I was struck by how Boston College’s squandered opportunity against Florida State resembled NC State’s failure to beat the Hokies on Labor Day weekend. Both NC State and Boston College looked better than their more talked about opponents, but simply couldn’t pull away. BC got in an early hole and repeatedly stalled out just outside of field goal range. As you no doubt recall, the Pack committed numerous inexcusable penalties and high school JV-level mental errors. Florida State finally got a touchdown in the 4th quarter and never relinquished the lead. Virginia Tech capitalized on a weak punt from deep in Wolfpack territory, and State’s last threat evaporated when Chuck Amato elected to kick a field goal on 4th and 1 from the Hokie 15. Both losses were hard to swallow, because a huge conference win on a national stage simply slipped through their fingers.
Both the Eagles and the Wolfpack found themselves in the Carolinas last weekend, each looking to bounce back from a huge disappointment. NC State was at full health, the VT loss 20 days in the past, and playing at home against a weak 0-2 UNC squad. Boston College was without its starting QB, with little time to regroup from the FSU game, in a hostile environment against a strong Clemson team that had beaten Texas A&M and lost in triple overtime to the powerful Miami Hurricanes.
We all know which team gained improbable redemption, and which one saw its season slide down the drain. Just something else to think about.
