The Boston College Eagles football team defeated the Michigan State Spartans 23-19 on Saturday night at Alumni Stadium.

The game wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles came back from behind and improved their season record to 3-1.

Below are three takeaways from the win.

Running game is crucial to the Eagles’ success

Boston College’s offense got back on track Saturday night after rushing for just 46 yards in its Week 3 game against Missouri. Overall, the team rushed for 152 yards on 43 attempts, averaging 3.5 yards per run, and scored two of the Eagles’ three touchdowns. Boston College used three different runners in the game: quarterback Thomas Castellanos and running backs Treshaun Ward and Turbo Richard. The explosive running unit is proving to be an integral part of the Eagles’ success.

The defense needs to work on third and fourth down conversion

Boston College’s defense has impressed earlier in the season. And while Saturday night was no different, the group did have some issues, particularly on third and fourth down attempts and red zone stops. Michigan State made 3 of 3 red zone attempts for 13 points and covered 7 of 15 third down attempts and the only fourth down attempt in the fourth quarter. None of those plays cost the team the game, but the defense needs to improve here.

The team can recover from adversity

Prior to Boston College’s Week 3 game against the then-No. 6 Missouri Tigers, the team had yet to experience adversity this season. The Eagles outplayed Florida State from the start in the season opener and did not allow Duquesne to win the following week. After its first loss of the season (27-21 to the Tigers), Boston College faced adversity again, this time against the Spartans. In total, the Eagles fought back from behind three times, but the most important test came when they were down by three points with 4:22 left in the game. Instead of crumbling under pressure in an unfamiliar spot for this group, the Eagles stormed down the field and took the lead with 1:28 left in the game on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Castellanos to wide receiver Lewis Bond. On Michigan State’s final possession of the night, the Spartans stormed the field and appeared to be in excellent position to tie or take the lead until an interception by defensive back Max Tucker clinched the game for the Eagles. Boston College’s comeback win showed it can bounce back despite adversity.