The Boston College Eagles entered Saturday's tilt with the Buffalo Bulls with the fifth-ranked defense in the nation in terms of yardage allowed per game. Head coach Steve Addazio and his troops left Alumni Stadium with the understanding that this ranking was only solidified. 

Eagles defense shuts down Buffalo

Boston College pitched a brilliant defensive performance while quarterback Patrick Towles enjoyed his most successful outing with the Eagles, completing 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns, as the squad garnered a runaway 28-3 victory in front of a rain-soaked audience. 

The Eagles defense was simply stupendous, living up to its billing as one of the soundest units in the country. Buffalo mustered a paltry 67 total yards of offense compared with Boston College's 400 while garnering just five first downs to the Eagles' 21. Additionally, Boston College dominated the time of possession battle, holding the ball for an astounding 43:07. 

Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson was limited to just 42 yards passing on 9-of-21 efficiency while the team was held to just 26 yards on 18 carries rushing-wise. 

Offensively for Boston College, running backs Jon Hilliman (19 carries, 54 yards, one touchdown) and Davon Jones (14 rushes, 53 yards, one touchdown) steadied the ground game while wideout Jeff Smith piloted the receiving attack with five grabs for 65 yards. 

Boston College began the contest with momentum as kickoff returner Tyler Rouse brought the opening kick all the way to the Eagles' 35-yard line. However, an emphatic Buffalo defense forced Towles and the Boston College offense into a quick three-and-out, which they would nearly replicate on the following possession. Luckily for the Eagles, their defense replicated the Bulls stoutness, forcing a three-and-out on Buffalo's second drive which preceded a blocked punt by linebacker Matt Milano.

However, a dropped pass by Smith on fourth down silenced Boston College's scoring opportunity. Despite the offensive ineffectiveness, he Eagles defense obliged by forcing yet another three-and-out, and Towles finally made the Buffalo secondary pay with a 44-yard bomb to wideout Chris Garrison to set Boston College up inside the Bulls' 20-yard line. Towles continued the drive with a seven-yard rush on third-and-seven to set the Eagles up at the one-yard line, and Jones promptly spun off of a defender and into the end zone for his first career touchdown to punctuate the eight-play, 71-yard journey. 

Towles silences critics in solid first half

Jones continued his strong outlook on the Eagles' subsequent drive, converting on a fourth-and-two with a gain of a few yards to set up a 21-yard connection between Towles and tight end Tommy Sweeney. This set up a brilliant touchdown throw by Towles, as he scrambled and found wide receiver Charlie Callinan in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard score on third-and-goal to give the Eagles a 14-0 advantage. 

Boston College's defensive dominance carried over to the next Buffalo drive, as defensive end Harold Landry thwarted any possibility of an extensive Bulls drive with a deafening third-down sack. However, Towles was stripped off the ball by Buffalo linebacker Ishmael Hargrove on third-down, coughing it over to the Bulls on the BC 11-yard line. This led to a 28-yard field goal by kicker Adam Mitcheson to decrease the Eagles lead to 14-3 with 6:28 remaining in the first half. 

The Eagles responded with an 11-play, 84-yard scoring drive of their own, spurred by a 27-yard pickup by Rouse on a screen pass on third-and-18 on the BC eight-yard line. Towles, who tossed for 172 of his passing yards in the first half, then found Jones on a picturesque 38-yard floater of a pass to set Boston College up inside the red zone before finding wide receiver Michael Walker in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown strike, his sixth touchdown pass of the season. This gave the Eagles a commanding 21-3 advantage heading into the halftime break. 

Jones kept up his effectiveness at the beginning of the first half, garnering multiple first downs on the ground in succession. A third-down pass interference call on Buffalo cornerback Boise Ross revived what appeared to be a stalling Boston College drive, however, a stifling sack by Bulls defensive end Demone Harris concluded the effort midway through the third quarter. The offensive line for the Eagles faltered yet again on the team's ensuing possession, with Buffalo defensive end Brandon Crawford recovering the second strip sack of the day of Towles. 

The suffocating Boston College defense extended their reign over the helpless Bulls offensive attack for force yet another punt. The Eagles proceeded to chew up yards on the ground until Towles found Smith for a gain of 43 yards to set the team up within the Buffalo five-yard line. Hilliman obliged on third-and-goal from the one-yard line, taking a pitch from Towles and burling his way across the goal line for his fifth touchdown of the season. This lengthy drive gave the Eagles an overpowering 28-3 lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the contest. 

The Bulls appeared to be threatening on their following possession, however, running back Johnathan Hawkins proceeded to be stripped by Eagles defensive tackle Truman Gutapel. Middle linebacker Connor Strachan then recovered the loose ball at the Buffalo 42-yard line, concluding the brief spurt of Bulls momentum. Quarterback Jeff Smith proceeded to take over for Towles, leading the Eagles into the red zone late in the contest with a 24-yard hookup with tight end Colton Cardinal on a fourth-down play call. This created room for a three-yard touchdown rush by reserve running back Richard Wilson to give the team a 28-point lead with 14 seconds remaining.