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CHESTNUT HILL - Fifteen games: That is the extent of the Boston College-Notre Dame football series (or rivalry, depending on who you talk to). By the buzz around campus and the number of green-clad visitors to Chestnut Hill, you wouldn't be able to tell that these two teams have met only a handful of times.
The series that had its seeds planted in 1975 has given BC's last-second field goals (1993), complete thrashings (1992 by ND, 1994 by BC), goal-line stands (1998), and stunning upsets (2002). And Saturday, with the Irish not returning to the Heights until 2008, another chapter of that dramatic history was written and it was dedicated to the BC faithful.
"This [win] was huge for our school: for our students, our faculty, our alumni ...," said BC head coach Tom O'Brien. "I think that if you coach and play at Boston College you have to beat Notre Dame. That's one thing that you have to get done. I think it's a powerful, powerful win for this team."
Saturday's game clearly didn't have the BCS implications of the nationally-televised battle for the Ireland Trophy one year ago. The Irish had their sights on adding another national championship to their program's storied history, but the Eagles came out of South Bend carrying a 14-7 win and pieces of turf as souvenirs of the upset. This season, the only Catholic universities that compete in division 1-A football had their own storylines in mind.
The Eagles (5-3, 1-2 in Big East) returned home trying to put a 39-14 loss at Syracuse behind them while concentrating on coming one game closer to the six victories necessary for bowl eligibility.
The Irish (2-5), with their shamrock-green jerseys safely locked away in South Bend, limped into town carrying their own baggage. The Irish have clearly been reeling after last year's stunning loss to the Eagles, as evidenced by their 8-12 record since that game. Added to that was the fact that ND was torched by the USC Trojans, 45-14, a week earlier. The two teams need a win.
ND's first play from scrimmage put the fear of a rout in the minds of BC followers.
Clearly expecting a first-down run by talented back Julius Jones, the Eagles were beaten deep on a play action fake by ND quarterback, Brady Quinn, for a gain of 51 yards. But Eagle linebacker Brian Flores and the BC defense stepped up to the challenge on BC's own 20 and stopped the Irish from gaining another first down on the ground and forced a wobbly 38-yard field goal.
Poor play for both teams continued throughout most of the first quarter framed by penalties and the familiar streaky punting unit of the Eagles and equally poor punting from the Fighting Irish.
The teams had punts of 17 yards and 29 yards, respectively. BC was the first to take advantage of the good field position by marching off a seven-play, 63-yard drive capped off by a perfectly thrown ball from quarterback Quinton Porter to tight end Dave Kashetta at the end of the first quarter.
Following the touchdown, the game's momentum began to lean in the Eagles' favor. Running back Horace Dodd was able to carry some of the load by filling in for an injured Derrick Knight. Knight, currently ranked second in the nation in rushing, created a few tense moments for Eagle fans when he was down on the BC sideline.
With Knight surrounded by trainers, Dodd fought through a defender in the backfield for a one-yard gain on fourth down then broke off a 24-yard scamper before finding the end zone for the eighth time this season - a team high - one play later.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles' defense was using the bend-but-not-break strategy by denying the Irish on their third-down attempts. Left tackle Tim Bulman had a solid game, getting his hands on a number of balls while putting pressure on Quinn. Corner back Will Blackmon also had an impressive game.
Although the BC secondary was lit up at times by Quinn and the Irish giving up 350 yards passing, Blackmon was able to make a couple of big open field tackles and his return yards on kickoffs were crucial throughout the game. The 'D' held the Fighting Irish to only two field goals in the first half.
The second half gave the now full stadium a new look at the Eagles offense.
An inability to open holes for the run against the strong ND defensive front forced O'Brien and offensive coordinator Dana Bible to rely on the strong right arm of ever-improving Quinton Porter (13 of 25 passing for 199 yards and 16 rushes for 41 yards) and the quarterback's favorite receiving target, wideout Grant Adams.
"Grant comes up big every time," said Porter.
On two plays following an offensive penalty, Porter found Adams for gains of 26 and 23 yards. Adams ended his stellar performance with four catches for 103 yards. Each remarkable grab was overshadowed by the pass from the QB. Porter played an outstanding game, showing great poise and leadership, and proved just how far he has come since the loss to Wake Forest.
"This week, [Quinton Porter] was into this football game as much as I've seen him in his progress here," said O'Brien. "There were some sparks and some things that he did today that I think were very good and that we can build on."
"It's hard not be excited [playing against ND]. It's all emotion and the hard part is trying to neutralize the emotion," said Porter. He was able to avoid the rush and took advantage of the running lanes created by the ND defensive scheme to pick up first downs on the ground.
With a comfortable lead and a great running back to burn time off the clock, it appeared the Ireland Trophy and Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl would be collecting dust at Chestnut Hill for yet another year. But then again, we're in Boston: a place where no lead is safe and heartbreak is an annual tradition.
Sure enough, following a quick ND score, BC punter Jeff Gomulinski couldn't handle a low snap and was tackled for the loss on fourth down. Another punt was blocked and returned by Irish corner back Carlos Campbell for a touchdown. Fans around the stadium stopped their lighthearted chit-chat and came to the dreadful realization that the game was now 25-24 in favor of the Fighting Irish.
This game was important as for the Eagles. Aside from the personal gratification of beating its rivals, Boston College needed this win to keep a bid for a fifth consecutive bowl bid alive.
In the event of a tie between BC and ND at the end of the season, the Irish would have been invited to any Big East bowl game ahead of the Eagles due to a "tie-in" agreement with the conference.
Blackmon stepped up to the challenge first. He received the kickoff and sped up the right side through a seam to the 49-yard line, nearly taking it to the house.
Porter then charged onto the field and completed another crucial third down to Adams for 26 yards.
With 38 seconds left on the clock, and as many in the stands inevitably knew would happen, the game would be decided by special teams.
Eagles' place kicker Sandro Sciortino nailed a 26-yard field goal to give BC the deciding score of 27-25. Once again, a BC-ND game was decided by a field goal in the waning minutes.
"As a team, we needed some confidence," said BC linebacker and co-captain Josh Ott. "We needed a win and we needed to put some smiles back on our faces."
BC had every reason to smile after the game. With the win, the Eagles hav e won the last three games against their Catholic cousins and improved their overall record to 9-6.
The game, which may have officially announced the rivalry, was a perfect ending to an incredible story that began in 1975.
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