Boston College 14, N.C. State 10: Eagles Win With Defensive Stand

CHESTNUT HILL - That age old adage tells us that "defense wins championships," and while Boston College certainly won't be sniffing any sort of championship game in the next few months, the saying proved true again on Saturday.

Leading 14-10 with 4:27 left, the Eagles defense needed to keep N.C. State out of the end zone on their most important drive of the game. N.C. State opened the drive at their own 39 yard line, and BC's defense did bend, surrendering 34 yards in just over three minutes. Yet that didn't matter, as it was the final set of downs that were telling.

Mike Glennon opened with an incomplete pass to Anthony Creecy on first and 10 from the BC 32 yard line. On the next play, Glennon completed a four-yard pass to Creecy, setting up a crucial third down and six at the 28 yard line. After a timeout, Glennon was focred to leave the pocket and was taken down by Kasim Edebali after a one yard game.

It was then that BC's defense made the stop of the game, as defensive end Max Holloway tipped a Glennon pass to bring the drive, and the Wolfpack's chance of winning, to a grinding halt and preserve a 14-10 victory for the Eagles.

"We're obviously very happy to get a victory," said Eagles coach Frank Spaziani. "It wasn't pretty but we did make some plays. A lot of kudos go out to the players and to the coaches for getting them ready to play 60 minutes of football. We made a play at the end and we won. You usually have to play good defense to win and we played good defense today."

The Eagles held N.C. State to 267 total yards on 64 plays and only 47 net yards rushing on 24 carries. In the fourth quarter, N.C. State managed 40 rushing yards on 10 carries and 79 passing yards while controlling the time of possession (12:22 to 2:38), but it was the Eagles' strong stand at the end that gave them the win.

That late defensive surge was led by their star junior linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had nine tackles in the final quarter and finished with 18 tackles for the game, extending his stream of 10 or more tackles to an FBS-leading 32 games.

"He's the boy wonder," Spaziani said of Kuechly. "He's just a great football player. When tings get really tough he rises up. He makes plays and the tougher the situation gets, the better he gets. He's a great football player. I'm proud to be his coach."

Kuechly gave Spaziani and the 33,712 fans in attendance a scare early in the fourth quarter after he went down on a tackle. It was revealed that he suffered an injury to his left elbow, and after the game was wearing an ice pack but said he was feeling fine. His words affirmed his actions, as it was his defensive unit that saved the day in the end.

"I think I started to realize what was going on with where the were trying to tackle us and what they were trying to do. They come out in sets and you figure out this is where I have to go, and then you start figuring out how ou can beat blocks and get to the ball. It took a little while for me to get there, but I was able to get there and figure it out."

Boston College (3-7, 2-5, ACC) scored just two minutes into the game on a five-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown run from backup quarterback Josh Bordner on a wildcat run.

"We had a rhythm that we wanted to get into with it and when we wanted to use it," Spaziani said of his decision to play Bordner and insert the wildcat offense. "It's a good weapon to have, but you still want to keep your identity." 

N.C. State answered with a field goal on its first drive, with Niklas Sade drilled a 32-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the first quarter. Rettig gave BC its second touchdown of the game on a 17-yard pass to Colin Larmond Jr. with 1:40 remaining before halftime. The Wolfpack tacked on their only touchdown on a three-yard run from halfback James Washington with 7:18 left in the third.

Rettig finished with 118 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception on 9-of-13 passing and Bordner, who did not throw a pass, had six rushes for 21 yards and a score. Andre Williams led the Eagles' rushing attack with 61 net yards on 18 carries, as he was BC's featured back this week.

"It feels good," Williams said about being the feature back. "I love to run the ball from that standpoint. I'm a competitor. I love to get on the field and compete. On the other hand, I love to see the other running backs out there. I want everybody to get their touches because we're all out there bleeding the same blood, sweating the same sweat on the same field, so it's good to see everybody else be able to get their chance."

Glennon has 220 passing yards in the loss and acknowledged BC's strong stand at the end.

"It was that part of the game where we needed to score a touchdown and converted some third downs, maybe a fourth down in there too, things seemed to be going good, but we just didn't finish the drive," he said. "They played good defense. A guy gt his hands on the ball and they had good coverage behind him. It was hard to tell what would have happened with the ball being batted down."

Boston College ends the season with a two-game road trip against Notre Dame and Miami, starting with next Saturday's rivalry game featuring the Battle for the Ireland Trophy against the Fighting Irish.

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. North Carolina State Final: Eagles Win 14-10 on Senior Day

Despite an extremely poor second half, the Boston College Eagles were able to hang on to defeat the North Carolina Wolfpack 14-10 in the final home game of the season. The win moves BC to 3-7 on the season and 2-5 in the ACC. This victory marks the Eagles second FBS win this year.

The Eagles were out-gained 179 to -2 in the second half, yet somehow managed to hang on to their 14-3 halftime lead. A tale of two halves indeed – quarterback Chase Rettig's was night and day after intermission. In the first half he competed seven of eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, compared to the second half where he was two for five for four total yards.

The Eagles finish up the season on the road at Notre Dame and at Miami (FL). 

