Ryan, BC hit new heights

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The play was called "Rattler."

Boston College's winning touchdown Thursday night before a raucous and wet crowd at Lane Stadium will go down as perhaps the biggest play in school history since Doug Flutie's "Miracle in Miami" in 1984.

Though not as dramatic as Flutie's "Hail Mary," the play could catapult Matt Ryan to the top of many Heisman Trophy voters' lists, much the way "Flood Tip" (Flutie's play) boosted No. 22 23 years ago.

The "Rattler" could also have a place in championship lore the way Colorado's fifth-down play at Missouri led to a share of the national title for Colorado in 1990 or the way Florida State's wide right field goal boosted Miami to a share of the championship in 1991.

It appeared after 55 minutes, the Eagles would become the fourth second-ranked team to fall in as many weeks.

When the Eagles got the ball with 4:11 to go, they trailed, 10-0. Ryan was in the midst of his worst performance of the season. Before the final two scoring drives, Ryan was 16 for 34 for 128 yards with two interceptions. The only bright spot was the Eagles defense holding the eighth-ranked Hokies to 10 points.

"They kept it at 10 and kept the offense in the game," Ryan said. "Being down, 10-0, is such a testament to what our defense did the entire game."

The defense really stepped up after Ryan fired his second interception with 6:01 left, giving the Hokies great field position at the Eagles' 31-yard line. The hosts gained just 2 yards, giving BC a fighting chance.

"We fought hard," Eagles senior linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar said. "We tried to keep our team in it as long as possible.

Instead of trying a 46-yard field goal, the Hokies pooch punted and trapped the Eagles on their 8-yard line with 4:11 left.

Still, the Eagles had faith they could pull out a victory.

"We were saying on the sideline, 'Hang in there. Hang in there,' " Ryan said. "We were going to get something and we did."

They got something - and then some.

Ryan's first pass in the drive fell incomplete. But then he connected on his next two to Brandon Robinson for 23 and 22 yards. Two plays later, he hit tight end Ryan Purvis for another 20 yards.

After an 11-yard scramble, Ryan connected with Rich Gunnell on a 16-yarder in the left corner of the end zone with 2:11 left.

Then the magic kicked in for the Eagles. The ensuing onside kick ricocheted off Virginia Tech's Josh Morgan and Eagles linebacker Tyronne Pruitt pounced on it at the BC 34.

Then Ryan went to work.

He completed a 5-yard pass to Purvis, then connected with Robinson and Gunnell for 20 and 15 yards, respectively. Following a timeout, Ryan hit Kevin Challenger for 12 yards. Four plays later, after what turned out to be a not-so-costly holding penalty, the moment occurred.

Ryan called "Rattler," where two receivers run corner routes and two run post patterns.

Using his new weapon - the scramble - Ryan rolled to his left to buy some time.

"I came to the left and everybody came left and Dre [Andre Callender] went behind them and made a great catch," Ryan said.

To Callender, the anticipation was almost too much to take.

"[It felt like] forever," he said. "It was up in the air . . . I lost it in the lights for a second and it came down and I got it. It went in slow-mo."

That catch - with 11 seconds left - not only kept the team's national title hopes alive, it also became the signature moment in Ryan's career.

"I had no idea [where he was throwing]," said BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski. "We talk about having a mobile quarterback and how the defense has a tough time in the back end when the play is broken down. That's not [Ryan's] game, but he ended up staying alive and it's hard to hang onto coverage that long.

"I tell you this, Matt Ryan made a big statement. That's the best quarterback in the country right there."

The statement was so big that Ryan, who finished 25 of 52 for 285 yards, downplayed his last-second heroics to that of Flutie's.

"I never thought about [winning the Heisman Trophy]. I guess it's not for me to decide. I'm happy that we moved to 8-0," Ryan said. "That's all I care about."

With a road victory over a top-10 team under their belts, the Eagles are now staring at several tough Atlantic Coast Conference games, starting with next week's home game against Florida State.

The Eagles refuse to get ahead of themselves and haven't even entertained thoughts of gaining their first No. 1 ranking since 1942. That's a distinct possibility if No. 24 Penn State can knock Ohio State from its perch tonight.

"As you've seen in college football this year, I think anything is possible," Ryan said. "We are not worried about it too much. We just try to take care of what you can control and prepare for Florida State."