USC vs. Boston College: Score and Twitter Reaction

The Boston College Eagles executed an exceptional game plan, fought off an early deficit and held off a late comeback push against the No. 9 USC Trojans on Saturday evening at Alumni Stadium.

Led by senior quarterback Tyler Murphy, Boston College manhandled USC, pounded the rock for 452 rushing yards and shut down the Trojans on the ground in a 37-31 upset victory in Chestnut Hill.

Adam Maya of Rivals.com brought context to the magnitude of Saturday's upset:

USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham captured the scene that unfolded after the game, when fans rushed the field to enjoy the landmark win:

"

#BC fans rush the field pic.twitter.com/QkEDU8elPr

— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) September 14, 2014"

As the Trojans threatened to mount a comeback following star receiver Nelson Agholor's 10-yard touchdown reception from Cody Kessler with four minutes and 32 seconds remaining, Murphy carried out a convincing read-option fake and dashed 66 yards for the decisive score.

ESPN Stats & Info tweeted an interesting counter to Maya's prior anecdote:

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated was perplexed as to how Murphy rose to the occasion following last week's home loss to Pittsburgh:

Murphy was the Eagles' catalyst, amassing 191 yards on 13 carries. Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News was reminded of a former Heisman Trophy winner in witnessing Murphy's performance:

Kessler hit Darreus Rogers for a 14-yard TD strike on the possession after Murphy's big run, but BC recovered the onside kick and got two first-down runs from freshman Jon Hilliman. That ended any lingering suspense.

The way the game began, it looked like business as usual for the Trojans, who appeared to be en route to another quality win amid an immediate renaissance under new coach Steve Sarkisian.

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan summarized how many believed things would eventually play out:

BC had three consecutive three-and-outs to start. On the second of those brief drives, USC took over at its opponent's 38-yard line. Kessler drove the team to the end zone in six plays, hitting George Farmer on an eight-yard touchdown throw.

It was a milestone score for Farmer:

"

USC 7, BC 0. George Farmer scores his first career touchdown and the Trojans take the lead.

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 14, 2014"

A 52-yard field goal by Andre Heidari put the Trojans up 10-0. Even when the Eagles responded with a TD on a crisp seven-play, 78-yard drive, a missed extra point only cut the deficit to four points.

One of the most explosive scoring plays of the game came on a 51-yard connection from Kessler to running back Javorius Allen, who took a screen pass all the way to the house. That was just three plays from scrimmage after BC had scored its first points.

Murphy discussed the primary objectives his team set out to achieve before Saturday's showdown, per The Boston Globe's Michael Vega:

"

We have to really get the running game going, keep their offense off the field and keep their defense on the field. They are pretty low on numbers on defense, so we have to try to take advantage of that and keep them on the field as long as possible.

They have a very explosive offense that can run our defense out, and the more they get on the field, the better rhythm they get into, and the more dangerous they can be. So, we really have to focus on moving the chains, getting the first downs, running the ball and letting the clock tick.

"

Part of what allowed the BC rushing attack to be so effective was the way Murphy drew the defense in. It was evident on his final carry, but Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated made a keen observation about Murphy's read-option skills before then:

After the Trojans' lead swelled to 11, the Eagles began to assert their will and pummel their heavily favored foes up front.

A three-yard TD scamper by Hilliman preceded a breakout 54-yard romp to paydirt from diminutive freshman receiver Sherman Alston just 1:27 before halftime. Alston took the ball on an end-around and was untouched until he got inside the 5, barely stretching across the goal line at the end.

Riding that momentum into the locker room, the BC defense played inspired football, and Hilliman punched in from one yard out in the third quarter giving the Eagles a 27-17 lead.

USC had averaged 279.5 yards passing and 216.5 yards on the ground through its first two games. That balance was nonexistent in this one. Kessler was under pressure often, with the Eagles pinning their ears back and capitalizing on obvious passing situations.

But Kessler remained calm and put his Trojans in a position to get back into it in the fourth. Despite the Trojans having just 20 yards on 29 carries, Kessler was 31-of-41 passing for 317 yards and four scores.

The defense simply couldn't stop Murphy and Co.

Winslow Townson/Getty Images

Although BC didn't dominate time of possession (31:43), it ran the ball exceptionally to prevent USC from getting into an offensive rhythm in the middle portion of the game. Murphy helped a lot in that regard. Just 5-of-13 passing for 54 yards and an interception, the dual-threat signal-caller destroyed the Trojans with his legs.

Coming off a momentous win over Stanford, it appeared USC was shocked to see the Eagles get off the mat after trailing early. The Trojans couldn't recover, and now will fall out of the Top 10.

Sarkisian will have a bye week to motivate his players and help them prepare for a Pac-12 clash against Oregon State.

Meanwhile, for BC coach Steve Addazio this is an epic triumph. Under certain circumstances, the Eagles could be in danger of suffering a letdown of their own. However, they will host Maine next, and it's unlikely they'll slip enough to lose to a 1-1 adversary from the FCS.