ORLANDO, Fla.-It was all so familiar.

Boston College falls behind early, only to stage a comeback late in the second quarter and, just as soon as the team seems completely in control of the game, it allows the opponent to come roaring back. Suddenly, you're looking at the clock, and the other team has the ball with a little over two minutes remaining. BC is only up by a few points. Another touchdown for the other team will win it all.

But it doesn't happen. The other team doesn't get that touchdown, and BC goes home with the prize.

It was all so familiar last night as the Eagles (11-3) battled Big Ten opponent Michigan State (7-6) in the Champs Sports Bowl. BC came out of the gates looking tired, bored, and confused, and Michigan State looked eager to prove its worth in its first postseason appearance since 2003, but the tides turned quickly. The Eagles managed to take a second-quarter lead that they would never relinquish - although they came pretty close - and flew home to Chestnut Hill with a 24-21 victory and another notch to add to the nation's longest active bowl winning streak.

"You never want to be the team to end the streak," admitted Eagles safety Jamie Silva after the game. "Being here on the sidelines and playing [in] five consecutive wins is something really special."

Yes, it was quite familiar territory for the Eagles, but simultaneously, it was extremely foreign. It was the last game of an era for 17 fifth-year seniors who refused to tarnish their last college football experience with a loss.

Eagles head coach Jeff Jagodzinski found himself saying goodbye to players he only had the pleasure of coaching for one season, and he surely will not forget those who comprised the winningest class in BC history - especially first team All American Silva, who garnered the game's Most Valuable Player honors, and former Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Ryan.

"I wish both these guys were back next year," the coach said after the game. "There's a reason these guys have gotten all these postseason awards. Jamie showed [why] tonight, and so did Matt."

Silva certainly proved his worth to the Eagles tonight after coming up with two key interceptions in the first half, one of which set up BC's first scoring drive. The picks robbed Michigan State of at least 10 points, possibly 14, which came in handy at the end of the game, when the Eagles found themselves leading by a mere three points.

"They've got a great defense," said Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio. "I think Silva's an excellent football player, and I have to give [Matt Ryan] credit - that guy can throw it a mile."

While Ryan's numbers were modest compared to most of his other performances this season - he threw for just 249 yards and three touchdowns - his veteran impact did not go unnoticed.

After the team fell behind within the first minutes of the game on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Spartans quarterback Brian Hoyer to Kellen Davis, the Eagles could not find a way to produce on offense, so they received a little help from the defense. Linebacker Mark Herzlich recovered a Michigan State fumble that set the Eagles up on their own 11-yard line, and with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Ryan connected with tight end Jon Loyte to deadlock the game at seven.

Then, midway through the second quarter, he put BC up 14-7 on the first of two touchdown passes to Rich Gunnell. The receiver, who has had a flair for the dramatic, game-changing touchdown pass lately, finished with 138 yards, including a 68-yard reception in the fourth quarter that put the Eagles up by 11.

But even as the clock struck nine minutes in the fourth quarter, the Spartans refused to give up. Hoyer, who was still attempting to rebound from the two interceptions to Silva and another third-quarter pick to Kevin Akins, brought the Spartans within a field goal after he connected with Deon Curry for a 14-yard touchdown pass and then with Davis for the two-point conversion with six minutes remaining.

BC suffered three-and-outs on their next two possessions, landing the ball in Michigan State's hands with just 2:45 remaining. Facing first-and-10 from their own four-yard line, the Spartans initiated a drive that ended in agony after one short pass, which was picked off by the Eagles' Paul Anderson.

That interception, Hoyer's fourth of the night, sealed the win for BC that was the eighth in a long series of bowl wins, a recurring experience for the Eagles.

Yet next year, when Jagodzinski steps on the field in Cleveland for the 2008 season opener, he will be without Jamie Silva, Matt Ryan, Nick Larkin, DeJuan Tribble, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and 12 other members of the team that gave BC fans nationwide a season to remember.

He will, however, have a bunch of new kids to learn to love over the next four years.

"I'm bringing in 25 guys just like them," Jagodzinski said. "Character guys. BC guys."