Summary: Syracuse 42 Boston College 21

If you thought Boston College was going to end this season on a high note, my friend, you were mistaken. Still licking their wounds after a sloppy loss in Tallahassee, the Eagles were overmatched at home by a familiar foe, the Syracuse Orange. BC will limp before bowl selection committees in the midst of a three game slide, and another 7-6 season feels inevitable.

After the teams exchanged missed field goals to start the game, BC struck first, capping a well-balanced, 74 yard drive with a 3 yard touchdown pass from Anthony Brown to tight end Jake Burt.

From there, things took a turn for the worse. On the first and only play of their next possession, Syracuse took advantage of a miscommunication in the BC secondary, as Eric Dungey hit a wide open Sean Riley for a 75 yard touchdown pass.

Michael Walker fumbled the ensuing kick return, and Syracuse capitalized, quickly scoring on a 4 yard touchdown rush by Dungey. Dungey picked up his second rushing touchdown on the next Orange possession, capping a 7 play 67 yard drive, which featured two long Donae Strickland runs straight through the heart of the Boston College defense.

Trailing 21-7, and in serious danger of letting the game get out of hand, Brown found wide open receiver Jeff Smith for a 69 yard touchdown pass late in the 2nd quarter. Alas, Syracuse again marched down the field. On 3rd and short at the BC 18, Dungey attempted a QB sneak and was met with no resistance, so he scampered all the way into the end zone for the third time in the half. The Orange took a 28-14 cushion into the locker room.

Early in the 3rd, Taj-Amir Torres hauled in an easy interception and returned it to the Syracuse 31, and Brown promptly found Ben Glines for a 29 yard touchdown pass to pull the Eagles within a score. There was a glimmer of hope that BC could put together a competitive second half, but any such glimmer was quickly extinguished.

Every time BC tried to claw its way back, Eric Dungey and the Syracuse offense answered. Coming off an Anthony Brown interception, the Orange drove 76 yards, and Dungey hit Jamal Custis for a 22 yard touchdown pass to push their lead to 35-21.

Dungey tacked on another TD pass in the 4th, connecting with Taj Harris to put the game out of reach. Dungey finished the day 21 of 34 for 362 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also carried 16 times for 35 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Boston College defense was porous, conceding 563 yards of total offense. While the Eagles were without their two star players, AJ Dillon and Zach Allen, for the majority of the 2nd half, their presence probably wouldn’t have mattered. Syracuse was simply the better team. No word on Allen’s injury yet, but let’s hope it’s not serious.