After a lightning delay of over an hour in the first quarter, the Servepro First Responder Bowl was called off entirely. The game between No. 25 Boise State (10-3) and Boston College (7-5) was ruled no contest despite Boston College holding a 7-0 lead at the time of the weather delay.
Boston College running back AJ Dillon recorded the only score of the game before the game was called off. Dillon capped Boston College’s first offensive possession of the game with a 19-yard touchdown run. Officially speaking, that touchdown run no longer exists in the record books, and Dillon’s sophomore season came to a close with 1,108 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games played.
For Boise State, the chance to win 11 games in back-to-back seasons was taken out off the table, although the game certainly didn’t have the look of a team ready to make a run for 11 wins if the first 10 minutes were any indication. But a lot could have still happened. Boston College also stays stuck on seven wins for the third season in a row under Steve Addazio.
It’s a shame that both teams had to travel to Dallas and get ready for this bowl game only to have it called off in the first quarter, but the weather in the area wasn’t showing much sign of allowing for a wide window to keep the game going safely. And the last thing a bowl game called the First Responder Bowl needs is to jeopardize the safety of the players, coaches, staff and fans who did make the trip to the game.