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.
