Pat Garwo (24) finishes his 67-yard run for BC’s first score.

It didn’t start off well for the Eagles yesterday, playing Missouri for the first time. Returning the opening kickoff to their 28, the Tigers went on a 10-play, 72-yard drive, with QB Connor Bazelak completing 8 of 8 passes, to take a quick 7-0 lead.

Brandon Sebastian (10) runs off the field after his interception in overtime secures the BC win.

It ended much better for the Eagles, though not without significant nervousness among BC fans beforehand. The teams had gone to overtime after Missouri, starting at its 25 with 25 seconds remaining, and the Eagles ahead 34-31, was able to get into position for a successful 56-yard field goal. BC had the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown in five plays. Missouri opted to go for it all on its first play and DB Brandon Sebastian intercepted the pass in the end zone to secure a 41-34 victory.

The Eagles open the season 4-0 for the first time since 2007.

With the teams tied at 17 at the half, BC dominated the third quarter to take a 27-17 lead. The Eagles started the second half with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. On Missouri’s second play following the touchdown, BC’s DB Josh DeBerry intercepted a Tiger pass attempt. Sixteen plays later, Eagles kicker Connor Lytton kicked a 31-yard field goal. BC had 28 plays for 135 yards in the quarter compared to Missouri’s 4 plays for 17 yards and the Eagles held the ball for 13 minutes, 42 seconds of the 15-minute period.

The Tigers simply flipped the story in the final quarter. While time of possession was far less skewed than in the third period, the Tigers scored 17 points to the Eagles’ 7 and BC’s lead was gone.

The game, as the score would indicate, featured lots of offense, as both teams combined for 841 yards. The difference was in how each team got those yards. The Eagles rushed 49 times, more than double the attempts by Missouri, and gained 275 yards rushing, more than tripling the Tigers’ 88 yards on the ground. Mizzou threw 42 times, completing 30 for 303 yards. BC QB Dennis Grosel was 18 of 29 passing for 175 yards.

Star running back for the Eagles was redshirt sophomore Pat Garwo, who ran for 175 yards in 25 carries, including a 67-yard run to score BC’s first touchdown. Leading receiver for the Eagles was Zay Flowers, with 8 catches for 62 yards, 50 of them gained after the catch.

Here are highlights.

BC (4-0) travels to Death Valley to play Clemson Saturday. The contest against the perennial powerhouse lost a lot of its luster with the Tigers losing to North Carolina State in overtime yesterday to fall to 2-2. The Eagles play N.C. State at home on October 16.

Game time Saturday is 4:30 pm PT.

Patrick Garwo runs for an Eagles touchdown.

In its game notes, BC proudly reported that the Eagles yesterday held the Temple Owls to 239 yards total offense, the second lowest total by an opponent during Jeff Hafley’s tenure as coach, in their 28-3 win over Temple.

What to say then about BC gaining only 221 yards total offense? Great Temple defense? Or meh BC offense?

The Eagles’ 34 yards total passing in a win may be the team’s lowest in the modern era. BC usually features at least one pass reception of that distance in a game. QB Dennis Grosel, starting a complete game for the first time this season, threw only 13 times, completing only five, with one interception. Grosel personally rushed for more yards, gaining 47.

BC’s leading rusher, Patrick Garwo, edged Grosel for the team lead with 49 yards on the ground. Receiver Zay Flowers had a single run of 47 yards.

The Eagles started off the game gang busters as Travis Levy ran the opening kickoff 66 yards to inside the Temple 30. Three plays later, Grosel threw his one touchdown pass of the game — 19 yards to Jaden Williams. Took 1:39 to score the opening touchdown.

A 10-play drive brought BC to a 14-0 lead to close out the first quarter. The Eagles had the ball for 10 minutes 40 seconds in the quarter. 

Temple achieved its initial first down with 11:25 to go in the second quarter. The Owls started with three consecutive three-and-out series. Of their five possessions in the first half, four did not record a first down.

BC closed out the first half with another touchdown and went into halftime with a 21-0 lead.

While the Owls dominated the third quarter, possessing the ball for 11 minutes, 35 seconds, they failed to score. They opened the final quarter with a field goal, but the Eagles responded with another touchdown for the 28-3 final score.

