ATLANTA (AP) — Thomas Castellanos ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard score on a fourth-down scamper in the fourth quarter, and resurgent Boston College beat Georgia Tech 38-23 on Saturday.
The Eagles led 24-23 before Castellanos skipped through the line on a fourth-and-1 run and beat Ahmari Harvey to the goal line, pushing the lead to eight points.
Boston College (4-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won three straight following a 1-3 start. Amari Jackson’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Boston College its first lead.
Kye Robichaux ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles.
Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2) lost despite quarterback Haynes King running for 150 yards, including a 71-yard scoring run. King threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter, while completing 14 of 32 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.
Castellanos, from from Waycross, Georgia, had the upper hand in the matchup of dual-threat quarterbacks. Castellanos, who began the day tied for the nation’s lead among quarterbacks with seven rushing touchdowns, had a 12-yard scoring run in the second quarter. he completed 17 of 29 passes for 255 yards with an interception.
Jackson, from McDonough, Georgia near Atlanta, stepped in front of Georgia Tech wide receiver Dominick Blaylock and caught the pass from Haynes King against his hip with his left hand before running down the sideline for the score and a 10-7 lead.
Castellanos had four carries on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the first half. Castellanos ran for 11 yards on a fourth-and-1 play from the Georgia Tech 23 before scoring on a 12-yard run. The quarterback took one step back before cutting through the Yellow Jackets’ defense on the touchdown run for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Georgia Tech answered with a strong third quarter. Momentum shifted with Harvey’s interception in the end zone of a deep pass from Castellanos intended for Joseph Griffin.
Three plays later, King scrambled 71 yards for a touchdown, breaking Jackson’s attempt at a foot tackle, to tie the game. King’s 19-yard scoring pass to Avery Boyd late in the quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 23-17 lead after a bad snap led to Aidan Birr’s missed extra point.
Boston College took a 24-23 lead on Robichaux’s second-effort 2-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY
Boston College: With running back Pat Garwo held out with a leg injury, Robichaux, a Western Kentucky transfer, moved into a lead role with his big game. Robichaux helped put the game away with a 57-yard gain and 3-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets ranked last in the ACC and 128th in the nation with their average of 214.3 yards rushing allowed per game but were not overwhelmed by the Eagles’ ground game, which ranked second in the league, until late in the game. It was the second straight encouraging defensive effort after Andrew Thacker, who had been Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator since 2019, was demoted on Oct. 1 following an embarrassing 38-27 loss to Bowling Green. Kevin Sherrer took over control of the defense.
INJURIES
Georgia Tech had two defensive backs, strong safety LaMiles Brooks and cornerback Kenan Johnson, leave the game on Boston College’s long touchdown drive late in the first half. Johnson was escorted to the locker room with an apparent arm/shoulder injury.
UP NEXT
Boston College: Takes a break from its ACC schedule when it plays host to Connecticut next Saturday.
Georgia Tech: Hosts No. 10 North Carolina on Saturday, needing an upset to extend its two-game winning streak in the series.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
