Twenty-two years, 11 months, and one day.
It's been that long since Boston College has beaten Miami. But this time, the Eagles didn't need any final- prayer Hail Mary passes to accomplish it.
As Virginia and Virginia Tech battled it out a little south of Chestnut Hill for the opportunity to face the Eagles next weekend in Jacksonville, Fla., BC finished its regular season with a 28-14 win over the Hurricanes on a sunny but cold Senior Day at Alumni Stadium.
"What Doug did, that was great," said BC head coach Jeff Jagodzinski of Doug Flutie's play in 1984. "Now, [everyone's] gonna talk about what Ryan did, and what Silva did, and what Nick Larkin did. That's the kind of team we've got now."
His name wasn't Flutie, but this group of Eagles did need their Heisman- candidate quarterback to pull off the historic victory. Matt Ryan vaulted himself back into the race for football's most prestigious award with a gritty 369-yard, three-touchdown performance.
For the second consecutive week, sophomore wideout Rich Gunnell was Ryan's prime target, registering 135 yards on nine receptions, including a career-long 49-yard reception that set up the Eagles' go-ahead drive in the final quarter.
After the Eagles took a 14-0 halftime lead, the Hurricanes showed a renewed vigor to become bowl eligible for the 10th consecutive season and deadlocked the game with just under 12 minutes remaining. Behind Ryan, Gunnell, and senior running back Andre Callender, however, the Eagles withstood the pressure.
After deferring the opening kickoff, the Hurricanes quickly gained possession after stripping tight end Jon Loyte of a short pass, taking over on the BC 47 after just two plays. However, Miami came up empty and was forced to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the 39, and Wright threw an incomplete pass.
The Eagles took over on downs and put together what was once a promising drive but quickly turned sour. After Ryan set BC up for first-and-goal from the 9, four penalty calls - beginning with a chop block - forced the Eagles all the way back to the 37. Ryan connected with Callender for a 23-yard gain, but a couple of incompletions forced BC into a 31-yard field goal attempt, which kicker Steve Aponavicius sent wide right of the uprights.
2008 Woodie Awards
