Who _were_ those guys?

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Freshman running back A.J. Dillon. Photo by Ben Solomon.

Boston College, against Louisville today, rushed for 364 yards, including 272 yards by freshman running back A.J. Dillon. The Eagles gained 555 yards in total offense. They lined up for a field goal with only 3 seconds on the clock to win. And they won, 45-42. Pretty typical for BC, right? Ho hum.

The transformation of the Eagles into an offensive powerhouse against a strong national and conference opponent was reminiscent of the 37-31 BC win over USC in 2014. It wasn’t as dominant today, but it was equally surprising.

Louisville entered the game 4-2 and a 22 1/2 point favorite, but with a porous defense. The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards for a touchdown in the first 3:22 of the game. They added another touchdown later in the quarter, but BC scored to end the quarter down 14-7. Louisville gained 173 yards in the quarter, compared to 99 for the Eagles. Each team scored a touchdown in the 2nd quarter to make the halftime score Louisville 21, BC 14. The Cardinals expanded their offensive edge, ending the half with 323 yards to BC’s 194 yards.

Then came one of the most one-sided quarters in BC history. The Eagles dominated the Cardinals by every measure. Twelve first downs to 1 for Louisville. Total offense of 192 yards (111 on the ground) to 23. Nearly 12 minutes possession to just over 3 minutes. And 2 touchdowns to lead Louisville 28-21. Quarterback Darius Wade, who replaced an injured Anthony Brown, was 6-of-6 passing during the quarter.

The Eagles even added another touchdown at the beginning of the 4th quarter to go up 35-21. But this is Louisville, led by 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Less than 2 minutes into the quarter, Jackson threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to bring the Cardinals within 7. On BC’s next possession, on its 25, Dillon made the best run of the season (maybe several seasons) for BC. Seemingly stopped twice by Louisville, Dillon threw down a defender and ran 75 yards for the touchdown to put the Eagles again ahead by 14, 42-28.

Jackson went back to work for Louisville. He ran for 9- and 41-yard touchdowns to tie the game, 42-42. After forcing the Eagles to punt, the Cardinals moved 33 yards in 3 plays but fumbled, BC recovering and returning it to the Louisville 39. Seven straight runs by Dillon brought the ball to the Louisville 10, where Colton Lichtenburg, who had missed a longer field goal earlier, nailed the 27-yard game winner.

The win was BC’s 3rd ACC win in three seasons.

Dillon was a beast. He ended the game with 39 carries for 272 yards, scoring 4 touchdowns. He did not lose a yard.

The Eagles, who had ranked near the bottom nationally in offensive efficiency, finished with 87 plays for 555 yards, most offense in 9 years.  It was not a stellar day for the BC defense, as Louisville gained 625 yards, 70 yards more than the Eagles, on 12 fewer plays than BC. Not a defensive struggle, but a very enjoyable game to watch and a victory to savor.

For the first time in a while, there are highlights to enjoy.

(I didn’t file a report on the Virginia Tech game that took place last Saturday. I was at the game and just was not able to update the blog. That game, a 23-10 loss, was completely different from today’s. BC looked flat, the stands were nearly empty by the middle of the 4th quarter. I will have video from the game and the football scene, as well as other BC sights, up sometime this week.)

Next up

 

More MAC

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Junior wide receiver and punt returner Michael Walker

Boston College played a second member of the Mid-American Conference and gained a second victory today, defeating Central Michigan University, 28-8, on Parents Weekend in Chestnut Hill.

While not scoring a touchdown himself, junior Michael Walker set 3 of them up with punt returns, including a career-long 61-yard return that led to BC’s first touchdown. Walker overall gained 128 yards on 4 punt returns. Junior running back Jon Hilliman scored 3 touchdowns, 2 on the ground and 1 on a pass reception.

Freshman running back A.J. Dillon gained 120 yards on 25 carries, scoring 1 touchdown. The Eagles in total gained 224 yards on the ground and 85 yards through the air, on 14-21 passing by quarterback Anthony Brown.

The Chippewas were particularly ineffective in the first quarter, gaining only 26 yards total, with nearly all of those wiped out by 20 yards in penalties. They did score first, however, tackling Hilliman in the endzone for a safety on BC’s second series. With Walker giving the Eagles short fields, BC led the game 21-8 at halftime, but CMU had picked up its offense, leading the Eagles in yards gained, 137-133.

Statistically, the game remained close to the end, with BC finishing with 74 plays for 309 yards and Central Michigan 76 plays for 296 yards.

Eagles moved up to 2-3 for the season overall. They play Virginia Tech Saturday at home.

 

4th quarter fade

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San Diego’s own Ray Smith, defensive tackle, from Cathedral Catholic HS. John Quackenbos photo.

Hard to know which team’s fans were more surprised when BC and Clemson entered the 4th quarter tied 7-7 in yesterday’s game in “Death Valley.” Easier to guess whose fans were more worried, as #2 Clemson faced the possibility, at least, of their first defeat of the season, and to a 34-point underdog, in front of 80,525 on Family Weekend.

Both Clemson and BC, however, returned to form as the 4th quarter moved along. The Tigers blanked the Eagles over the last 15 minutes and added 27 points, scoring touchdowns on 4 consecutive possessions. Final score: Clemson 34, BC 7.

In that final quarter, Clemson had 11 first downs to BC’s 2, 164 yards rushing compared to BC’s 18 yards, and 49 yards passing to BC’s 19 yards. The Tigers ran 27 plays for 213 yards (7.9 yards per play) in the quarter, while the Eagles had the ball for 13 plays, gaining 37 yards (2.8 yards per play).

If the first three quarters were nearly a standoff, at least on the scoreboard, the 4th quarter was the rout anticipated by many. Over the whole game, Clemson ran 84 plays for 482 yards, 342 of them on the ground. BC had 66 plays for 238 yards, 141 through the air.

BC quarterback Anthony Brown was 14-30 with 1 interception. Leading rusher for the Eagles was A.J. Dillon, who gained 57 yards on 18 carries and scored BC’s touchdown on a 1-yard run. BC falls to 1-3, 0-2 in the ACC. Game next Saturday at home against Central Michigan.