CHESTNUT HILL -- Missed opportunities plagued BYU (1-2) as the Cougars dropped a 30-23 decision in double overtime against No. 23 Boston College (3-0).
BYU amassed 547 total yards to Boston College's 471. John Beck was 38-for-59 for 436 yards and a touchdown. Curtis Brown had 54 yards rushing and 94 yards receiving.
For the second consecutive week, BYU got off to a hot start. The Cougars' McKay Jacobson retuned the ball to the BYU 34-yard line. Beck led the offense on an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that consumed 4:11 off the play clock. Manase Tonga had a 16-yard completion on third-and-six to extend the drive for BYU. Beck punched the ball in from the one-yard line to score the touchdown for the Cougars.
BYU forced an early turnover on Boston College's first play from scrimmage, as Dustin Gabriel stripped the ball away from Kevin Challenger and Cameron Jensen pounced on the ball. Penalties hurt the Cougars as BYU was held without any points after Jared McLaughlin missed a 49-yard field goal.
The Cougars defense held the Eagles offense in check in the early going but had penalties kill drives offensively.
With the first quarter winding down, Matt Ryan went deep, hitting Brandon Robinson in stride for a 79-yard reception. Three plays later, Brian Toal ran the ball in from the one-yard line. BYU held to a 7-6 lead as the Eagles missed their extra point.
The Cougars cashed in on a pair of McLaughlin field goals, including a career-long, 50-yarder to extend BYU's lead to 13-6.
Boston College responded, putting together an 83-yard drive that was capped on a Ryan-to-Tony Gonzalez 18-yard touchdown pass.
The second half showcased more offense than the first. After the Cougars defense held Boston College to a three-and-out, BYU's offense gave the ball back on a fumbled snap. The Eagles made the Cougars pay, scoring on an 11-play, 62-yard touchdown drive. With a successful two-point conversion, Boston College took its first lead at 20-13.
BYU responded with a monster drive of its own. The Cougars traveled 96 yards on eight plays and scored on a seven-yard, Beck-to-Vakapuna connection. BYU got a huge completion from Manase Tonga to convert a third-and-six and keep the drive alive for the Cougars.
The teams traded field goals to tie the game at 23. The defense held strong for both teams, not allowing a score over the final 10 minutes. BYU came close to scoring, driving the ball deep into Boston College's territory midway through the fourth quarter. McLaughlin's 44-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright and the game remained knotted at 23.
With 24 seconds remaining, BYU's Kelly Poppinga intercepted a tipped pass to give the Cougars a last second drive with two time outs remaining. BYU's Jared McLaughlin had a 51-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds remaining sail wide left pushing the game to overtime.
The drama resumed in the overtime session. After the Cougars failed to score in their first overtime, the defense held strong and blocked Boston College's field goal attempt. Russell Tialavea extended the game for BYU blocking a field goal.
In the second overtime, the Eagles wasted no time getting the ball in the end zone. A scrambling Ryan hooked up with Gonzalez for a 25-yard TD connection to put the Eagles ahead 30-23.
The Cougars marched the ball to the 15-yard line before a tipped Beck pass fell into the arms of Jamie Silva to end the game. Originally ruled an incomplete pass, a replay ruled there was visible evidence to overrule the ruling on the field.
BYU will look to rebound on Saturday against in-state rival Utah State at Edwards Stadium.
