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ATLANTA (AP) Thomas Castellanos led an impressive Georgia homecoming for three key Boston College players and then proclaimed the Eagles are back as a team to be respected in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Castellanos ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard score on a fourth-down scamper in the fourth quarter, and resurgent Boston College beat Georgia Tech 38-23 on Saturday.

Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC) has won three straight following a 1-3 start.

“I will say this, we’re turning this thing around,” Castellanos said. “Boston College football is back. We’re no longer the laughing stock of the ACC. We’ve got this thing going.”

Boston College has matched its conference win totals of each of the last two seasons and topped its overall win total of 2022, when it finished 3-9.

The Eagles took control after trailing 23-17 through three quarters. Boston College ran for 153 of its 308 yards in the final quarter while outscoring Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2) 21-0.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said the fourth-quarter turnaround was “a telltale sign of what the issues are.”

The Eagles led 24-23 before Castellanos skipped through the line on a fourth-and-1 run and beat Ahmari Harvey to the goal line, pushing the lead to eight points.

Amari Jackson’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Boston College its first lead.

Kye Robichaux ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles.

Georgia Tech lost despite quarterback Haynes King running for 150 yards, including a 71-yard scoring run. King threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter, while completing 14 of 32 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.

“Untimely interceptions, and there’s too many of them,” Key said. “We can’t turn the ball over like that.”

Castellanos, from from Waycross, Georgia, had the upper hand in the matchup of dual-threat quarterbacks. Castellanos began the day tied for the nation's lead among quarterbacks with seven rushing touchdowns, including four in a 27-24 win over Army on Oct. 7. He had a 12-yard scoring run in the second quarter and completed 17 of 29 passes for 255 yards with an interception.

“It felt great, it felt like a home game for me,” Castellanos said.

Jackson, from McDonough, Georgia near Atlanta, stepped in front of Georgia Tech wide receiver Dominick Blaylock and caught the pass from Haynes King against his hip with his left hand before running down the sideline for the score and a 10-7 lead.

“To do it in front of my people, my family, it was amazing,” Jackson said.

Robichaux is from Columbus, Georgia.

“They all kind of ran up to see their families after the game,” said Boston College coach Jeff Hafley. “... That’s so awesome to see.”

Castellanos had four carries on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the first half. Castellanos ran for 11 yards on a fourth-and-1 play from the Georgia Tech 23 before scoring on a 12-yard run. The quarterback took one step back before cutting through the Yellow Jackets' defense on the touchdown run for a 17-10 halftime lead.

THE TAKEAWAY

Boston College: With running back Pat Garwo held out with a leg injury, Robichaux, a Western Kentucky transfer, moved into a lead role with his big game. Robichaux helped put the game away with a 57-yard gain and 3-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter. “It was an emphasis we’ve been working on, finish games strong,” he said.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets ranked last in the ACC and 128th in the nation with their average of 214.3 yards rushing allowed per game but were not overwhelmed by the Eagles' ground game, which ranked second in the league, until late in the game. It was a disappointing finish for the defense after Andrew Thacker, who had been Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator since 2019, was demoted on Oct. 1 following an embarrassing 38-27 loss to Bowling Green. Kevin Sherrer took over control of the defense.

INJURIES

Georgia Tech had two defensive backs, strong safety LaMiles Brooks and cornerback Kenan Johnson, leave the game on Boston College's long touchdown drive late in the first half. Johnson was escorted to the locker room with an apparent arm/shoulder injury.

HOME BLUES

It was the fourth straight ACC home loss for Georgia Tech, which fell to 5-12 in its last 16 home conference games. Tech hasn’t had a winning home record since 2018. The Yellow Jackets have alternated wins and losses this season, failing to win or lose consecutive games.

UP NEXT

Boston College: Takes a break from its ACC schedule when it plays host to Connecticut next Saturday.

Georgia Tech: Hosts No. 10 North Carolina on Saturday, needing an upset to extend its two-game winning streak in the series.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Copyright 2023 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

As expected, news of the Atlanta Braves was running thin on Friday as the National and American League Championship Series continued. News will ramp up again in the coming weeks, though, with the announcement of Hank Aaron, Golden Glove, and MVP award winners. For now, these are the news and notes we’ve got:

The Braves have quite a few offseason questions to answer, like Charlie Morton’s future, Eddie Rosario’s role, and more. Find out more in the latest episode of Battery Power TV.

Former Braves Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson were each nominated for the 2024 Hall of Fame Class.

MLB News:

The Arizona Diamondbacks evened up the National League Championship Series with a 6-5 comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Houston Astros took a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series after defeating the Texas Rangers 5-4.

The Boston Red Sox have continued their managerial search with former San Francisco Giants skipper Gabe Kapler. The Giants are also on a managerial search after recently firing Kapler.

