Boston College Deflates Kansas State : College football: May sacked eight times, Eagle defense gives up only seven first downs and minus 61 yards rushing in 12-7 victory in Aloha Bowl.

Boston College has made a believer out of Chad May.

The Kansas State quarterback, who ended an outstanding college career with 2,571 yards and 18 touchdowns during the regular season, spent Christmas Day running for his life as Boston College shut down the 11th-ranked Wildcats, 12-7, in the Aloha Bowl.

May completed 13 of 31 passes for 185 yards, with two interceptions. He was sacked eight times for 71 yards as Kansas State finished with minus-61 yards on the ground.

“This is Big East football,” Boston College safety Eric Shorter said. “And Big East football is one of the best in the nation. When they came here, they were disrespecting us. They were saying we don’t play anyone and stuff like that.

“Well, if they’re No. 11 in the country, we’re No. 10.”

Boston College Coach Dan Henning praised his club’s “great defensive effort.”

“I don’t think our defensive staff has set stepped foot in the Pacific Ocean since they’ve been here,” he said. “They’ve been too busy.

“They made up a fine game plan, but more importantly, it was executed by a bunch of guys who really wanted to win.”

It was an afternoon of frustration for May.

“All I can say is that their defensive line did a great job and played better than our offense,” he said. “We couldn’t get anything going.

“We have play-action in our offense, but we didn’t have a running game so play-action didn’t work that much. So they just came after me and whatever they did, it worked. I had nowhere to go. I just didn’t have enough time to even look up to another guy and that hurt us.”

Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder placed part of the blame on the coaching staff.

“We didn’t function well in any particular capacity,” he said. “Chad didn’t throw the ball well and we certainly didn’t have them well-enough prepared, and that’s a coaching thing.”

As for the Eagle defense, “I think their front four people are rather relentless and they are tough athletes,” Snyder said.

Except for one long Boston College touchdown drive, keyed by David Green’s 51-yard run, the game belonged to the defensive units.

Justice Smith scored Boston College’s only touchdown in the first quarter and David Gordon added a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the only points scored on offense.

The Eagles (7-4-1) sacked May for a safety and Kansas State (9-3) got its only touchdown when Chris Sublette recovered a blocked punt in the Boston College end zone.

Both teams struggled in a game that featured a record 19 punts. The Eagles got only 13 first downs and Kansas State seven, the first coming with only 1:27 left in the first half.

Boston College scored on its first possession, Smith going the last two yards four plays after Green’s 51-yard run.

Green finished with 121 yards on 28 carries.

After Kansas State tied it, Mike Mamula tackled May in the end zone for a safety that made it 9-7 at the half.

Gordon’s field goal came with 1:23 left in the game.

Kansas State’s Eric Hardy averaged 46 yards for his 11 punts, seven of which came on the Wildcats’ first eight possessions.

The previous Aloha Bowl record was nine by Penn State in 1983.