Throughout his football career at New Canaan High School, Zach Allen always had a penchant for making the biggest of plays in the biggest of games. That trend seems to have carried on to the next level, as Allen had a stellar performance in Boston College’s 36-30 win over Maryland in Monday’s Quick Lane Bowl played at Ford Field in Detroit.
Zach Allen signs on to play football at Boston College on Feb. 4, 2015, National Letter of Intent signing day. Here he is with parents Irene and Mike, sister Alexandra and coach Lou Marinelli. Asked about how he feels about formally signing, Allen said: “It’s really exciting. It’s like a new beginning and it’s the next chapter of my life. I’m really excited for the opportunity to play at such a distinguished school like Boston College. I’ve been here my entire life and I wanted to stay close to home so that my family and friends could see me play, because they’ve helped me get into this situation where I am today. I wouldn’t be here without them, so I’m very thankful for everything they’ve done and really excited to play.” Credit: Michael Dinan
Allen, a 6’5″ sophomore defensive end, recorded a career-high two sacks against the Terrapins to go along with two solo tackles that resulted in a loss of 15 yards. The Eagles’ defensive line—a consistent strong point for BC all year—won MVP honors as a unit after holding Maryland to just 128 yards rushing, including 80 yards of negative yardage in the win.
Allen—a 2015 graduate of NCHS—finished this season with six sacks, good for third place on a Boston College defense that entered Monday’s game ranked eighth in the nation. Allen totalled 36 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss this year.
The victory cemented a winning record for the Eagles this season as BC went 7-6 in 2016 improving from a 3-9 record last year. This was the first Boston College bowl victory since 2007 when the Eagles topped Michigan State 24-20 in the Champs Sports Bowl.