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SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Ticker) -- Boston College ended one team's season. With one more win, the Eagles will shake up the entire college football world. Tim Hasselbeck tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another score as the 22nd-ranked Eagles ended Notre Dame's bowl hopes with a 31-29 victory. Boston College (8-2) won its third straight game and tuned up for next week's encounter at second-ranked and unbeaten Virginia Tech. Hasselbeck had touchdown passes of 27 and 22 yards in the first half, scored on a one-yard TD run in the third quarter and completed his big day with a 34-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. He completed 20-of-30 passes for 272 yards and also had 60 yards rushing on 15 attempts. The Eagles also won for just the third time in 11 all-time meetings against Notre Dame, a series that features the only two catholic schools playing Division I-A football. The loss ended any chances for Notre Dame to garner a bowl bid. It is the first time since 1986 -- Lou Holtz's first season at the helm, when they went 5-6 -- that the Fighting Irish (5-6) failed to qualify for the postseason. They turned down a bowl bid after posting an 8-3 mark in 1996, Holtz's final campaign. Trailing 31-17 in the fourth quarter, the Irish tried to rally for the win. Senior quarterback Jarious Jackson, playing his final home game, hit Tony Fisher with a nine-yard TD pass with 5:51 left. But Jim Sanson missed the extra point. Jackson completed 19-of-34 passes for 283 yards with two interceptions. After a defensive stop, freshman Julius Jones returned a punt 67 yards for a score to bring the Fighting Irish within 31-29 with 3:27 remaining. But the two-point conversion failed. Notre Dame had one last chance to save its season, getting back the ball with 2:38 to play. But senior co-captain Pedro Cirino intercepted Jackson on the second play, sealing the win for the Eagles. The Irish finish their season next weekend at Stanford. With the game tied, 17-17, the Eagles took the lead for good with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter. Hasselbeck directed an 11-play, 93-yard drive that he culminated with a one-yard keeper for a score. Another long drive at the start of the fourth quarter provided the Eagles with a 14-point cushion. This time, they went 80 yards in seven plays and Hasselbeck found Jamal Burke with a 34-yard TD pass with 12:39 to play. Notre Dame, which came into the game as more than a touchdown favorite despite having a worse record than the Eagles, jumped out to a 14-0 advantage midway throught the opening quarter. Fisher ran five yards for a score and Jones scored on an 11-yard run for the early lead. Fisher finished with 70 yards on 14 carries. But the Eagles got back in the game with 26 seconds left in the period on Hasselback's 27-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Arndt, who had five receptions for 80 yards. In the second quarter, Hasselbeck found Jamal Burke with a 22-yard TD pass and and John Matich kicked a 23-yard field goal to give Boston College the lead. But Sanson booted a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the half, forging a 17-17 tie.
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