Haden taken out of the running early

Committee picks up slack in his absence

It was not what Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski and offensive coordinator Steve Logan had in mind. Not in terms of the running game, which was supposed to revolve around freshman Josh Haden and junior Jeff Smith.

Instead, yesterday's Atlantic Coast Conference home opener against Georgia Tech turned into running back by committee, as seven Eagles (including quarterback Chris Crane and linebacker/short-yardage specialist Brian Toal) carried the ball 41 times for 120 yards.

In the 19-16 loss to the Yellow Jackets, the Eagles' long rush was a 14-yarder by Crane, and Haden suffered an early ankle injury that limited him to eight carries for 35 yards. Smith attempted to fill in, with 10 carries for 25 yards, but the one bright spot might have been the emergence of another freshman, Montel Harris, who had five carries for 21 yards and seems likely to get more work when the Eagles resume their season Sept. 20 against Central Florida.

"We used six different running backs," said Jagodzinski. "I thought Montel Harris gave us some juice out there. He had some fresh legs. Josh Haden got nicked. James McCluskey got nicked. It was a physical football game."

BC fell to 2-5 all time against Georgia Tech . . . The Eagles committed their first penalty of the season with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter. They were not flagged and did not commit a turnover in last week's 21-0 win over Kent State . . . BC recovered three fumbles, and has forced six turnovers in two games . . . Steve Aponavicius kicked a career-high three field goals.

Cornerback DeLeon Gause reinjured his ankle, and was on crutches after the game. Haden's injury is not considered serious. Defensive tackle Ron Brace tweaked his back in the fourth quarter . . . BC allowed its first safety since Sept. 2, 2004, against Ball State . . . Wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah's 7-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the first of his BC career . . . Crane's touchdown pass was his first of the season and second of his career. The previous came in a 41-0 victory over Buffalo Oct. 28, 2006 . . . The Eagles will not practice today or tomorrow. They are off next Saturday, returning to face Central Florida at Alumni Stadium Sept. 20 . . . Billy Bennett had four kickoffs. Two reached the end zone, one was caught at the 1 yard line, and the other at the 8 . . . BC had 262 total yards, to 235 for Georgia Tech; the Eagles possessed the ball for 33:48, to 26:12 for the Yellow Jackets; and BC converted 8 of 19 third-down attempts, to Tech's 3 of 12.