Boston College immobilizes CMU offense in second half, wins 28-8
After getting a boost from punt returner Michael Walker and shutting out Central Michigan in the second half, the Boston College Eagles downed CMU 28-8 Saturday in Alumni Stadium.
CMU football has dropped three straight games and holds a 2-3 record (0-1 in Mid-American Conference). CMU takes on the Ohio Bobcats to continue MAC play on Oct. 7 in Athens, Ohio.
Last week, head coach John Bonamego said the Chippewas cannot allow their opponent to get off to a good start. Boston College led 14-2 after the first quarter ended.
The Eagles’ first three touchdowns were set up by Walker, who returned four punts for a total of 128 yards. His longest return of 61 yards gave the BC offense field position in CMU territory for the first touchdown.
Bonamego, a former National Football League special teams coach, watched from the sideline as Walker caught the first three punts in full stride.
“It’s not even fair to the coverage because they don’t have time to react,” he said. “It’s about placement and consistency with the kicks and getting what you want.”
CMU’s lone touchdown came after Kumehnnu Gwilly energized the offense with a 33-yard run up the middle. He finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run — his first career score.
Quarterback Shane Morris struggled against the BC defense. For the second straight week, he threw more interceptions than touchdown passes, finishing 21-of-42 with three picks and zero scores.
Tony Poljan played at quarterback and wide receiver for the Chippewas. As a quarterback, he ran for 20 yards on four attempts, including one pass for nine yards. The 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman caught three passes for 61 yards as a wideout.
“We feel like if we can get (Poljan) on the field and use him in some other roles that will help us win, we’ll continue to do that,” Bonamego said.
For the second-straight game, the CMU offense was shut out in the second half. By halftime, Boston College led by 20. This game was similar to what happened against Miami, which led by 14 going into halftime.
“Offensively, we just couldn’t finish,” Bonamego said. “There were times where we didn’t move it well.”
Before this game, CMU’s offensive line allowed only two sacks. Harold Landry led Boston College with one sack and five tackles. The Chippewas allowed three sacks against the Eagles.
The CMU defense let the Eagles rush for a total of 224 yards. The Eagles added 85 passing yards but the offense was led by running backs Jon Hilliman and A.J. Dillon. Hilliman caught one touchdown and ran for two others, while Dillon tallied 120 yards and one rushing touchdown.
The Chippewas continue conference play at Ohio at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 in Peden Stadium. The Bobcats are 4-1 and are coming off a win against UMass in which the Bobcats scored 58 points.
Ohio leads the MAC East Division.
“The last thing we want to do is get on each other in a bad way,” said senior defensive back Amari Coleman. “We’ve just got to stay positive and come together at this point and I feel like we’re going to do that.”
