No upset this week for BC as WVU rolls
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – The motivation Boston College had for Notre Dame wasn’t there against West Virginia. Avon Cobourne rushed for 138 yards and James Davis blocked two first-half field goal attempts as the Mountaineers jumped ahead 17-0 and cruised past Boston College 24-14 Saturday.
West Virginia (7-3, 4-1 Big East) has seven regular-season victories for the first time since 1998.
The Mountaineers have next week off before finishing the regular season with tough road tests at No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Pittsburgh.
After failing to finish strong in its two previous games against Miami and Temple, West Virginia played solid from start to finish Saturday.
“We know we’ve still got a couple of tough games ahead of us, but right now I’m just tickled with our effort,” coach Rich Rodriguez said.
The Mountaineers are 4-1 since a 48-17 home loss to Maryland on Oct. 5.
“During the Maryland game, we had the deer-in-the-headlights look,” Rodriguez said. “I haven’t seen that from them since then.”
After forcing five turnovers in toppling previously unbeaten Notre Dame last week, Boston College (5-4, 0-4) looked uninspired on the road against the Mountaineers to remain winless in the Big East.
Boston College now must wait until next Saturday at home against Syracuse to try to become bowl eligible for a fourth-straight season. The Eagles also have games remaining at Temple and home against Rutgers.
West Virginia had no turnovers and the nation’s top rushing offense moved the ball with little trouble against the Eagles, compiling 273 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t come out and play solid football today,” said Eagles coach Tom O’Brien. “Our tank is on empty now. I don’t think it has anything to do with last week’s game, though.”
Cobourne had his 26th career 100-yard effort in his final home game, backup Quincy Wilson ran for 100 yards and West Virginia’s lethargic passing attack even had its best showing in a month.
“I knew we were going to do well,” Cobourne said. “They don’t have Miami-type players to come back if we could get up on them.”
Cobourne now has 1,409 yards this season and needs 137 more to surpass 5,000 career yards.
His 37-yard scamper set up his 5-yard TD run early in the second quarter for a 17-0 lead.
Brian St. Pierre was intercepted twice trying to bring the Eagles back. St. Pierre was 28-of-50 for 284 yards, while Boston College was held to just 80 yards rushing.
The Eagles’ Derrick Knight was held below 100 yards rushing for the first time in a month. He finished with 53 yards on 18 carries.
“It felt like we played uphill all game,” St. Pierre said. “We moved the ball, but couldn’t score.”
With West Virginia ahead 17-7 late in the third quarter, Arthur Harrison picked off a St. Pierre pass at the Eagles 33. Five plays later, Rasheed Marshall threw a block on a reverse that sprang Phil Braxton for a 10-yard TD run.
Marshall was 12-of-18 for 124 yards, including a 2-yard TD toss to tight end Tory Johnson in the second quarter.
West Virginia’s Mark Fazzolari helped Boston College with first-half punts of 21 and 23 yards, but on each of the Eagles’ ensuing drives, Davis came through the middle to block Sandro Sciortino’s field goal attempts of 49 and 22 yards.
West Virginia spent the past two weeks working on its kick blocking. Davis, who has a vertical leap of nearly 39 inches, was positioned over Boston College’s center.
“Any time they tried to make a field goal, we were going for the block,” he said.
Backup Brandon Brokaw, who carried the ball for the first time since suffering a concussion against Navy three weeks ago, got Boston College’s first score on a 3-yard run in the second quarter.
St. Pierre capped a 13-play drive with an 8-yard TD pass to Jamal Burke with 39 seconds left in the game.