Oct. 28, 2006

BOSTON (AP) -Chris Crane filled in for injured Matt Ryan and overcame a soaking rain to run for two touchdowns and throw for another Saturday, leading No. 18 Boston College to a 41-0 victory over Buffalo.

Crane completed 17 of 26 passes for 142 yards to lead BC (7-1) to scores on its first four possessions. L.V. Whitworth ran for 84 yards and a touchdown, and Andre Callender had 81 yards rushing as the Eagles did not need to punt until late in the third quarter - and that was called back for a roughing the kicker penalty.

Buffalo (1-7) had just 92 yards of total offense - with a total of minus 12 on the ground. The Bulls have not won since a season-opening 9-3 overtime victory over Temple.

A drenching downpour lasted into the second half, with the rain letting up in the third quarter only to be replaced by wind gusts forecast for up to 55 mph.

The umpire regularly kept the ball covered by a towel for as long as possible before spotting it, but players on both teams had trouble holding on. Buffalo, which had just three fumbles in its first seven games, dropped the ball four times and lost two fumbles on Saturday; BC fumbled twice but recovered both times.

Ryan took the opportunity to rest the sore left ankle and foot that has been bothering him since the first game of the season. He has been nursed back to health on a weekly basis and hadn't missed a snap due to injury all season; this was his chance to rest.

In came Crane, whose only playing time this year was in a Sept. 30 shutout of Maine, when he threw three passes. BC is off to its best start since beginning the year 7-0-1 in 1992, which is also the last time it had more than one shutout in a season.

The Eagles finish with No. 24 Wake Forest, Duke, Maryland and Miami and a clear path to the ACC title game if they win out. The only blemish on BC's record is a 17-15 loss to North Carolina State on a 34-yard desperation heave with 8.5 seconds left.

Buffalo had a chance to avoid the shutout on its final possession, but Paul Anderson intercepted Bulls backup Tony Paoli in the end zone with about a minute left.

BC faced few obstacles from the Bulls, starting on its first possession when Crane scrambled for 15 yards on a third-and-13 that set up a 25-yard field goal by Steve Aponavicius.

Crane made it 17-0 with touchdown runs from 4 and 8 yards out, then hit Mark Palmer for an 8-yard score.

Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy fumbled on the ensuing possession, but Crane was picked off by Kendric Hawkins on the Eagles' first play. The Bulls weren't able to convert the turnover into points.

Whitworth scored on a 43-yard run to open the third quarter and make it 31-0.