was over, Fans stormed the field, jumping around in pure excitement! As the fans jumped onto the field, some hugged Castellanos, celebrating his game-winning touchdown pass.
The BC football fans envisioned this atmosphere when Bill O’Brien took over. He has brought a lot of excitement to the Boston College football program. They’re already on pace to improve upon last season’s six-win regular season (seven wins when you count the bowl game).
Boston College’s next game is at home against Western Kentucky—a noontime kickoff in Chesnut Hill. With that, the Eagles should get to 4-1 with their only blemish being a close loss on the road to a ranked Missouri team.
