Photo by: John Quackenbos
Four Downs: Connecticut
November 19, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
BC scored 39 straight points to become bowl eligible at Fenway Park
For many, the first quarter of Saturday's game might have felt like a bad dream.
The game's first drive saw Connecticut quarterback David Pindell hit Arkeel Newsome for a 50-yard pass that led to a field goal. Two drives later, the Boston College offense gained traction off of a turnover but saw Colton Lichtenberg's 43-yard field goal attempt blocked by Luke Carrezola.
The Eagles' defense and special teams had an interception and a blocked field goal of its own, but UConn held a lead behind 172 yards of offense. Its crowd was energized, and the underdog started to believe in its hopes.
Then the second quarter happened and all hope of an upset victory quickly vanished. BC scored twice and kick started a 39-0 run en route to a 39-16 rout of Connecticut at Fenway Park.
"We came out and they were well prepared and put up 172 yards in the first quarter," BC head coach Steve Addazio said. "We were able to get ourselves back together and hold them to eight in the second (half). We played sloppy early on both sides of the ball and then I thought we anchored ourselves back down. We had a pretty good day."
BC's "good day" included its second 300-yard rushing day of the season. AJ Dillon had his second 200-yard game of the season, averaging over eight yards per carry. His 50-plus yard touchdown run was another highlight reel play, and watching him carry defenders into the end zone resonated well beyond his potential.
"(The mindset) started to kick in once I started to get more towards the end zone," Dillon said of carrying defenders into his score. "I go out there every offensive play and try to get in the end zone, so I did whatever I could to try to get in."
He was hardly alone. Jon Hilliman scored a 45-yard touchdown run and finished with 107 yards on 10 carries. It was his seventh-career 100-yard game and 25th career touchdown. His teammate is a budding superstar, but it was a healthy reminder of a player who ran for 148 yards in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.
The duo paved the road for the Eagles' sixth win. Boston College is bowl eligible. The Eagles will play in a postseason game for the fourth time in five years.
Here's what else can be taken away from a glorious night at the Fens:
*****
First Down: Bowl Eligibility
I firmly believe in not talking about the next step until it's been achieved, so I haven't really talked about Boston College's bowl prospects. That can now change with the win on Saturday night.
I remember talking about the bowl landscape before the Wake Forest game last season because it was so different in the 1990s. There were only 18 bowl games, and the conference alignment across the country was much more regional. The Bowl Alliance attempted to determine a national champion, but it didn't include the Rose Bowl in its rotation.
There are 40 bowl games now, and a team can make a bowl game by simply finishing with a .500 record. But it's not a bad thing and getting to .500 isn't easy. Conferences are much more national, and as a result, schedules are much tougher because there are limited numbers of non-conference games.
Bowl games are great litmus tests. They give a team extra practices, but they also give teams similar opponents. They take the entire season profile and place a team into the right game against the right opponent. That puts a premium on next week's rivalry game at Syracuse.
"(The win) was very gratifying for all of us in that locker room," Steve Addazio said. "The beautiful thing is that we know what an unbelievable future we have. Most of all those players will be back. We are forcing ourselves to play a lot of guys right now that would have never played but now they are - and they are quality players. It's going to bode very well as we go forward. (But) right now our biggest thing is (to) get ready for a great week (because) we are playing our rival Syracuse."
"I think it just shows how resilient our team is," defensive back Lukas Denis said. "The way we prepare and our mindset is to always fight. We have lost some key players this season but that just made us want to go harder for those guys. They put a lot of time into this game. Most of these guys are seniors, and we owe it to them to play like we do."
Boston College once had the longest bowl streak in the nation with 12 straight games. The streak included two trips to Nashville, two trips to Charlotte and three trips to the Bay Area. BC faced teams from all over the nation and competed against future NFL starting quarterbacks. The games were as much a reward as they were solid competition. Making a bowl game is always an accomplishment, and the Eagles are now qualified for the fourth time in five years.
*****
Second Down: Boston College offense
Darius Wade only attempted 15 passes on Saturday night and finished with 55 yards and a touchdown. He didn't really need to do that much because of the running game, which had the aforementioned success. But Wade had his own brand of success, throwing a touchdown pass to Chris Garrison for BC's first score.
It was the second time Wade and Garrison hooked up on that drive, and it was Garrison's first career touchdown. It was also a watershed moment for a player who had to rehab himself from a season-ending knee injury.
"There were big plays that hurt us defensively all game long," UConn head coach Randy Edsall said. "(We) missed a gap, guy ran under a block on a long run. We didn't get deep enough, we had them on third down and couldn't get off (the field). In the second quarter, we are not built to go three-and-out and use less than a minute of the clock and for our defense to go right back out there. We didn't get that done, and we didn't tackle as well as the game went on."
