• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Boston College could be without QB Ryan vs. Seminoles

Oct 17, 2006 - 7:25 PM No. 22 Boston College (5-1) at Florida St (4-2), 3:30 pm EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Ticker) - No. 22 Boston College got past one big hurdle at home last Thursday night. The Eagles may have to overcome their next test without their starting quarterback.

After a dominant performance against Virginia Tech, Boston College travels to Florida State in a key Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.

Eagles quarterback Matt Ryan injured his left ankle in the Eagles' first game of the season and aggravated it the next week. On Saturday, he suffered a left foot injury, causing him to limp around in the second half of the team's 22-3 win over the Hokies.

The junior signal-caller has been held out of practice this week. His status is uncertain for the showdown with the Seminoles.

"He's gimping around and limping a little bit. We'll see how he is this week," Eagles coach Tom O'Brien said. "He's come back before and hopefully we'll be able to come back this week. He still has his ankle problem, but now he has a foot injury. He's obviously shown his toughness in the past, and we'll just have to wait and see how he is and see if he can perform."

Boston College (5-1, 2-1 ACC Atlantic) is looking to go 6-1 for the second consecutive season. In their last contest, the Eagles allowed just 33 rushing yards, recorded four sacks and kept Virginia Tech out of the end zone for the first time since 1998.

Kevin Challenger caught a pair of touchdowns and Ryan completed 16-of-29 passes for 174 yards for Boston College, which is one of three teams tied for second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Seminoles (4-2, 2-2 Atlantic) are not their usual dominant selves this season and have alternated losses and wins in their last four games. They are coming off a 51-24 victory over Duke.

Florida State already has lost to Clemson and North Carolina State and is in unfamiliar territory. Saturday's game will be the Seminoles' first at home as an unranked team against a ranked foe since September 9, 1989, when No. 10 Clemson posted a 34-23 victory.

Florida State leads the series, 3-1, including a 28-17 victory last season in Boston College's first ACC game.