Dennis Grosel about to heave one. BC photo

With starting BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec injured and on the sidelines, backup junior QB Dennis Grosel “let if fly” against Virginia yesterday, tying another former BC backup for most yards passing in a single game. Grosel and Doug Flutie stand atop the BC record book with 520 yards passing.

Oddly, perhaps, BC lost both games in which its quarterbacks threw for 500+ yards. Yesterday, the Eagles fell to Virginia in the regular season finale, 43-32. Flutie’s effort came against Penn State in 1982 as the Nittany Lions crushed BC, 52-17.

Both teams yesterday put up gaudy offensive numbers or perhaps lousy defensive ones. Virginia outgained the Eagles 549-513 in total offense. BC had fewer yards total than passing, as the team lost seven yards more than it gained on the ground. Virginia was certainly more balanced, running for 262 yards and passing for 287.

After a UVa field goal started the scoring in the first quarter, BC took the lead when Grosel threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers. A Virginia touchdown and field goal and a BC field goal brought the somewhat quiet first half to an end at UVa 14, BC 10.

The Cavaliers dominated the third quarter, possessing the ball for more than four-and-a-half minutes longer than the Eagles and outscoring them 10-0. Virginia opened the final quarter with a touchdown to expand its lead to 36-17. The teams traded touchdowns to bring the score to 43-25 and, with Grosel passing on every down, the Eagles scored again to make the final score 43-32. A BC penalty on the ensuing onside kick gave the ball to Virginia to run out the clock.

Grosel was 32 of 46 passing for 520 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. His longest pass was for 50 yards, but he also threw passes for 45- and 36-yard gains. Several were to Flowers, who had 8 receptions for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tight end Hunter Long also had 8 receptions, for 109 yards and a touchdown.

BC gave up the most points it had all season in the game and the second highest number of yards. 

This was BC’s first loss ever to Virginia. Its record had been 6-0 all-time until yesterday.

Here are game highlights.

The Eagles finish the regular season 6-5, 5-5 in conference play. Participation in a post-season bowl game is uncertain. While BC reached the normal 6-victory requirement, that has been waived this season. Many bowl games, however, have been canceled, so it is unclear how many teams will have a post-season opportunity.

Backup QB Dennis Grosel happily helps BC win over Louisville. BC photo.

Last year, in the BC-Louisville game, Eagles backup quarterback Dennis Grosel stepped in to replace the injured starter. In yesterday’s BC-Louisville game, he did it again. And, while last year Grosel threw three touchdown passes in a close loss to the Cardinals, this time he threw two touchdown passes and helped the Eagles hang on for a 34-27 victory.

Starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec had led BC to a 20-13 lead when, on BC’s second drive of the third quarter, he suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee. Jurkovec, at that point, was 15 of 19 passing for 203 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Grosel’s first pass on second down was incomplete and his third-down pass was dropped by tight end Hunter Long.

BC forced Louisville to punt on their subsequent drive. On third-and-one on BC’s 25 yardline, Grosel then ran for 44 yards to the Cardinals’ 31. After two incomplete passes, Grosel threw to C.J. Lewis in the end zone where Lewis made an amazing one-handed catch, securing the ball to his shoulder pad, for the touchdown and a 27-13 BC lead early in the fourth quarter. The catch was the #2 “play of the day” on ESPN’s College Football Final highlights show.

C.J. Lewis grabs touchdown pass. John Tlumacki/Boston Globe photo

In the final quarter, BC could not shake the Cardinals. Louisville ran and passed in an 11-play 78-yard drive through a pliant Eagles defense to cut the lead to 27-20. A long kickoff return by Travis Levy led to a 21-yard touchdown pass by Grosel to Jehlani Galloway to increase the lead to 34-20.

On their subsequent possession, the Cardinals needed only one play — a 69-yard pass for a touchdown — to make it a one-score game once again. The Eagles were able to gain only three yards before giving the ball back again to Louisville with 3:12 left in the game. After a Cardinals’ first down, defensive lineman Jahmin Muse tipped a Louisville pass that was then intercepted by fellow lineman Shitta Sillah with 1:42 left in the game. The Eagles ran out the clock to secure the 34-27 win and move to 6-4 for the season, 5-4 in ACC play.

(I texted to Brian and Lissa Tsu that I was happy to have a reason to include Sillah’s name in a game report. Brian texted back, and I include this only because I said I would: “Tipped pass sends Cards to the Shitta-house.” Just another demonstration that we’re all mature graduates of an eminent university.)

The Eagles were not stellar on defense. Louisville gained 493 yards total offense, including 294 yards passing. In addition to passing for almost 300 yards, Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham ran for 135 yards. BC’s total offense was 435 yards, including a season high 188 yards rushing. Grosel ended with 4 of 7 passing for 44 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and 49 yards rushing.

Here are highlights.

The Louisville game was Senior Day, BC’s last home game of the season. Next opponent and last regular season opponent is Virginia, scheduled for Saturday, December 5. Game time to be announced.

Following BC’s surprising performance against #1 Clemson two weeks earlier, anticipation for the Eagles’ matchup with #2 Notre Dame yesterday was high. For the eighth time in succession, however, the Irish triumphed over BC . . . emphatically.

Notre Dame had 12 possessions in their 45-31 victory, the last two a missed field goal and game-ending kneel-down on the BC four yard line. In their first 10 possessions, the only thing that stopped the Irish were their own three fumbles. The other seven possessions ended in six touchdowns and a field goal. Notre Dame never punted.

In comparison, the Eagles scored on six of their 11 possessions in the game, but three of the scores were field goals and three were touchdowns. They lost the ball twice, with a fumble and interception.

(This game was designated BC’s annual Red Bandanna game, in recognition of the sacrifice made by BC grad Welles Crowther in saving others in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Crowther, a lacrosse player at BC, wore his traditional red bandanna while assisting people to escape. Uniform numbers were adapted to carry the red bandanna pattern.)

The opening quarter was evenly played. Notre Dame scored first on a field goal, while BC had an encouraging 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass from Phil Jurkovec to Zay Flowers. The Irish scored a TD to end the quarter 10-10.

Notre Dame leapt ahead in the second quarter, scoring three touchdowns and allowing the Eagles only a field goal to go ahead 31-16 at halftime. In the first half, the Irish had 17 first downs to BC’s nine, and more than doubled the Eagles in total offense, 327 yards to 160.

The two teams had matching touchdowns in each quarter of the second half, with only a two-point conversion by the Eagles on their final touchdown cutting the margin by a point.

The Irish gained a season-high 561 yards, with a balanced 278 yards rushing and 283 yards passing. The Eagles nearly matched ND passing, with 272 yards passing, but gained only 85 yards on the ground, for a 357-yard total.

Irish quarterback Ian Book, whose decision to return this season encouraged then-teammate Jurkovec to transfer to BC, was 20 of 27 passing for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Book also ran the ball 10 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Jurkovec completed 18 of 40 pass attempts for two touchdowns and an interception. BC coach Jeff Hafley said after the game that Jurkovec had separated his throwing shoulder in the game against Clemson and that was an issue in ability to practice and in his passing accuracy.

Here are video highlights.

The Eagles will be enjoying a bye week. Originally scheduled to have a week off earlier, BC has played nine games in a row, more than any other team in the ACC. Now 5-4, 4-4 in conference, the Eagles next meet Louisville on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, in Chestnut Hill. Game time is 9 am PT.