It ultimately will be overshadowed by AJ Dillon. Dillon's season is up to 10th in Boston College single season history, and he ranks fourth among ACC freshmen all-time. He had 140 yards and a touchdown in the first half - or 30 yards less than what UConn managed the whole game. For context, it also came while UConn simply stacked the box with nine or two players.
"It is definitely more of a challenge when there are more guys in there, but I take it as a sign of respect," Dillon said. "It forces me to go harder. If there's more guys in there, I want to be able to break those. I guess it's just a mindset."
*****
Third Down: UConn
The first quarter proved UConn could compete when David Pindell led it down the field on the game's first drive. It proved it had heart and no quit later in the game when the score was out of hand.
Massachusetts product Kevin Mensah broke off a 70-yard touchdown run and Pindell hit Hergy Mayala for a 43-yard touchdown pass to score 13 points down the end of the fourth quarter. It's a bit of positive for the Huskies, who are rebuilding as they look to compete within the American Athletic Conference.
Pindell finished with 14 completions for 241 yards. He threw the one touchdown at the end of the game, and he hit for a couple of big plays. But the UConn offense wasn't consistent enough because the BC defense imposed its will over the longer body of work.
Lukas Denis recorded his sixth interception of the season, and Hamp Cheevers and Taj-Amir Torres each had one of their own, with the latter being a pick six. Up front, Noa Merritt recorded two sacks for a loss of 16 yards, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
"(The Boston College defense) took David away," Randy Edsall said. "They put a guy out there and didn't let him run the ball. They forced us to hand the ball of and we didn't get a whole lot of movement."
*****
Fourth Down: Fenway Park
Fenway Park lived up its billing as a quirky but fun venue for college football. UConn moved the home game from its home in East Hartford up to Boston, so the stadium had the American conference logo. But the Eagles asserted city dominance with the win, improving the program to 55-17-5. It also broke the two-game losing streak dating back to 1956.
Both coaching staffs were well aware of the logistical issues of playing on the same sidelines, which made substituting tricky. BC also, as Steve Addazio said during the week, half-dressed with leg pads on campus before donning the road white jerseys and shoulder pads at Fenway.
The players themselves enjoyed the atmosphere and took in the experience of playing inside the hallowed walls.
"I'm a Connecticut guy so this is the mecca for New England sports," defensive end Zach Allen said. "During the summers, (BC players) are here for workouts and whenever we can, we try to come (to Fenway). It's really an awesome experience. My freshman year, we lost to Notre Dame in a close game but this year to get a win over UConn was really good for the program and good for everybody."
"This is an experience I'll never forget," AJ Dillon said, though he also admitted he was a New York Yankees fan. "I'm from Connecticut and I've been at Fenway before to watch games. I was at the Notre Dame game two years ago thinking it must be amazing to be on that field. Today I got that opportunity. I just wanted to soak it in. The that's here for BC and baseball and the city of Boston - definitely a special venue to be playing at. You have to take advantage of the time that you have here."
*****
Point After: Bowl Possibilities
The ACC's bowl profile is going to be one of the most interesting stories going into the next couple of weeks because of the conference's strength. 11 ACC teams are either already at six wins or within a game thereof, and half of them are anywhere from 4-3 through 3-4 in the league.
NCAA.com talked about the possibility for mass chaos entering this week. Both Clemson and Miami entered this week with two of the four College Football Playoff spots and are locked into a collision course for the ACC Championship Game. The winner likely heads to the CFP, but it's possible both teams could wind up in national semifinal matchups.
The Orange Bowl must take the ACC's highest-ranked non-playoff team, which means that a third team could get into a New Year's Six game. If that happens, the entire pecking order for ACC bowl games then gets thrown a little bit on its side, especially since both the Big Ten and Notre Dame factor into the conference's bowl selection.
That places a huge premium on next week's game at Syracuse. A BC win could open the door for a Tier I game, which might include a trip to the coveted Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. But it could also mean the Eagles could return to a place like Nashville for the Music City Bowl or Charlotte for the Belk Bowl.
The Orange lost to Louisville on Saturday, rendering them ineligible with a seventh loss. But Syracuse has a funny way of popping up at opportune moments, creating memories of both celebrated victories and gut-wrenching defeats. It creates a true rivalry, and it sets the stage for a wild final game.
"(Syracuse) throws the ball a lot, and they are pretty successful in the pass game," Lukas Denis said. "That will be the ultimate challenge. I just can't wait for it and I know all the guys are ready to prepare for this game. We have been waiting for this game for a long time. We are just going to go out there and try to dominate."
