Turbo Richard and Jordan McDonald each ran for two second-half touchdowns as Boston College rolled past host Syracuse 34-12 in the season finale for both Atlantic Coast Conference rivals on Saturday.
Richard (102 yards on 15 carries) and McDonald (28 yards on five carries) helped the Eagles (2-10, 1-7) post a dominant 28-6 score in the second half, gaining 330 of their 433 yards of total offense.
Grayson James was 16 of 24 for 288 yards passing after starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan (2-for-2, 8 yards) suffered a finger injury early in the game. Lewis Bond posted eight receptions for 171 yards.
Syracuse (3-9, 1-7) was held without a touchdown until Dan Villari’s 1-yard rush with 3:20 remaining in the fourth. Joseph Filardi was 10 of 18 for 65 yards passing and also ran for 54 on eight attempts for the Orange.
Boston College snapped a 10-game losing streak with its first FBS win this season, while Syracuse will end its campaign on an eight-game skid.
It was a 6-6 game at halftime, as the Eagles’ Luca Lombardo and Orange counterpart Tripp Woody both kicked two field goals.
After forcing Syracuse to go 3-and-out to start the second half, Boston College scored the first touchdown as Richard’s first score highlighted a three-play, 79-yard drive that lasted just 59 seconds. James connected with Bond for a 54-yard catch-and-run before his own 9-yard run set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Lombardo had his 16-for-16 season kicking field goals snapped when he missed a 40-yarder wide to the right on the next series, but a following eight-play, 69-yard drive got them back in the end zone — thanks to McDonald’s 2-yard run — late in the third quarter.
An Omar Thornton sack forced another 3-and-out before Boston College needed just two plays to extend its lead to 27-6. Richard cut to the left and down the sideline for a 46-yard touchdown.
McDonald’s 14-yard rumble up the middle with 9:24 left capped the Eagles’ scoring.
The first half saw Syracuse gain 114 of its 140 yards on the ground while Boston College threw for 77 of its 103.
Lombardo’s 30-yard field goal opened the scoring with 4:04 left in the first.
Syracuse was unable to turn Will Nixon’s 28-yard burst across midfield into a touchdown, knotting the score on a 49-yard boot from Woody in the opening minute of the second quarter.
The Orange forced a three-and-out before stringing together a 14-play, 65-yard drive in 9:36, ending with Woody’s 29-yard kick with 3:05 left in the half.
Lombardo followed with a last-minute 31-yarder for the tied halftime score.
–Field Level Media
