Offense Captures 71-55 Spring Game Victory over the Defense

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College football team closed out its 15^th and final spring practice with the annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game Saturday afternoon inside a sun-drenched Alumni Stadium.

Using a modified scoring system that awarded points for first downs, rushes of 10+ yards, passes of 15+ yards, touchdowns along with defensive scoring for any stop per possession, three and out stops, sacks, tackle for loss or turnovers, the Maroon team (offense) came away with a 71-55 victory over the White team (defense).

Junior running back AJ Dillon was one of a handful of starters who did not play or saw limited playing time as the younger players on the roster were able to get increased repetitions during the final spring practice of the year.

Offensively, redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Valecce turned in one of his best performances of the spring finishing 9-of-11 passing for 78 yards. On the ground, redshirt freshman running back Javian Dayne finished with 21 rushes for 102 yards while sophomore David Bailey carried the ball 12 times for 91 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Bailey lost 10 pounds in the off-season and showed a tremendous burst and improved speed and agility this spring for the Eagles.

On defense, redshirt freshman defensive end Joey Luchetti finished with three sacks while senior defensive back Mehdi El Attrach and redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jaleel Berry each tallied one sack.

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Tate Haynes capped off an impressive spring with a 44-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Redshirt senior safety Nolan Borgersen also continued his big-play spring with a 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown while redshirt junior safety Mike Palmer recorded a 36-yard interception return in the third quarter.

Prior to the game, senior defensive back Mehdi El Attrach was named the recipient of the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship. McGillis' family was on hand before the game to present El Attrach with the award.

The award is given annually since 1993 to a Boston College defensive back who best exemplifies the personal qualities of team dedication and leadership by example, an extraordinary competitive spirit, and personal concern for family friends and teammates. McGillis, a starting defensive back for Boston College, passed away from Leukemia in 1992. The Eagles' spring game is played in his honor each year.

Final Score
White (defense) 55
Maroon (offense) 71

Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game Stats – Saturday, April 6, 2019

OFFENSE
Passing
13        Anthony Brown             3-5, 25 yards
10        Matt McDonald             5-9, 58 yards
7          Matt Valecce                9-11, 78 yards
20        Dennis Grosel             2-6, 20 yards
4          EJ Perry                       4-13, 49 yards
14        Sam Johnson               2-7, 25 yards

Rushing
23        Travis Levy                   6 rushes, 18 yards
42        Javian Dayne               21 rushes, 102 yards
13        Anthony Brown             1 rush, 10 yards
26        David Bailey                 12 rushes, 91 yards
19        Ben Glines                   1 rush, 10 yards
38        Peter Stehr                  23 rushes, 71 yards
20        Dennis Grosel             4 rushes, 16 yards
4          EJ Perry                       6 rushes, 23 yards
10        Matt McDonald             4 rushes, 15 yards
17        Aidan Hegarty             1 rush, 9 yards
14        Sam Johnson               1 rush, -7 yards
87        Noah Jordan-Williams   1 rush, 0 yards
7          Matt Valecce                1 rush, 2 yards

Receiving
23        Travis Levy                   2 catches, 11 yards
85        Korab Idrizi                   2 catches, 33 yards
82        Ethon Williams             3 catches, 31 yards
38        Peter Stehr                  2 catches, 22 yards
1          Elijah Robinson 2 catches, 13 yards
83        Jehlani Galloway          2 catches, 23 yards
39        Andrew Strader 3 catches, 30 yards
44        Brendan Smith             4 catches, 31 yards
81        Chris Garrison             3 catches, 31 yards

DEFENSE
Sacks
41        Joey Luchetti               3 sacks
25        Mehdi El Attrach           1 sack
91        Jaleel Berry                  1 sack

Forced Fumbles
7          Tate Haynes                returned 44 yards for touchdown, 1^st quarter
5          Nolan Borgersen          returned 40 yards for touchdown, 4^th quarter

Interceptions
18        Mike Palmer                 36-yard return, 3^rd quarter

Offense Captures 71-55 Spring Game Victory over the Defense

Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Jaleel Berry

Nolan Borgersen

Anthony Brown

Javian Dayne

AJ Dillon

Mehdi El Attrach

Jehlani Galloway

Chris Garrison

Ben Glines

Dennis Grosel

Tate Haynes

Aidan Hegarty

Korab Idrizi

Sam Johnson III

Noah Jordan-Williams

Travis Levy

Joey Luchetti

Matt McDonald

Mike Palmer

EJ Perry

Elijah Robinson

Brendan Smith

Peter Stehr

Andrew Strader

Matt Valecce

Ethon Williams