Five Boston College players who could give SMU fits

The SMU Mustangs come off their second bye week of the 2024 season ready to host 5-4 Boston College for their penultimate home game of the year. After a week off, the 8-1 Mustangs have moved into first place in the ACC thanks to Miami’s shock loss to Georgia Tech, however, they remain in the overall playoff picture.

SMU needs to keep the train rolling against Bill O’Brien’s Eagles and, most likely, they’ll need to win out to make it into the CFP. Boston College has several players capable of giving the Mustangs trouble in Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Here are five Eagles stars to know before the game kicks off on Saturday.

QB Grayson James

The Eagles will be entering a new era this weekend at quarterback following the benching of Thomas Castellanos who started, but didn’t finish, the game on Saturday against Syracuse. After going 2-for-7 with one score and one interception, Castellanos exited the game, leaving backup Grayson James as the team’s best option for victory. James got the job done, throwing five completions on six attempts, including a touchdown pass. Now, O’Brien has named him the starter while Castellanos steps away from the team.

James, a transfer from FIU, has played in two games this season for Boston College, completing passes at a rate of 63.2%. He’s 24-for-28 with 219 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. When starting for FIU in 2022, he posted 1,967 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, along with a completion rate of 58.5%.

RB Kye Robichaux

Boston College has a work horse by the name of Kye Robichaux that could give the Mustangs front seven major issues on Saturday. He’s rushed the ball exactly 100 times so far this year, tallying 471 yards (4.71 ypc) and six touchdowns.

A second-year transfer from Western Kentucky, he’s coming off of a career performance with 198 rushing yards and two TDs against Syracuse. He’s the team’s leading rusher, though he’s not overly involved in the receiving game. Behind Robichaux, the Eagles have two more running backs with more than 270 yards apiece. 

WR Lewis Bond

Fourth-year veteran Lewis Bond enters Saturday’s game with more than double the receptions of any other receiver on the BC squad. He’s posted 44 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 199-pound receiver has had only one game this year with fewer than four catches and he’s hit the 100-yard mark once, which came against Michigan State in September.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

There’s almost no one in the country better at getting to opposing quarterbacks this season than Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku. He’s tallied a whopping 11 sacks in nine games and 59 total tackles. The fourth-year contributor for the Eagles now has 22.5 sacks in his collegiate career and he could make Kevin Jennings’ day much more difficult on Saturday. In his pursuit of the quarterback, he’s also forced a team-high three fumbles, tying his 2022 career high.

DE Quintavious Hutchins

Though not quite as lethal as his teammate, Boston College junior Quintavious Hutchins added two sacks to his total just last week against Syracuse. He now has three sacks, along with one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one interception on the year. 

While SMU has gained 19 turnovers this season, Boston College is not far behind with 17 takeaways, including 11 interceptions. Hutchins will be all over the field on Saturday trying to add to the Eagles’ total.