Running onto the field on Senior Day. Photo by John Quackenbos.

Tied 7-7 with #23 North Carolina State yesterday, BC had the ball on its 23-yard line with 1:01 left in the first half. Three straight rushes by running back A.J. Dillon gained a net 1 yard and consecutive timeouts called by NC State resulted in a punt attempt by the Eagles with 15 seconds on the clock. The Wolfpack blocked the punt and recovered the ball with 8 seconds remaining in the half.

BC coach Steve Addazio called 3 consecutive timeouts to “ice” the N.C. State kicker, who, at the same time, was able to have 3 practice tries. With BC timeouts exhausted, N.C. State was successful with the field goal attempt and went into the half up by 3 points, 10-7.

Three points was also the final differential in the game score, as both teams scored touchdowns in the second half and the Wolfpack won, 17-14. The loss ended BC’s string of 3 consecutive wins, all over ACC opponents. The win by N.C. State also ended its own 2-game losing streak.

The statistics reflected the closeness of the score, with errors by both teams contributing as well. BC had 20 first downs to 17 for N.C. State, while the Wolfpack gained 20 yards more in total offense, 367 to 347. Possession time was within a minute of each other. Each team had an interception and BC recovered an N.C. State fumble. N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley led the ACC in passing percentage coming into the game, but was only 13 of 32 for 146 yards on Saturday.

BC quarterback Anthony Brown suffered a leg injury early in the second quarter and did not return to the game, appearing on the sidelines on crutches. Brown had been 2 of 5 passing for 26 yards, with an interception. Backup Darius Wade was 8 of 15 for 82 yards.

Freshman running back A. J. Dillon rushed for 196 yards on 36 carries, including a 66-yard run for a touchdown, to become the first BC freshman to gain over 1,000 yards on the ground in a season. His total this season is 1,036, eclipsing the previous freshman record of 920 yards in a season by Montel Harris in 2008. He has at least 2 games remaining this year.

Highlights

Next game Saturday at 4 pm — UConn Huskies at Fenway Park. A victory would make BC bowl-eligible.