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. North Carolina State: Eagles Lead 14-10 After Three

After a dominant first half of football the Boston College Eagles find themselves in a 14-10 battle with the North Carolina Wolfpack heading into the fourth and final quarter of play. 

In search of their second FBS win of the season, the 2-7 Eagles are playing in front of their home crowd for the last time this season. 

After a huge first half, which saw him complete seven of eight passes for 114 yards and touchdown, quarterback Chase Rettig went two for five in the third quarter for a measly four yards. It wasn't just Rettig – the entire Boston College offense had a miserable third quarter, losing a net of seven yards.

The Eagles went three and out on every possession in the third quarter, except the final one, which bled into the fourth quarter. 

The Eagles will have the ball to start the fourth.

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. North Carolina State: Eagles Lead 14-3 At Halftime

The Boston College Eagles look well on their way to their second FBS win of the season in their final home game of the season, senior day. The 2-7 Eagles lead the 5-4 North Carolina State Wolfpack 14-3 behind an impressive first half from quarterback Chase Rettig. Rettig has completed seven of eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. His only incompletion was an interception. 

The Eagles have dominated the Wolfpack in nearly every aspect of the game. They've more than doubled the Wolfpack's yards output – 192 to 88 – and are averaging 14.3 yards per pass attempt, compared to 4.9 for N.C. State.

The Eagles have also limited their penalties, committing only one in the first half. Outside of an early interception thrown by Chase Rettig, the Eagles have played a nearly perfect first half.

North Carolina State will receive the second half kickoff.

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. North Carolina State: The Eagles Lead 7-3 After One

The Boston College Eagles – who are coming off a loss in which they were dominated 38-7 by Florida State – look to bounce back today, on Senior day against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. So far so good after one, as the Eagles lead the Wolfpack 7-3. 

BC quarterback Chase Rettig has completed four of five passes for 74 yards. Unfortunately, his only incompletion was an interception. Running back Rolandan Finch only has two carries for six yards.

The Eagles are doubling up the Wolfpack in total yards – 133 to 69, but Boston College has one turnover, to the Wolfpack's none. The Wolfpack have already committed three penalties. 

Today marks the final home game of the season for the Eagles. At 2-7 on the year, Boston College only has one FBS victory, with three games remaining. 

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

Boston College Vs. N.C. State: Greetings From Alumni Stadium

CHESTNUT HILL - It's your last chance to see this year's Boston College football team at home. But if you didn't want to, really, no one would blame you.

Boston College (2-7, 1-5 ACC) hosts North Carolina State (5-4, 2-3 ACC) in Senior Day, and more importantly, likely the last home game for head coach Frank Spaziani, barring wins in his final three games.

Prior to the game, the team will honor tight end Lars Anderson, corner back Donnie Fletcher, running back Montel Harris, wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, punter/kicker Ryan Quigley, defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey, offensive guard Nathan Richman, center Mark Spinney, linebacker Will Thompson and full back/defensive end Dan Williams as part of the Senior Day festivities (but hopefully we'll be getting Harris and Momah back for another year).

The storyline for today's game is the return of former head coach Tom O'Brien, who oh so rudely left the school to accept a position with N.C. State in 2007, where he has coached ever since.

BC proceeded to hire Jeff Jagodzinski to take his place, but coach Jags was only around from 2007 to 2008 before he was fired by athletic director Gene DeFilippo for seeking a position with the New York Jets without permission. After that, the Spaz era begin, and each season has been a downword spiral.

Many expect that Spaziani will be ousted following the season, but if he is able to turn things around in his final three games, he could save himself (much to the dismay of many fans). But with opponents like Notre Dame and Miami still on the schedule, it is unlikely.

Will BC be able to win and honor its seniors on Saturday? It's certainly possible, as this is logically the last shot for Boston College to win a football game this season. If anything, it should certainly be an interesting game.

For more BC Football coverage, visit our team page and blog, BC Interruption.

North Carolina State Vs. Boston College Game Time, TV Schedule And More

North Carolina State will bus their way over to Alumni Stadium to face off against Boston College on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This weekend's match-up will air live on theACC.com/live or ESPN3.com.

In seven previous outings, the Eagles (2-7) lead the Wolfpack (5-4) by a score of 4-3.

As we highlighted right here on SB Nation in our pre-game preview, most of the talk surrounding Saturday's showdown centers around last week's blowout by Florida State. Specifically, whether or not the Eagles, at 2-7, can find the motivation to get back on the horse and play hard.

The Wolfpack comes into today's contest having blanked North Carolina at home in week 10 by a score of 13-0.

Game date, time: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Location: Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

TV channel: TheACC.com/live or ESPN3.com.

Spread: North Carolina State is giving up three points

Series history: Boston College leads the all-time series, 4-3

For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit our Boston College Eagles blog BC Interrupted or Backing the Pack for North Carolina State. Here’s the complete Week 11 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.

North Carolina State Vs. Boston College Odds And Preview: The Wolfpack Visits The Eagles At Alumni Stadium

North Carolina State (5-4) will head to New England this weekend to take on Boston College (2-7) from Alumni Field at 12:30 p.m. ET.