Miami Hurricanes hope to turn things around against Boston College
Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo runs in for a touch down during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisville, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
Miami (6-5, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) at Boston College (6-5, 3-4), Friday, 12 p.m. EST (ABC).
Line: Miami by 8½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Miami leads 24-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Both teams are already bowl-eligible and looking for a seventh win that would ensure them a winning season. After starting with four straight wins and rising to No. 17 in The Associated Press Top 25, Miami is in danger of finishing with a four-game losing streak. Boston College is hoping to avoid a three-game losing streak. The Eagles would win their seventh game for the first time since 2018, and it would give them a chance for an eight-win season that would be the first since 2009.
KEY MATCHUP
The Hurricanes will need to keep BC QB Thomas Castellanos from hurting them with his legs. Castellanos is second in the country for rushing yards by a quarterback with 827. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry in the Eagles’ ACC wins and 3.91 yards per carry in their conference losses. Miami is 10th in the nation, allowing 92.9 rushing yards per game.
Boston College running back Kye Robichaux (5) carries past Pittsburgh defensive back A.J. Woods (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Matt Freed
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Miami: WR Xavier Restrepo had a career-high 193 yards on eight catches and scored a touchdown in the 38-31 loss to Louisville last week. He leads the Hurricanes with 68 receptions and 876 receiving yards.
Boston College: RB Kye Robichaux returned after missing the Virginia Tech game on Nov. 11 and ran for 118 yards on 24 carries. It was his third 100-yard game of the season.
FACTS & FIGURES
Boston College won the last meeting in 2018, beating No. 25 Miami in the Eagles’ Red Bandana Game. … Miami won all 12 meetings in the Big East from 1991-03. Since joining the ACC, BC leads 3-2. ... Miami is trying to avoid its first 0-4 November since 2007. … Miami K Andres Borregales, a Groza Award hopeful, has 20 field goals this season. That’s five shy of Michael Badgley’s Miami single-season record, set in 2015. … WR Xavier Restrepo’s 193 receiving yards last week tied the seventh-best single-game total in Miami history. He went from 35th to 21st on Miami’s all-time yardage list (1,501) in one day. … This is only the second meeting between the schools in the last 11 seasons and the third consecutive Miami-Boston College game to be played at Chestnut Hill. The Eagles haven’t visited the Hurricanes since 2011 and aren’t scheduled to again until 2026.
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