Refresh
Page last updated on Thu Mar 18 14:04:05 EDT 2010
RECAP
10/03/2009 7:57 PM EDT
Boston College defeats Florida State 28-21
BOSTON COLLEGE 28, FLORIDA ST 21

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON(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.