Eagles find answers
Brown takes QB reins in win
DEKALB, Ill. — The mystery of who would start at quarterback for Boston College finally was unveiled just after the kickoff of last night’s season opener at Northern Illinois.
Anthony Brown stepped under center for the first snap at Huskie Stadium, conclud- ing a week of intrigue as Brown and gradu- ate Darius Wade shared game preparations.
Brown was 26-of-42 for 191 yards and two touchdown passes as the Eagles held off a late Northern Illinois drive to lock down a 23-20 nonconference victory.
BC kicker Colton Lichtenberg hit a 37-yard gamewinning field goal with 2:13 left in regulation to cap a 13-play, 46-yard drive that included a possession-saving 12-yard fourth down pass from Brown to Kobay White to the NIU 24.
The Huskies replied with a drive to the Eagles 22 but a potential game-tying field goal by Christian Hagan with 21 seconds left fell short.
There was a hint of fall in the air as gametime temperatures hovered in the upper 50s and slipped into the 40s in the second half.
Brown, a redshirt freshman, showed his prowess on the Eagles’ first possession with an on-target bomb to Michael Walker that was bobbled and dropped at the Northern Illinois 20.
But on BC’s second drive Brown was picked off at the Huskies 40 on third-and-6. Northern Illinois marched to the Eagles 15 before stalling and settling for a 32yard Hagan field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Lichtenberg matched him with a 42-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
Northern Illinois then used a two-play drive to reclaim the lead. Quarterback Ryan Graham sprinted 60 yards to the Eagles 15 on the final play of the quarter. One play later, he found wide receiver D.J.Brown for a touchdown as the Huskies opened a 10-3 advantage.
BC took 13-10 lead with 30 seconds left in the half as Brown guided a six-play, 50-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Walker, who was alone in the corner of the end zone.
The Eagles made it 2010 on their first drive of the second half. Brown and Ray Marten combined on a 4-yard TD pass-andcatch with 7:48 left in the third quarter to wrap up an eight-play, 57yard drive.
Northern Illinois climbed back to within three at 20-17 as Graham tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shane Wimann with 2:15 remaining in the third.
The Eagles went threeand-out and the Huskies came back with a game-tying drive — moving 53 yards in five plays but halted outside the end zone after BC defensive back Lukas Denis broke up Graham’s end zone pass.
Hagan hit a 21-yard field goal for a 20-20 tie.
Brown, who redshirted in 2016, won the starting job despite four years of experience by Wade, who graduated last May. In 15 career games — including three starts in 2015 before an injury ended his season — Wade had 355 passing yards and completed 47.8 percent of his passes.
Last night’s game was the third meeting in a series that includes BC’s 17-14 home victory in 2015 and a 20-10 triumph in 1971.
The Eagles are now 20-3 against Mid-American schools and have not lost to a MAC program since 1969 (Buffalo).
BC opens ACC play at home next Saturday against Wake Forest.