Boston College Eagles vs UMass Minutemen Match Player Stats On Sep 10, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 10, 2016

Graduate senior Patrick Towles hit converted quarterback Jeff Smith with two long touchdown passes in the second quarter and Boston College broke a nine-game losing streak with a 26-7 victory over Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday.

Towles, a transfer from Kentucky, hit Smith with scores of 46 and 36 yards to erase a 7-0 deficit and the BC defense took over from there as the Eagles notched their first victory since last Sept. 26.

The tenacious Eagles (1-1) sacked Ross Comis eight times, which led to a UMass rushing net of minus-23 yards -- and to a total of just 122 yards of offense.

Mike Knoll, taking over the kicking job because of a quad injury to Colton Lichtenberg, missed the extra point after the first Smith touchdown but nailed field goals of 40 and 37 yards 1:46 apart late in the third quarter.

Jon Hilliman, who ran for 102 yards including a 73-yard touchdown romp, in BC's painful opening loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland last week, capped the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run and gained 54 yards on 22 carries.

The Minutemen (0-2) took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Comis to Adam Breneman.

Towles finished 12 of 22 for 191 yards and an interception and also ran for 66 yards on 12 tries -- while Comis was 11 of 28 for 145 yards and an interception.

BC, winning the latest Battle of the Bay State, has won its last nine games against its in-state opponent, which hasn't won in the series since 1978.