Boston College faces SMU at world-famous Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.
On Thursday morning, Fenway Park will host its second-ever edition of the Fenway Bowl, a college football bowl game to be held on the field at the historic Red Sox ballpark. Fenway Park has hosted many college football games in its history, including its time as the home field for Boston College before Alumni Stadium was constructed in 1957.
Game Info
Who: Boston College Eagles (6-6) vs Southern Methodist University Mustangs (11-2)
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
When: Thursday December 28th, 2023
Kickoff Time: 11am ET
How to Watch: This game will be broadcasted live on ESPN
Betting Odds & Lines
SMU is favored over Boston College, with a point spread of -10, per DraftKings. The over-under for the game is 48 points.
Players to Watch
Boston College:
- Thomas Castellanos (QB): Castellanos has been BC’s QB for almost the entire season after replacing back-up Emmett Morehead in Week 1. He finished 5th in the ACC in rushing yards (957) and 5th in rushing touchdowns (11), while finishing 3rd in the nation for total rushing yards by a QB. His versatility in the rushing game has allowed Boston College to establish a new offensive identity in 2023.
- Kye Robichaux (RB): Robichaux provides the extra punch in Boston College’s running game. He’s not far behind Castellanos in rushing yards (691) and rushing TDs (7) and had an impressive 4.6 yards per carry as the feature back this season. With his agile ability to find holes in the trenches and push down the middle for rushing yards, he could wear down any defensive line on a chilly December morning.
- Donovan Ezeiruaku (DE): After earning preseason All-ACC honors, Ezeiruaku had big expectations coming into the season. Unfortunately he was rather quiet on the stats sheet in 2023, recording only 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble on the season, much less than his 8.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 2022. But Ezeiruaku is still a big force in the trenches as a disruptor and run stuffer, so he could get after the inexperienced Mustangs QB.
SMU:
- Kevin Jennings (QB): SMU had an impressive season from starting QB Preston Stone, but he went down with a broken leg in the final game of the regular season, thrusting Kevin Jennings into the starting spot. Jennings had a middling performance against Tulane in the AAC Championship game, throwing for 19/33, 203 yards, 1 TDs, 2 INTs, and 63 rushing yards, but the Mustangs came out with the 26-14 win over the Green Wave to win their 10th-straight game and the AAC championship. Can Jennings improve his performance, or will another messy game make things easier for Boston College?
- Elijah Roberts (DL): SMU sacks a lot of quarterbacks, and leading their phenomenal pass rush is senior defensive lineman Elijah Roberts. Roberts has racked up 10 sacks this season, leading his DL to the 2nd-most sacks in the nation. Look out for Roberts and his teammates to break through some blockers if Thomas Castellanos is forced to throw.
- Kobe Wilson (LB): SMU is strong against both the run and the pass thanks to a versatile group of players on the defense. Kobe Wilson is one of those players, who is able to come up to stuff the run and drop back to defend the pass, and leads the team in tackles. Look for him all over the field for SMU’s defense on Thursday.