Can anyone forget that pass by Flutie? (Billy, that is)

Now a sophomore, Billy Flutie does a little bit of everything for Boston College - just the way he likes it. (File/jon mahoney/for the globe)

Billy Flutie prefers activity over stagnancy, a family trait, so he looks forward to his afternoons. He walks across the Boston College campus, past the bronze statue of his uncle, Doug, and into the Eagles football facility. He knows he will be busy, because that's life for any quarterback/holder/punter/wide receiver.

"This," Flutie said, "is exactly what I wanted."

Flutie is liable to line up anywhere Saturday, when the Eagles face Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game at Tampa. His name appears so often on the BC depth chart, it looks like a typographical error or a practical joke. But it is neither; Flutie really is BC's backup wide receiver, backup quarterback, backup punter, and holder. He plays on the punt-block team and the onside-kick recovery team, too, and in a pinch, he could kick.

His versatility led to the most memorable play of Saturday's ACC Atlantic Division-clinching victory over Maryland. Flutie, lined up as the holder, threw a touchdown pass off a fake field goal, rolling right and rifling a bull's-eye pass to Jordon McMichael. Right on cue, for a national television audience, the producers at ABC rolled the tape of Doug Flutie launching his famous Hail Mary pass.

Billy Flutie understands and cherishes what his name means here, to the students on campus and the fans inside Alumni Stadium, many of whom remember watching him win a state championship at Natick High two years ago.

Now a 6-foot-1-inch, 186-pound sophomore, Flutie is thrilled with his diverse role and comfortable with the inevitable connection to Uncle Doug, BC's lone Heisman Trophy winner.

"I walk by that statue every day," Billy Flutie said. "I just think of all the great things that he's done. I hope that one day, something like that could potentially happen.

"It comes up all the time: 'You're the nephew of Doug Flutie; I remember the Hail Mary pass.' It's great. I don't mind it at all. It's just a great memory for Doug and for my family. He deserves every credit in the world for that pass. There's no place I'd rather be than here."

Flutie's football schedule yesterday began at roughly 1 p.m. He had a quarterback meeting with offensive coordinator Steve Logan before practice. Then he headed to the practice field, where he worked on his holding. The punt team came next. "I get a few punts in here and there," he said.

Then quarterbacks and receivers broke off into a group. Flutie ran routes, jogged over to throw some passes, then jumped back into line with the receivers and caught a few more balls. For the rest of practice, he played quarterback, taking the snaps reserved for the backup.

"It's crazy," Flutie said. "Some coaches want me here sometimes. Other coaches want me in another place. But they all understand it. They know I have to do my special teams. I have to do my position. They just go along with it.

"It's something I always wanted. It feels like I'm doing something instead of just standing around. That's not me. I like to be moving around."

He is, after all, a Flutie. When the family gets together - his uncles Doug and Darren, his father, Bill, his sister, Brittany - they play pickup basketball or home run derby. They are doers, not watchers.

Which is why, shortly after Jeff Jagodzinski arrived at BC last year, Flutie requested a meeting with his new coach. He knew he was behind Chris Crane and Matt Ryan at quarterback. Because they had to learn a new offense during spring practice in 2007, Billy found himself mostly watching.

"What can I do to play?" Flutie asked his new coaches.

Logan and Jagodzinski tried him at wide receiver, which he had played occasionally at Natick. They liked his potential, and he found a new position. For advice, he leans on his uncle Darren, who played wideout at BC and now coaches the receivers at Natick.

He loves receiver, but he also missed playing quarterback. When Crane was lost for the season two weeks ago, coaches suddenly needed a new backup for Dominique Davis. Flutie savored the opportunity. Standing behind center, the ball in his hands, felt right.

"I always wanted to be a quarterback here," Flutie said.

Flutie's first pass at BC, though, came in an unconventional way. The Eagles practiced the fake field goal all week. Before Flutie trotted out to hold midway through the third quarter, Jagodzinski locked eyes with him. "Here we go," Flutie thought.

Kneeling at the 16-yard line, Flutie caught the snap and faked a toss behind his head. The Maryland defense bit, allowing Flutie to streak around the right corner, where he saw McMichael running wide open. McMichael secured the ball and rumbled in to give BC a 21-7 lead.

Tom Lamb, the coach at Natick, watched the play on television from his home and recalled instantly why it looked so familiar. Flutie's senior year. Playoffs. Natick against Winthrop. Lamb called one of Flutie's favorite plays, a waggle pass. Flutie curled toward the sideline and hit his tight end for a critical touchdown.

Flutie did the same thing Saturday. A touchdown off a slick fake and a perfect pass.

"I wouldn't expect any less out of Billy," Lamb said. "That's pretty easy for him. Wasn't all that difficult a play for him. It was a nice fake, and he stuck it right on him. As talented as he is, I didn't expect any less."

Flutie's phone was flooded with 50 text messages and about a dozen calls after the game. One was from Uncle Doug, who watched the game from an ABC television studio. Doug congratulated Billy, told him he was proud of him, and added one more thing.

"Good decision letting that onside kick go," Doug said. When Maryland tried a last-gasp onside kick, Billy Flutie was on the field, part of BC's hands team. The kicker booted the ball hard, right at Flutie, who let it roll by, rather than jumping on it.

"All the Fluties are like that," Lamb said. "They're very much into the strategy. It could be tiddlywinks and the Fluties would be trying to find out what you can do, how to best play the game."

On Monday, Billy visited Natick High, as he often does during the football season. He walked into the locker room, unannounced. The players stood and started clapping.

"He turned all red, of course," Lamb said. "That's Billy."

By now, though, Flutie is used to the attention. Lamb couldn't believe how much the cameramen showed Flutie Saturday, captivated by the improbable story - another great athlete from Natick, another Flutie at Boston College.

"It's amazing," Lamb said. "It's crazy, isn't it?"

Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com