Eleven fumbles. Six turnovers. Four missed field goals. One missed extra-point attempt. Twelve penalties for 108 yards.
What a game.
If you're Michigan, it was a victory.
If you're Boston College, it stank.
"We feel lower than whale crap right now," Boston College quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said after No. 8 Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 3-0 overall) came from behind Saturday to beat the Eagles (0-1 Big East, 1-2 overall), 20-14.
The analogy was appropriate since many of the 105, 219 fans who sat through a third-quarter monsoon were as wet as whales.
"I've never played in a game where I really couldn't see the coaches on the sideline," said Michigan quarterback Scott Dreisbach, who had his best game of the season, completing 19 of 28 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, the weather wasn't nearly as sloppy as the football game.
Thanks mainly to mistakes and missed opportunities, the Wolverines entered the fourth quarter trailing the Eagles, 14-7.
On the second play of the final stanza, however, Dreisbach hit receiver Tai Streets for 20 yards to the Boston College one-yard line on third-and-10. Dreisbach dove into the end zone on the next play.
Michigan took over its next possession at its own 29 after Boston College kicker John Matich missed on a 46-yard field goal attempt.
Four plays later, Dreisbach hit tight end Jerame Tuman with a lob over the middle, and Tuman did the rest of the work en route to a 58-yard touchdown.
Remy Hamilton's extra-point attempt, however, was blocked. This wasn't a surprise since Hamilton had already missed three field goals.
So once again the game came down to Michigan's defense.
And once again the defense came through for the Wolverines.
Boston College drove the ball to the Michigan 40 on its next possession, but on third-and-seven, Hasselbeck was sacked by Juaquin Feazell. Hasselbeck fumbled and David Bowens recovered the ball for the Wolverines on the Eagles' 36.
After three offensive plays and a Brian Griese punt, the defense was back on the field.
Again Boston College drove into Michigan territory, but again the Eagles were stopped - this time when Hasselbeck's fourth-down pass to receiver Steve Everson fell incomplete, and Michigan took over on its own 38.
After three offensive plays and a Griese punt, the defense was back on the field - with 59 seconds left on the clock and only a six-point lead.
Hasselbeck was chased out of bounds for a five-yard loss on first down, and on second down his attempted pass to receiver Kenyatta Watson was tipped by Michigan free safety Chuck Winters and intercepted by linebacker Jarrett Irons.
After two offensive plays, the game ended, and Michigan had barely hung on.
"I don't think it was scary at all," Irons said. "Our mindset is if there is time left on the clock, we can come back and win the game."
For Boston College, a team coming off a 45-7 loss last weekend to Virginia Tech, it was close, but close wasn't nearly good enough.
"Maybe down the line I can say this is a confidence-building game for us," Hasselbeck said. "But right now we're really down."
Probably only slightly more down than the Michigan offense, however.
In spite of putting 408 yards of total offense on the board, Michigan struggled to put up 20 points and probably should have had 21 before the first quarter was over.
Michigan fumbled the ball seven times - twice on kick returns - resulting in two turnovers.
Dreisbach threw one interception and overthrew a wide-open Streets on what would have been a sure touchdown.
"We're so close to being a great offense," Dreisbach said. "I don't think we're going to let any of this happen again."
Michigan opened the scoring late in the first quarter when receiver Russell Shaw made a tremendous, over-the-shoulder catch of a 23-yard Dreisbach toss into the front corner of the end zone.
Boston College tied the game early in the second when Hasselbeck hit Everson with a three-yard touchdown pass, and the Eagles took the lead in the third on a 20-yard run by Omari Walker.
Boston College rushed for 110 yards on the game, but 79 of those yards came in the second half.
"Today was not a Michigan style of defense," Irons said. "We came out there and let them run on us. By no means is that the way we're supposed to play."
While Michigan sees the need for continued improvement after the game, Boston College coach Dan Henning sees only one thing to take away from Ann Arbor.
"We take away a loss," he said. "That is the unfortunate part."
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Russell Shaw celebrates with Zach Adami, Thomas Guynes and Jon Jansen after his first-quarter touchdown broke a scoreless tie. The 23-yard reception wasn't an easy one. Quarterback Scott Dreisbach lofted the ball high, and Shaw caught it over his shoulder in the corner of the end zone.