Matt Fortuna, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Boston College pulls away from Maine late in Darius Wade's debut

Boston College probably sweated a little bit more than anticipated in Saturday’s opener against Maine, but two fourth-quarter touchdowns helped the Eagles escape with a 24-3 victory. Here’s how it all went down:

Player of the game: Tyler Rouse was BC’s top player Saturday, rushing for 81 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. The junior spearheaded an Eagles ground attack that finished with 204 yards.

Unsung hero: A tip of the cap to sophomore quarterback Darius Wade here in his first career start. His numbers won’t jump off the page — 14-of-25 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown, with 18 rushing yards — but he had no interceptions and managed to complete a pass to seven receivers.

What the win means for Boston College: We knew this wasn’t going to be the easiest first month for BC — which was breaking in an entirely new starting offensive line in addition to a new QB — but the Eagles escaped with a win over an FCS foe and simply need to build off it against another FCS foe next week, Howard. There’s no really good way to get prepared for a Friday night tilt with Florida State on Sept. 18, but BC can at least attempt to form an identity before then.

What the loss means for Maine: Despite the three points, this was a decent showing from the Black Bears, who kept it a 10-3 game until early in the fourth quarter, when the depth and size of BC clearly showed as Maine missed several key tackles. Holding Boston College to 359 yards isn’t too shabby. A trip to Tulane awaits next week.

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