Pitt doesn’t play Boston College for a couple of weeks, finishing the regular season against the Eagles, but it’s likely a new quarterback will be under center.
Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien announced Tuesday at his weekly press conference that starter Thomas Castellanos has been benched for backup Grayson James and that Castellanos subsequently stepped away from the team.
“Tommy has done a great job for us,” O’Brien said via On3. “He’s an awesome competitor. We have a lot of respect for Tommy. Obviously, he wasn’t real thrilled with that so he’s taking a couple of days (away from the team), so I’ll get back to you on that one. But Grayson James will be the starter.”
James entered the game for Castellanos in a win against Syracuse over the weekend, completing 5-of-6 pass attempts for 51 yards and a touchdown. Castellanos, on the other hand, completed 2-of-7 pass attempts for 14 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Boston College rushing attack (392 yards and three touchdowns) was ultimately the difference in a win against the Orange.
Castellanos, who emerged as the BC starter last season, completed 99-of-161 pass attempts (61.5%) for 1,366 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. But he’s been way down rushing, with just 194 yards and a touchdown on 2.1 yards per carry.
He racked up 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last season.
Pitt handled Castellanos in a win last season, limiting him to just 171 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions through the air and a season-low 21 rushing yards. But with Castellanos’ status up in the air, it appears the Panthers will have game plan for James.
James — a 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior who started his college career at FIU — has completed 24-of-38 pass attempts (63%) for 219 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and another touchdown on the ground. He threw for 2,342 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during his three seasons at FIU.
Boston College is sitting at 5-4 (2-3 ACC) and coming off a win against Syracuse to snap a three-game losing streak. The Eagles lost to Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville over that span.
Boston College is scoring 27.6 points per game this season, which is 13th in the ACC, but the rushing attack has fueled the offense this season.
The guy is a straight up great talent, leader and competitor. It’s difficult to believe they would let him go like that quarterbacks are hard to find. Certainly, it gives us a better chance of beating them. Pitt should definitely try to get him in the portal.