1964 - After just 11 years in Milwaukee, the Braves’ Board of Directors votes to ask the National League for permission to move to Atlanta. Milwaukee County officials sue to block the move.

1996 - Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves holds the New York Yankees to six hits in eight innings and Fred McGriff drives in three runs in a 4-0 win in Game 2 of the World Series.

2001 - Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, to win the National League Championship Series and reach the World Series for the first time in their history. Arizona gets to the Series faster than any expansion team in history, doing so in the fourth year of its existence. Erubiel Durazo’s pinch-hit two-run home run is the key blow. Craig Counsell is named the NLCS MVP.

2021 - The Dodgers stay alive by winning Game 5 of the NLCS, 11-2, over the Braves. The Braves take a 2-0 lead in the first on a homer by Freddie Freeman against opener Joe Kelly, but it’s all Dodgers after that as A.J. Pollock and Chris Taylor give them the lead with homers in the second against Max Fried. Pollock will hit another one later on, and Taylor will end up with three long balls as the two combine to drive in 10 of the 11 runs.

1959 - The Players Association approves two All-Star Games in 1960, to be held at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium and New York’s Yankee Stadium. The players would like to have them played within four days of each other

2007 - The Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland, 11-2, in Game 7 of the ALCS to reach the World Series where they will face the Colorado Rockies. They had trailed Cleveland 3-1 before mounting a comeback. Josh Beckett is the ALCS MVP after winning Games 1 and 5 of the Series. Before the game began, Paul Byrd of the Indians acknowledged using Human Growth Hormone for four years, creating a media frenzy. Byrd said he stopped buying it once Major League Baseball banned it and that he had a doctor’s permission to use it to treat a pituitary gland condition.

2014 - The Giants take Game 1 of the World Series, 7-1, over the Royals. A two-run homer by Hunter Pence off James Shields fuels a three-run first inning, while Madison Bumgarner gives up only one run on three hits in seven innings. The loss ends Kansas City’s streak of 11 consecutive wins in the postseason, dating back to the 1985 World Series.

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While fans have been arguing aggressively about Desmond Ridder’s future in Atlanta, the Falcons’ longtime franchise quarterback hasn’t seen enough to know where things will land. Matt Ryan may have spent his time as a quarterback guarded at press conferences, but he was surprisingly open in an interview with Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. In fact, the most interesting thing may be that Matt Ryan gave some interesting quotes.

Ryan weighed in on the most important question facing the Falcons today: Is Desmond Ridder good? The back and forth has been consistent since Atlanta’s first loss in Week 3. It ultimately boils down into whether Ridder is currently doing enough as a young quarterback. Young quarterbacks usually encounter hurdles making the transition to the pros, but it is tough this early to identify if those are career-defining problems or simply growing pains.

Before getting into Ridder’s future, Ryan echoes a sentiment many fans had last year: things would be clearer if Ridder had more opportunity last year. Arthur Smith hung onto Marcus Mariota weeks, if not months, after it was clear he wasn’t able to play the position at a high level. Perhaps it was in part to give Ridder more time to develop on the bench. However, there is no way to effectively evaluate a rookie quarterback after only four games. That decision, as well as not playing meaningful snaps during preseason, certainly impacted where Ridder is today.

For the positive, Ryan doesn’t see a lot of physical limitations with Ridder.

“[Ridder] can make all the throws. He can throw the ball down the field. He can throw the ball intermediate. Honestly, where he needs to clean things up are the shortest ones. That comes with knowing how to throw with a little bit of touch. Not every throw needs to be a fastball.”

This is actually somewhat common for quarterbacks with strong arms, as the slightly older fans may recall Mike Vick launching the football downfield with the same kind of velocity he deployed on checkdowns. For Ridder, that’s a good spot to look for progress.

Outside of the physical, Ryan discussed more of the mental aspects of playing quarterback. He went into a few specifics where Ridder can improve, such as, at times, Ridder seems sped up. From a higher level, Ryan is really just looking to see improvements from Ridder.

The biggest thing is to not make the same mistakes over and over. Towards the end of that year, I was still making mistakes but they were new mistakes — that’s what you’re looking for.

While it has been mentioned here recently, despite Ryan’s eventual growth into the franchise’s best quarterback, he had a rocky start. There were plenty of bad plays, interceptions, and a particularly rocky sophomore season. Ryan was questioned as the franchise quarterback up to, and even after, his first record-breaking contract extension. Expect the ups and downs from any quarterback, especially the younger ones.

Perhaps most importantly, Ryan thinks we should have an answer on Ridder soon. Ryan is looking to see that improvement — or the new mistakes — in around the next six weeks. While moving to the team’s fourth starting quarterback in four years isn’t a usual path of success in the NFL, Ryan astutely points out that the front office needs to worry about their own jobs. If the front office and coaching staff isn’t comfortable betting their jobs on Ridder’s continued improvement, they’ll need to find a replacement... and fast.

