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The Eagles continue to ride their defense to wins, in spite of their offense it seems.  BC added two more interceptions to its nation-leading total of 23, and held the Demon Deacons to 170 total yards.  The Eagles’ top-ranked unit against the rush held to form, allowing only 64 on the ground.  The first interception was an attempted pass over Mark Herzlich’s head (who was about an arm’s length away), but Herzlich leapt up, grabbed it, and had no one in front of him for the 34 yard score.

BC was up 13-0 when Chris Crane, on a keeper, was tackled with his right shoulder being driven into the turf.  Crane got up and calmly took himself off the field and was taken to the locker room for examination of what turned out to be a broken collarbone.  This opened the position to Dominique Davis, who has not played since the second game of the season when Crane was really struggling.  Davis did not impress early, fumbling on the 15 which Wake Forest picked up for the score, leaving the Eagles up 16-7 at halftime.

On the first place from scrimmage in the second half, Davis fumbled again, this time on the two and Wake Forest again scored, cutting the lead to 16-14.  At this point, all three touchdowns in the game were of the defensive variety as both offenses were struggling to move the ball at all.  Wake Forest took its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter when they blocked a Ryan Quigley punt and returned it to the one.

Riley Skinner passed to Rick Belton for the one yard score on the first play following the punt attempt.  Davis showed immense improvement in leading BC down the field on the final drive.  He made three key throws: a 10-yard pass to Brandon Robinson, a 36-yard pass to Rich Gunnell, and a 21-yarder to Robinson which put the Eagles at first and goal on the one.  Davis ran it in behind the offensive line to put BC back in front for good.  Montel Harris ran in the two point conversion to put BC up by the final of 24-21.  Davis showed great poise and touch while masterfully leading BC down the field on a nine play, 70 yard drive taking 3:45 and leaving Wake Forest just 1:12 to attempt to tie the game.  Skinner passed to D. J. Boldin for 24 on the first play and then ran for five on the second play.  BC’s defense stiffened up, forcing three incomplete passes to secure the victory.

Davis finished the game 13-23 for a modest 103 yards.  Josh Haden was the leading rusher with 76 yards and Gunnell’s 53 yards through the air led the team with Robinson one yard shy.  Herzlich added a second pick later in the game, which he returned for 28 yards.  B. J. Raji, Mike McLaughlin, and James Ramella each sacked Skinner once.  Steve Aponavicius hit all three of his field goal attempts (32, 30, 30) in the victory.  The win keeps BC alive for its second straight trip to the ACC Championship game, which only requires a win at home over Maryland next season.

Outlook

I had Wake Forest beating BC and with the Eagles getting their eighth victory, exceed my original projection.  I had BC beating Maryland and think they should do it.  The BC defense should shut down Maryland’s offense, especially on the run and they make a big play every week.  If the Terrapins are to win, quarterback Chris Turner will have to have a huge game.  Darrius Heyward-Bey, their star receiver will have to make plays as well, specifically on the misdirection with the reverse or when he gets the ball as a back.  If the BC defense can control Turner and Heyward-Bey, the offense should get short fields to work with.  Davis must simply manage the game and avoid the mistakes that could have cost BC the win on Saturday.

ACC Rewind

• Georgia Tech ran all over Miami, helping to eliminate them from Coastal Division Title
• NC State continued to find offense, beating rival UNC and costing them shot at ACC Title
• Clemson snuck by Virginia on Senior Day, preventing them from playing for ACC Title
• Virginia Tech looked less than stellar, but wins and stays alive for Title Game
• FSU destroyed Maryland and their Championship Game hopes
• Bowl Eligible (8): Boston College (8-3), Florida State (8-3), Georgia Tech (8-3), Maryland (7-4), Miami (7-4), North Carolina (7-4), Virginia Tech (7-4), and Wake Forest (6-5)
• Clemson (6-5) must beat South Carolina; Virginia (5-6) must beat Virginia Tech; NC State (5-6) must beat Miami; Duke (4-7) cannot become bowl eligible
• Atlantic Division: BC beats Maryland, sends the Eagles to Tampa; Maryland beats BC and Florida State wins the division
• Coastal Division: Virginia Tech beats Virginia and earns a berth; Virginia beats Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech goes to the Title Game

ACC Fast Forward

• Florida State does not even look to be on the same field as Florida next week
• Virginia Tech should grab Coastal Title with win against collapsing Virginia
• North Carolina should defeat arch rival Duke, who looks to be a year away from competing
• Miami should withstand challenge from surging NC State, looking for a bowl
• Georgia Tech upsets Georgia, who is not as dominant as they were thought to be
• Clemson, playing much better of late, should upset South Carolina to gain bowl eligibility
• Wake Forest should beat upstart and bowl bound Vanderbilt

Projected Top 10

1. Alabama: idle
2. Florida: first string pulled early, but even second string could not be stopped against Citadel
3. Oklahoma: defense shut down #2 Texas Tech’s potent offense in rout
4. Texas: idle
5. USC: idle
6. Penn State: wins Big 10 with easy win over Michigan State, likely headed to Rose Bowl
7. Utah: completes undefeated season with win over rival BYU to win MWC and likely head to BCS bowl
8. Boise State: outlasted Nevada to remain undefeated
9. Texas Tech: steamrolled by #5 Oklahoma should end Championship hopes
10. Ohio State: thrashes Michigan to finish 10-2 and send Wolverines to worst season in program history

UMass Update

The Minutemen finished their season 7-5, 4-4 in the CAA, disappointing given the preseason expectations, with a 28-14 win over Hofstra.  Tony Nelson punctuated his 204 yard day on the ground with two one-yard scores.  Liam Coen hit Ian Jorgenson for an eight yard score and Chris Zardas was the recipient of a one-yard passing score.  Coen had a modest day passing, 13-18 for 79 yards and one interception, because Nelson was running so strong.

Tags: Boston College, UMass