Stinging setback

Crane swarmed by Jackets

When are you a college graduate and a fuzzy-faced freshman all at the same time?

When you are Chris Crane, starting quarterback for the Boston College Eagles.

Crane already has his degree from The Heights. But he's got the football experience of a kid right out of high school.

Introduced to 40,106 sweaty fans yesterday, making his first Atlantic Coast Conference start, BC's true graduate played somewhat like a true freshman in a frustrating 19-16 loss to Georgia Tech.

"I'll take the blame, definitely," said Crane, sounding mature and a little mad at the same time. "It's disappointing. We had so many opportunities."

One week after a squeaky-clean, 21-0 victory over Kent State in Cleveland, Crane and friends coughed up a 16-10 fourth-quarter lead against the Yellow Jackets. Crane completed 18 of 35 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted twice in the second half and got swallowed in his own end zone for a critical deuce in the fourth quarter. His conference debut was tarnished by underthrows, overthrows, and a dark day in the red zone (one touchdown in five trips).

"I was excited," said Crane. "I felt fine out there. No jitters. I was able to make most of the throws I wanted . . . I threw the ball a little behind some receivers, and can't make those kinds of mistakes."

BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski said, "I didn't think we made enough plays on offense. We need to be more consistent as an offense. It's not just one guy. It's not just the quarterback. All 11 guys have to do their job."

Coach Jags can say it's not just one guy, but we know better. It's never easy being the BC quarterback and Crane has the added weight of following a young man who this afternoon will be starting for the Atlanta Falcons against the Detroit Lions.

Like it or not, the "Matty Ice" story will always be part of the Chris Crane story.

Crane came to Boston College late in the summer of 2004. His goal was to be the starting quarterback. Nothing happened in Crane's four seasons as an undergrad because he was playing behind Ryan. He was like a young shortstop in the Baltimore Orioles farm system, wondering when a guy named Ripken would leave. Crane threw 40 passes and made one start in four seasons. He was All-American Idle.

There was simply no room on the field for the kid from Mechanicsburg, Pa. Crane carried a clipboard and hung on the sideline with the coaches, while Ryan took the Eagles to bowl games and built a résumé that would make him the third overall pick in the NFL draft.

Still waiting his turn, Crane graduated last spring. He put on the cap and gown and got his diploma from the College of Arts and Sciences. He walked with the class of 2008 and listened to the words of commencement speaker David McCullough.

Yesterday, he came back to the spot where he graduated, finally owning the job of BC starting quarterback.

It's a little trick called redshirting. Most football freshmen sit and ripen for a year. They retain four years of eligibility. Then they return as fifth-year seniors. Leaves a lot of time for football.

"I knew I was going to have to wait my turn," said the 22-year-old quarterback. "And I knew everyone was going to make comparisons."

Crane beat Buffalo in 2006 in his only start as an undergrad. Coming out of the 2008 spring game (18 for 35, 155 yards, one TD), it was obvious he was going to be the starter this fall. He ran for a pair of touchdowns against Kent State, but the first real test didn't come until yesterday.

BC's red-zone woes were established early, as the Eagles made four trips in the first half and came away with only three field goals.

With BC trailing late in the third quarter, Crane led the Eagles on a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive, connecting with Ifeanyi Momah on a 7-yard scoring pass to give the Eagles a 16-10 lead. The TD strike came seconds after Crane missed a wide-open Rich Gunnell.

With 10 1/2 minutes to go, Crane was mauled for a safety on third and 14 from his 7.

"I was about to check it down when the pressure broke down," said Crane. "I didn't want to give up a touchdown. There was nowhere to go. I thought I got out to the 1, but apparently not."

"They did a good job on our receivers," said Jagodzinski. "But we need to get rid of that ball."

Georgia Tech took over the game. Grumbling fans who had worried about the rain that didn't arrive during the game started to file out of the stadium in the closing seconds.

"We've got to put this behind us," said Crane. "By no means is the season over."

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.