Eagles Soar, Shut Out Huskies 30-0

Eagles Soar, Shut Out Huskies 30-0

By Matt Sottile

Boston College celebrated Senior Day with a dominating 30-0 shutout victory over their old Big East rivals, the UConn Huskies. The Eagles also honored Matt Ryan as only the 12th player in program history to have their jersey retired and displayed in the southeast corner of Alumni Stadium. Ryan led the Eagles to a #2 national ranking in 2007, their first and only ACC Championship Game appearance against Virginia Tech, and the 3rd most passing yards for a Boston College quarterback with 9,313. He was invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York City at the end of his senior season and finished 7th in votes.

Both teams failed to produce much on offense early on. After the first quarter, UConn and BC had combined for 5 first downs, 5 passing completions, and 5 punts, totaling 69 total yards of offense. Jon Hilliman was featured early in the backfield but found little success finding holes in the UConn front seven. Quarterback Patrick Towles completed only 2 passes for 5 yards in the first 15 minutes. After a sluggish start, the Boston College offense finally found its rhythm and was able to produce big plays and points often, something that hasn’t been seen in quite some time.

UConn started true freshman Donovan Williams at quarterback over the recently struggling Bryant Shirreffs. Penalties hurt the Huskies early on, preventing them from ever finding their groove on offense. After both teams traded punts, Boston College put the first points on the board early in the second quarter on their 3rd drive of the game in a steady drive that lasted 7:07. The Eagles found success with Jeff Smith taking direct snaps and gaining big chunks of yardage and Towles finding Smith for multiple completions. BC found themselves facing a big 4th and 3 situation at the UConn 23 yard line. After initially lining up with their special teams unit on the field to attempt the field goal, head coach Steve Addazio called a timeout and then chose to go for it. Towles took the ball himself for a 16 yard gain and a first down and goal. The drive cumulated with redshirt freshman Davon Jones taking a handoff on 3rd and 1 and diving into the end zone to break the scoreless tie.

On the next drive, the UConn offense gained some traction, with Donovan Williams finding holes in the Eagles secondary, connecting with receiver Brian Lemelle over the middle for a 43 yard gain, UConn’s biggest play all day, putting them in the red zone. Penalties, which pestered them early on, backed their offense up into a 4th and 18 situation from the 19 yard line. Instead of taking the easy 3 points, the Huskies lined up in a formation which saw holder Tyler Davis throwing an incomplete pass, turning the ball over on downs and giving the ball back to Boston College. The Eagles would increase their lead to 10-0 late in the half, with a 35 yard Mike Knoll field goal, who added to his impressive season by going 3/3 on the day.

Patrick Towles led the Eagles downfield in their first possession of the second half, stringing together 5 completions, the last of which landed in the hands of Michael Walker over the middle for a 10 yard touchdown. A Huskies punt was followed by Towles finding Jeff Smith for a 54 yard pass deep downfield, after Smith was able to find separation and beat the Huskies’ single coverage, putting BC in the red zone. Mike Knoll would send his second field goal of the day through the uprights, making it 20-0 Eagles.

Defense was the story of the 4th quarter, with Matt Milano, Harold Landry, and Taj-Amir Torres all forcing UConn turnovers. Matt Milano intercepted Williams and returned it 24 yards for a pick six to further extend the lead to 27-0. It was his first career interception and touchdown at Boston College. Later in the quarter, Landry forced a fumble which was recovered by Kamrin Moore. Landry leads the nation in forced fumbles. Torres forced the third Williams interception on the day in the final minute of play.

Patrick Towles finished the day going 14/19 for 189 yards through the air and an additional 25 yards on the ground. Jeff Smith highlighted the strong offensive performance with 121 total yards of offense. Boston College’s offense produced 338 yards of offense on the day, their second-highest total since their contest against Clemson on October 7. The BC defense limited the Huskies to only 8 first downs, 121 total yards of offense, -6 rushing yards, and four turnovers. The Eagles more than doubled UConn’s time of possession, holding onto the ball for more than 40 minutes.

Boston College (5-6) will conclude its regular season next Saturday in Winston-Salem, where they will take on Wake Forest and fight for a chance at a .500 season and bowl eligibility. UConn (3-8) will wrap up their season next Saturday when they host Tulane.

Final: Boston College 30, UConn 0