Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Temple
Football Has No Problem With Temple, 31-3
November 04, 2000 | Football
Nov. 4, 2000
Listen to Post game comments
?Tim Hasselbeck
?William Green
?Coach O'Brien
?Ramon Johnson and Lenny Walls
By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON -- Boston College erased the memory of a gambling scandal with last year's 8-3 season and a bowl berth in the Insight.com Bowl.
Thanks to a 31-3 victory over Temple on Saturday, it looks like the Eagles will have a chance to erase the memory of their disastrous postseason appearance with a second consecutive bowl game.
"I understand where this program has been and I understand where it is now," said lineman Paul Zukauskas, who joined the team in 1997, a year after 13 players were suspended for violating NCAA rules against gambling. "We had a lot of adversity in that first year. But now we have back-to-back winning seasons. ... I'm really excited to be a part of that."
William Green ran for 91 yards to pass the 1,000-yard mark for the season as Boston College (6-3, 2-3 Big East) clinched a winning season. With games remaining on the road against No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 3 Miami, Boston College most likely needed to beat Temple to become eligible for a bowl berth.
The Eagles did it easily, opening a 21-point lead two minutes into the second quarter and nursing it the rest of the way.
"I think it's a great step forward for the program," said coach Tom O'Brien, who joined the team in the aftermath of the gambling scandal and led it to last year's Insight.com Bowl, where it lost to Colorado 62-28.
Temple (4-5, 1-4) has Syracuse and Pittsburgh remaining - both at home. The Owls need to beat both to record a winning season.
"There is not a lot to say except that we have to rebound," coach Bobby Wallace said. "We have two home games left and still have an opportunity to do what we set out to do - that is, to have a winning season."
The leading rusher in the Big East, Green is the 14th player in Boston College history to rush for 1,000 yards or more. It is the third consecutive season the Eagles have had a 1,000-yard rusher - the first time that has happened.
Green, who had a scoring run and catch, had 73 rushing yards through three quarters and picked up four more early in the fourth. On the Eagles' next drive, he ran four consecutive times, passing the milestone with a 4-yard run on third-and-4.
When he left the game one play later, he was cheered on his way to the sidelines, where teammates greeted him with hugs.
"We did it," Green said, crediting his blockers as much as himself. "Most of the time, I'm not getting touched until I get through the hole. They have been doing a heck of a job."
Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks during the game: Matt Hasselbeck of BC with a left knee injury and Devin Scott of Temple with a bruised jaw. Hasselbeck was scheduled to have an MRI exam Sunday, and O'Brien said he would not play against Notre Dame.
"I heard something pop and my knee went the wrong way," said Hasselbeck, who completed 8-of-12 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. "Hopefully, this wasn't my last game."
Hasselbeck also scored on a bootleg on a fourth-and-1 from the Temple 30 yard-line with 7:14 left in the first quarter. Jamal Burke made a nice play to bring in a 28-yard pass and set up Green's 13-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0.
Hasselbeck hit Green with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 12:53 left in the second quarter to make it 21-0. Green also made a touchdown-saving tackle when Jamal Wallace intercepted Brian St. Pierre and ran it back 45 yards to the BC 6.
That set up Cap Poklemba's 21-yard field goal, which made it 21-3 midway through the third.
Boston College added a 19-yard touchdown pass from St. Pierre to Dedrick Dewalt to make it 28-3. Mike Sutphin kicked a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
St. Pierre was 11-for-16 for 155 yards.
