Ryan's Heisman moment saves BC's dream season

Matt Ryan was shut down most of the game, but led two drives late to lift the Eagles. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- For 57 minutes of a rain-soaked Thursday night, it looked like you could put "Matty Ice's" Heisman campaign and Boston College's perfect season on, well, ice.

But with a stunning comeback at hostile Virginia Tech, Matt Ryan and the Eagles made a titular statement as they avoided becoming the latest No. 2 to fail to make it through its first weekend with the ranking still intact.

And it was all enough to make Ryan lose his lunch.

"I don't know what it was," Ryan said. "But I wasn't feeling too good."

The fifth-year senior had been knocked down, intercepted and chased around by a No. 8 Hokies defense that made him look like a shell of the quarterback who had powered the Eagles to their best start since Franklin Roosevelt was in the White House. But with 4:11 remaining, Ryan led second-ranked Boston College to a 14-10 comeback win that had some in the postgame press conference bringing up another BC quarterback with a reputation for the miraculous -- Doug Flutie.

"Matt Ryan made a big-time statement tonight as the best quarterback in the country," BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski said.

Through the first 12 drives, Ryan threw for 128 yards and two interceptions and looked completely out of his game. His usually lauded judgment came into question on more than one occasion, like when he failed to even look toward a wide-open Andre Callender on a second-quarter play, instead deciding to throw into double coverage for a short gain.

He redeemed himself, though, in those closing minutes, throwing for 158 yards and two touchdowns on the final two possessions as Boston College avoided the fate that awaited South Florida, Cal and USC, the last three teams to hold the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll.

Facing a 10-point deficit and first-and-10 on their own 8, Ryan directed a nine-play, 92-yard drive culminating in a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rich Gunnell to cut the Virginia Tech lead to three. Then the Eagles took a page out of the Hokies' special teams playbook and recovered an onside kick and marched 61 yards as Ryan threw the game-winning touchdown pass -- twice.

The first was called back because of a holding call, pushing the Eagles back to second-and-20 on the Virginia Tech 24. Ryan threw an incomplete pass, and with 11 seconds left gave himself a defining moment should he earn a trip to New York City for the Heisman ceremony.

"That's what Heismans do," Hokies defensive end Chris Ellis said. "They don't ever give up. We beat the O-line, put licks on him and he came through at the end. He had a 2-minute drill -- two of them. He did what he had to do."

With 11 seconds left, Ryan, who isn't known for his mobility, eluded the rush and rolled left, searching for an open man. He saw Callender -- who had slipped out of the backfield -- alone in the end zone and, throwing across his body, delivered a 24-yard touchdown that gave Boston College its best start since 1942. And immediately puked on the 20-yard line.

"That's not [Ryan's] game, but he ended up staying alive and it's hard to hang onto coverage that long," Jagodzinski said. "We ended up having a guy open there late."

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