Boston College Surprises No. 10 Florida State 28-13

Ward totaled 77 yards rushing and 71 yards receiving, The Associated Press reported. Ward also had a touchdown catch as well.

The Eagles go to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. For the Seminoles, who lost to Georgia Tech 24-21 in their season opener in Dublin, Ireland, the loss puts them in an 0-2 hole overall, 0-1 in ACC action.

Ward played for Florida State from 2019-22. The Eagles owned the battle of the trenches all night long, amassing 263 yards rushing. The Eagles’ offensive line pushed, shoved, and mauled the Seminoles’ defensive line pretty much from the get-go.

O’Brien couldn’t have asked for a better first game as head coach. O’Brien took the job in mid-February after Jeff Hafley left to become defensive coordinator for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.

After a scoreless first quarter, BC scored two touchdowns and started pushing around the Seminoles’ defense. The Eagles were able to put together a couple of long drives. Playing in the Florida humidity wasn’t an advantage for Florida State, at least on Monday night. Boston College had back-to-back 14-point quarters, keeping the Seminoles on their toes.

Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos was 10-for-16 passing for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns. Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei put up solid numbers, completing 21 of 42 passes for 272 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

BC racked 369 total yards to Florida State’s 293. But the figure coaches and fans alike probably will look at is time of possession. The Eagles were on offense for 39 minutes, 9 seconds. Compare that to the Seminoles’ 20:51.