CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- A day after the Boston Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the Chicago White Sox, Boston College brought solace to an ailing city Saturday, beating Virginia 28-17 and extending the Cavaliers' losing streak to two games.
In the two schools' first meeting as ACC opponents, Virginia (3-2, 1-2 ACC) and Boston College (5-1, 2-1) wasted no time forming bad blood.
A late chop-block executed by Virginia offensive tackle Brad Butler on defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka early in the third quarter led to two players, including Kiwanuka -- who two series later retaliated by punching Butler in the face -- getting ejected from the game. Virginia was charged with a personal foul on the play although no specific player was implicated, nor were any Virginia players ejected.
While the two ejections left a hole in Boston College's starting defensive line, the Eagles rallied behind their teammates and the 35,268 rain-soaked fans in attendance, outscoring Virginia 21-10 the rest of the game.
"We had anticipated coming up here that this would be a fourth quarter game, and that's what it was," Groh said. "I would say in the last 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, we had the opportunity to make some plays, and Boston College had the opportunity to make some plays. The game really hinged on their ability to make those plays -- and the fact that we did not."
Boston College's two biggest fourth-quarter plays, a 28-yard pass plus one-yard touchdown run and a defensive stand on fourth-and-goal from the B.C. two, helped contribute to the Eagles' second ACC victory of the year.
Helped in large part by the return of starting quarterback Quinton Porter, the Eagles put up 497 total yards of offense, the second straight week that an inexperienced and injury-riddled Virginia defense has been exposed. Porter, who had missed games against Clemson and Ball State due to injury, picked apart Virginia's soft zone coverage for 301 yards and one touchdown.
While Virginia didn't crack the Boston College 40-yard line until midway through the second quarter, BC drove inside Virginia's 25-yard line three times in the second but left with no points for their efforts. Sophomore kicker Ryan Ohligher took most of the heat, missing field goals of 42, 36 and 30 yards on each of those three drives.
Following Ohligher's second miss, Virginia finally awakened on offense, stringing together a 15-play 80-yard drive capped by Marques Hagans's nine-yard touchdown pass to Fontel Mines. Mines' catch, which was made in the back of the end-zone as he was falling out-of-bounds, tied the score at seven apiece with 1:20 remaining in the first half.
Virginia took its only lead of the game, 14-7, on their first possession of the third quarter on a 23-yard Hagans touchdown pass to Deyon Willaims.
When the B.C. offense retook the field, it drove nine plays and 72 yards, scoring the equalizer on Porter's only touchdown pass of the game, a 19-yarder to receiver Tony Gonzalez.
With the B.C. offense doing their part, the depleted Eagles defense entered and forced the Cavaliers to go three and out on their next possession -- setting the stage for their special teams to follow suit.
With Virginia punting from its own 33-yard line, safety Paul Anderson broke through and blocked Chris Gould's punt.
With the ball live and bouncing toward the end-zone, Gould tracked it down and, from the four-yard line, illegally kicked it out the back of the end-zone.
Gould said after the game that he had never been informed of the rule.
Groh attributed the blocked punt to a change in the blocking coverage prior to the snap, an audible that likely would've been called by the up-back, who was Wali Lundy.
After the penalty was assessed, Boston College took over at the Virginia two-yard line. Two plays later Brian Toal -- a linebacker turned fullback in goal-line situations -- punched in from one yard out to give the Eagles a 21-14 lead they wouldn't relinquish. Toal had two touchdown runs on the day as well as recording three and a half tackles.
Virginia had one last chance to narrow the deficit midway through the fourth quarter, when they drove 78-yards on 13 plays down to the Boston College two but the Cavaliers couldn't convert and turned the ball over.
"They just made more plays than we did," linebacker Kai Parham said. "It's just as simple as that"
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