Box Score (Final)Brigham Young vs BOSTON COLLEGE (Sep 16, 2006 at Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 OT [ 5 6 ] Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -- [ - - ] -----
Brigham Young....... 7 6 0 10 0 [ 0 0 ] - 23 Record: (1-2)
BOSTON COLLEGE...... 6 6 8 3 7 [ 0 7 ] - 30 Record: (3-0,1-0)
Scoring Summary:
1st 10:49 BYU - BECK 1 yd run (MCLAUGHLIN kick), 11-66 4:11
02:09 BC - Toal 1 yd run (Ohliger kick failed), 4-85 1:55
2nd 11:15 BYU - MCLAUGHLIN 45 yd field goal, 5-10 0:54
06:35 BYU - MCLAUGHLIN 50 yd field goal, 7-29 2:12
03:22 BC - Gonzalez 18 yd pass from Ryan(Ohliger kick failed), 10-83 3:13
3rd 08:12 BC - Ryan 1 yd run (Challenger pass from Ryan), 11-42 4:11
4th 14:56 BYU - VAKAPUNA, 6 yd pass from BECK (MCLAUGHLIN kick), 8-96 3:21
10:07 BC - Ohliger 20 yd field goal, 11-82 4:49
06:33 BYU - MCLAUGHLIN 25 yd field goal, 10-79 3:34
OT 15:00 BC - Gonzalez 25 yd pass from Ryan (Ohliger kick), 1-25 0:00
BYU BC
FIRST DOWNS................... 27 23
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 30-111 26-115
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 436 356
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 60-38-2 48-29-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 90-547 74-471
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 3-39 3-20
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 5-97 5-123
Interception Returns-Yards.... 2-0 2-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 4-49.2 6-40.5
Fumbles-Lost.................. 2-1 4-2
Penalties-Yards............... 10-67 2-10
Possession Time............... 32:15 27:45
Third-Down Conversions........ 6 of 16 4 of 14
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 1 1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 3-5 4-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-10 1-7
RUSHING: Brigham Young-BROWN, Curtis 15-49; TONGA, Manase 5-47; VAKAPUNA, Fui
5-31; HAGUE, Mike 1-minus 1; BECK, John 4-minus 15. BOSTON COLLEGE-Whitworth, L
11-61; Callender, A 8-49; Ryan, M 5-3; Toal, B 2-2.
PASSING: Brigham Young-BECK, John 38-59-2-436; MCLAUGHLIN, Jar 0-1-0-0. BOSTON
COLLEGE-Ryan, M 29-48-2-356.
RECEIVING: Brigham Young-BROWN, Curtis 11-94; ALLEN, Matt 6-108; HARLINE, Jonny
6-71; TONGA, Manase 4-46; REED, Michael 3-26; MEIKLE, Nathan 3-24; COATS, Daniel
2-26; JACOBSON, McKay 1-22; COLLIE, Zac 1-13; VAKAPUNA, Fui 1-6. BOSTON
COLLEGE-Robinson, B 7-140; Gonzalez, T 6-70; Challenger, K 4-35; Callender, A
3-40; Purvis, R 3-25; Whitworth, L 2-11; Koziol, T 1-20; Palmer, M 1-8; Gunnell,
R 1-6; Smith, J 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS: Brigham Young-GOOCH, Quinn 1-0; POPPINGA, Kelly 1-0. BOSTON
COLLEGE-Silva, J 1-0; Tribble, D 1-0.
FUMBLES: Brigham Young-BECK, John 1-1; HARLINE, Jonny 1-0. BOSTON
COLLEGE-Tribble, D 2-0; Whitworth, L 1-1; Challenger, K 1-1.
Stadium: Alumni Stadium Attendance: 40233
Kickoff time: 12:05 End of Game: 3:55 Total elapsed time: 3:50
Officials: Referee: Terry Leyden; Umpire: Gary Crum; Linesman: Bob Bahne;
Line judge: Gary McNanna; Back judge: Craig Battaglia; Field judge: Judson Howard;
Side judge: Kim Nelson; Scorer: Jack Dwyer;
Temperature: 75 Wind: NNE15 Weather: Sunny
Brigham Young vs BOSTON COLLEGE (Sep 16, 2006 at Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
SACKS (UA-A): Brigham Young-PAONGO, Hala 1-0. BOSTON COLLEGE-Akins, K 1-0.
TACKLES (UA-A): Brigham Young-GOOCH, Quinn 5-5; KEHL, Bryan 3-5; CRIDDLE, Ben
6-1; JENSEN, Cameron 3-4; WAGNER, Aaron 5-1; GABRIEL, Dustin 3-3; NIXON, David
3-2; POPPINGA, Kelly 2-2; ROBINSON, Justi 3-0; PAONGO, Hala 2-0; TONGA, Matangi
2-0; MCLAUGHLIN, Jar 1-1; TIALAVEA, Russe 0-2; BOLDEN, Chris 1-0; BATES, Dan
1-0; DOMAN, Shawn 1-0; ALLEN, Matt 1-0; HODGKISS, Corby 1-0; JORGENSEN, Jan 0-1;
STAFFIERI, Mark 0-1. #23 Boston College-Francois, R 9-5; Dunbar, J 6-4; Silva, J
6-2; Anam, L 5-3; Tribble, D 6-0; Morris, T 5-1; Akins, K 4-1; Pruitt, T 4-1;
Anderson, P 2-3; Toal, B 1-2; Deska, B 2-0; Raji, B 1-1; Willis, K 0-2; Smith, B
0-2; McLaughlin, M 1-0; Davis, W 1-0; Herzlich, M 1-0; Purvis, R 1-0; Giles, A
1-0; Ross, J 0-1; Beekman, J 0-1; Larkin, N 0-1; Bowman, M 0-1.
