The Top 5 Worst Boston College Sports Moments of 2014
By Joe Micik
2014 Top 5 Worst Boston College Sports Moments — #3
Boston College football loses to Colorado State; September 27
Yes, Colorado State turned out to have a fine season, but this was one of the most memorable chokes of the year by Boston College football.
The Eagles could have won ten games this season if they could close teams out, but there were about four games in particular where they were not able to make that last big play to win. Of those, this was one of the most striking.
Late in the third quarter, Boston College held a 21-14 lead over the Rams at Alumni Stadium on a sunny, hot afternoon. They had played well early, but from the final Colorado State drive of the first half until the end, it was obvious that they had schemed around Boston College’s blitzes. (Of course, the Eagles also missed a field goal at the end of the first half that would have put them up ten.)
Now moving the ball much more effectively, Colorado State got it back to a 21-17 game in the fourth quarter. The Eagles held on defense with 6:55 left in the game, stopping Colorado State on a 4th & 2.
Boston College’s resulting drive was a major disappointment, with the Eagles going three and out, handing the ball back to the Rams with five minutes left.
Starting from their own ten yard line, Colorado State started gashing the Eagles for large chunks of yardage. From near midfield inside the final few minutes, Dee Hart broke off a 43-yard run to move the Rams to the BC 12 yard line.
For the three downs thereafter, the defense held up, but on 4th & 10 at the 12, Bryce Jones got burnt for the game-winning touchdown, caught by Charles Lovett with 1:02 to play. This capped off a 90-yard scoring drive.
The Eagles got the ball back, but it looked and felt like a futile effort as Boston College barely advanced over the span of a minute.
For most of the 2014 football season, this was the quintessential “we gave the game away” game for Boston College. That is precisely what they did, but it was not just on the defense for giving up a 4th and long at the end. The offense turtled in the fourth quarter, with Tyler Murphy throwing an interception deep in CSU territory and not putting together a decent drive thereafter. The defense also failed to adjust when Colorado State’s offense did, and that was on the coaches.
Blowing a winnable game to Colorado State just two weeks after shocking USC reminded us all of Boston College Eagles inconsistencies.