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The game's first drive saw Connecticut quarterback David Pindell hit Arkeel Newsome for a 50-yard pass that led to a field goal. Two drives later, the Boston College offense gained traction off of a turnover but saw Colton Lichtenberg's 43-yard field goal attempt blocked by Luke Carrezola.
The Eagles' defense and special teams had an interception and a blocked field goal of its own, but UConn held a lead behind 172 yards of offense. Its crowd was energized, and the underdog started to believe in its hopes.
Then the second quarter happened and all hope of an upset victory quickly vanished. BC scored twice and kick started a 39-0 run en route to a 39-16 rout of Connecticut at Fenway Park.
"We came out and they were well prepared and put up 172 yards in the first quarter," BC head coach Steve Addazio said. "We were able to get ourselves back together and hold them to eight in the second (half). We played sloppy early on both sides of the ball and then I thought we anchored ourselves back down. We had a pretty good day."
BC's "good day" included its second 300-yard rushing day of the season. AJ Dillon had his second 200-yard game of the season, averaging over eight yards per carry. His 50-plus yard touchdown run was another highlight reel play, and watching him carry defenders into the end zone resonated well beyond his potential.
"(The mindset) started to kick in once I started to get more towards the end zone," Dillon said of carrying defenders into his score. "I go out there every offensive play and try to get in the end zone, so I did whatever I could to try to get in."
He was hardly alone. Jon Hilliman scored a 45-yard touchdown run and finished with 107 yards on 10 carries. It was his seventh-career 100-yard game and 25th career touchdown. His teammate is a budding superstar, but it was a healthy reminder of a player who ran for 148 yards in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.
The duo paved the road for the Eagles' sixth win. Boston College is bowl eligible. The Eagles will play in a postseason game for the fourth time in five years.
Here's what else can be taken away from a glorious night at the Fens:
*****
First Down: Bowl Eligibility
I firmly believe in not talking about the next step until it's been achieved, so I haven't really talked about Boston College's bowl prospects. That can now change with the win on Saturday night.
I remember talking about the bowl landscape before the Wake Forest game last season because it was so different in the 1990s. There were only 18 bowl games, and the conference alignment across the country was much more regional. The Bowl Alliance attempted to determine a national champion, but it didn't include the Rose Bowl in its rotation.
There are 40 bowl games now, and a team can make a bowl game by simply finishing with a .500 record. But it's not a bad thing and getting to .500 isn't easy. Conferences are much more national, and as a result, schedules are much tougher because there are limited numbers of non-conference games.
Bowl games are great litmus tests. They give a team extra practices, but they also give teams similar opponents. They take the entire season profile and place a team into the right game against the right opponent. That puts a premium on next week's rivalry game at Syracuse.
"(The win) was very gratifying for all of us in that locker room," Steve Addazio said. "The beautiful thing is that we know what an unbelievable future we have. Most of all those players will be back. We are forcing ourselves to play a lot of guys right now that would have never played but now they are - and they are quality players. It's going to bode very well as we go forward. (But) right now our biggest thing is (to) get ready for a great week (because) we are playing our rival Syracuse."
"I think it just shows how resilient our team is," defensive back Lukas Denis said. "The way we prepare and our mindset is to always fight. We have lost some key players this season but that just made us want to go harder for those guys. They put a lot of time into this game. Most of these guys are seniors, and we owe it to them to play like we do."
Boston College once had the longest bowl streak in the nation with 12 straight games. The streak included two trips to Nashville, two trips to Charlotte and three trips to the Bay Area. BC faced teams from all over the nation and competed against future NFL starting quarterbacks. The games were as much a reward as they were solid competition. Making a bowl game is always an accomplishment, and the Eagles are now qualified for the fourth time in five years.
*****
Second Down: Boston College offense
Darius Wade only attempted 15 passes on Saturday night and finished with 55 yards and a touchdown. He didn't really need to do that much because of the running game, which had the aforementioned success. But Wade had his own brand of success, throwing a touchdown pass to Chris Garrison for BC's first score.
It was the second time Wade and Garrison hooked up on that drive, and it was Garrison's first career touchdown. It was also a watershed moment for a player who had to rehab himself from a season-ending knee injury.
"There were big plays that hurt us defensively all game long," UConn head coach Randy Edsall said. "(We) missed a gap, guy ran under a block on a long run. We didn't get deep enough, we had them on third down and couldn't get off (the field). In the second quarter, we are not built to go three-and-out and use less than a minute of the clock and for our defense to go right back out there. We didn't get that done, and we didn't tackle as well as the game went on."