PROVO -- Riding the high from a home-opening drubbing of Tulsa, BYU heads back out on the road for its longest road trip of the season to take on No. 23/25 Boston College. The Eagles, who spoiled Cougars' head coach Bronco Mendenhall's head coaching debut last season, mark the first "revenge game" opportunity for BYU this season. Boston College beat BYU 20-3 last season in Provo.
LAST WEEK RECAP
BYU's high-powered offense was back to form Saturday as six different Cougars found their way into the end zone, leading the team to its first win of the season, 49-24, over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
BYU had put the game away long before a 53-minute lightning scare threatened to end the game with six minutes still remaining in the fourth quarter. Offensively, BYU racked up 467 total yards including 240 passing yards from quarterback John Beck. The Cougars took advantage of their scoring opportunities going 4-for-4 in the blue zone. Running backs Curtis Brown, Fui Vakapuna, Manase Tonga, Harvey Unga and wide receivers Zac Collie and Matt Allen each scored touchdowns in the victory.
"Our plan was to have good balance and to be better at what we were already doing," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Basically, we need to simply execute what we're currently doing at a higher level."
SERIES INFORMATION
BYU and Boston College meet for just the third time. The trip will be the Cougars first to Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Cougars and Eagles have split the two previous match ups between the two schools. BYU won the first game, 28-14, in 1985 on a neutral field (The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.). After a 20-year hiatus, the two teams met again last year with Boston College taking the 20-3 victory.
LONG ROAD TRIP
BYU will be making the long trip to the Eastern Time Zone. The estimated 2,090 miles to Boston is the Cougars longest road trip since 2001, when BYU traveled to Honolulu, Hawai`i (2994 miles). The trip will be the longest BYU has taken within the continental United States. The longest trip the Cougars have ever taken was Dec. 5, 1987 when BYU played Colorado State in Melbourne, Australia.
COMPLETE BROADCAST PLANS
TELEVISION: The Cougars will be playing on ESPN2 on a split national broadcast. Sean McDonough will do the play-by-play with Chris Speilman offering commentary and Rob Stone handling the sideline reports.
RADIO: Fans can also catch the game by tuning into KSL Radio - the 50,000-watt home of the Cougars - and follow the game live as Greg Wrubell calls the action, Marc Lyons offers expert analysis and James Dye reports from the sideline.
INTERNET: A live audio stream will be available on the following URLs: http:// ksl.com and http://www.byuradio.org/streaming
TALE OF THE TAPE
BYU's offensive line checks in at an average 6-foot-4, 316.8 pounds. The Cougars' front line will be going up against a Boston College defensive front that averages just over 6-foot-3, 302.5 pounds. (Advantage: BYU +14.3 pounds per man.) BYU's defensive line weighs 6-foot-2, 271.3 pounds. Boston College's offensive line averages over 6-foot-5, 306.2 pounds. (Advantage: BC +34.9 pounds per man.)
PACKED HOUSES
The Cougars played in front of their third-consecutive sold out crowd against Arizona. BYU also played in front of sold-out crowds against Utah (home) and California (Las Vegas Bowl). The ninth-largest crowd in Arizona Stadium history (58,450) was on hand for the BYU game. The game was the first sellout for Arizona since the 2000 season. It is estimated there were between 10,000 and 15,000 BYU fans at the Arizona game.
BYU's streak of games playing in front of sold-out crowds ended against Tulsa when 56,627 fans attended the Cougars 49-24 victory over the Golden Hurricane.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
BYU's new look (3-4) defense held Arizona to just 253 total yards including 186 passing and 67 rushing yards. The defensive output was the best since the Cougars held Division IAA Eastern Illinois to 126 passing yards and 196 total yards last season. It was also the most stingy a BYU pass defense has been against a Divison IA team since allowing just 143 yards to New Mexico Nov. 13, 2004. Nov. 22, 2003 was the last time a BYU defense gave up less than 253 total yards to a Division IA opponent when the Cougars held Utah to 220 yards in blizzard-like conditions.
