Despite a second half comeback, the Demon Deacons fall short in a 23-17 defeat to the Eagles.
Looking down and out as the clock ran down, the Wake Forest football team clawed their way back against Boston College only to find themselves on the losing end of things in a 23-17 final score on Saturday, October 25. A confidence-boosting game it might have been for the young Demon Deacon team, it wasn't enough as they picked up their sixth loss of the 2014 season.
First Quarter
Boston College came out of the gate early and made their way down the field to pick up a field goal from Alex Howell almost eight minutes in to go up 3-0 over the Deacs. When they got the ball back, Wake Forest couldn't do anything with it, picking up just two first downs, one of which came thanks to a penalty. The Eagles then kept up the pressure, with Jon Hilliman rushing for a 33-yard touchdown to make it 10-0 Boston College at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
For the first few drives of the second quarter, the Deacs and the Eagles traded the ball back and forth, unable to come up with any score for five drives in a row. On the sixth, however, Boston College picked up another rushing touchdown from Hilliman, this one a 1-yard TD, to make it 17-0 for the Eagles.
At the end of the first half, the Deacs looked disappointing on offense, having picked up just three rushing yards and nine passing yards in 19 plays, while Boston College had a much more impressive 147 rushing yards and 66 passing yards in 36 attempts.
Third Quarter
After giving Boston College's offense the freedom to run all over the field in the first half, the Deacs came out of the locker room in the second half looking like a team that was still ready and willing to fight, and fight they did. Their second drive of the quarter saw Mike Weaver with a 28-yard field goal to get Wake Forest on the board 17-3, and they held the Eagles to just nine yards, two rushing and seven passing, in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Boston College started off the fourth quarter strong, picking up a 37-yard touchdown from Shakim Phillips to make it 23-7, but Tylor Harris blocked the extra point kick to earn his third blocked kick of the year, the best in the nation. Wake came roaring back on the next drive, as EJ Scott scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown to give the Deacs a fighting chance at 23-10.
On the kickoff return, Boston College fumbled and Brad Watson recovered the ball to give the Deacs a second opportunity to drive, something they took full advantage of. Isaiah Robinson rushed 1-yard for a touchdown and Wake was down just one score at 23-17 with over six minutes left to play. But when Wake got the ball back on offense, Wolford threw an interception to Justin Simmons as the clock ran out on the comeback attempt, finishing with a 23-17 victory for Boston College.
Despite an impressive comeback effort from the Demon Deacons in the final 15 minutes, it wasn't enough to catch up to Boston College, and they fell 23-17, dropping their fourth ACC game, their sixth loss of the season. That second half effort may have been more of a moral victory than anything else, but it just couldn't fall Wake's way.
