BC victory ranks right up there

Eagles hang on vs. No. 17 Hokies

Welcome to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where last week's bottom-feeders are this week's contenders, where on any given day who's No. 1 can change with a blocked punt, an interception, or a field goal.

Take yesterday, for example, when Wake Forest, once thought to be the leader of the pack, was spanked by suddenly hot Maryland, and when North Carolina lost to Virginia, which had been embarrassed by Maryland a week earlier.

The wackiness also arrived at Alumni Stadium, where No. 17 Virginia Tech, the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play, renewed its rivalry with Boston College, which despite four wins in five games had yet to beat a team with a winning record.

Until last night that is, as Jeff Jagodzinski's Eagles staked their claim for hot-team honors with a wild 28-23 victory before a lively crowd of 44,127, who watched nervously as the Hokies (5-2, 2-1) chipped away at an Eagle lead that was 28-17 at the half.

After Tech made it 28-23 with 6:32 remaining on a 45-yard field goal by Dustin Keys, Chris Crane and the BC offense had to find a way to move the ball and chew up some clock.

The Eagles (5-1, 2-1) did that until 1:08 remained, when the Hokies gained possession at their 30. With no timeouts left, Tech was unable to pull out a miracle victory.

Crane threw for 218 yards, but also was intercepted three times - with two returned for touchdowns - and fumbled twice.

"We told them, 'Play 60 minutes,' " said Jagodzinski, who watched in frustration as the Eagles fell behind, 10-0, in the first 5 1/2 minutes, when a Crane pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, and Jeff Smith fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, leading to a Tech field goal. "We told them, 'You did it last week against North Carolina State, and you will have to do it again.' "

That is exactly what the Eagles did, as the offense did just enough to make up for its early mistakes, and the defense did more than that.

"It was a must-win game for us," said BC linebacker and cocaptain Mike McLaughlin. "They were arguably the most talented team we have faced."

The Eagles didn't lose their poise despite playing a ranked team in prime time. Crane made enough plays, and the running backs, including freshman Montel Harris (15 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD) picked their spots. Other Eagles, such as wide receiver Rich Gunnell, who returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown that gave BC its first lead, 14-10, six minutes into the second quarter, also made contributions.

By the half, the Eagles had an 11-point lead, and they held on despite Tech chipping away and looking to take advantage of every BC mistake.

"We played together as a team," said BC linebacker Mark Herzlich, part of a unit that didn't allow a touchdown drive, but one that lost linebacker Brian Toal to an ankle injury in the first quarter. "The turnovers we made didn't hurt us. They could have. Chris [Crane] kept his head on straight and led the team down the field."

The Eagles' defense made big plays when it needed them, such as a fourth-and-1 stop on the first series of the fourth quarter with the Hokies at the BC 30.

"Starting off by spotting a team 10 points is never good," said Crane, who showed the grittiness of his former teammate Matt Ryan, now the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, in bringing the Eagles back.

With Ryan watching from the press box, Crane made just enough plays to allow the Eagles to grind out a victory.

"With all the mistakes we made, we still won the game," said Crane. "It feels good."

The win put the Eagles in solid position to make a push in the ACC race.

"They believe now," said Jagodzinski. "They believe they can do it. As a team, we can - if we play that way. It's going to take all 11 guys in the unit to do it. I'm real proud, very proud, of this football team. That was a big win for us and for our program."

BC, which travels to play North Carolina Saturday, is not at the top of the ACC ladder yet, but they are certainly within striking distance.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.