Boston College Shuts Down Syracuse as Eagles Roll to 28-7 Win
The Boston College Eagles ended their regular season with a bang against the Syracuse Orange.
The Eagles defense shut down freshman quarterback A.J. Long and the Orange offense, while BC scored a touchdown every quarter en route to a 28-7 win at Alumni Stadium on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Tyler Murphy threw for 160 yards and a score, while BC combined for 142 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.
The Eagles struck first right out of the gate, as sophomore Myles Willis took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown return that put BC up, 7-0, just 12 seconds into the game.
BC held off the Orange for most of the first quarter, but Syracuse got on the board with 1:43 left in the frame on a four-yard touchdown run by Long that knotted the game, 7-7.
A first-quarter scrum that spilled onto the Syracuse sideline halted the game for several minutes as the officials sorted out the mess. Both sides were assessed offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, but Syracuse’s Ryan Sloan was given a personal foul and ejected from the game for coming off the bench.
The Eagles had a chance to take back the lead late in the half, but they couldn’t get the ball into the end zone after getting a 1st-and-goal, then came away with nothing as freshman kicker Mike Knoll missed a 36-yard field goal attempt with 4:48 left in the first half.
BC was able to reclaim their seven-point edge before the clock expired on the second quarter, as Murphy hit freshman Sherman Alston for a 26-yard touchdown with 1:10 to play in the half. After an interception off Long by BC junior Mike Strizak on the first Syracuse drive of the second half, freshman Jon Hilliman punched it into the end zone from seven yards out to increase the Eagles’ lead to 21-7.
The Eagles made it a three-touchdown game with 8:43 to play in the fourth quarter, as sophomore Tyler Rouse ran 42 yards for a touchdown to give BC a 28-7 lead. An interception by senior Sean Duggan with 3:02 remaining sealed the win for the Eagles.
BC improved to 7-5 overall on the season and look play in a bowl game for the second straight year. They appeared in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl in 2013, losing to Arizona 42-19.
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