U of L football downs Boston College 38-19
Bobby Petrino hoped that Saturday night's matchup at Boston College would reveal what kind of team the University of Louisville has.
It may have taken some time, but he got his answer.
Louisville struggled through some early kinks but woke up in the second quarter and pulled away from Boston College for a 38-19 win on a frigid night in this college town 10 miles west of downtown Boston.
The Cardinals (7-3) finished their maiden ACC season with a 5-3 league record and, in the process, vanquished some of the demons that lingered after their frustrating 42-31 loss to Florida State two Thursdays ago.
"All week long the way we practiced and approached our preparation showed a lot of character," Petrino said.
Petrino and his coaching staff were upset with their team's inability to finish games. In each of Louisville's three losses this season, the Cards had chances in the fourth quarter to take the lead and win or hold onto the lead and win. They didn't take advantage of those opportunities.
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On Saturday, they did.
Louisville racked up four turnovers and turned them into 17 points. Freshman Reggie Bonnafon, asked to take over in the second quarter after quarterback Will Gardner tweaked his knee, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, raising eyebrows with a 36-yard, fourth-quarter scamper.
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"He went in there and he was very confident," Petrino said of Bonnafon. "I was proud of the way he played."
DeVante Parker continued his remarkable return to play after missing the first seven games of the season, rolling through 144 receiving yards and eight catches, one of which was a 29-yard score.
In his three games since coming back from foot surgery, Parker has 25 catches, 490 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-3 receiver was noticeably absent from Louisville's offense through that first half of the year; now it's not inconceivable to see him surpass 1,000 receiving yards this season.
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"I can't even put it into words," Bonnafon said. "That guy just makes plays."
Boston College (6-4) presented what Petrino called a "big and physical" challenge to Louisville's heralded defense, and for a while the Eagles lived up to that billing.
Louisville wasted three red-zone trips in the first 21 minutes of the game. The Cardinals settled for a field goal after a miscommunication on third down, turned the ball over on downs at the BC 1-yard line and lost a fumble at the BC 2.
The Eagles responded with two lengthy scoring drives, picking apart Louisville's defense with power running, misdirection and play-action passes. Jon Hilliman's 1-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter gave BC a 13-3 lead.
It was all Louisville from there.
Who knows what recaptured Louisville's moxie, but it was an emphatic response to an empty-feeling start.
The Cardinals got sharp running from Brandon Radcliff, who muscled in two touchdowns. Michael Dyer at times looked strong.
The defense withstood BC's relentless rushing attack, keeping Tyler Murphy, the nation's top rushing quarterback, in check most of the night.
Murphy, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season, ran 12 times for 41 yards, with 28 of those yards coming on one play. His fourth interception was the most painful for BC.
Facing fourth-and-goal and a 12-point deficit, Murphy rolled right into a Louisville defense that had overrun BC's line. The quarterback, known for his speed and elusive running, reversed fields and sprinted left.
At the last moment, he realized he had nowhere to run and threw a prayer of a pass back across the field and into the arms of Louisville defensive end Sheldon Rankins.
The still-remaining crowd that peaked at 33,565 at BC's Alumni Stadium groaned, but Louisville celebrated.
The Cardinals had responded to that painful FSU loss just the way they'd wanted.
They won.
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).