College Football Poll, 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl Recap

Boston College Kicks Navy
by Mike Mitchell
12/30/06 5:10 pm est

Walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicious kicked a career-long 37-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give Boston College a 25-24 win over Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

It was Boston College's seventh straight bowl win, a streak began under Tom O'Brien who resigned at the end of the regular season to become the head coach at North Carolina State. Jeff Jagodzinski, Green Bay's offensive coordinator has been hired as his replacement but won't join the team until the end of the Packers' season. Frank Spaziani, O'Brien's defensive coordinator and a former Navy assistant, was the interim coach for the bowl game.

The winning kick was set up by a Navy fumble at its own 40-yard line with 1:43 left in the game.

Navy took the lead with 4:38 to go in the first quarter and never relinquished it until the Eagles' game-winning kick. The Midshipmen's punishing ground attack carved out 322 yards against Boston College, but it was two TD passes that helped keep Navy in front. Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada hit Tyree Barnes on a 31-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter for a 7-6 Navy lead. His 24-yard pass to Jason Tomlinson put the Midshipmen up 21-13 in the second quarter.

The loss snapped Navy's four-game winning streak and the Midshipmen finished the year with a 9-4 record. Boston College improved to 10-3 for its first 10-win season since 1984 when Doug Flutie won the Heisman Trophy.