BC’s Dillon has 161 yards, two TDs before leaving with ankle injury

Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown caught a touchdown that completely fooled Temple on a trick play and then was surprised himself when his mom was on the field singing ‘God Bless America.’

Brown also threw for two touchdowns, New London’s AJ Dillon rushed for 161 yards and two scores before leaving with an apparent ankle injury and the Eagles held off the Owls 45-35 on Saturday in a chippy game that saw three players ejected for targeting.

Midway into the third quarter, Brown caught his TD — a 9-yarder from QB-turned-receiver Jeff Smith — to make it 38-21. When the quarter ended, his mom — Carissa Henderson — sang a stirring rendition of the song.

“I heard her,” he said. “I had no idea she was going to do that. She did say something during the summer, asking me if I’d mind if she sang during a game. I was like, ‘Why?’ and she said, ‘I’m just asking.’” He had no idea it was coming. “They announced it and it kind of shocked me,” he said. “As soon as they said my mom, I was like, ‘What?’ I just looked over and she was singing.”

Dillon, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason player of the year, limped off favoring his left ankle after a defender fell on the back of his leg early in the third quarter. He went to the sideline, had it taped, but didn’t return.

Eagles coach Steve Addazio wouldn’t discuss his team’s injuries after the game, only saying: “Hopefully we’ll get some of these players back. I have no information, so you might as well not even ask me because I couldn’t tell you.”

Brown completed 15 of 33 passes for 139 yards for the Eagles (4-1), which rebounded from a lopsided loss at Purdue last week that dropped them out of the Top 25.

Trailing 21-13 late in second quarter, BC capitalized on an interception and scored 18 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead into halftime.

Dillon broke around the left side, going 52 yards for a score, and Brown hit tight end Sweeney for a 2-point conversion to tie it.

On the Owls’ next possession, TajAmir Torres picked off Russo before Dillon’s 2-yard TD run pushed BC ahead.