Boston College Comes Up Short, 21-14, to Virginia Tech
· Yahoo Sports
On Saturday afternoon, Boston College lost 21-14 to Virginia Tech.
Visit newssport.cv for more information.
The storyline on everyone’s mind heading into this contest was the weather. With a nor’easter rolling into town on Saturday morning, the game was played in constant rain and gusty wind. The conditions drilled both teams, especially in the first half. We did not see a converted third down for either team—let alone points—until under a minute to go in the second quarter. Instead we saw a heavy dose of both teams’ running games, errant throws in the face of the wind, and barely any downfield explosives.
Simply put, neither quarterback looked comfortable through the first half. Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer really struggled with accuracy, missing multiple layups and struggling with rhythm. Boston College’s offense, meanwhile, could not move the ball through the ground or the air. Mason McKenzie avoided any turnovers, but could not find any consistency throwing the ball while his running backs had little room to operate. The only effective offensive for the Eagles was McKenzie’s legs. Despite only 50 first-half yards through the air, and Bo MacCormack and Evan Dickens turning 8 first-half carries into 5(!) yards, McKenzie found some success on the ground.
Penalties proved an issue for the Eagles as well, with a number of infractions derailing offensive drives that had little traction to begin with. Yet despite the weather (or perhaps because of it), the offensive struggles, and the penalties, Boston College found itself very much in a 3-0 dogfight heading into halftime.
After a quick BC three-and-out and a Hokies punt return inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line, it seemed like Virginia Tech was primed to start pulling away as the second half underway. Yet BC’s defense dug deep to force a field goal, and Mason McKenzie responded by willing BC to a score on their ensuing drive. Despite briefly having to come out of the game after a hard hit on a scramble play, McKenzie responded with an explosive 45-yard rush before taking it to the house on the next play.
Virginia Tech then fumbled the ball inside its own thirty-yard line, but the Eagles offense actually went backwards and came away with no points. As the third quarter drew to a close, Virginia Tech’s answering drive advanced into BC territory before the Eagles defense stood tall on a fourth-and-three, led by Onye Nwosisi knifing into the backfield.
The BC offense finally broke through again through McKenzie’s legs as he kept BC ahead of the chains. After a 20-yard strike to Dawson Pough through the air, McKenzie collected his second rushing TD of the day on an option from the two-yard line.
The Hokies answered with a grinding drive that found the end zone via a 14-yard TD to Marlion Jackson. A successful 2-point conversion meant that with 8 minutes remaining, the teams were knotted at 14. Virginia Tech broke the deadlock, with Jeffrey Overton breaking untouched for a 76-yard score to put the Hokies up seven. Boston College went three-and-out, and the Hokies were able to salt the game away.