Syracuse Upsets No. 17 Boston College

You are Here: Home > Syracuse Upsets No. 17 Boston College

Syracuse Upsets No. 17 Boston College
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
Nov 27, 2004 - 5:09:00 PM

Email this article
Printer friendly page

BOSTON (AP) -- Diamond Ferri ran for 141 yards two touchdowns and scored again on an interception Saturday as Syracuse rolled to a 43-17 victory over No. 17 Boston College to deprive the Eagles of a Bowl Championship Series berth and a farewell outright Big East title.

Syracuse's Diamond Ferri, center, heads for a touchdown against Boston College's Brian Toal, left, and Jazzmen Williams, right, during the second quarter Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004, in Boston. Syracuse won 43-17. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole)

BC needed a victory for its first championship in a league that has been depleted by the defections of Miami and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Eagles will join them next year but Syracuse, which flirted with the ACC before being bypassed, made sure that they left on a sour note.

Damien Rhodes ran for a 69-yard touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage and 107 yards in all for Syracuse (6-5, 4-2 Big East) before leaving with a leg injury. That pressed Ferri, a third-teamer behind Rhodes and the injured Walter Reyes, into the lead role.

The win elevated the Orangemen into a four-way tie with BC (8-3, 4-2), Pittsburgh and West Virginia for first place in the conference.

Pitt would earn the BCS berth and a possible Fiesta Bowl matchup against Utah with a victory over South Florida next week. BC will go to its sixth consecutive bowl game, but it will be a second- or third-tier event like the Insight or Gator.

Perry Patterson was 9-for-16 for 88 yards, adding 48 yards rushing and a touchdown in what could be coach Paul Pasqualoni's last game at Syracuse.

Pasqualoni lost a staunch ally when athletic director Jake Crouthamel announced that he will retire; Crouthamel hired Pasqualoni to replace Dick McPherson in 1991 and has defended his coach the past two seasons.

Saturday's win helped him avoid a third consecutive year without a winning record. Pasqualoni, who has a year remaining on his contract, followed 11 consecutive winning seasons by going 4-8 in 2002 and 6-6 last year.

BC was playing without quarterback Paul Peterson, who broke his right hand in last week's victory over Temple. Freshman Matt Ryan was 24-for-51 for 200 yards with three interceptions and several early dropped passes as BC mustered little offense to fall behind 24-3 before scoring on a blocked punt in the final minute of the first half.

BC was going nowhere when coach Tom O'Brien rushed 11 men on a Syracuse punt with 31 seconds left in the half. Brian Toal blocked the kick and DeJuan Tribble picked up the bouncing ball and ran it 29 yards for the touchdown to make it 24-10.

But the Eagles couldn't build on their good fortune.

Despite a 39-yard kickoff return that put BC at its 44 to start the second half, the Eagles got only as far midfield and punted the ball back. Collin Barber kicked a 42-yard field goal to make it 27-10 and, after Anthony Smith's interception gave Syracuse the ball at the BC 23, Barber kicked from 35 yards to make it a 20-point game.

Ryan hit Joel Hazard from 11 yards out to make it 30-17, but Syracuse scored on Ferri's 44-yard interception return and Patterson's TD run after BC fumbled the kickoff.