EAST LANSING, Mich. — Aidan Chiles ran for a 3-yard touchdown and threw the winning two-point conversion to Omari Kelly in double overtime Saturday to give Michigan State a 42-40 victory over Boston College.
Boston College’s Turbo Richard ran 8 yards for a touchdown in the second overtime but Boston College (1-1) failed to convert the two-point conversion.
Chiles then followed with the scoring run and the throw to Kelly to seal the win for the Spartans (2-0). He completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, and also ran for 39 yards.
“We needed to win this game,” Chiles said. “Tonight we were the tougher team.”
Chiles appeared to get injured on his last play before overtime when he was hit. He walked gingerly to the sideline and into the medical tent but did not miss any plays in overtime.
“I was trying to waste time for my team,” Chiles said. “I’m not soft. I’m good. That’s really all I got to say about that. I’m straight. I’d be back in overtime.”
Michigan State scored on the first possession of overtime on Chiles’ 5-yard toss to Jay Coyne, but the Eagles’ Dylan Lonergan threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Franklin to tie the game.
“That was a beautiful football game, really, by both teams,” said Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith. “I thought going back and forth, competing, obviously, in the double overtime.”
Boston College’s Luca Lombardo sent the game into overtime when he made a 38-yard field goal with 76 seconds left to tie the game at 27.
After throwing for 268 yards against Fordham in his first career game at Boston College, Lonergan completed 34 of 45 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns.
“A lot of positives, but then the negatives are why we lost the game,” said Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien. “They did a better job of having more positive plays than we did. We had a lot of positive plays, but they had more. In a game like that, that’s why you lose or you win.”
The Takeaway
Boston College: For the second straight game, the Eagles struggled with their running game. After totaling only 97 yards against FCS foe Fordham in the season-opener, Boston College was held to 67 yards by Michigan State.
“We’re not going to be able to throw the ball 55 to 60 times a game,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think that’s a recipe for winning, so we’ve got to figure it out.”
Michigan State: The Spartans have an additional weapon in punter Ryan Eckley. After averaging 51.3 yards per punt against Western Michigan, he averaged 54.7 on three punts against the Eagles and landed two on the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Boston College visits Stanford on Sept. 13 in the ACC opener for both schools.
Michigan State hosts Youngstown State on Sept. 13.
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