Chase Rettig has had his fair share of tests in his first season under center at Boston College. But he never expected that Duke would be one of them,.
With the Eagles leading 7-6 at halftime, Rettig had completed only 5-of-12 passes for 97 yards and zero touchdowns.
However, Rettig flipped the switch in the second half, finishing the day having completed 12-of-24 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns as Boston College defeated Duke 21-16 at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, NC.
The Blue Devils (3-7) had a prime opportunity to take the lead with 0:55 left in the game the Boston College two, but the Eagles defense stepped up to the call, stopping Duke on third down and fourth down.
Duke took an early 3-0 lead with 9:39 remaining in the first quarter on Will Snyderwine's 29-yard field goal.
Facing an unexpected deficit, Boston College (5-5) responded with a solid drive capped off by a 15-yard touuchdown scamper from junior tailback Montel Harris (24 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD, 2 fumbles lost).
Snyderwine' added a 40-yard field goal with 0:45 left in the first half to cut the Eagles' lead to 7-6 entering halftime.
Then, Rettig put the team on his back, tossing two third-quarter touchdowns to set Boston College up with a comfortable 21-9 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Rettig's first score came on a 38-yard pass down the middle to freshman receiver Bobby Swigert (5 catches, 92 yards) with 12:10 to play in the third.
Th Eagles' next touchdown came on Rettig's three yard pass to the left to senior wideout Ifeanyi Momah (3 catches, 58 yards), giving Boston College the 21-6 advantage with 7:15 remaining.
Snyderwine kicked his third field goal of the day with 2:28 left in the third, this time splitting the uprights from 33-yards out to trim the Boston College lead to 21-9.
Holding a comfortable lead with 15:00 minutes to play, the Eagles were content to work the clock and hand off to Harris.
Unfortunately, Harris fumbled after a three-yard run, and August Campbell returned the ball 95 yards for the touchdown with 12:35 to play in the fourth, cutting the deficit to single digits at 21-16.
While Duke made the game interesting at the very end, Rettig and the Eagles were able to hold on for the victory.
Boston College amassed 361 total yards (227 passing, 134 rushing) while Duke managed 338 total yards (319 passing, 19 rushing).
Sean Renfree completed 32-of-47 passes for 288 yards for the Blue Devils, who's two-game winning streak was halted with the loss.
In the game, kicker Nate Freese was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. For Duke, Snyderwine made his only extra point attempt in the game.
After notching their fifth win, the Eagles need only one more win in their final two games to become bowl eligible. Considering their 2-5 start, it's a rather impressive feat that they have an opportunity to go to their 12th consecutive bowl.
Boston College hosts ACC foe Virginia next Saturday in its final home game of the 2010 season and will look to win its fourth straight game on Senior Day.