Syracuse football renews rivalry with Boston College in battle of first-year head coaches

Syracuse football (6-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) heads east for a bout with Boston College (4-4, 1-3 ACC) tomorrow after the Orange clinched bowl eligibility last week.

SU pulled off its second overtime win of the season last week against Virginia Tech 38-31, guaranteeing head coach Fran Brown’s squad a bowl appearance in his first year. The first year head coach cracked the six-win threshold in thrilling fashion; the Orange were down 21-3 just after the Hokies’ first drive in the second half. The Cuse’s 35-10 run to cap the game gave it the win, and Brown attributes the comeback to the team’s motto.

“Just really believing in each other and I think D.A.R.T., what our core values are, guys just really stuck to it and challenged each other,” said the former University of Georgia position coach.

Brown introduced the motto D.A.R.T. to the team back in the spring, and it encompasses what he believes the team should be: detailed, accountable, relentless, and tough. Through Brown’s first year in the Salt City, the phrase he brought with him marked a new chapter in Syracuse football and an identity the team can adopt. Perhaps the D.A.R.T. mentality can explain why Brown has led SU to its most wins in overtime since 2011.

Four weeks ago, Brown told the media the player on the team who embodies “D.A.R.T.” the most is running back LeQuint Allen. The junior halfback was the star of the show last week with three touchdowns including the go-ahead score in overtime. Allen could be the key again this week as BC gives up a little over 140 rushing yards a game (10th in ACC). If tomorrow sees a heavy dose of #1 then QB Kyle McCord knows Allen will be ready. The intensity of the second-year starter at tailback is clearly evident according to McCord

“That’s how LeQuint is though,” the SU signal caller told reporters. “He’s always on go. He only knows one way to play football in that it is passionate, physical, and I think you guys see that everyday.”

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The D.A.R.T. mentality as exemplified by Allen has the Orange bowling with four more games to go. On the other side though, Bill O’Brien’s first year at Boston College has been a mixed bag. On one hand, the former Alabama offensive coordinator had the Eagles at a 4-1 start and even a ranking in the AP top-25 earlier in the year. However, O’Brien’s squad heads into the matchup with the Orange on a cold streak; BC has lost three straight with one of the defeats coming against Virginia Tech by 21.

While the Eagles may have gone cold, one aspect of the team that has been hot all year is QB Thomas Castellanos. The junior has 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions on the season, which would put his touchdown to interception ratio amongst the top passers in the ACC. Castellanos didn’t have his best night when he was last on the field though. The former transfer from UCF did throw three touchdown passes, but he also completed less than 50% of his passes and threw for under 200 yards. The Eagles signal caller has had time to clean up the performance, as BC was on a bye last week.

With both having head coaches in their first year with the program and transfer quarterbacks, the links between Syracuse and Boston College don’t end there. Saturday marks the 58th meeting between the Orange and the Eagles with the first matchup being played a century ago. The two teams have played each other every year since 2013, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future under the new ACC scheduling model. BC Head Coach Bill O’Brien relishes anytime these two teams clash together.

"It’s a great, great rivalry, which is what college football is all about," O’Brien said to reporters during this week’s press conference, "All of these regional rivalries, with conference expansion has kind of changed it a lot, but there are still these regional rivalries. Syracuse is a [heck of a] team. They're 6-2. Coach Brown does a great job there… they're on a path to have a really good season. We know it’s gonna be a challenging game but the rivalry, I've been involved with Georgia-Georgia Tech, Auburn-Alabama, Duke-North Carolina. I've been involved with a lot of rivalries between Maryland and Virginia, and this is one of those types of games, just two tough football teams going against one another."

The latest rendition of this rivalry kicks off at noon on 88.3 FM. WAER’s coverage begins at 11:30 with Countdown to Kickoff.