Castellanos back for Boston College for weekend game at Virginia

Thomas Castellanos is a full go for Boston College for Saturday’s game with Virginia.

The junior quarterback had to miss BC’s game last week with Western Kentucky, and in his absence showed how important he is to the team’s success.

With backup Grayson James under center, the Eagles (4-1, 1-0 ACC) trailed 20-7 going into the fourth quarter before rallying for rallying for the 21-20 win, taking the lead for good on an 8-yard TD pass from James to Jerand Bradley with 3:33 to go.

Castellanos passed for 2,248 yards and 15 TDs and ran for 1,113 yards and 13 TDs in 2023, and in BC’s 27-24 win over Virginia on Sept. 30, 2023, he passed for 183 yards and two TDs and had 78 yards on 16 rushing attempts.

The betting line from Vegas started at Virginia (3-1, 1-0 ACC) as a 2.5-point favorite back when Castellanos’s status was uncertain. It has since shifted to Virginia as a one-point favorite with Castellanos confirmed as a go for Saturday.

Game Details: Boston College vs. Virginia

Date: Saturday, Oct. 5
Time: Noon
Location: Scott Stadium (61,500)
Television: ACC Network • Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst) Morgan Uber (sideline)
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network, Virginia Sports Mobile App, TuneIn App, SiriusXM Channel 158 or 194

Game Notes

• Virginia is off to its best start (3-1) under third-year head coach Tony Elliott and best since 2019 when the Cavaliers started the season 4-0.
• UVA is coming off the first of two bye weekends on the 2024 schedule. The Cavaliers are 2-0 off the bye in Elliott’s first two seasons, with wins on the road over Georgia Tech (16-9) in 2022 and at then-No. 10 North Carolina (31-27) in 2023.
• The Cavaliers are looking to start 2-0 in ACC play for the first time since 2019.
• UVA has not won back-to-back ACC games since the 2021 season when it defeated both Duke (48-0) and Georgia Tech (48-40) at Scott Stadium.
• Virginia has three wins through its first four games for only the fourth time since 2008 and first time since 2019 (4-0). Virginia has won three (or more) of its first four games four times in the last 17 years (2024: 3-1; 2019: 4-0; 2018: 3-1; 2017: 3-1).
• UVA is looking to improve to 4-1 to start the season for the first time since 2019 and the sixth time since 1999 – 2019 (4-1); 2017 (4-1); 2007 (4-1), 2004 (5-0); 2003 (4-1).
• Virginia is 1-7 all-time against Boston College, including a 1-5 mark since the Eagles joined the ACC.
• The Cavaliers’ only win against BC came at Scott Stadium in 2020, a 43-32 victory in front of 250 fans, because of COVID-19 protocols.

Welcome Back 1989 ‘Hoos

• During Saturday’s game, Virgina will welcome back members of its 1989 team.
• Led by legendary head coach George Welsh, the ‘89 Cavaliers finished 10-3 overall and 6-1 in ACC games to earn a share of the league championship that season.
• Virginia peaked at No. 15 in the AP poll that season, earned a berth in the Citrus Bowl, and knocked off two ranked opponents – No. 12 Penn State [14-6] and No. 18 NC State [20-9].
• The ’89 team helped establish the foundation for a memorable decade of UVA football that followed. From 1989-98, the ‘Hoos compiled a record of 81-38-1 and made an appearance in the AP poll each year from 1989-96.