Boston College

BLACKSBURG, Va. - This is how Heisman Trophies get won. This is how quarterbacks without mega cannons on their shoulders or wings on their feet make millions in the NFL. This is how national championships get won. Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan shook off 55 minutes of futility last night and led two touchdown drives against a suddenly passive and possibly flagging Virginia Tech defense. After Ryan led a 92-yard drive against a prevent scheme, BC regained the ball on an onside kick at its 34 with 2 minutes, 7 seconds to play.

If it was Larry Coker's final game at Miami, at least the Hurricanes sent him off with a victory. Kirby Freeman threw for 181 yards and a touchdown, Javarris James' 2-yard run in the third quarter put Miami ahead to stay, and the Hurricanes' defense stifled No. 18 Boston College in rallying for a 17-14 win last night. The Hurricanes (6-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a four-game losing streak and became bowl-eligible. Soon, they'll know if they'll get an invitation to a postseason matchup - and if the embattled Coker will be coaching.

Dee Brown backpedaled with his right arm held high and wrist cocked after making a three-pointer. It was a sight No. 1 Illinois forced Michigan State to get used to. Luther Head scored 22 points, Brown had 18, and the Fighting Illini made 13 three-pointers to remain undefeated with an 81-68 victory over the 12th-ranked Spartans last night in East Lansing, Mich. Illinois (22-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) was expected to face a tough test against Michigan State (14-4, 5-2) in an arena known to be raucous.

Boston College will join the Atlantic Coast Conference as its 12th member, guaranteeing the league a future football playoff game while landing another major television market. The school had until Nov. 1 to accept the ACC's offer, but agreed in less than four hours after ACC presidents and chancellors voted unanimously yesterday to include Boston College in their expansion plans. Big East bylaws require that a team give 27 months' notice to leave that conference or face a reported $5 million exit fee - meaning the Eagles cannot begin participating in ACC sports until 2006.

Marc Dowdell, a polite and unassuming Villanova junior who majors in business and favors the button-down look, has recently become a basketball terror. The 6-foot-9 center and forward has been charging to the basket with no regard to life or limb, his or anybody else's. Last night, in a generally sloppy and ugly game, Dowdell - who is more likely to be described as awkward than athletic - fit in perfectly. Dowdell scored a career-high 18 points, added four rebounds and three assists, and led Villanova to a 72-59 Big East win over Boston College at the Conte Forum.

No. 24 Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak and made sure the Big East race will come down to the final weekend of the regular season. Chris Taft had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the visiting Panthers (19-7, 9-6), 72-50, over No. 5 Boston College last night. The Eagles (23-3, 12-3), who are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference next season, could still win the Big East outright or share it if they beat Rutgers on Saturday. No. 15 Connecticut, which is a half-game behind BC, plays Georgetown tomorrow and No. 13 Syracuse on Saturday.

Boston College cornerback Kiernan Speight, accused but exonerated in the gambling scandal that led to the suspension of 13 teammates, said yesterday he will not return to the team. "Right now, I think the door's been shut as far as I'm concerned," he said during a news conference. "I'm going to go . . . finish the semester out and put the whole thing behind me and try to start anew somewhere. " The sophomore was among four players confronted by the team's captains and coach Dan Henning during a contentious meeting following the Eagles' Halloween night loss to Pittsburgh.

The Washington Township softball team had to like seeing Taylor Coroneos in the pitcher's circle. Coroneos went 22-1 as the team's ace this season, struck out 158, and allowed only 10 earned runs in 1252/3 innings. She did this against some of the best teams in South Jersey, too. The senior held defending Group 4 state champion Eastern to two runs over three games this year. Against Shawnee, which the Minutemaids went on to beat in the South Jersey Group 4 final, Coroneos allowed only four runs in four games.

Smoke-filled spectator galleries The U.S. Open tournament at Merion Golf Club will draw thousands of spectators, so it's no wonder the event has been meticulously planned. Ticketholders' booklets provide a long list of prohibited items, and thoroughly detail transportation options, etiquette, and safety guidelines. But despite all the preparations, one major area has been omitted: smoking restrictions. Many other sporting events have prohibited smoking by spectators for years. As a longtime United States Golf Association member and attendee at many U.S. Open events, I can attest that secondhand smoke - particularly cigar smoke - is prevalent.

HIS NAME is his outlook. "All things are possible through God's greatness" is not just the English translation to Ifeanyi Momah's Nigerian first name. It is the philosophy that has sustained him through the last 21 months of his life. By now, many of us have heard his story. Bounced between defensive end and receiver at Boston College, his knee torn up amid what appeared to be a breakout game against Northwestern at the start of the 2011 season, his appeal to play a sixth season denied by the NCAA.

Council Rock South's Eric Gallo, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound junior center and defensive tackle, has orally committed to play football at Virginia Tech. Gallo is projected to play center for the Hokies and also may play guard. He also received interest from Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, and Rutgers, among others. "I think that playing center is really exciting," said Gallo. "It's a really cool position, you're the head of the offensive line. " A two-year starter for the Golden Hawks, Gallo earned Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors on defense last season.

Council Rock South's Eric Gallo, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound junior center and defensive tackle, has orally committed to play football at Virginia Tech. Gallo, who is projected to play center for the Hokies, also received interest from Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, and Rutgers, among others. A two-year starter for the Golden Hawks, Gallo earned Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors on defense last season. - Rick O'Brien

Judge rebuffs FDA on Plan B NEW YORK - A government appeal of a ruling giving women of all ages broad access to morning-after birth control is frivolous, a federal judge said Friday as he refused to suspend enforcement of his decision pending appeal. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn did agree to postpone implementation of his month-old decision until Monday to give the government time to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan. The judge had ruled that the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill could be sold to everyone without a prescription.

BOSTON - They were wed in Boston in August, an unlikely match who fell in love and shared a passion for running. Monday, watching the Boston Marathon - a race one had run before - the couple each lost a leg after one of the two explosions that killed three and wounded scores more. Patrick and Jessica Downes each "sustained amputations below the left knee," according to an e-mail sent to friends. A page hosted by GiveForward.com, which helps users create fund-raising sites, was established to raise money that will go toward the couple's medical bills and related costs.

THESE DAYS in college athletics, coaches aren't the only recruiters. Right up there on the importance meter are players . . . even those who've yet to don a uniform. Thaddius Smith, a 5-10, 170-pound junior at Cardinal O'Hara High, Monday announced his commitment to Boston College. Quite crucial to the woo-him process, of course, were coach Steve Addazio and assistant Ryan Day (both formerly of Temple), but so were Marcus Outlow, a running back from Connecticut, and Darius Wade, a quarterback from Delaware.

JAROMIR JAGR scored off his skate in his Bruins debut and Tuukka Rask stopped 40 shots to lead Boston to a 1-0 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. Acquired from Dallas this week shortly before the trade deadline, Jagr joined the Bruins for the pregame skate Thursday morning and quickly endeared himself to the Boston fans. Brad Marchand's centering pass went off Jagr's left skate and past Martin Brodeur to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead with 80 seconds gone in the second period.