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Boston College Handles Rival UCLA in Grudge Match
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts-- BC and UCLA were meeting for the third time in just under 12 months with each team winning one time in the previous games. Every time the Coach Petersens have faced each other going back for many years the games have been within one score and often times decided on the final possession. That was not the case in this meeting, although the game may have felt closer than it appeared on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet. Boston College came into the game trying to prove a point that this team is much improved from a year ago and did just that and it seems that UCLA may have taken a step back from the team that won the Pac-12 Champion and Rose Bowl form that they had last year.
CJ Jones Had a Career Day as the BC Defense Looks Much Improved
Boston College had started slow the last two meetings against the Bruins and were looking to reverse that in this meeting. BC got the ball to start the game and got the start they were looking for as they drove down the field and capped off the drive with a TD pass from Rettig to Swigert. UCLA would answer back quickly with a TD run from Heisman Trophy winner Jonathan Franklin. BC's offense took the field and again put together a nice drive that was this time capped of by a strike from Rettig to surprising star WR Alex Amidon who has 4 TDs and almost 300 yards receiving through two games. The game looked like it was going to be a back and forth shootout, but the rest of the half would be filled with missed chances and technical difficulties. Both teams would miss and field goal and fail to take advantage of good opportunities. and so the game headed into the half still 14-7.
Kuechly and the Defense Had a Great First Half Again but Were Looking to Put Together a Full Game
UCLA would get the ball to start the half but the BC defense would step up again just as they had every drive after the first. Boston College got the ball for the first time in the half and was looking to take a big 14 point lead. They put together a nice drive but were held to a third-and-long. Rettig dropped back to pass and found his new favorite target Amidon wide open running towards the corner of the endzone. Rettig put it on the money and suddenly it was 21-7.
Amidon has Been a Huge Surprise for BC
The teams traded stops and the game headed into the fourth quarter. UCLA put together a drive and were about to cut the lead back to seven when the UCLA quarterback made a critical mistake. CJ Jones stepped in front of the pass and picked it off in the endzone. UCLA rotated their three evenly rated QBs and the rotation could have impacted the play of the quarterbacks. CJ Jones had his first of three picks on the day, a career best.
CJ Jones Picks off the Pass in the Endzone
BC quickly moved out of the shadow of their own endzone and were out a few yards shy of midfield. UCLA had been bringing heavy pressure all game and BC finally took advantage as Swigert got past the one-on-one coverage to score the 60 yard TD on a beautiful pass from Rettig. UCLA got the ball back and were forced to go to the air more than they would have liked. This gave cornerback CJ Jones another opportunity and he took advantage picking off the post pattern.
CJ Jones Get INT #2
BC would fail to take advantage as they turned the ball over themselves. The turnover gave UCLA a ray of hope, but they had to score quickly if they were going to have a chance. The UCLA WR ran a deep out route and the player of the game stepped up yet again. Jones undercut the route and picked off the pass near the sideline. This time BC would take advantage of the turnover and would put the game away. Andre Williams, who had another huge game, would cross the goal line for the first time on the day.
Williams Nearly Ran for 200 Yards Again
The game would end after another BC stop and they would run out the clock. BC had put together its best and most complete game since Coach Petersen had taken over as head coach. The defense only gave up 66 yards passing and under 200 yards total along with putting up 35 points and 400 yards on offense. Boston College is off to a great start and has a top 10 ranking. BC is off to a great start and is going to enjoy their bye week as they regroup for the last two non-conference games of the season against Northwestern and Cal. Coach Petersen was ecstatic with the victory, especially after losing to UCLA in the Rose Bowl last year, but knows there is a lot of season left. Final: 35-7
Stats
C. Rettig: 8-13, 303 Yds, 4 TDs
A. Williams: 23 Car, 193 Yds, 1 TD
B. Swigert: 3 Rec, 145 Yds, 2 TDs
A. Amidon: 4 Rec, 99 Yds, 2 TDs
