BOSTON — Phil Jurkovec threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and scrambled for a 33-yard run that set up the game-winning field goal on Saturday as Boston College knocked Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham out of the game and beat the Cardinals 34-33. 

What You Need To Know

  • BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec scrambled for a 33-yard run that set up the game-winning field goal with 1:56 left in the game

  • Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham ran for three touchdowns and threw for another before finishing the game on the sideline

  • Zay Flowers caught five passes for 151 yards — including touchdowns of 57 and 69 yards — and Alex Broome ran for a 40-yard score for BC (2-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference)

  • Cunningham threw for 186 yards and ran for 53 more for Louisville (2-3, 0-3)

Cunningham ran for three touchdowns and threw for another before finishing the game on the sideline. He was taken out for one play in the third quarter following a hit to the head; he came back for two full series before backup Brock Domann handled the last two possessions of the game.

The second, after Connor Lytton's 26-yard field goal gave BC the lead with 1:56 left, ended where it started after four straight incompletions.

Boston College then ran out the clock — or tried to. With 2 seconds left for the fourth down play, Jurkovec took several steps back before kneeling and the time showed 0:00.

But after the teams left their benches for the postgame handshakes — and some BC fans joined them — the officials put 1 second back on the clock and gave Louisville a final play. Domann's pass was intercepted at the 8 yard line by Kam Arnold.

Zay Flowers caught five passes for 151 yards — including touchdowns of 57 and 69 yards — and Alex Broome ran for a 40-yard score for BC (2-3, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Cunningham threw for 186 yards and ran for 53 more for Louisville (2-3, 0-3).

OUT AND BACK

Cunningham missed one play after he was hit in the head by BC defensive back Jaylen Blackwell in the third quarter. The quarterback went into a slide but Blackwell didn't pull up, leading to a targeting penalty.

The Boston College bench was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play, so instead of the Cardinals facing a fourth and 3 from their own 46, they were at the BC 26. Domann came in and handed the ball off before Cunningham returned; Louisville settled for a field goal that made it 26-21.

But Domann was back in the fourth quarter, taking over at 7:24 but failing to advance the offense in two drives plus one final Hail Mary.

MISCUES

Jurkovec completed a 50-yard pass to Jaelen Gill on his first throw of the game and then found Jaden Williams inside the Louisville 5 on the next play. But the ball bounced off the receiver's chest and it was picked off by Monty Montgomery.

That one might not have been the quarterback's fault.

But he also fumbled twice, the first on Montgomery's sack near the end of the first quarter, setting up a field goal that gave the Cardinals a 10-7 lead. And then there was Jurkovec's attempt to avoid a sack midway through the second quarter.

BC led 14-10 with the ball near midfield when the pocket collapsed around Jurkovec and, as he was being taken down, he tried to throw it to Garwo. The ball – a lateral – just rolled through the backfield and all the way back to the BC 17.

Garwo got to it first but inexplicably circled around it, allowing Louisville's YaYa Diaby to fall on it. Two plays later, Cunningham ran it up the middle and into the end zone; the point after was blocked, leaving the score 16-14.

THE TAKEAWAY

Boston College made enough big plays to make up for its mistakes — three turnovers and nine penalties. Louisville looked dangerous with Cunningham on the field but impotent without him.

UP NEXT

Louisville: Visits Virginia on Saturday.

Boston College: Hosts No. 5 Clemson on Saturday night. 

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