That doesn’t give Ridder much time, and is a bit more of a sign of the times. Trey Lance barely suited up for San Francisco. Zach Wilson, who replaced another top-drafted quarterback in Sam Darnold, was replaced after only two seasons. The era of quarterbacks getting 3-5 years to prove they’ve got what it takes is long gone.

Going through this new quarterback carousel is a fresh reminder why quarterback is the toughest position to find in the NFL. Fans should hope to be off of the carousel by the time December rolls around.

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Desmond Ridder was the picture of NFL growing pains as he talked about turning the page on a disastrous ending last weekend while, well, looking ahead to a chance to make a claim on first place.

Ridder, the green Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is coming off the first three-interception game of his young NFL career. That left a lot of explaining for his media session before Wednesday’s practice.

"You try to obviously learn from the mistakes that were made … but you don’t dwell on those interceptions," said Ridder, whose next chance to make amends comes on Sunday at Tampa Bay (3-2) in a matchup that will determine the lead in the NFC South.

Survive long enough as an NFL quarterback and there will be weeks like this. Heat like this, with hot-take analysts suggesting the quarterback take a seat on the bench. The Falcons (3-3) lost an eight-point game against Washington after two of their final three drives ended with picks by the second-year quarterback. The other possession was rather ugly, too; the ball was turned over on downs that included a sack and two incompletions.

Talking turnovers, Ridder, 24, insisted there wasn’t a connecting thread. Was it accuracy or the play design? Bad decisions or bad routes?

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"There were a couple things on each, where I could’ve made a better read, we could’ve ran a better route, or miscommunication," he said. "Or all three. So, there’s little parts in that entire game – not only with myself but with the whole offense. It’s got to be all 11 guys working on the same page."

In rolling with a young quarterback, the Falcons knew there would be some turbulence along the way with this learning curve. Ridder is surrounded by a strong cast of supporting weapons including first-round picks Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. And the defense has improved, allowing them to stay in games.

Yet as natural as it is for the quarterback to attract scrutiny, the crunch-time meltdown on Sunday – which included glaring clock management issues on top of the picks – wasn’t all on Ridder. Arthur Smith, the Falcons coach and play-caller, has fingerprints on this, too.

The Falcons’ operational process during the final minutes was a mess. On at least three occasions, the play-clock nearly ran out as Ridder prepared to call for the snaps. Atlanta probably uses as many personnel packages as any team in the league, which can help create matchup advantages but also requires frequent substitutions. And the unit uses an extensive amount of pre-snap motion, which can also chew up time.

In any event, this stuck out as the issues piled up on Sunday. During one sequence, the flow was so sloppy that after Ridder spiked the football to kill the clock, the Falcons still had to use a timeout as the 25-second play-clock was about to expire.

Asked about the operational issues, Smith fired back with arithmetic.

"Two-thousand plays the last two years," Smith said. "Things happen. They are all different. I wouldn’t call that some catastrophic trend. Now they shouldn’t happen. But they’re all different, why they happened. You identify the problem. But you take three plays out of 2,360…"

But still. It’s what happened lately. The mishaps on Sunday came with the game on the line.

"We can play this game all day," defended Smith, in his third season at the helm. "What about Houston? What about New York?"

In Week 5, the Falcons used a 10-play, 56-yard drive to beat the Texans 21-19 with a Younghoe Koo field goal as time expired. In Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, they executed a 12-play, 66-yard drive for Koo’s game-winning field goal with just under a minute on the clock. The New York game referenced was Smith’s first victory as Falcons coach, in Week 3 in 2021, when his team beat the Giants as then-quarterback Matt Ryan directed a seven-play, 56-yard drive that culminated with a Koo field goal as time expired.

"We’ve won a lot of games handling those situations," Smith added. "Obviously, we didn’t do it last week. We’ve got to get it fixed. This isn’t a trend, a runaway story. Acknowledge what happened. Fix it…Those things happened. That’s not the only reason we lost the game."

Smith pointed to the turnovers, maintaining that NFL teams this season have won just 6% of the games when committing three turnovers.

"Go back to Houston, and those guys executed pretty damn good," Smith said.

Ridder didn’t dispute the mishaps with the operational flow, which typically include the process of getting the play-call from the sideline in addition to the substitutions. He summed it up as a matter of paying better attention to detail, yet he also acknowledged the challenges with communication….especially as the play-clock winds down.

"It makes you speed things up faster," Ridder said. "That’s something we don’t want to do. It goes back to communication. Everybody knowing where they’re supposed to be…just the details with those plays."

Two of Ridder’s teammates, Pitts and London, commended their quarterback for keeping a calm demeanor amid the late-game chaos.

"He’s even-keeled," Pitts said. "When stuff is getting out of control, that’s not when you want to crumble. He’s good at keeping his composure."

Now Ridder – and the rest of his unit – will have to prove capable of growing from the hard lessons.