Lynch was turned into a sad sack
Sure, Ball State was severely shorthanded after it suspended 16 players (including nine starters), but Mathias Kiwanuka was not about to spare any quarter. The 6-foot-7-inch, 262-pound senior defensive end from Indianapolis yesterday carved a spot for himself in BC's history books by recording half of the Eagles' six sacks for 25 yards against Ball State's Joey Lynch.
Kiwanuka's career-high three sacks gave him 31 1/2 for his career and enabled him to surpass Mike Ruth (29, 1982-85) as BC's all-time leader.
''I don't want to take anything away from them, because they put together a great effort," Kiwanuka said. ''You definitely respect them as a school and as a team, but just from watching them on film, we thought there were definitely some things we could accomplish as far as getting sacks and getting in the quarterback's face."
The Eagles recorded five of their six sacks in the first half, including four in the first quarter. Kiwanuka sparked it all when he dropped Lynch for a 4-yard loss on Ball State's first possession.
And he finished it in the fourth quarter, marking the first time a BC defender had registered three in a game since Antonio Garay against Virginia Tech in 2002.
''I definitely want to come out and play strong every time," said Kiwanuka. ''Not to make them out to be something they're not, but last year they came out and played us pretty tough, and so I just wanted to come out and do the best that I could."
Blast from past
After wrapping up the nonconference portion of their schedule, the Eagles will resume Atlantic Coast Conference play by hosting Virginia Saturday. It will be the first time BC coach Tom O'Brien, who came to The Heights in 1997 after serving as a longtime assistant to former coach George Welsh at Virginia, will be matched up against his former employer. ''I've been out of there for nine years, so that's almost a lifetime for most people," O'Brien said, downplaying his ties to Virginia. . . . BC's rushing defense, ranked No. 2 in the nation (54.2 yards per game), held Ball State to 46 yards on 32 attempts. It was the fewest rushing yards Ball State had gained in 25 games, after rushing for 41 vs. Missouri in 2003 . . . The Eagles, who stopped Clemson on all 11 of its third-down conversion attempts, had their shutout streak on third down snapped at 13 when Lynch completed an 8-yard pass to Louis Johnson on third and 7 late in the first quarter . . . Redshirt freshmen Chris Crane and Brandon Robinson recorded career firsts. Crane completed his first pass (in his first attempt) on a 14-yard toss to Tony Gonzalez. Robinson hauled in the first TD catch of his career on a 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan to give BC a 31-0 lead in the fourth quarter.
