Game Recap: Boston College Crushes UMass in Season Opener

Boston College entered the 2018 season with high expectations, and their home opener against UMass did nothing to dispel that optimism, as they cruised to a 55-21 victory. The Minutemen were overmatched from the opening kickoff, and by the time the first half ended, BC held a 48-7 lead, allowing for plenty of second and third team reps.

The Eagles offense came out firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Anthony Brown racked up 279 yards and 4 touchdown passes over the first two quarters, before handing the reins to backup EJ Perry. Brown established a fruitful rapport with receiver Kobay White, as the two linked up for 86 yards and two TDs. Tight End Ray Marten did well to find open space in the UMass secondary, catching two passes for 62 yards, including a 33 yard TD reception.

BC’s rushing attack was as strong as expected. AJ Dillon looked a lot like AJ Dillon, carrying the ball 20 times for 101 yards, as well as catching the first pass of his collegiate career, a 15 yard touchdown that marked the first score of the game. Jeff Smith contributed 4 carries for 35 yards; while Davon Jones picked up two short yardage touchdown carries.

Going with a quarterback by committee approach, the Minutemen failed to muster much offense. With the exception of a three yard touchdown run for Marquis Young in the first quarter, UMass did all of its scoring once the game was well out of hand. In the closing seconds of the first half, Lukas Denis picked off an Andrew Ford pass attempt, and wove his way 59 yards for a touchdown as the clock expired, putting an exclamation point on a dominant 30 minutes of football for Boston College.

Not much to report in the second half of this one, as the Eagles reached deep into their depth chart. Freshman running back David Bailey notched his first career touchdown run early in the fourth, the clock mercifully ran on, UMass picked up two late TDs, and BC wrapped up a 55 – 21 drubbing of the Minutemen.

For the Eagles, this was everything you could have asked for. The first team offense looked terrific, the defense was stout, and they avoided any major injuries. 1-0.