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Dunbar sets stage for Aponavicius as BC rallies past Navy

Dec 30, 2006 - 11:15 PM CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Steve Aponavicius was carried off the field. It should have been Jolonn Dunbar.

Dunbar's fumble recovery with under two minutes remaining set the stage for Aponavicius, who drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired, lifting No. 23 Boston College to a 25-24 victory over Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

It looked like the Eagles were on their way to a disappointing loss before Dunbar recovered a fumble by Reggie Campbell at the Navy 40 with 1:43 remaining. The recovery capped a huge day for Dunbar, a junior linebacker who registered 15 tackles and a sack.

"We fought the whole game and they fought," Dunbar said. "Sometimes guys were crawling on their hands and knees to make plays. That's what it took. That says a lot about their offense and a lot about our defense."

Quarterback Matt Ryan quickly led the Eagles into field-goal range, where Aponavicius - a walk-on and former soccer player - split the uprights as time expired, giving the Eagles their seventh straight bowl win. The sophomore had missed an extra point in the first quarter.

"As soon as the score got to be 24-22, I realized, `I'm either going to win this game or lose it,'" Aponavicius said. "I'm just so happy I was able to come out on the winning end."

"I can't say enough about what Steve (Aponavicius) did today," Ryan said. "All that pressure at the end of the game. I think it was a 37-yard field goal, a pretty long kick. He split those uprights perfect."

The victory had to be extra special for the Eagles (10-3), who were playing for the first time since coach Tom O'Brien departed for North Carolina State. Defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani guided the team Saturday.

After the game, Boston College players donned shirts that read "One for all and all for one."

"I think that represents the whole team from the top to the bottom," Dunbar said. "It's a tribute to the characters and coaching staff we have. We love every last one of them, respect every last one of them and we love that man sitting right there in Carolina who was probably watching, coach O'Brien. We love him and have respect for him."

Spaziani had plenty to be pleased about as the Eagles overcame a 24-16 deficit after three quarters.

"I really couldn't put it in words," Spaziani said. "What they have to overcome and all that adversity. No one asked about Navy. The first question everybody asked about was the situation. As much as you talked about it and talked about it, they grew up a lot and they learned you can overcome that. We almost didn't but we did. They overcame it."

Ryan connected with Ryan Purvis for a 25-yard touchdown with 7:36 remaining to pull the Eagles within 24-22. The two-point conversion failed.

On the final drive, Ryan also found Purvis with a 15-yard pass to move the ball inside the Midshipmen 30.

Ryan completed 20-of-30 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada passed for touchdowns and Zerbin Singleton scored on a five-yard run in the second quarter for Navy (9-4), which struggled offensively after a big first half.

The Midshipmen's only points of the second half came on Matthew Harmon's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter which provided a 24-16 lead.

Shun White rushed for 117 yards for Navy, which failed its bid to win its third straight bowl game.

"It was a heck of a football game," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "I'm disappointed for our football team and our seniors that I couldn't help them a little better, find a way to help them come out on the right end of the score."