All is not lost for BC

As he stood surrounded by reporters last Thursday night following Boston College's 30-10 loss to third-ranked Virginia Tech, senior wide receiver Will Blackmon said forlornly, ''For us to still have a shot at the ACC championship, we'll need a huge miracle."

Well, a huge miracle appeared to be unfolding Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla., when Maryland rallied from a 14-0 deficit to take a 24-14 lead over 10th-ranked Florida State with 12:03 left in the third quarter.

A Seminoles loss would have kept the Eagles alive in the Atlantic Division for a berth in the ACC title game Dec. 3. Maryland, however, wound up absorbing a 35-27 defeat from the Seminoles.

''It would have kept us still alive," BC coach Tom O'Brien said. ''But the problem is, Florida State beat us, and so they have to lose one more than we do. But we knew going in [to the Virginia Tech game] that we were going to have to win to stay alive, and we weren't able to accomplish it."

And while his team was disheartened by its loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va., where it ran into a buzz saw of an offense led by mercurial quarterback Marcus Vick (280 yards passing, 52 rushing) and a stout defense that held BC's offense to a season-low 183 total yards (and a season-low 27 yards rushing), O'Brien tried to impress upon his players that all was not lost.

''There's still so much for us to accomplish this year," said O'Brien, whose team (6-2 overall, 3-2 ACC) dropped from No. 13 to No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 and from No. 11 to No. 19 in the USA Today coaches' poll. ''I'm sure that there's some disappointment that we're out of the ACC championship right now, but there's still bowl games to accomplish, and winning seasons, and all those types of things. It's the seniors' last go-round, and they've got three more weeks, basically, and it starts at North Carolina."

The Eagles yesterday began preparing for Saturday's conference game against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., in a rematch of the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., in which BC scored a 37-24 victory over UNC.

The Tar Heels (3-4, 2-2) took a 16-7 halftime lead over sixth-ranked Miami Saturday, but the Hurricanes came roaring back for a 34-16 victory at the Orange Bowl.

''North Carolina, they've got nine starters back from their defense last year," O'Brien said. ''It's almost the same team that we played in the bowl game, with the exception of the safety. They changed the quarterback on offense and they feel their strength is their offensive line and they've got two big backs who run with power. It'll be a big challenge for our team and we look forward to it."

BC's home finale is against North Carolina State Nov. 12 before it wraps up the regular season at Maryland Nov. 19.

At stake in this final three-game stretch will be a berth in either the Peach Bowl in Atlanta Dec. 30 or the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 27. If the Eagles win out, and the runner-up of the ACC's title game lands an at-large berth in the Bowl Championship Series, BC could be up for a spot in the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.

However, if the Eagles slip up in their final three games, they could wind up in either the Meineke Car Care Bowl Dec. 31 in Charlotte, N.C., or the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho, Dec. 28.

''Now it's the race to bowl-game time for us," said O'Brien.