Category Archives: Sports

Game’s the same with Notre Dame

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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.

Those thrilling days of yesteryear

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Just to demonstrate how really old I am, the introduction to the television show The Lone Ranger was “Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.” Seems appropriate as we anticipate Saturday’s matchup against Notre Dame.

The yesteryear was 1993 and the thrilling day in this case was November 20. The place was South Bend, Indiana.

Actually, we’ll go back a little further to start. November 7, 1992. The Eagles were to play Notre Dame in South Bend (after the first-ever BC-ND game in Foxborough in 1975, BC played three successive games at Notre Dame). The Eagles came into the game ranked #9, with only a 24-24 tie with West Virginia blemishing their 7-0-1 record. Notre Dame was 6-1-1, but ranked #8.

The rivalry was called the “Holy War,” as it included the only two Catholic universities to field Division 1 teams. To give you a hint of the outcome in 1992, that Monday’s Heights carried the headline “Holy War ends with Eagles’ crucifixion.” (Are we getting close to sacrilege there?)

The Irish dominated BC. Only a BC touchdown in the last two minutes prevented a shutout in the 54-7 Notre Dame victory. BC coach Tom Coughlin and many an Eagles fan did not appreciate it when ND coach Lou Holtz, with his team holding a huge lead in the second half, called for a fake punt, which was successful in securing another first down for the Irish.

The Eagles split their final two regular season games to finish 8-2-1, ranked #16, but lost to Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Bowl game.

Back to 1993, the week before the BC game, undefeated and #2 Notre Dame had defeated #1 Florida State and taken the top national ranking. The Eagles that season had slipped a bit, coming into South Bend 8-2, ranked #17.

Just to set the scene. #1 Notre Dame, having just wrecked the Eagles the year before, playing their last game of 1993 at home against an “okay” top 20 Boston College team. What could stop their march to the national championship?

Page one of the November 21, 1993, Boston Globe

Sweet revenge, indeed. It didn’t come easily, either. After running out to a 38-17 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game, BC watched the Irish mount a furious comeback. Notre Dame scored 22 points in the next 10 minutes and led the Eagles 39-38 with 1:01 to go. 

Starting BC’s final drive on the BC 25, quarterback Glenn Foley missed his first two passes. He then hit tight end Pete Mitchell for 12 yards. Two plays later, he passed to Mitchell again for 24 yards. A nine-yard screen to WR Ivan Boyd set up a 41-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left.

David Gordon, BC’s kicker, had been a soccer player at the University of Vermont before transferring to BC and walking on to the team roster as a non-scholarship player. His longest field goal up to that point had been 39 yards. Earlier in the season, he had missed a 40-yard field goal that would have given BC a win over Northwestern. Earlier in this game, he had missed a 40-yard field goal, aiming at the same goalposts.

The Boston Globe account: “The snap was high but Foley was able to grab it out of the air and somehow got it down perfectly. Gordon said he struck it a little bit high, with a little bit too much toe. At first, he said, ‘I thought it was blocked. I like to kick it a little better than that. You could tell by the rotation of the ball that it wasn’t perfect. But I guess it was good enough.'”

Yes, it was. Thousands of BC fans who had attended the game rushed out onto the field, while players milled about, hands on their heads, seeming unable to process what had happened.

Here is the lead up to the last play of the game and the aftermath.

And if you really want to appreciate the game, here is a condensed version of the entire game, but just action, no huddles, etc. (41:15).

The Eagles had put up the most points on Notre Dame since USC had scored 42, 14 years earlier. They outgained the Irish 477-427 in total offense. Foley was 30 of 48 for 315 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Mitchell caught 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

#4 Notre Dame went on to defeat Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl. #11 BC lost again in the last game of the regular season to #5 West Virginia, but, ranked #17, beat Virginia in the Blockbuster Bowl to finish 9-3.

Eagles survive Syracuse slog

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Kicker Aaron Boumerhi was leading scorer for BC against Syracuse, with three field goals.

One commentator said yesterday’s football game against Syracuse was the “perfect sandwich game.” BC had played #1 Clemson the week before and will face #2 Notre Dame this Saturday. The Eagles were favored by 14 over lowly Syracuse (1-7) and outlasted them, 16-13.

Statistically, BC was pretty dominant. The Eagles gained 399 yards in what was their most balanced offensive performance of the season — 208 passing and 191 running. The defense held Syracuse to 244 yards, 52 rushing. BC also had more first downs, 20 to 14, and possessed the ball more than 17 minutes longer than the Orange.

All that, however, produced one touchdown and three field goals. The BC touchdown was a 20-yard pass from Phil Jurkovec to Zay Flowers. Halftime score was BC 10, Syracuse 6.

Aaron Boumerhi’s third field goal put the Eagles ahead 16-6 with just over two minutes to play. Syracuse’s only touchdown came with 21 seconds remaining, but kicked its ensuing onside kick attempt out of bounds.

Jurkovec was 20 of 29 for 208 yards and one touchdown, no interceptions. Flowers had six receptions for 64 yards. Running back David Bailey had season highs in rushing attempts (25) and yards gained (125).

Highlights

BC improved to 5-3 (4-3 ACC). Okay, the other half of the sandwich is Notre Dame, victors over then-#1 Clemson last night. Game is Saturday, November 14, in Alumni Stadium, 12:30 pm PT on ABC (Channel 10). BC has previously spoiled Notre Dame’s dreams of a national title. I’ll post about that later this week.