Boston College
Rutgers*
Eagles Roll Over Rutgers, 35-25
November 15, 2003 | Football
Nov 15, 2003
By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Paul Peterson threw a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown pass with 5:54 to play and Derrick Knight rushed for 224 yards and three scores as Boston College rallied for a 35-25 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.
Peterson also threw for another touchdown and a two-point conversion as the Eagles (6-5, 2-4 Big East) kept their slim bowl hopes alive by beating Rutgers (4-6, 1-4) for the ninth straight time.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Boston College.
Ryan Sands, who kicked three field goals for the Scarlet Knights, missed a potential game-tying 43-yard field goal with 1:32 to play and Boston College leading 28-25.
Knight iced the Eagles' bowl-qualifying sixth win with three straight runs on Boston College's final drive, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown run. Knight also tallied on runs of 1 and 27 yards in posting his second straight 200-yard game against the Scarlet Knights. He gained 205 last year in his previous career best.
Ryan Hart threw a 65-yard scoring pass to Tres Moses and Nate Jones returned a kickoff 81 yards for Rutgers, which jumped to a 12-0 first quarter lead.
Trailing 22-13 at the half, Peterson showed a lot of poise in his first college start.
The junior college transfer hit Greg Toal on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to close the gap to 22-20.
Sands stretched the lead to 25-20 with a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Peterson, who was 17-of-26 for 244 yards, drove the Eagles 69 yards in six plays, hitting Larry Lester with a 17-yard scoring pass on a third-and-8 with just under six minutes to play. He added a two-point conversion to Joel Hazard.
Lester, who played at nearby Piscataway High School, also had a 48-yard catch and run on another third-and-8 play earlier in the drive.
Rutgers combined a couple of big plays and an atrocious first half by Boston College's special teams to take its lead.
Moses, who last week fumbled on a punt return in the final minute to set up Connecticut's game-winning touchdown, got behind Will Blackmon on the second play from scrimmage and scored on a 65-yard pass play.
Defensive end Raheem Orr sacked Peterson for a safety later in the quarter, and a good punt rush set up the first of two 28-yard field goals by Sands.
Knight scored on runs of 1 and 27 yards in the second quarter, but Boston College blew a point when Rutgers blocked an extra point by Mike Fassel, the son of Giants coach Jim Fassel.
Jones was almost untouched on his 81-yard kickoff return after Knight's 27-yard TD run. It was his third career kickoff return for a touchdown.
