Pitt gets set for unexpected tough challenge from Boston College

Prior to the start of the 2023 college football season, it would not have been a surprising notion to expect when Pitt and Boston College would meet on November 16th at Acriusure Stadium, that one team would be jockeying for better bowl position and the other to be struggling with a losing record near the bottom of the conference standings.

Pitt was picked to finish in a tie for sixth place, while Boston College was projected to finish 13th in the preseason ACC poll, but through ten weeks of the season, those roles are completely reversed. The Eagles enter Thursday night’s matchup with a 6-4 record, looking to improve its bowl stock, while the Panthers limp in with a measly 2-8 record riding a four-game losing streak.

“He's a great coach, good friend, and again, he's got a really good team that's playing well,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said at his weekly press conference. “Obviously coming off a loss to Virginia Tech last week, and again, one of the top rushing offenses in the country, as if we didn't need to face another good rushing team.”

Narduzzi is referring to Boston College fourth-year head coach Jeff Hafley. He is a familiar name to the Pitt program and there are plenty of ties with the Panthers and Boston College that will define this 2023 meeting. Hafley was a one-time Pitt assistant who worked for the program from 2006-2010. During his time in Pittsburgh, he crossed paths with current Pitt assistant coaches Frank Cignetti Jr. and Charlie Partridge, as all three worked on a staff under Dave Wannstedt.

The connections become even more intertwined beyond that. Hafley took the Boston College job ahead of the 2020 season and Cignetti was a member of his initial coaching staff for two season prior to Pitt hiring him away before the 2022 campaign.

“We're familiar with the offense, he's familiar with our defense,” Hafley said at his press conference earlier this week. “Obviously, he's expanded in the two years he's been away, as have we. They did some good things against Florida State and beat Louisville, so they're more than capable.”

The connections don’t stop there, of course. Again, when looking back to the preseason, this was a matchup many expected to be a big game for Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec. He spent three seasons as Boston College’s starter and is the school’s seventh all-time leading passer with 5,183 career passing yards for the Eagles.

Jurkovec lost his starting job at Pitt after five games this season, and has been working more as a tight end of late, despite still being listed as a quarterback by Pitt each week. Thursday will mark Jurkovec’s final home game as a college player, and also a chance to make an impact against his former team. According to Narduzzi, there won’t be any concerted efforts to get the much-maligned quarterback turned tight end onto the field as a favor.

“We're trying to win a game,” Narduzzi said. "If he can help us win the game, we'll get him on the field. If he can't, then he won't be on the field.”

The Panthers have bigger worries than their own former starting quarterback. Pitt has to deal with Boston College dual threat Thomas Castellanos, a 5’10” transfer from UCF, who has been a big spark in Chestnut Hill this season. Castellanos has been the driving force for Boston College’s offense and has thrown for 1,824 yards and 13 touchdowns, and has rushed for 806 rushing yards and 10 scores as well. The BC quarterback is the focal point for Pitt’s defensive attack, according to Narduzzi, who lumped a good deal of praise on Castellanos on Monday.

“He's really good. They found a diamond there, I think,” said the Pitt head coach. “I think he's really talented. They run a lot of quarterback counters and they do everything with him. Again, he's athletic, he's fast, and he can also throw it. Again, if they had another quarterback, he could be a great tailback, too. He can go.”

Narduzzi was complimentary of Castellanos, but also has to be wary of him as well. His team is coming off a dreadful performance in their last game in trying to defend the run, a 28-13 loss to Syracuse. It was a game in which Pitt allowed 382 yards on the ground, and were gashed by Syracuse’s Dan Villari a former quarterback turned tight end.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Boston College is the ACC’s top rushing team this season. In addition to the threat of Castellanos, the Eagles also feature junior tailback Kye Robichaux, who has totaled 565 yards and six scores.

The 2023 meeting between Boston College and Pitt factors in plenty of built-in familiarity despite this being the first matchup between the two schools since 2020. The Pitt/Boston College series moving forward will have a chance to develop even more of a rivalry feel. Under the new ACC scheduling model, the two programs are now protected rivals and will at least play each other every year until 2030 beginning on Thursday. Pitt leads the all-time series 17-15, while Boston College holds the edge as ACC members with a 2-1 mark.