Historic Fourth Quarter Comeback Successful on Family Weekend

Game Recap: Football | September 28, 2024 | Athletic Communications

BC erases 13-point deficit in 4th quarter to move to 4-1 with the win over Western Kentucky

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Grayson James found Jerand Bradley on an eight-yard touchdown strike with 3:33 to go, giving Boston College its first lead of the afternoon and sealing the biggest fourth quarter comeback in program history in the 21-20 win over Western Kentucky.  Twice previously, the Eagles erased a 12-point deficit over the final 15 minutes of play – vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 1, 1988) and at Holy Cross (Nov. 29, 1980).

The Eagles’ Donovan Ezeiruaku – who finished with a career-best 14 tackles (10 solo) and three sacks – stripped the ball from WKU QB Caden Veltkamp at the Hilltoppers’ 20-yard line with 6:23 to play, setting up the eventual go-ahead series.  

James made his first start at BC and finished 19-for-32 for 168 yards and a touchdown.  He also rushed six times for 11 yards.  Six different BC receivers combined for the 19 catches, led by seven from Lewis Bond (21 yards).  Jaedn Skeete led all wideouts with 55 yards, while Jeremiah Franklin tallied three grabs for 36 yards.

Western Kentucky jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Eagles got on the scoreboard as Kye Robichaux plunged into the end zone from three yards out, making it 14-7 with a little over two minutes left in the first half.  The scoring drive took 13 plays, covering 74 yards and carving 5:59 off the clock.  The Hilltoppers tacked on a 22-yard field goal as time expired, making it a 17-7 score at the break.

BC had the ball to start the second half, but turned it over on a fumble and Western Kentucky capitalized on their next series, adding a 35-yard field goal to push its lead to 20-7.  Kam Arnold corralled a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage with 19 seconds left in the third quarter, logging his first interception of the season.

The Eagles made the most of their next series, as James found the end zone on a naked bootleg with 11:36 left in regulation, making it 20-14.  The nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive was keyed by 15 rushing yards from Robichaux, a 25-yard strike to Ward, and a 15-yard connection with Skeete deep in the red zone.

Boston College’s defensive unit forced WKU into a punt, a strip sack, and a turnover on downs over its last three offensive series.  Led by Ezeiruaku’s 14 tackles, including 10 solo, the senior defensive end became the first Eagle in six seasons to register three sacks in a game (Wyatt Ray, 3, vs. Louisville, Oct. 13, 2018). 

Fellow senior Kam Arnold logged 11 tackles, including five solo stops and an interception.  KP Price had nine tackles, while defensive back trio Khari Johnson, Amari Jackson, and Carter Davis each registered six tackles.

For the game, BC totaled 279 total yards (168 passing, 111 rushing), including 19 first downs.  The Eagles were 7-of-13 on third down – including 4-of-5 in the second half.

Boston College hits the road next week – Oct. 5 – when it heads to Charlottesville to take on Virginia.  Kickoff is set for noon and for the game will air live on ACC Network.