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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
It was a noon kickoff, which in late September in Boston is the perfect setting for a James Taylor ballad and a BC upset.
It was the Eagles’ annual Red Bandana game, a chance to honor Boston College graduate Welles Crowther, who saved more than a dozen lives by sacrificing his own on 9/11.
It was supposed to be a tune-up for No. 3 Florida State, a game against battered BC to pad the stats before a potentially season-defining trip to Clemson in Week 4.
It was a trap so diabolical, it could’ve been the plot of a “Saw” sequel. And for all the obvious dangers, Florida State managed to trip over its own shoe laces and fall face-first into quicksand.
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DJ Lundy follows up INT with a rushing TD for FSU
DJ Lundy can do it all as he hauls in an impressive interception, then bulldozes into the end zone on the ensuing drive to give the Seminoles a 31-10 lead.
Yes, FSU ultimately prevailed 31-29 to keep its national title hopes alive, but along the way, the two teams traded jabs — or, more often, bullets to their own feet, and the Seminoles secured the win only after Boston College delivered one final self-own.
But let’s not skip too far ahead.
The game began in sleepy Chestnut Hill with BC jumping out to a 10-3 lead, stunning a groggy FSU. It felt entirely similar to the biggest test FSU’s last national title team faced back in 2013, when a trip to BC began with a quick 17-3 deficit. In that game, Jameis Winston rallied the Seminoles who dominated the second half en route to a 48-34 win.
On Saturday, Jordan Travis attempted to do the same, and by the time Eagles fans found their seats after halftime, the Noles were up big, 31-10.
Crisis averted. Bring on the Tigers. Except, BC had other ideas.
An Eagles touchdown was followed by a fumble return for a score and a dynamic 95-yard TD drive and suddenly BC was within 2 with 4:37 to play.
If Florida State seemed intent on giving the game away, however, BC was all too happy to take the gift, rewrap it, and hand it right back.
Boston College finished the game with 18 penalties. The Eagles were flagged for offsides, false starts, personal fouls, cutting those “do not remove” tags off their mattresses and just about every other infraction an official could dream up. But it was the 18th penalty that proved the final dagger.
Lawrance Toafili was pushed out of bounds for a 4-yard gain on third-and-7 with just under a minute to play. BC had a chance to get the ball back and win the game. But a face mask flag gave FSU 15 yards and a first down and sealed the game — a mistake so costly and yet so predictable that BC coach Jeff Hafley proceeded to walk into Boston Harbor, never to be seen again. (Probably.)
For Florida State, it was a classic trap-game performance, one replete with miscues, mental mistakes and a terror-inducing injury to Travis, who appeared to hurt his left arm before the half — though he later returned and finished 212 passing yards and two touchdowns.
For Boston College, it was a golden opportunity that splatted through its fingers like a buttered lobster tail.
In other words, it was misery for both sides.
This, of course, is the beauty of those sleepy Saturday mornings in late September. On paper, they’re all sweet dreams and flying machines, but by mid-afternoon, contenders and afterthoughts alike can be left in pieces.
Down goes K-State
If FSU managed to elude disaster, Kansas State wasn’t so lucky.
Brady Cook threw for 356 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and Harrison Mevis booted a 61-yard field goal as time expired to give Missouri a 30-27 win over the 15th-ranked Wildcats.
Missouri’s win came in spite of a woeful 3-of-13 performance on third down, a missed 53-yard kick by Mevis in the first half, and a delay-of-game flag before the final kick when Eli Drinkwitz was too slow getting his field-goal unit onto the field.
Still, after the kick skirted just over the crossbar, Missouri fans rushed the field — marking the best rushing performance the Tigers have had since 2019.
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Missouri fans storm field after kicker drills 61-yard game winner
Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis connects from 61 yards out to win it vs. No. 15 Kansas State.
Cyclones get robbed
For teams from the state of Iowa, points are like a lunar eclipse. They happen a few times a year, but it’s still rare enough to bring the whole family out into the backyard to gawk.
So it seemed entirely unfair that, when Iowa State had appeared to put 3 points on the board midway through the fourth quarter, some visually challenged officials flubbed the call.
What looked like a clearly successful field goal was ruled a miss, and Iowa State ended up losing to Ohio 10-7.
It was the Cyclones’ 10th loss in their past 11 games vs. FBS opponents, and they’ve averaged 11.2 points per game in those 10 losses.