Boston College Knocks off #25 Miami 27-14

Boston College Knocks off #25 Miami 27-14

For the fifth time in the last six years, the Boston College Eagles are bowl eligible. That is all thanks to a 27-14 victory over the #25 Miami Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2) in the annual Red Bandama game at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won this game with some trickery and a stout defense that limited the Hurricanes to 304 total yards on offense, created turnovers, with an offense that was perfect in the red zone (5-5) and they converted on third downs (6-18).

The Eagles (6-2, 3-1) had almost as many first downs (22), as points scored. They got back one of their key offensive pieces in running back A.J. Dillon, who rushed for 149 yards on 32 carries and one touchdown. This was a great game for him after missing the last four weeks with a high-ankle sprain.

Head Coach Steve Addazio, praised his team effort saying that his “kids played hard and tough”. About his star running back, he said: “Dillon was not at 100%  percent but was still able to rush for over 100 yards.”

The most interesting statement the coach made after the game was that he “never felt the game was in jeopardy.”  Considering the opposition, that was a bold comment to make. But it does speak to the game planning that BC was able to accomplish. Yes, they had an extra week to prepare, but so did the Hurricanes. The Eagles made better use of that week.

After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, the Eagles defense held on Miami’s opening drive. Boston Collage went right to work on a ten-play, 88-yard drive that saw Dillon’s first touch go for 25 yards up the left side. Eagles QB Anthony Brown (15-28, 152 yards, one touchdown, one interception), completed five passes on the drive. However, the big play was one of the trick variety as wide receiver Jeff Smith tossed 27-yard pass to wide-open Brown. It set up a return of the favor as Brown hit Smith for a nine-yard TD pass and a 7-0 Eagle lead.

The Hurricanes struck quickly thanks to a kickoff return of 53 yards by Dee Jay Dallas. That set up the Hurricanes in Eagles territory at the 44-yard line. Six plays later, the game was tied at 7-7 as Malik Rosier (18-35, 149 yards, one touchdown, two picks), found wide receiver Darnell Langham for a 13-yard score.

The Eagles went up a score on their next possession. Seven rushes and another Smith completion, this time for 31 yards to Travis Levy out of the backfield, set up a five-yard scoring run by Brown to put the Eagles up 14-7.

The second quarter saw the Eagles extended the lead on a 21-yard field goal by Colton Lichtenberg to make it 17-7 BC. Miami answered the field goal with a touchdown of ten yards by Dallas (nine carries for 31 yards, one score). The drive was 10 plays, with seven of them on the ground as the Hurricanes went to the ground game with success. It was 17-14 BC with under five minutes left in the half.

There would be no more scoring and Boston College went to the halftime break feeling pretty good about things. They were up three points and had some control outgaining the Hurricanes 294 to 171.

The third quarter saw Boston College extended their margin. First, Lichtenberg hit his second field goal of the night. This one from 23 yards out and it was 20-14 BC. The score was set up by a Hamp Cheevers interception of a Rosier pass. For Cheevers, the interception was his fifth of the season which ties him for the lead in the nation.

Then, Dillon got in on the act with a 14-yard run around the right side. It came one play after the second pick of the half by the Eagles secondary.  This one was by Tar- Amir Torres, his second of the season. 27-14 Boston College.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles defense took over as they shut down the Miami offense. The most impressive was a fourth-down stop near their goal line that got the crowd of over fourth thousand to react.

Eagles defense end Zack Allen said this team “has found a groove” and he should know. He tallied another sack on the night and along with defensive end Wyatt Ray, they were in the Miami backfield most of the night. Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie was the Eagle’s leading tackler on this Friday night with twelve.

The Eagles are in second place in the Atlantic Division for the moment. The outcome of Saturday’s games will determent whether they stay there.

For now, the Eagles are on to next week’s big road test in Blacksburg, VA. vs the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Tech is coming off a tough home loss on Thursday night to Georgia Tech.