Recap: Boston College 42, Syracuse 14

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – True freshman running back AJ Dillon rushed for 193 yards and scored three touchdowns as Boston College defeated ACC rival Syracuse, 42-14, at the Carrier Dome for the first time since 2010. The Eagles (7-5, 4-4 ACC) totaled 581 yards of total offense for the third time this season and scored over 40 points for the fourth time in the regular-season finale against the Orange (4-8, 2-6 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

With his three touchdowns on the day, Dillon is now tied for ninth place in BC single-season history with 13 rushing touchdowns. He went over the century mark for the sixth time this season.

The Eagles scored two touchdowns on their opening two drives in the first quarter to take an early 14-7 lead. BC outscored Syracuse, 28-14, in the first half off of two touchdown runs by Dillon, a 64-yard touchdown run by junior wide receiver Jeff Smith and a 30-yard fumble recovery by junior defensive back Will Harris. Another Dillon touchdown run in the third quarter followed by a touchdown pass from graduate quarterback Darius Wade to freshman running back Travis Levy in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a commanding 42-14 lead as the BC defense held the Orange scoreless in the second half.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Boston College 42, Syracuse 14
Records: Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC), Syracuse (4-8, 2-6 ACC)
Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse N.Y.
Attendance: 30, 202
Time of Game: 2:51

BC HIGHLIGHTS

Dillon now has 13 touchdowns on the season and he rushed for 85 yards in first quarter alone. He finished the game with 23 carries for 193 yards for his sixth 100-yard game.
Graduate quarterback Darius Wade threw a career-high 248 yards and had one touchdown. He did not record an interception, going 16-for-20 on the day.
Denis recorded a team-leading seventh interception of the season in the second quarter. He is now tied for fourth in the BC record book for single-season interceptions. He entered the game second in the nation and first in the ACC for interceptions per game.
Smith's 64-yard touchdown run was the second-longest run of his career.
Harris and Levy each recorded their first career touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Ty Schwab had a team-leading eight tackles and also recorded his first career forced fumble.
Junior defensive end Zach Allen notched his fifth sack of the season.

KEY MOMENT

In a 7-7 game, Dillon rushed into the end zone from eight yards out to put the Eagles up. They did not look back, outscoring the Orange, 28-7, and keeping Syracuse off the board in the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

BC opened the scoring on its first possession of the game when Wade completed a series of passes, including a 20-yarder and an eight-yarder to redshirt freshman wide receiver Kobay White, and a 13-yard pass and 15-yard pass to junior wide receiver Michael Walker to set the Eagles up at the Syracuse 22-yard line. Dillon rushed for a touchdown to give BC an early 7-0 lead with 7:24 to play in the first quarter.
Syracuse responded on the following possession with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Rex Culpepper to Steve Ishmael at 5:26 to finish off a five-play, 65-yard scoring drive for the Orange.
A 50-yard run by Dillon on the Eagles' following possession gave BC the ball on the Syracuse 16-yard line. Dillon rushed for an eight-yard touchdown with just over three minutes to play in the first quarter.
Wade completed a 13-yard pass to graduate wide receiver Charlie Callinan to give BC the ball at its 36-yard line. Jeff Smith rushed for a 64-yard touchdown with 7:32 to go in the first half to increase the Eagles' lead to 21-7.
With just over seven minutes to go in the quarter, Culpepper tried to make a lateral pass but it was broken up by sophomore defensive back Hamp Cheevers. Harris recovered the ball and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
A 44-yard pass from Culpeper to Ishmael gave the Orange the ball at the BC 17-yard line. Ervin Phillips caught Culpepper's pass in the end zone with just under six minutes to play in the half to make it 28-14.
A 17-yard pass from Wade to junior tight end Tommy Sweeney in the third quarter followed by a 19-yard slant pass to Jeff Smith gave the Eagles the ball at the Syracuse 20-yard line. Wade converted an 18-yard pass to sophomore tight end Chris Garrison and then Dillon ran for the one-yard score at 10:57 to give the Eagles a 35-14 lead.
Dillon scampered for 34 yards to the BC 39-yard line and after a series of Hilliman rushes, Wade completed a 46-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to Levy with 12:37 left to play in the game.

UP NEXT
The Eagles finish the regular season 7-5 to become bowl eligible. Bowls and matchups will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 3.

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Team Stats

Hamp Cheevers

Players Mentioned

Zach Allen

Charlie Callinan

Hamp Cheevers

AJ Dillon

Chris Garrison

Will Harris

Travis Levy

Ty Schwab

Jeff Smith

Tommy Sweeney

Darius Wade

Michael Walker

Kobay White

Players Mentioned

Zach Allen

Charlie Callinan

Hamp Cheevers

AJ Dillon

Chris Garrison

Will Harris

Travis Levy

Ty Schwab

Jeff Smith

Tommy Sweeney

Darius Wade

Michael Walker

Kobay White