Boston College deploys ‘ring-around-the-rosie’ trick play vs. Florida State
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Boston College reached deep into its play book to score a touchdown late in the third quarter on Saturday afternoon against Florida State.
With the host Eagles trailing 21-17 and facing a 2nd-and-goal from the Seminoles’ 2-yard line, it was time to think big. Or think in some sort of way that the Florida State defense couldn’t have possibly dreamed it would have to think.
It’s been a tough season for FSU and a tough week, with the Seminoles playing their first game since the firing of head coach Mike Norvell. But Rick Stockstill didn’t think he’d have to deal with this in his first game as Florida State’s interim head coach.
Well, he did.
And it was Boston College doing a little “ring-around-the-rosie” routine before it broke the huddle.
What could the Eagles be up to as they broke that little dance routine to, you know, run the play? With the ACC Network announcers in Chestnut Hill, Mass., calling it the “Mean Machine Huddle,” out came Boston College with a heavy package of receivers to the left side, further trying to throw FSU off.
So, what did BC ultimately do? Well, it had nothing to do with the left side of the field, where all those receivers were stashed. Instead, Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie took the snap, rolled to his right and simply flipped underhanded to wideout Javarius Green, who was lined up in the backfield.
Green did the rest, rumbling into the right-front corner of the end zone on a 2-yard play that was technically a “touchdown pass.”
Here is the crazy — and sort of hilarious — play that gave BC a 24-21 lead with 4:11 left in the third quarter:
Unfortunately for Boston College, that would be the final points it would score on Saturday afternoon, as FSU dominated the fourth quarter, turning that 24-21 deficit into a 31-24 victory.
So, while the Eagles got the laugh on that third-quarter play, the Seminoles got the last laugh, winning their first game after firing Norvell to improve to 4-5.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
