BC earns bowl eligibility and wins over UNC

University sports

In an unpredictable season stuffed with ups and downs, the Boston College football team has lacked consistency.

The Eagles, who had been on the lookout for a whole game since losing to Duquesne in Week 2, finally found one Saturday against North Carolina.

BC dominated the ball on each side and ran away an awesome 41:21 triumph at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) intercepted three passes, stopped the Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4) on their first 10 third-down attempts and dominated possession.

Boston College is bowl eligible for the eighth time in nine seasons and has won five home games for the primary time since 2018.

“It wasn't perfect, don't get me wrong, but these kids worked really hard for us,” first-year coach Bill O'Brien said. “I am very happy for her. It’s very well deserved.”

For the fortieth anniversary of the miracle in miamiand with the members of this team present, BC delivered a formidable performance. O'Brien said he showed his team the ultimate drive Friday as an example what playing to the top looks like.

“There is a lot of tradition here at Boston College,” O’Brien said. “Having these guys here meant a lot to our program.”

The Eagles played enthusiastic, collaborative football from the beginning. They orchestrated two methodical 13-play scoring drives to open the sport and overwhelmed the Tar Heels at the road of scrimmage. The first drive ended with a 49-yard field goal by Liam Connor that crawled over the crossbar, and the second resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Grayson James.

Boston College did most of its damage within the air in the primary half. UNC made it some extent to stop the run, and Lewis Bond (9 catches, 81 yards) and the Eagles took advantage.

“We got things going early,” James said. “We played our football.”

A 24-yard Johnathan Montague Jr. touchdown run with a well-disguised end-around increased the result in 17-0 at 9:05 of the second quarter.

North Carolina got on the sector when Chris Culliver returned the following kickoff 95 yards, making it 17-7.

BC made sure UNC didn't stay in momentum for long. After a poor end to the half a defeat for Southern Methodist The week before, the Eagles finished with conviction on Saturday.

“We’ve had these leads all season,” BC linebacker Joe Marinaro said. “We need to continue to grow these leads, turn them into insurmountable leads and keep pushing. We know we have to improve this year and I think we did that really well today.”

Marinaro intercepted a pass from Jacolby Criswell and returned it 18 yards to the UNC 32, sparking probably the most enthusiastic celebrations of the season on the BC sideline. Marinaro, a former walk-on who became a captain this season, continues to fill BC's linebacker shortage admirably.

The pick paved the best way for an 18-yard touchdown pass from James (18 for 27, 192 yards) to Reed Harris with 40 seconds left within the half. James ran the ball past two defenders in order that only the 6-foot-2 Harris could hold on to it.

“I don’t think anything can replace experience,” James said. “I feel like I've gotten better with every game I've played and every practice. Game replays are of the utmost importance. I’m comfortable with the guys out there and they’re comfortable with me.”

Donovan Ezeiruaku sacked Criswell on UNC's next possession, and Carter Davis intercepted a pass in the long run zone to solidify the Eagles' lead at halftime.

BC neutralized star running back Omarion Hampton — who entered the day second within the nation in rushing yards — by holding him to 23 yards on six carries and 53 total yards on 11 attempts in the primary half. The Eagles limited the ACC's best running attack to -3 rushing yards within the half and had a 240-77 net yards advantage while dominating possession 20:33 to 9:27.

Boston College kept the ball rolling early within the third quarter as a 52-yard punt return by Isaiah Farris arrange a 27-yard field goal by Connor, making it 27-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles prolonged the result in 34-7 with 12:38 left when pressure from Neto Okpala led to a 78-yard pick-6 from Ryan Turner.

“Ryan Turner has gone from the bottom of the depth chart to the top of the depth chart,” O’Brien said. “He deserves it. He stays there. It wasn’t easy for him.”

Kye Robichaux (23 carries, 93 yards) added an 8-yard TD rush in the ultimate minutes.

UNC scored two goals in the ultimate 2:09 of the sport due to two rushes from Davion Gause, however the consequence was decided long before then.

The defensive position dictated the motion because the Eagles finished with seven sacks, throwing Criswell out of rhythm. BC totaled 420 net yards to UNC's 212, while the Tar Heels averaged 1.4 yards per rush and had 13 total first downs.

“The D-line played really well,” O’Brien said. “They probably played their best game.”

It was only one game, however it showed how dangerous this Eagles team could be when all the pieces goes right.

Boston College welcomes Pittsburgh (7-3, 3-3) to town next Saturday at 3 p.m to finish the regular season. The Eagles have larger goals, but this was a milestone knowing they shall be playing well into December.

“We feel like we still have a few weeks left on the table,” Center Drew Kendall said. “We just had to go out there and execute for a full 60 minutes and we did that today.”