Recap: BC vs. Virginia
By: Bradley Smart
The questions facing Boston College entering Saturday’s matchup with red-hot Virginia were ones of momentum. Could the Eagles carry over the offensive success they found in an unexpected road win against Louisville? Or was it just a blip on the radar?
They put all questions to rest in the opening quarter in Charlottesville, outgaining the host Cavaliers by 200 yards en route to 17 early points. Three quarters later, the Eagles were putting the finishing touches on a 41-10 blowout.
Suffice to say, this isn’t the same Boston College team that struggled out of the gate.
A 1-3 start that included routs at the hands of Wake Forest and Notre Dame had many around Chestnut Hill calling for head coach Steve Addazio’s head. Addazio, however, maintained the same line throughout every postgame press conference. It reached a peak after the Virginia Tech loss, when he said that things would come together, and “they’d be beautiful.”
Well, two weeks after the beautiful comment, the Eagles are looking like a heck of a football team. They won in a shootout with the Lamar Jackson-led Cardinals, then shut down a Virginia team that entered with an impressive 5-1 record. Friday’s matchup against Florida State under the lights no longer looks like an inevitable blowout, and it’s a result of a cohesive Eagles team that excelled in all facets of the game Sunday.
Quarterback Anthony Brown had a career day, completing 19-of-24 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The star of last week, AJ Dillon, only had 89 rushing yards, but was a part of a capable rushing attack that totaled 237 yards and averaged five yards per carry. Tight end Tommy Sweeney again played a pivotal role, catching a pair of touchdowns, while Thadd Smith and Kobay White each had 76-yard scores in the win.
Defensively, the Eagles couldn’t of played better. Virginia starting quarterback Kurt Benkert, a talented pocket passer, was held to 126 yards and completed just over half of his passes. Benkert also threw an interception, and backup Lindell Stone didn’t fare much better.
Stone’s first pass quickly headed in the other direction, as John Lamot returned it 40 yards for a pick six. Stone finished just 2-of-9 with two interceptions down the stretch, capping an ineffective offensive game from Virginia. The Cavaliers punted on their first four drives, and finished with just one drive of over three minutes in length. This was the only sustained effort, a 59-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from Joe Reed.
The Eagles special teams were strong as well, with kicker Colton Lichtenberg hitting all five extra point attempts and adding a pair of field goals (36 and 30 yards).
Boston College’s schedule doesn’t let up, but with the way they’re playing, the tough ACC games looming look a whole lot more winnable.