BC Football: Eagles get Win over Central Michigan 28-8

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Boston College Postgame Notes: Central Michigan

Central Michigan (2-3) at Boston College (2-3)

Alumni Stadium | Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Sept. 30, 2017

Team

BC is 4-0 all-time versus Central Michigan, including a 3-0 mark at Alumni Stadium, following today’s 28-8 victory over the Chippewas.

BC is 21-3 all-time against current schools from the Mid-American Conference. BC has not lost to a MAC team since 1969 to Buffalo.

Central Michigan scored first with a safety in the first quarter as Jon Hilliman was tackled on a first-down running play as the BC drive started on the one-yard line. The safety was the first against Boston College since Georgia Tech recorded a safety on Sept. 6, 2008.

Boston College scored 14 points in the first quarter, the most points scored against an FBS team since also scoring 14 against NC State on Oct. 11, 2014.

Central Michigan entered the game 22nd nationally with 306.3 passing yards per game. The BC defense held the Chippewas to 56 yards in the first half and 180 total for the game. The Eagles entered the day 14th nationally and second in the ACC allowing just 147.5 passing yards per game.

Boston College finished with season-highs in points (28) and rushing yards (224).

Offense

Redshirt junior running back Jon Hilliman scored two rushing touchdowns to move into a tie for 10th place in Boston College history with 23 career rushing touchdowns. Mike Holovak (1940-42) also scored 23 career rushing touchdowns.

Hilliman’s two rushing touchdowns tied a career high as he scored two touchdowns for the seventh time in his career.

Hilliman finished with three touchdowns total (two rushing, one receiving) for the first time in his 34-game career.

True freshman running back AJ Dillon finished with a career-high 120 rushing yards on a career-best 25 attempts. Dillon’s previous single-game best was 58 yards on the ground against Notre Dame (Sept. 16, 2017).

The 100-yard game by Dillon was the first 100-yard game by a true freshman running back for the Eagles since Hilliman rushed for 148 yards against Penn State in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27, 2014).

Defense

Redshirt freshman linebacker John Lamot made his first career start at middle linebacker. Lamot finished with 10 tackles, tied for the team lead. He also added a quarterback hurry in the game. Lamot’s 10 tackles were a career-best for the North Carolina native.

Senior defensive end Harold Landry finished with two tackles for loss and one sack. Landry is now tied for second in Boston College history in career TFLs with Luke Kuechly (44).

Landry totaled his 23rd career sack in the fourth quarter. He is now just one sack behind Mike Mamula for second place in school history in career sacks.

Junior free safety Lukas Denis recorded two more interceptions, a new career-high for the Everett native. Denis entered the game tied for second in the nation in interceptions. He now has five interceptions on the year.

Junior defensive end Zach Allen recorded his first career interception in the third quarter. The Connecticut native finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in addition to the interception.

Junior defensive back Will Harris recorded 10 tackles on the day, matching his career best which he set in the season opener at Northern Illinois (Sept. 1, 2017).

Special Teams

Junior wide receiver Michael Walker registered 128 punt return yards – including 124 in the first half – the fourth-best single-game total in BC history. It was the most punt return yards in a game since Ed Rideout finished with 131 punt return yards against Holy Cross in 1970. He finished the game with 135 all-purpose yards.

Yards Name (Year) Opponent

166 Kelvin Martin (1985) Holy Cross

136 Kelvin Martin (1986) SMU

131 Ed Rideout (1970) Holy Cross

128 Michael Walker (2017) Central Michigan

109 Spiffy Evans (2012) Maryland

Walker set up BC’s first touchdown of the game with a career-long 61-yard punt return. Last week at No. 2 Clemson, Walker’s previous career-long of 27 yards also set up a BC touchdown.

Walker had the second-longest punt return of his career on his second return of the day with a 33-yard return. BC scored on the drive as a true freshman running back AJ Dillon scored his second career touchdown (first at Alumni Stadium) to give BC a 14-2 lead.

Walker’s 29-yard punt return put BC in position for BC’s third touchdown as BC started the drive on the CMU 17-yard line. Hilliman scored his second touchdown of the game to extend the BC lead to 21-8.

Over the last two games at No. 2 Clemson and today against Central Michigan, BC had four scoring drives ending in touchdowns came after Walker got things started with a punt return of 27 yards or longer.

Attendance: 27,036

Weather: 55 degrees, overcast, intermittent showers

Coin Toss: Central Michigan won the toss and deferred. Boston College received the opening kickoff.

BC-CMU Final Book

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