Final
Boston College defeats Florida State 28-21
Oct 3, 2009 - 11:57 PM By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports WriterBOSTON(AP) -- Montel Harris broke free up the middle for a 42-yard touchdown run with 4:07 left - his second score of the game - and Boston College recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to beat Florida State 28-21 on Saturday.
Harris finished with a career-high 179 yards on 25 carries for the Eagles (4-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). After Boston College stopped the Seminoles (2-3, 0-2) on fourth down with 2:16 left, Harris broke loose for a 39-yard run but then fumbled on the next play.
Boston College's Anthony Castonzo recovered, and Dave Shinskie was able to run out the clock.
Shinskie, a 25-year-old freshman in just his second week as the full-time starter, completed 12 of 21 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Colin Larmond Jr. had five catches for 98 yards.
The Seminoles trailed 21-3 late in the second quarter before Chris Ponder led them to a pair of second-half touchdowns, tying the score 21-all when wide receiver Bert Reed hit Caz Piurowski for the 2-point conversion with 11 minutes left. Jeff Smith fumbled the ensuing kickoff and JaJuan Harley recovered at the Boston College 29, but Dustin Hopkins' 37-yard field goal attempt was wide right.
Taking over at the 20 with 7:02 left, Shinskie bounced back after a hard takedown that injured his left shoulder and survived a sure interception that was dropped by cornerback Greg Reid. A pass interference on a third-and-10 gave the Eagles the ball on the 42, and Harris charged through the line, bounced off one tackler and outraced the secondary to the right pylon.
Ponder took the Seminoles to the Eagles' 27 before overthrowing an open Reed on third-and-10, and then missing on fourth down with a pass that was too short to matter. Ponder, who entered the game as the ACC passing leader, finished 29-for-42 for 345 yards. Reed caught seven passes for 107 yards, and Goodman caught nine for 105 yards.
It was an emotional victory for the Eagles on a day when they were honoring linebacker Mark Herzlich, who is taking the year off for treatment after being diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Herzlich gave a pregame speech over the public address system to fire up the crowd, and he prowled the sidelines waving a yellow towel during the game.
Boston College seemed to respond.
The Eagles led 7-3 on Harris' 3-yard touchdown run when Alex Albright sacked Ponder for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Boston College then pulled away to take a 21-3 lead before a late first-half field goal cut it to 21-6.
Harris also ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter, spinning free of tacklers and into the end zone to make it 7-3. It was still close when Ponder ran for 5 yards on a fourth-and-1 from the Boston College 35 on the first play of the second quarter. He hit Taiwan Easterling for 27 yards and an offsides put it on the 1, before Luke Kuechly stopped Lonnie Pryor on three straight runs.
That left the Seminoles facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1, and Ponder scrambled to the right before he was pulled down by Albright. The Eagles, starting from their 11 instead of their own 1, threw the ball, and on third-and-9 Shinskie hit Larmond Jr. for 62 yards.
Harris ran seven straight times before Rich Gunnell caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-3. Shinskie hit Jeff Smith on a perfectly timed 38-yard pass down the left sideline for Smith's first career touchdown pass.
- NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
FLORIDAST 3 3 7 8 21
BOSTCOLL 7 14 0 7 28 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: FLORIDA ST - FG, DUSTIN HOPKINS 30 YD, 7:22.
FLORIDAST 3-0
BOSTON COL - TD, MONTEL HARRIS 4 YD RUN (STEVE
APONAVICIUS KICK), 11:42.
BOSTCOLL 7-3
2ND QUARTER: BOSTON COL - TD, RICH GUNNELL 3
Oct 3 6:59 PM - NCAAF
FLORIDAST 21
BOSTCOLL 28 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Oct 3 6:59 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE MONTEL HARRIS 42 YD RUN (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 21, Boston College 28 4th - 4:07Oct 3 6:43 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE MONTEL HARRIS 42 YD RUN (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 21, Boston College 28 4th - 4:07Oct 3 6:43 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 21
BOSTCOLL 28 4:07 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Florida State 21, Boston College 28 4th - 4:07Oct 3 6:43 PM - 86
roots - 62
roots
TD FLORIDA ST JERMAINE THOMAS 2 YD RUN (BERT REED PASS TO CAZ PIUROWSKI FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
Florida State 21, Boston College 21 4th - 10:46Oct 3 6:22 PM
TD FLORIDA ST JERMAINE THOMAS 2 YD RUN (BERT REED PASS TO CAZ PIUROWSKI FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
Florida State 21, Boston College 21 4th - 10:46Oct 3 6:22 PM
TD FLORIDA ST JERMAINE THOMAS 2 YD RUN (BERT REED PASS TO CAZ PIUROWSKI FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
Florida State 21, Boston College 21 4th - 10:46Oct 3 6:22 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 21
BOSTCOLL 21 10:46 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Florida State 21, Boston College 21 4th - 10:46Oct 3 6:22 PM
TD FLORIDA ST LOUIS GIVENS 10 YD RUN (DUSTIN HOPKINS KICK)
Florida State 13, Boston College 21 End of 3rdOct 3 6:04 PM
TD FLORIDA ST LOUIS GIVENS 10 YD RUN (DUSTIN HOPKINS KICK)
Florida State 13, Boston College 21 End of 3rdOct 3 6:04 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 13
BOSTCOLL 21 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Florida State 13, Boston College 21 End of 3rdOct 3 6:04 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE JEFF SMITH 38 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 21 2nd - 0:59Oct 3 4:56 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE JEFF SMITH 38 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 21 2nd - 0:59Oct 3 4:56 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE JEFF SMITH 38 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 21 2nd - 0:59Oct 3 4:56 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 3
BOSTCOLL 21 0:59 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Florida State 3, Boston College 21 2nd - 0:59Oct 3 4:56 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE RICH GUNNELL 3 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 14 2nd - 6:25Oct 3 4:35 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE RICH GUNNELL 3 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 14 2nd - 6:25Oct 3 4:35 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE RICH GUNNELL 3 YD PASS FROM DAVE SHINSKIE (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 14 2nd - 6:25Oct 3 4:35 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 3
BOSTCOLL 14 6:25 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Florida State 3, Boston College 14 2nd - 6:25Oct 3 4:35 PM - NCAAF
FLORIDAST 3
BOSTCOLL 7 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Oct 3 4:12 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE MONTEL HARRIS 4 YD RUN (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 7 1st - 3:18Oct 3 4:02 PM
TD BOSTON COLLEGE MONTEL HARRIS 4 YD RUN (STEVE APONAVICIUS KICK)
Florida State 3, Boston College 7 1st - 3:18Oct 3 4:02 PM- NCAAF
FLORIDAST 3
BOSTCOLL 7 3:18 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Florida State 3, Boston College 7 1st - 3:18Oct 3 4:02 PM - NCAAF
FLORIDAST 3
BOSTCOLL 0 7:38 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Florida State 3, Boston College 0 1st - 7:38Oct 3 3:52 PM - deadmonkees I big game for new BC coach Frank Spaziani. Can he win against a solid conference opponent.
Florida State vs. Boston CollegeOct 2 6:59 PM
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