Sept. 22, 2001

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Amid the backdrop of armed guards, metal detectors and patriotism, Boston College rolled up 479 yards of total offense in a 38-21 victory over Navy on Saturday.

"I think it was tough on everyone and we knew what we were getting into by coming here to play," Boston College coach Tom O'Brien said.

O'Brien, a 1971 Navy graduate, was classmates with Charles "Chick" Burlingame, the pilot of the jet that struck the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A funeral was held in Annapolis on Thursday.

"It is hard to come back, especially when one of your classmates beams a message down from space in the pregame to beat you," O'Brien said.

On this day, however, even that couldn't slow the Eagles' offense.

Brian St. Pierre threw four touchdown passes and William Green rushed 33 times for 178 yards, as Boston College broke open a tie game with 21 straight points.

St. Pierre, who entered the game having completed 41 percent of his passes, was 19-of-25 for 247 yards. Green scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.

Navy (0-3), however, put up its best offensive numbers of the season.

Led by quarterback Brian Madden, playing his first game since 1999 after tearing ligaments in his knee prior to last season and serving a two-game team suspension this preseason, Navy kept the game close early, and gained its first lead of the season on Madden's 49-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Gaddy, putting Navy ahead 7-0 4:03 into the game.

Madden finished with 106 rushing yards on 32 carries and 124 passing yards, running for one touchdown and passing for another. He had more rushing yards (32) in the first 7:16 than any Navy back had in the team's first two games combined.

Madden, however, also made several costly mistakes, getting two of his passes picked off by linebacker Vinny Ciurciu, both of which led to Eagles touchdowns in the first half.

"Taking care of the football is something we need to work on," Navy coach Charlie Weatherbie said.

Tied at 14, Boston College (2-1) ended the half with two touchdown passes by St. Pierre, a 25-yarder to former Navy receiver Ryan Read and a 13-yarder to Green. The Eagles then extended their lead to 35-14 on St. Pierre's 2-yard pass to Sean Ryan.

Navy cut the lead to 14 on Tony Lane's 8-yard touchdown run with 13:41 left, but the Eagles finished off the scoring on Kevin McMyler's 29-yard field goal with 8:25 to play.

Afterward, the Midshipmen tried to keep the loss in perspective.

"The focus should shift off of us and onto the people who are in the fleet and the people involved in the rescue mission," Navy linebacker Ryan Hamilton said. "We are just a bunch of kids playing football."