BC records its first win of the season with a heroic effort in the Red Bandanna Game

Regardless of how Friday’s matchup unfolded, no Boston College or Rutgers player could come close to claiming the honor of hero of the night.

That title belonged to BC alumnus Welles Crowther, who saved as many as 18 people on Sept. 11, 2001, and earlier this week was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But the Red Bandanna Game needed an on-field hero, and that honor belonged to linebacker Anthony Palano.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 230-pound Washington State transfer led the Eagles defense with nine tackles, four solo, a quarterback sack, and a pair of interceptions in the final 10 minutes to cement BC’s first victory over the season, 28-21, at Alumni Stadium.

Quarterback Mason McKenzie ranked a close runner-up to Palano after he completed 18 of 29 passes for 252 yards and a fourth-quarter 78-yard touchdown toss to Dawson Pough. He also rushed 13 times for 94 yards and a first-quarter touchdown.

McKenzie accounted for 346 of BC’s 402 yards of total offense.

The Eagles (1-1) outlasted the Scarlet Knights (0-2) in a back-and-forth thriller that took a somber turn with 7:52 left in the first half when redshirt sophomore linebacker Bodie Kahoun, a Notre Dame transfer, suffered an apparent neck injury during a tackle.

Kahoun was taken off the field by ambulance to Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“On the sideline, obviously, it takes you by shock a little bit. You don’t see somebody get taken out by ambulance every day,” Palano said. “But there was another level of like, ‘Let’s go.’ It was bigger than just for Welles. It was for Bodie, too.”

The school posted that Kahoun, who gave a thumbs-up, had “movement in all extremities” and was “being taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Crowther’s 9/11 heroics were recognized in a pregame tribute video for the former BC lacrosse player. Crowther’s No. 19 was painted on the field at the 19-yard line, and the school dispersed red bandannas and T-shirts to fans when they arrived at the stadium.

Crowther’s mother, Alison Crowther, spoke on ESPN2 and to local television outlets before the game and posed for a picture with BC coach Bill O’Brien.

“This game was a beautiful night, the 25th anniversary,” O’Brien said. “It’s just an unbelievable environment. The students were awesome. I thought the fans were there early and it was loud. It was really loud.”

The Eagles, clearly invigorated by the occasion, played inspired football early.

Evan Dickens delivered a 7-0 lead on a 19-yard touchdown run with 10:42 left in the first quarter. A Charlie Comella interception paved the way McKenzie to score on a 10-yard touchdown run to increase BC’s lead to 14-0 with 5:15 left.

Luca Lombardo extended the margin to 17-0 on a 30-yard field goal, and Marcus Upton (10 tackles, 2 breakups, 1 quarterback hit) continued to make life difficult for Rutgers quarterback AJ Surace, who completed 18 of 27 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted four times — twice by Palano.

All of the woes that plagued the Eagles in their season-opening 34-15 loss at Cincinnati last Saturday seemed to disappear for most of the half.

Rutgers sliced into BC’s lead on a 4-yard pass from Surace to Antwan Raymond, then Lombardo answered with a 46-yard field goal as time expired to give the Eagles a 20-7 halftime advantage.

Carter Davis intercepted Surace early in the third, but the Scarlet Knights responded with a fumble recovery from Kevyn Humes, who flipped a BC commitment during the offseason to go to Rutgers. The momentum shifted as Surace hit KJ Duff (8 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs) for a 4-yard score moments later to pull within 20-14 with 2:37 left in the third quarter.

The Scarlet Knights kept it rolling as Moses Walker intercepted a floating McKenzie pass, but BC safety KP Price came up with a key stop on fourth and 1 to preserve the Eagles’ edge heading to the fourth. Palano then picked off a pass at the BC 10-yard line with 9:27 to go.

“That dude is just a dog,” McKenzie said of Palano. “He’s a great player. That’s something that he did all summer and all spring. You just expect that from a guy like that.”

McKenzie found a wide-open Pough (4 catches, 106 yards) for a 78-yard TD to make it 28-14 with 7:06 remaining.

Surace connected with Duff for a 60-yard TD strike, slicing BC’s lead in half at the 6:18 mark, then Walker ripped the ball away from Javarius Green at the Rutgers 38 with 3:08 remaining to give the Scarlet Knights another opportunity.

But Palano pounced again, snaring a Surace pass at the BC 35 with 1:46 remaining. McKenzie hit Dickens for a first down with 1:27 left to put the game out of reach and help BC secure a signature victory on a memorable night.

“My fourth Red Bandanna Game,” Price said. “This was probably the best one. I’m not going to lie.”