Arizona 42, Boston College 19: Eagles Blown Out in AdvoCare V100 Bowl

Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Boston College football’s first meeting with the Arizona Wildcats was a forgettable one, as the Wildcats defeated the Eagles in the 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl, 42-19.

With the loss, the Eagles have now lost their last four bowl game appearances, which is a program record. As for the season itself, 2013 will end with a 7-6 record for Boston College.

Boston College never led in the game, with its closest point being a 7-6 deficit in the first half. The Eagles were driving down field at a one-point disadvantage when senior quarterback Chase Rettig, playing in his final game, threw a pick-six to Arizona’s William Parks for a 69-yard touchdown, putting Arizona ahead 14-6.

From there, the Eagles looked rattled, unable to generate any sort of offense, but even worse, not sustaining any defense. Boston College’s defense had a bad afternoon, particularly in the secondary which was repeatedly burnt for big plays. Arizona finished with 524 yards of total offense, nearly evenly split between passing and rushing.

Andre Williams ended his Boston College career with only 75 rushing yards, scoring one touchdown. His stellar 2013 season finishes with a total of 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns. His counterpart, Ka’Deem Carey, ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Chase Rettig went 17-for-27 with 204 yards and two interceptions in his last game. He made some plays early, even with his feet in going airborne for a first down, but his second interception changed the complexion of the game. Admire the fact that he fought, but that was the turning point and the team completely unraveled from there.

The defense’s poor performance on Tuesday afternoon speaks to the need for impact recruiting on the other side of the football. Arizona exploited the Eagles’ corners and made their day miserable. To their credit, Arizona also stumped Boston College with their fast offensive tempo, with which the Eagles seemed unequipped to deal.

This game should not take away from what the Eagles were able to accomplish this season. One year after winning two games, they jumped to seven, beating a handful of the same teams that beat them just a year earlier. Making a bowl game was a privilege for this team, but the final result underscores how much work still needs to be done before the Eagles truly return to competitiveness.