MSU fumbled deep in its territory and threw two interceptions in the second half to fall 23-19 late to the Eagles on a rainy night in Chestnut Hill, MA. 

In the first three minutes of the second half, which proved to be the defining moments of the game, the Spartans did the opposite of what a team needs to do on the road, with the lead in a suboptimal environment. 

The sequence began with a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half by sixth year running back Kayron Lynch-Adams, who hesitated momentarily at the goal line before deciding to bring it out, coughing it up to the Eagles on MSU's five-yard line. Still, the Spartan defense made a stand to hold a 13-9 advantage. 

On the ensuing drive, MSU sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles tossed an interception on a poorly-thrown ball, allowing Boston College to march down the field and take the lead on a 36-yard touchdown run. 

In the blink of an eye, the Eagles scored ten points in 15 seconds of play. 

This tightly-contested matchup came down to the area MSU's struggled in the most through four games: turnovers.

“Turnover pace, we gotta get better there," Smith said postgame. 

In the biggest game so far in MSU's season, Chiles couldn’t handle the bulk of such weight. 

While the Spartans' 18-year-old quarterback looked comfortable running the ball and ducking around defenders, he couldn’t execute under pressure, ending the game with three interceptions and questionable decision-making, particularly on his last throw of the game. 

It was a throw that could have cost the Spartans a 4-0 start. On the final drive of the game with ample time on a comfortable down and distance, Chiles threw the ball into double coverage, handing the game-sealing interception to Boston College.  

Chiles finished 17-for-35 with 241 yards and three interceptions. While he contributed 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground, it wasn’t enough to lead MSU to victory. 

With seven interceptions thrown through four games, the young quarterback still has cleaning up to do, especially entering the meat of MSU's schedule. Inaccurate throws or poor decisions will bode even worse for Chiles against tougher opponents like Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan. 

A soaking wet environment and the injury bug didn't help MSU, either.

Four MSU rotation wideouts were out Saturday with injuries: freshman Nick Marsh, sophomore Jaron Glover, sophomore Antonio Gates Jr. and senior Alante Brown.

The persisting rain all night opened up Boston College’s rushing attack. The Eagles ran the ball a combined 43 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns. 

The primary BC threat discussed all week by MSU, junior quarterback ​​Thomas Castellanos, was overall held in check. Yet, on the drive that mattered the most for Boston College, he delivered a 42-yard strike to give the Eagles a four-point lead inside of two minutes to play.

"That quarterback's a good player," Smith said.

Castellanos finished 10-for-16 for 140 yards and one touchdown. The usually consistent runner only added 15 yards on the ground. 

MSU managed to limit its penalty numbers, a positive sign for next Saturday, when the Spartans welcome the No. 3 team in college football, Ohio State, to East Lansing. 

MSU battles Ohio State next Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Spartan Stadium. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.