In 2021, quarterback Emmett Morehead made a cameo first appearance as an Eagle against Syracuse, switching off with then-backup Dennis Grosel during the 21–6 loss. Boston College football was sacked five times in the loss—its lowest scoring showing of the 2021 season—with an inexperienced Morehead under center.
Saturday night, in BC’s final game of a nine-loss season, Morehead was making no cameo. Instead, Morehead was starting his fourth-straight game. Despite tossing for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the air with no interceptions, two costly fumbles cost the Eagles (3–9, 2–6 Atlantic Coast) the game, and BC fell to Syracuse (7–5, 4–4) 32–23.
Saturday, however, BC’s defense was the group gathering up sacks. The Eagles took down Syracuse’s quarterback Garrett Shrader seven times—five times in the first quarter alone. Prior to Saturday, BC’s single-game sack high had been four.
But the second half was all Orange. In less than 10 minutes total, four straight Syracuse scoring drives as well as two missed BC field goals spoiled the Eagles’ strong defensive start, and propelled Syracuse to a victory in Chestnut Hill on BC’s senior night.
After giving up an opening-drive score in its last four games, BC changed up its tone. Byrce Steele strip-sacked Scrader on the third play of the game, recovered the ball, and opened up the field for the Eagles offense on the Orange’s 17-yard line.
The Eagles managed a 28-yard Connor Lytton field goal, but the defense stepped up once again on the following drive. Edwin Kolenge blocked an Orange punt, giving BC the ball on Syracuse’s 15-yard line. Morehead then connected with Zay Flowers for a seven-yard score—and even more history.
Later in the game, Flowers’ second touchdown made him BC’s all-time touchdown reception leader with 29, passing Kelvin Martin’s 28 career touchdowns.
Flowers finished the 2022 season with 12 touchdowns—also the most in BC history for a single season. Last week, Flowers became BC’s all-time receptions leader, and the week before that, became BC’s all time leader in career receiving yards.
While Syracuse led in total yards heading into halftime, 145–133, the Eagles defense limited the Orange to just three first-half points, the least amount of first-half points BC’s allowed all season. Syracuse’s sole red-zone trip came as a result of a Morehead strip sack, giving Syracuse the ball at the Eagles’ 27-yard line.
But just six yards from the endzone, Cam Horsely sent Syracuse six yards back by tackling running back Sean Tucker. A pair of Orange penalties then pushed Syracuse out of field goal range before halftime, keeping BC up by seven.
BC’s defense stayed strong initially in the second half, continuing to put pressure on Shrader. A Donovan Ezeiruaku sack on third down sent Syracuse back four yards and prevented the Orange from reaching the end zone in the third quarter. Andre Szmyt knocked in a 29-yard field goal to cut the Eagles’ lead to 10–6.
Rushing has been a struggle for BC all season—they rank dead last in the FBS—but Saturday, running back Pat Garwo III had his best performance of the season, and showed life of his 2021 self.
Garwo finished with 83 yards and one touchdown from the ground, and a four-yard run capped off a nine-play, 78-yard Eagles scoring drive that put BC up 17–6 in the fourth quarter. Garwo had only two touchdowns on the season until that point.
The Orange responded immediately. A head-scratching roughing the passer call on Ezeiruaku kept Syracuse’s offensive drive alive, and an eight-yard pass to Devaughn Cooper cut BC’s lead to five.
But on Syracuse’s two-point conversion attempt, the Eagles’ collapsed on a scrambling Shrader and stopped him short of the goal line, keeping it a five-point game.
BC’s offense couldn’t put anything together, and Syracuse took advantage with a 58-yard dart to a wide-open Damien Alford that put the Orange up 18–17. Syracuse garnered their first lead of the game.
Morehead’s most costly play of the night—a second strip sack—gave Syracuse the ball right back, and BC’s defense had lost its intensity. The Orange marched downfield and took a commanding 25–17 lead on its third consecutive touchdown.
The collapse continued, as Tucker put the icing on the cake with a 29-yard rushing touchdown.
The Eagles were outscored 29–13 in the second half en route to their final loss of the season.
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