BC squanders golden chance

Boston College could have used any of those as reasons for its 20-16 loss to Notre Dame yesterday afternoon. All were factors, but coach Frank Spaziani didn’t want to use any of them as a crutch.

“The bottom line is that we just didn’t get the job done,’’ said Spaziani, trying to absorb Notre Dame’s first win over the Eagles in the last seven meetings. “We’re still a work in progress. We’re not quite good enough.’’

For the longest time, the Eagles (5-3) looked not only good enough, but confident enough to pull off the upset.

The teams sparred with each other through 30 minutes, with Notre Dame holding a 13-9 lead at the half. Notre Dame (5-2), coming off a close loss to Southern Cal last week, was going to go as far as quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate would take it. In the first half, that provided a narrow lead, which disappeared when the Eagles went 56 yards in six plays to start the third quarter, with Harris diving the final 2 yards for the TD and a 16-13 lead.

It was only a prelude to the rest of a wild second half, the norm at Notre Dame, which has had six of its seven games decided in the fourth quarter. For BC, it was something new. The Eagles came in not having scored a point, or even gained a first down, in the first half of their two previous road games - lopsided losses to Clemson and Virginia Tech.

The Eagles were dealing from a short deck, especially at running back. Josh Haden was out with a sprained ankle, Jeff Smith stayed home because of a neck problem, and Rolandan Finch, who had given Haden and Harris breaks in previous games, had flu-like symptoms and made only a cameo appearance.

That put all, or most of, the pressure on Shinskie. And the 25-year-old freshman showed some offensive flair on the road for the first time, hitting Rich Gunnell (10 catches, 179 yards) with a TD pass in the second quarter for a 9-6 lead.

Clausen and Tate gave the Irish the lead back just before halftime, but after Harris put BC back ahead on its first possession of the second half, the Eagles were in position to take control on their next series when Shinskie led them to the Notre Dame 5. But the normally reliable Harris fumbled for the second time, losing this one at the 1-yard line, ending a streak of 363 touches without losing a fumble.

“I feel I let the team down,’’ said Harris, who had school records of 264 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 52-20 win over North Carolina State last week, but was held to 38 yards on 22 carries yesterday.

With that opportunity to build a cushion gone, it was Clausen’s turn. He brought the Irish to the BC 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter, where Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis chose to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking the tying field goal. The Irish went into a Wildcat formation, but Robert Hughes was stopped 6 inches short by BC cornerback Marcellus Bowman.

“It was close,’’ said Bowman. “Very close.’’

But the Irish kept coming, led by Clausen. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, including what proved to be the winner when he connected with Tate (11 catches, 128 yards, 2 TDs) on a 36-yard pass with 8:12 remaining.

The Eagles were in crisis mode now, and they stumbled. One chance ended with an interception off a tipped ball. With 3:29 left, the Eagles had one more chance. They made one play - converting on fourth down on a 28-yard pass from Shinskie to Gunnell. But the threat ended when Brian Smith picked off a Shinskie pass intended for Colin Larmond Jr. with 1:38 left.

“I should have thrown it out of bounds,’’ said Shinskie. “I wish I had two or three throws back. I tried to make a play and wound up throwing it in the guy’s chest. Live and learn, I guess.’’

The Eagles play Central Michigan Saturday, before getting a week off and then resuming their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. They’re tied atop the Atlantic Division with Clemson. But each week brings a challenge.

“We’re a high-wire act,’’ said Spaziani. “When you’re on the wire, you’ve got no safety net.’’

Yesterday, the Eagles slipped and came crashing down.