Sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat early in the fourth quarter, Boston College almost took its eyes off the wheel.
In the matter of two minutes, a 20-point lead evaporated into the Carolina sky, as Wake Forest found the end zone twice to cut the lead to six with a little more than six minutes remaining. However, it was just a little too late, as the Eagles managed to hold on for a 23-17 victory.
“As I told the team in the locker room, it’s hard to win on the road in the ACC,” said head coach Steve Addazio. “It doesn’t matter who, what, where, when, why; it comes down to the final plays, and I think our team can really grow from this.”
Running back Joni Hilliman continued his torrid freshman campaign.
The Plainfield, New Jersey, native found the end zone twice in the first half. He finished with 101 yards on 20 carries to go along with his two touchdowns. He has recorded two scores in four of the last six games.
“[Hilliman] did a great job of trusting his blockers and trusting his speed, his strength, and his ability to hit the hole,” said quarterback Tyler Murphy, who threw for 165 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 77 yards on 14 carries. “You could tell he was just having fun out there, running around and trying to make plays to help the team.”
Boston College (5-3) will travel to Blacksburg next weekend, where it will try to clinch a bowl berth against struggling Virginia Tech.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame (6-1) — on a bye this weekend — will look to get back on the winning track at Navy on Saturday. The No. 7-ranked team in the nation lost a thriller, 31-27, to defending national champion Florida State on Oct. 18.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Results for Catholic colleges around the US
Catholic schools, in italics below, went 22-12 this weekend
Division I FBS
Boston College 23
Wake Forest 17
Divison I FCS
San Diego 40
Dayton 29
Duquesne 48
Alderson-Broaddus 27
Fordham 48
Lehigh 27
Bucknell 22
Georgetown 17
Holy Cross 24
Lafayette 14
McNeese State 41
Incarnate World 21
St. Francis 30
Sacred Heart 27
Villanova 48
Morgan St. 28
Division II
Assumption 31
St. Anselm 7
Gannon 58
Seton Hill 28
New Haven 42
Merrimack 14
Mary 52
MSU Moorhead 45
Mercyhurst 31
Edinboro 10
Glenville State 41
Notre Dame (Ohio) 38
Quincy 42
William Jewell 28
St. Joseph’s 30
Southwest Baptist 27
Southern Connecticut 17
Stonehill 14
Wayne State 52
Walsh 17
Division III
Benedictine 44
Concordia-Chicago 11
Emory and Henry 62
Catholic 28
John Carroll 71
Capital 7
Loras 27
Simpson 24
Mount St. Joseph 63
Anderson 14
St. John’s 52
Carleton 3
St. Norbert 29
Beloit 14
St. Scholastica 59
Eureka 0
Bethel 35
St. Thomas 24
St. Vincent 38
Carnegie Mellon 31
Thomas More 64
Grove City 7