The Eagles ran only 48 plays on offense the entire game, while Temple had 60. BC was efficient, however, scoring four touchdowns on four appearances in the red zone.

Here are video highlights.

The Eagles (3-0) return to Alumni Stadium Saturday to meet the Missouri Tigers (2-1) of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Gametime is 9 am PT.

Travis Levy returns kickoff 96 yards for the concluding touchdown against UMass.

The Eagles took the bus Saturday to play UMass in Amherst for the first time since 1982. On the 90-mile bus trip home, they had time to contemplate a wide range of mistakes in their unconvincing 45-28 win.

BC was penalized 11 times for 99 yards. The Eagles also lost two fumbles and two offensive stars, though one returned to the game. Quarterback Philip Jurkovec left the game at the conclusion of an opening drive for a touchdown and did not return. WR Zay Flowers had to be assisted from the field after fumbling on the opening drive of the second half. He returned in the fourth quarter. If the offense was somewhat diminished, however, it was the BC defense that faltered.

While it was BC’s 11th straight win over the Minutemen, UMass’s 28 points were the most they had scored against the Eagles since 1972. And they came in a bunch.

Starting the third quarter down 14-0, the Minutemen recovered the fumble by Flowers on the UMass 42. Less than a minute later, after a two-yard run, UMass quarterback and true freshman Brady Olson threw a 56-yard touchdown pass.

That initial UMass score was followed by two BC touchdowns, pushing the Eagles lead to 28-7. It seemed the anticipated “UMasskicking,” as termed by BC Interruption, was to come. Nope. After stopping a Minuteman drive, the Eagles fumbled the punt at the 5, UMass recovering on the 1 and cutting the lead to 28-14.

BC’s special teams then came to the rescue, as they did a couple of times in the second half. The subsequent Eagles drive faltered, but BC’s Jaiden Woodbey scooped up a UMass fumble of the punt and ran for a 41-yard touchdown, putting the Eagles up 35-14.

The Minutemen kept responding, however. Helped by two BC 15-yard penalties, UMass scored on a 4th-and-5 at BC’s 15 to end the quarter down 35-21.

A 6-touchdown, 42-point quarter — split equally between the teams — and, for this fan at least, seemingly interminable in duration. The Eagles were penalized 6 times in the quarter, more than half of their game total of 11.

Backup BC quarterback Dennis Grosel, who helmed the offense for all but the opening drive, was 11 of 14 passing in the game, for 199 yards. Opening the 4th quarter, however, 2 of his 3 missed passes were intended for wide-open receivers who would have scored. A Danny Longman 27-yard field goal made it 38-21.

UMass then had maybe its best drive, with QB Olson going 5-of-6 (no BC penalties) and moving his team 75 yards to cut the score to 38-28. BC special teams then came through again, as Travis Levy returned the Minuteman kickoff 96 yards to end the scoring at 45-28.

An interception by BC’s Bra Sebastian at the BC 4 led to the Eagles running out the last 6:12 with a 13-play 78-yard drive from their 4 to the UMass 18.

“It was like every drive was a result of self-inflicted wounds,” Coach Jeff Hafley said in the Boston Globe. “That clearly starts with me. I thought I had it fixed. I clearly don’t.”

The Eagles overall gained a healthy 471 yards total offense, 250 rushing and 221 passing. They allowed UMass 335 yards, however, 214 in the air.

BC redshirt sophomore Pat Garwo ran for 160 yards in 15 carries.

Not the usual ACC highlights, but highlights nonetheless.

In recognition of the date, the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, BC wore the Adidas version of its “red bandana” uniforms. Those commemorate BC alumnus Welles Crowther ’99, who has been credited with saving as many as 18 lives in the World Trade Center at the cost of his own. The annual official Red Bandana game will take place November 5 when BC meets Virginia Tech in a Friday night game.

Eagles in “red bandana” uniforms.

Eagles (2-0) travel again next Saturday, by plane, to Philadelphia to meet the Temple Owls (1-1) in the Battle of the Raptors. Gametime 9 am PT.