Looking back: Wake Forest 2003

Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean we can’t deal with scary topics. In honor of the Wake Forest game, I’ve decided to look back at the recent history of the series, which saw two unimaginable losses and one spectacular comeback. Here is a look back at the 2003 game a painful 32-28 loss.

Set up
2003 was a clear transition year. TOB was entering his 7th season at the Heights. He had an experienced staff and a roster full of players he recruited, but was replacing his Quarterback. No one knew what to expect from Quinton Porter. Three things had BC fans worried:

-- TOB abandoned his “give the backup QB a drive in the second quarter” strategy when Porter was a sophomore
-- TOB brought in a JUCO QB as an insurance policy
-- TOB never entertained giving Porter any playing time as Brian St. Pierre regressed in 2002.

BC opened the season at home against Wake Forest. BC was favored.


What happened?
The game was closer than it should have been. Every time it seemed like BC was going to control the game, we ended up doing something stupid…swinging the momentum back to the Deacs. BC entered the 4th with a 21-12 lead. Two big plays stand out: Wake's 43-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 and Quinton Porter’s bizarre fumble (which I've been calling the fumbleception) which killed BC’s last chance at victory.


What were the long-term implications?
BC would bounce back the next week against Penn State, but their uneven play would be a sign of things to come. The 2004 team struggled in the Big East. It was only after Paul Peterson became the starter that the team finally played to its potential, winning its last three games. The Wake game also proved to be a good microcosm of Quinton Porter: nice kid, with some tools, yet unable to make the play with the game on the line.