Boston College Routs Army, 55-17
Sept. 9, 2000
By RIK STEVENS WEST POINT, N.Y. - Once Dedrick Dewalt streaked down the middle and
hauled in Tim Hasselbeck's bomb, Boston College could not be caught.
Dewalt caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck on the first play of
the second half and Boston College broke away to rout Army 55-17 Saturday.
"Coming out in the third quarter we got control of the game and then it
became a long game," Eagles coach Tom O'Brien said.
Boston College (1-1) scored 28 points in the third quarter after leading
20-10 at halftime.
The 38-point loss matched the worst home defeat ever for Army (0-2). The
Cadets were beaten 45-7 by Pittsburgh in 1980.
"We played a decent first half. We're still inconsistent," said Army coach
Todd Berry, who made his Michie Stadium debut.
"The second half, we had some bad things happen right off the bat and
basically, we kind of went in the tank a little bit mentally," he said.
On the first play after Dewalt's long score, Army quarterback Chad Jenkins
was pressured and rolled hard to his left. Jenkins threw back across the field
into the hands of Boston College linebacker Curtis Bolden, who made the
interception and raced untouched 22 yards for the score.
Only 37 seconds into the second half, Boston College led by 24 and the
stands at Michie Stadium started to thin.
Dewalt scored again in the third quarter on a 38-yard pass. He caught three
passes for 122 yards, while Hasselbeck finished 14-of-21 for 256 yards and
three touchdowns.
The Eagles bounced back from a 34-14 loss to West Virginia in which they had
just 206 total yards and threw three interceptions.
"We made a conscious effort to be a physical football team," O'Brien said.
"This couldn't have come at a better time for us."
Army scored first, going 80 yards in nine plays and culminated by Josh
Holden's 28-yard run over the right side.
Boston College came right back as William Green took the ensuing kickoff 84
yards to the Army 8. On the first play, Cedric Washington broke two tackles and
scooted into the end zone.
Washington ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
For Army, Michael Wallace ran for 110 yards on 15 carries. Jenkins finished
9-of-16 for 77 yards and two interceptions before leaving in the third quarter
with what appeared to be an injured left ankle.
X-rays were negative and his status for the upcoming week was not certain.
"When you go out there with one play turnovers, it depletes not only the
offense but the defense and the fans," he said.
Boston College took a 20-10 lead on a 24-yard field goal by Mike Sutphin on
the final play of first half. The lead could have been more if not for a
disputed call in the end zone.
With nine seconds left, Hasselbeck lofted a touch pass to Jamal Burke, who
caught the ball over Army defensive back Brent Dial and landed on the white
stripe.
One official signaled touchdown, but he was overruled by another official
who judged that Burke landed out of bounds.
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