Boston College Athletics
Peterson Will Start Rutgers Game
November 10, 2003 | Football
Nov. 10, 2003
Still searching for that elusive sixth victory that would make them bowl eligible, the Boston College Eagles head to New Brunswick, NJ, to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the first of two road games that will complete the 2003 regular season. The game will be televised live in the New England area by NESN with a 3:30 p.m. EST kickoff from Rutgers Stadium.
Coach Tom O'Brien has announced Paul Peterson will start Saturday's game at quarterback, the first career start for the junior who transferred to BC last summer from Snow College in Utah.
"The decision was made that he will give us the best opportunity to win on Saturday," O'Brien says. "That's why we went with Paul."
After 10-game starter Quinton Porter injured his hand in the first play of the West Virginia game, Peterson came on to complete 22-of-41 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. But four interceptions (three by Peterson and one by Porter in the second half), along with a Mountaineer 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, proved costly to the Eagles, who lost 35-28 even after outgaining West Virginia 475 to 311 and holding onto the ball nearly five minutes longer than the Mountaineers.
The Eagles have lost back-to-back games for the first time since the last two games of the 2000 season. BC has not lost three games in a row since the 1998 season, when the team finished 4-7. That was also the last time the Eagles lost as many as six games in a season.
Two weeks ago, Pittsburgh came to Alumni Stadium and defeated Boston College 24-13. Last weekend's loss to West Virginia evened BC's record at 5-5 and dimmed hopes of a fifth straight postseason bowl game appearance.
Rutgers is 4-5 after last weekend's disappointing 38-31 loss at Connecticut. With the score tied at 31-31 and just over 1:00 left in the game, junior Tres Moses mishandled a punt near his own goal line, which Connecticut recovered and converted into the game-deciding touchdown three plays later for the victory on Senior Day at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
