Thoughts & Observations From Syracuse Game

In fairness, I won't take a victory lap on James just yet considering he still only threw for 51 yards on five of six attempts, but I think it's pretty clear that what I've been saying since August is more true now than its ever been. Tommy Castellanos is a phenomenal athlete, but he is not a Division 1 ACC quarterback.

Before I go too far down that road, let's get to some other stuff that stood out to me from this much-needed 37-31 win...

-Best game of the year for the offensive line. BC had 313 yards rushing as a team (198 for Kye, career high both in yards and carries with 28) and Jordan McDonald was a hell of a surprise with 137 yards on 15 carries. Postgame, O'Brien said McDonald earned the reps during the last two weeks of practice, particularly with big performances in team scrimmages. Holes weren't just there, they were gaping. Absolutely dominant performance from the run game, especially the guys up front.

-Special teams is still tough to watch, but O'Brien heaped a lot of praise on Liam Connor postgame for kicking, punting and doing kick offs. It sounds wild to say that the team is now 1/2 on FG attempts this year and that's it, but it is, and they still don't have a legitimate punter, which is mind blowing for a D1 ACC school. It is what it is with three games left and Connor should be commended for at least being serviceable enough to knock down his extra points.

-Pass rush was borderline elite. I talked about it in 3 keys, in order for this secondary and the LB's to have any shot those guys needed to get home. Ezeiruaku was a force and acknowledged it's a rough look for him not recovering that ball after the strip sack for a touchdown.

-Speaking of the secondary, Trevor Haas and I were chatting during the game and think this is going to be a very good unit, they're just inexperienced and a bit undersized. Coverage was tight on most throws throughout the game - especially the back shoulder ones - but those guys just out-muscled and out-maneuvered BC's DB's. As I said during halftime, the not-turning-your-head thing is frustrating to watch because it's the one thing EVERYONE knows about ref will throw a flag on if he sees it. I believe in Coach Brown and those guys enough where it is what it is with Jackson out this year and hopefully they take that step forward next year.

-Alright...look. Castellanos had 14 yards total and all of them were in the first half. He had -6 after the punt early in the second quarter before the TD to Bond. Throws were high (Harris in the end zone), late (Bond on the sideline back across the field) or behind (the pick was behind Harris and off his hands). Even if it was me at backup, your QB deserves to sit after that performance, Even his 'scrambles' looked indecisive. For whatever reason, it's not working right now. I will continue to reiterate that I think he's an unbelievable athlete, but in this particular offense, you need a better passer. Enter Grayson James. Sure, his first TD drive was literally three handoffs, but he made a couple huge third down throws with touch and accuracy on the drive to make it 30-21. When I asked O'Brien about it after the game, here's what he said:

"I just felt like at that time it was the best decision for the team. Little bit of everything went into that. I felt like a decision needed to be made. I try to look at the team. That's my job. I have to make the best decisions for the team and I thought that was the best decision for the team at the time."

That certainly doesn't sound strictly injury-based to me. Which means the discussion is finally going to legitimately happen this week, if it hasn't already behind closed doors. Running the ball will obviously be this team's identity first and foremost, but to have a chance to finish this season strong and not limp into a bowl game with one more win, Grayson James gives the offense the best chance to push the ball down the field. O'Brien said he'd take a look at the film and go from there this week, so we'll see. I expect James to start.

I hope this team is as fun as it still can be down the stretch. That O-line is still what we thought it was at the beginning of the year and that's well above average - in the run game at least. I'd like to see what they could do with a legitimate pocket passer in front of them. Knowing Tommy will just take off if you mess up and blow an assignment doesn't feel like the best way to have your OL play. As I've said since camp, the stable of running backs is deep (although, the lack of real Ward touches is still baffling). If James is your quarterback, he'll allow you at least the possibility that these receivers can finally unlock something in the last few weeks.

Big test on the road for the defense coming up, but with UNC and Pitt at home to end the year needing at least one of those last two, it's a little bit of a house money situation heading into SMU in my opinion given where they're at. If you happen to pick them off like Fenway last year, then it's icing on the cake. 7-5 should be the realistic expectation after Saturday.