O’Brien described the move as “the best decision for the team at that time”. He said he brought in James and Castellanos on Sunday and discussed the change.

“I don’t really see this as a big, dramatic thing,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “Others may see it that way too. We have forwards in our squad. Grayson did a good job. He deserved this opportunity.”

The Eagles (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) will face a tough challenge against the No. 14 seed Mustangs (8-1, 5-0), who lead the ACC and are on the verge of making the College Football Playoff.

The game is a rematch of last year’s Fenway Bowl. BC won this one 23-14Thanks in large part to Castellanos’ heroics in the fourth quarter.

Castellanos showed promise at the start of this season, joining BC First national ranking since 2018. The Eagles didn’t throw the ball often, but they threw it effectively, and Castellanos’ growth was a big reason why.

James received the nod against Western Kentucky after Castellanos was injured against Michigan State and completed 19 of 32 passes for 168 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Eagles escaped with a 21-20 victory. James looked a little shy and rusty at first, but found a rhythm as the game progressed.

Castellanos returned on October 5 against Virginia and dominated the first half before suffering costly turnovers late. The Eagles lost the game, then fell to Virginia Tech and Louisville; Castellanos’ inconsistency was a small example of the team’s problems.

He put BC ahead against Syracuse, then the Orange took the lead and left with an apparent leg injury, leading to a second-half surge by James. O’Brien later said there was “a little bit of everything” in the decision and made clear on Tuesday that the move was not temporary.

James, who missed time in training camp and a tight end to the start of the season, has improved in O’Brien’s eyes.

“He’s a guy that the team really respects,” O’Brien said. “The team has great support for him”

Tight end Jeremiah Franklin said he saw James’ lead increase, especially in practices right after the Syracuse game. Although it was a slightly different shot, the change was minor due to the 6-inch height difference, Franklin said.

“No matter who’s at quarterback, whether it’s Tommy or Grayson, we’re still going to go in and win and play as hard as we can,” Franklin said. “I expect this transition to be seamless.”

Wide receiver Lewis Bond, a close friend of Castellanos, declined to comment. He said his focus is on catching the ball coming his way.

While the quarterback change is an important story, it’s only part of an exciting matchup between familiar foes.

“I think it’s pretty exciting,” BC defenseman Neto Okpala said. “I assume there must be a lot of trash talk. It will be a lot of fun and a lot of fun to play them again.”

Last year the Mustangs were 11-2 and had a legitimate shot at the New Year’s Six. Instead, they traveled to Boston and lost a winnable matchup in the rain against a BC 6-6 team.

Now, arguably an even stronger SMU team will get a shot at redemption. Bond doesn’t see this as a competition, but he expects the Mustangs to be motivated.

“As a competitor you play a team last year and you lose, you’re going to be hungry, this year you’re going to want to beat them,” Bond said. “There will be a little bit of that, but other than that I don’t think there’s anything.”

O’Brien called SMU one of the best-coached teams the Eagles have faced. Kevin Jennings leads the way as a Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalist. Third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.69).

Miami transfer Brashard Smith has 140 carries for 906 yards and 11 touchdowns. O’Brien said he “can do it all” and is one of the best players BC will see this year. RJ Maryland, Key’Shawn Smith and Roderick Daniels Jr. It highlights a group of deep pass catchers.

“They all have the same amount of catches and the same amount of yards,” BC cornerback Max Tucker said. “We’ll just play our game and get them to adapt to us.”

On the other hand, the chess match between BC’s formidable running game and SMU’s elite rushing defense could decide the outcome.

BC racked up a season-high 313 yards against the Orange, and SMU allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards (90) per game in the country.

“We’ll see what happens,” O’Brien said. “We’ll have to find out on game day.”

Trevor Hass can be reached at [email protected].