Boston College Athletics
2005 Football Season Filled With Highlights
January 17, 2006 | Football
Jan. 17, 2006
The 2005 Boston College Eagles went to a school-record seventh consecutive bowl game and won their sixth in a row (27-21 over Boise State in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl), the longest active bowl game winning streak in the country.
In their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Eagles finished with a 5-3 league record, tied for first place in the league's Atlantic Division with eventual champion & BCS participant Florida State. Other highlights from the 2005 season include:
Tom O'Brien improved his record to 66-42, putting him just two wins shy of the school record for most wins by a head coach (Joe Yukica, 68).
The team was the first since 1984 to be ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the two major polls from start to finish.
The team finished 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, its highest finish in that poll since 1993 (12th). It finished 18th in the final Associated Press poll, its highest finish in that poll 1993 (13th).
The Eagles finished 12th in the final Sagarin rankings, which take into account win-loss record and strength of schedule. According to the rankings, the Eagles played the 22nd-most-difficult schedule in the country in 2005. Only Virginia Tech (5th) finished higher in the Sagarin rankings among ACC teams.
The team won nine games for the third time in four years; eight or more games for the fifth year in a row and sixth time in seven years; and seven or more games for a school-record seventh year in a row.
The Eagles led the ACC in total offense, averaging 387.8 yards per game.
BC led the ACC in rushing defense (90.8 ypg.).
The team became the 11th in BC history to win nine or more games in a season; three of those seasons have come under Tom O'Brien.
The 2005 senior class won 35 games, the most in the modern era of BC football history. The 35 wins also ties for the best four-year mark in school history (1939-42).
The Eagles have now strung together the most successful five, six and seven-year periods in school history.
The Eagles had the third-highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of any of the 2005 bowl teams.
Will Blackmon finished second on the NCAA's all-time kick return yardage list.
The Eagles finished third in the ACC in passing offense (242.8 ypg.).
The Eagles were third in the ACC in scoring defense (15.9 ypg.).
BC was third in the league in punt returns (9.7 yards per return).
The Eagles finished second in the ACC in first downs (255).
The team was second in the league in sacks against (15 for 90 yards).
The Eagles finished first in the ACC in red zone defense (25-39, 64.1%).
The team was first in opponent fourth-down conversions (33.3%).