Last week, the Cougars held Tulsa to just 303 total yards. The 303 yards is 99 fewer than Tulsa averaged in 2005 and the fewest yards Tulsa picked up since Nov. 27, 2004 when Tulsa had 284 total yards. BYU only surrendered 182 passing yards to seasoned starter Paul Smith.
QUARTER-BECK NOTES
BYU quarterback John Beck threw for 240 yards against Tulsa, connecting on 16-of-21 attempts. The senior had three touchdowns, including a 62-yard pass to Curtis Brown, a 16-yard pass to Zac Collie and a 3-yard pass to Matt Allen. With his 240-yard performance, Beck moved past Steve Sarkisian and Marc Wilson for seventh place on BYU's all-time passing list with 7,665 yards. He needs just 69 yards to pass Steve Young for sixth place on that list. On the season, Beck has completed 44-of-58 attempts for 529 yards and four touchdowns. Completing 75.8 percent of his attempts, Beck has not thrown an interception in 58 straight attempts.
GOOD GRIEF, CURTIS BROWN
BYU running back Curtis Brown ran for 125 yards on 21 carries to improve his school record to 12 career games with at least 100 yards rushing. He has totaled 2,359 career yards, needing just five yards to pass John Ogden for sixth on BYU's all-time rushing list. Brown racked up 207 combined yards in the Cougars' 49-24 win over Tulsa.
VARIETY OF RECEIVERS
All totaled, 10 different receivers have at least one reception for the Cougars this season. Curtis Brown leads all receivers in receptions (nine), yards (121) and long reception (62 yards).
CAN'T MOVE THESE GUYS...OFF THE FIELD
BYU's Jake Kuresa and Dallas Reynolds have started or played significantly in every game that they have dressed in their respective careers. Kuresa, a senior, is playing right guard this year. He has started in 36 of 37 games but has played in all 37 games. Reynolds, who plays right tackle, is in his sophomore season and has played in 13 consecutive contests.
Left tackle Eddie Keele has played in every game the last three years. Keele, who plays left tackle has started 14 consecutive games and has seen action in all but two games in his collegiate career (35 of 37 total games).
BOSTON COLLEGE CONNECTION
Paul Peterson, a BYU undergraduate student assistant, quarterbacked Boston College from 2003 to 2004. Peterson, who hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, transferred to Boston College from Snow College in Ephraim. Peterson is the younger brother of former BYU quarterback Charlie Peterson.
SCORING DEFENSE
In the first two games of the 2006 season, BYU has allowed just 40 points. With an average of 20.0 points per game, the Cougars currently rank tied for 59th in the country in scoring defense. Interestingly, the defense is off to its best start (through the first two games against Division I-A opponents) since the 1994 season. BYU's current average is the lowest scoring defense mark over the first two games of a season (against Division I-A opponents) since allowing just 16.5 points per game back in 1994.
TOUCHDOWNS: TAKE YOUR PICK
In the first two games of the 2006 season, BYU has scored eight touchdowns (one against Arizona, seven against Tulsa). Seven different Cougars have found their way to the end zone for the eight touchdowns with only Fui Vakapuna scoring multiple touchdowns. In addition to Vakapuna, each of the following players have scored one touchdown in the early season: Daniel Coats, Manase Tonga, Matt Allen, Curtis Brown, Zac Collie and Harvey Unga.
EAST VS. WEST
When the Cougars and Eagles face off, it will truly be an East vs. West battle. Not only will BYU be making its longest trip within the continental U.S., the Cougars have no players from Mass. and only have six players on their current roster from locations east of the Mississippi River. Boston College has only seven players hailing from west of the Mississippi.
THE RANKED TEAMS
BYU has not defeated a ranked opponent since beating No. 23 Colorado State, 34-13, on Sept. 16, 1999. Since that victory over the Rams, the Cougars are 0-11 against ranked opponents, including a record of 0-3 at Edwards Stadium. Interestingly, BYU has not defeated a ranked opponent on the road since beating Arizona State, 13-10, on Sept. 20, 1997.
TWO TEAMS, A DOZEN QUARTERBACKS
Since 1980, BYU and Boston College have each had six quarterbacks in the NFL. BYU quarterbacks Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, John Walsh and Brandon Doman have gone on to play on Sunday. Boston College has sent Doug Flutie, Glenn Foley, Mark Hartsell, Matt Hasselbeck, Brian St. Pierre and Tim Hasselbeck to the NFL.