Boston College pulls off insane ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ trick play for touchdown

It wasn’t quite the Doug Flutie “Hail Mary” pass in terms of historical importance, but Boston College pulled off a memorable trick play for a go-ahead touchdown Saturday before falling to Florida State at home.

BC took a 24-21 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter of its ACC matchup in Chestnut Hill on a 2-yard flip pass out of an unusual formation from quarterback Mason McKenzie to wide receiver Javarius Green.

Eagles coach Bill O’Brien had five offensive linemen split out to the far left, with McKenzie rolling out to the right after taking the snap.

Before the play, the 11 players in the huddle circled around each other like a scene out of the football movie “The Longest Yard.”

Boston College executes a trick play after using a ring-around-the-rosie huddle to score a touchdown. ESPN

“Bill O’Brien pulling out all the stops. BC with the lead,” ACC Network play-by-play announcer Jorge Sedano said.

“I love it, I love it, I love it. Burt Reynolds would’ve been proud, and he was a Seminole,” analyst Dave Clawson added. “What a gutsy play call by Bill O’Brien, and that ignites the BC crowd.”

Still, Florida State — which had scored earlier in the game on a fake field goal — posted 10 points in the fourth quarter for a 31-24 victory to improve to 4-5 (2-4).


Boston College football players gathered in a huddle near the goal line before a trick play.
Boston College executes a trick play after using a ring-around-the-rosie huddle to score a touchdown. ESPN

Boston College has dropped its last two games to also fall to 2-4 in conference play and 4-5 overall.

Flutie memorably completed a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan for a wild 47-45 walk-off victory for BC over Miami on Nov. 23, 1984, en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. 

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