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Welcome to Throwback Thursday. Each week of the 2015 season, we'll revisit a BC game on that date. We start with the renaissance of a program.
Expectations were high on both sides of Alumni Stadium on September 5, 1992 when Tom Coughlin's second Eagle squad took on a team who perhaps carried even higher expectations into the season than the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. BC rode a series of big plays and complete control over both lines of scrimmage to a decisive 37-20 win.
The Eagles had finished the 1991 season at 4-7, but were hungry to get the campaign rolling after winning three of their final five games. The season had ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 19-14 home loss to eventual national champion Miami, but it had definitely set the tone for the '92 season...the Eagles could play with anyone.
This was also an emotional opener as it marked the first game since the death of Brockton's Jay McGillis, who passed away on July 3rd after a battle with leukemia.
Coughlin had established a mind set of discipline and toughness and that was in full display against RU.
"We got a little embarrassed," said Rutgers head coach, Doug Graber. "We got knocked off the ball, manhandled on both sides."
Boston College junior QB and Cherry Hills, NJ native Glenn Foley threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, two to Keith Miller and a third of 61 yards to Greg Grice, while junior running back Darnell Campbell ran for 108 yards on 22 carries to power the Eagles, who captured their first opening day win since a 1987 win over TCU, also on September 5.
Despite seemingly owning the contest, the game was still tight at the half and that's when the Eagles opened it up, scoring 20 third quarter points on the way to what was "bigger than the score indicated" win.
BC's only issue came on special teams where a blocked Jeff Beckley punt and fumbled punt return by Clint Kuboyama set up Scarlet Knight touchdowns.
Tom McManus, one of the most underrated linebackers in Eagle history, paced the defense with a Luke Kuechly-like 15 tackles.
BC would roll off four consecutive wins to open the 1992 season including three straight shutouts of Northwestern, Navy and Michigan State to crack the top 25 for the first time since 1984. It marked the first time an Eagle team had three consecutive shutouts since 1942, has not happened since and with the offensive explosion in modern day college football, may never be accomplished again.
September 5 notes:
Boston College has only played five games on September 5, compiling a 4-1 record. Remember, the Eagles didn't play a game prior to September 10 until 1982, as it was common not to play before the last week in September or the first week in October all the way into the late 1950s.
The Eagles are 3-1 at home, 1-0 on the road and have gone 1-1 in conference games. The only loss on this date was last year at home to Pitt, 30-20. BC has beaten TCU (1987), Rutgers (1992), Georgia Tech (1998), Northeastern (2009) on 9/5.