It ultimately will be overshadowed by AJ Dillon. Dillon's season is up to 10th in Boston College single season history, and he ranks fourth among ACC freshmen all-time. He had 140 yards and a touchdown in the first half - or 30 yards less than what UConn managed the whole game. For context, it also came while UConn simply stacked the box with nine or two players.
"It is definitely more of a challenge when there are more guys in there, but I take it as a sign of respect," Dillon said. "It forces me to go harder. If there's more guys in there, I want to be able to break those. I guess it's just a mindset."
*****
Third Down: UConn
The first quarter proved UConn could compete when David Pindell led it down the field on the game's first drive. It proved it had heart and no quit later in the game when the score was out of hand.
Massachusetts product Kevin Mensah broke off a 70-yard touchdown run and Pindell hit Hergy Mayala for a 43-yard touchdown pass to score 13 points down the end of the fourth quarter. It's a bit of positive for the Huskies, who are rebuilding as they look to compete within the American Athletic Conference.
Pindell finished with 14 completions for 241 yards. He threw the one touchdown at the end of the game, and he hit for a couple of big plays. But the UConn offense wasn't consistent enough because the BC defense imposed its will over the longer body of work.
Lukas Denis recorded his sixth interception of the season, and Hamp Cheevers and Taj-Amir Torres each had one of their own, with the latter being a pick six. Up front, Noa Merritt recorded two sacks for a loss of 16 yards, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
"(The Boston College defense) took David away," Randy Edsall said. "They put a guy out there and didn't let him run the ball. They forced us to hand the ball of and we didn't get a whole lot of movement."
*****
Fourth Down: Fenway Park
Fenway Park lived up its billing as a quirky but fun venue for college football. UConn moved the home game from its home in East Hartford up to Boston, so the stadium had the American conference logo. But the Eagles asserted city dominance with the win, improving the program to 55-17-5. It also broke the two-game losing streak dating back to 1956.
Both coaching staffs were well aware of the logistical issues of playing on the same sidelines, which made substituting tricky. BC also, as Steve Addazio said during the week, half-dressed with leg pads on campus before donning the road white jerseys and shoulder pads at Fenway.
The players themselves enjoyed the atmosphere and took in the experience of playing inside the hallowed walls.
"I'm a Connecticut guy so this is the mecca for New England sports," defensive end Zach Allen said. "During the summers, (BC players) are here for workouts and whenever we can, we try to come (to Fenway). It's really an awesome experience. My freshman year, we lost to Notre Dame in a close game but this year to get a win over UConn was really good for the program and good for everybody."
"This is an experience I'll never forget," AJ Dillon said, though he also admitted he was a New York Yankees fan. "I'm from Connecticut and I've been at Fenway before to watch games. I was at the Notre Dame game two years ago thinking it must be amazing to be on that field. Today I got that opportunity. I just wanted to soak it in. The that's here for BC and baseball and the city of Boston - definitely a special venue to be playing at. You have to take advantage of the time that you have here."
*****
Point After: Bowl Possibilities
The ACC's bowl profile is going to be one of the most interesting stories going into the next couple of weeks because of the conference's strength. 11 ACC teams are either already at six wins or within a game thereof, and half of them are anywhere from 4-3 through 3-4 in the league.
NCAA.com talked about the possibility for mass chaos entering this week. Both Clemson and Miami entered this week with two of the four College Football Playoff spots and are locked into a collision course for the ACC Championship Game. The winner likely heads to the CFP, but it's possible both teams could wind up in national semifinal matchups.
The Orange Bowl must take the ACC's highest-ranked non-playoff team, which means that a third team could get into a New Year's Six game. If that happens, the entire pecking order for ACC bowl games then gets thrown a little bit on its side, especially since both the Big Ten and Notre Dame factor into the conference's bowl selection.
That places a huge premium on next week's game at Syracuse. A BC win could open the door for a Tier I game, which might include a trip to the coveted Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. But it could also mean the Eagles could return to a place like Nashville for the Music City Bowl or Charlotte for the Belk Bowl.
The Orange lost to Louisville on Saturday, rendering them ineligible with a seventh loss. But Syracuse has a funny way of popping up at opportune moments, creating memories of both celebrated victories and gut-wrenching defeats. It creates a true rivalry, and it sets the stage for a wild final game.
"(Syracuse) throws the ball a lot, and they are pretty successful in the pass game," Lukas Denis said. "That will be the ultimate challenge. I just can't wait for it and I know all the guys are ready to prepare for this game. We have been waiting for this game for a long time. We are just going to go out there and try to dominate."
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Players Mentioned
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