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Boston College is 1-0!!!
The first half certainly won't sell any additional tickets at Alumni which gave the Eagles an unexciting 6-0 lead at halftime.
The first half did not see the Eagles have to punt at all, but they were only able to come away with 6 points as 2 drives stalled and lead to field goals, one ended with a Murphy interception, and one ended without converting on 4th down just outside of field goal range. At the end of the first half, Alex Howell missed a 44 yard field goal attempt despite hitting from the same distance earlier in the half.
BC absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage against UMass leading to 338 rushing yards. At halftime though, many BC were nervous because, despite controlling the game, the Eagles only managed a 6 point lead. Penalties, the one turnover, and Murphy making some poor decisions on the final drive of the half, lead to only the 6 point lead.
The second half saw the Eagles we hoped to see against UMass, getting into the endzone on their first 3 possessions and not having to punt until a few minutes left in the game and the second string in. There was one major defensive breakdown leading to a 77 yard UMass touchdown pass, but other than that the second half was all smiles for Eagles fans. The Eagles never had less than a two score advantage after 6 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
Tyler Murphy finished as the team's leading rusher with 118 yards and a TD. Former backup QB Josh Bordner was the teams leading receiver with 81 yards and a TD. Bordner's large frame also allowed him to make some nice blocks to help the rushing attack.
Overall, it was a typical BC game where we let an inferior team hang around for a while before putting them away in the second half. The names on the backs of the jerseys have changed a lot this season, but some things never will. Next up: Pitt at home Friday night.