"We had everybody telling us how good we were," Holovak recalled. "And we believed it."

With five shutouts in its 8-0 record, Boston College had allowed an average of only 29 yards a game. But after a 1-3 start, the Crusaders had adjusted to the single-wing offense installed by their new coach, Anthony (Ank) Scanlan. They quickly drove 48 yards for their first touchdown, a 1-yard smash by Bobby Sullivan, their spinning fullback.

The Eagles retaliated, with Doherty whipping a touchdown pass to Currivan, but they missed the extra point.

Holy Cross didn't flinch. Grigas, the right halfback who seldom passed, found the left halfback, Johnny Bezemes, for a 15-yard touchdown. Bezemes threw to Ed Murphy for a 23-yard tochdown. When the 20-6 halftime score rattled by Morse code across Western Union wires, editors requested a clarification.

"You mean B.C. is ahead, 20-6," they assumed.

"No," they were told. "Holy Cross is ahead."

In the second half, Grigas ran 7 yards for a touchdown, 15 for another. Bezemes returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown, caught a 23-yard pass from Grigas for another, and Andy Natowich scored on a 7-yard run. It was 55-6 before the Eagles added a meaningless touchdown. The Crusaders accumulated 335 yards of total offense, intercepted six passes and recovered four B.C. fumbles.

The loss knocked the Eagles out of the Sugar Bowl and dropped them to eighth in the final A.P. poll; they lost the Orange Bowl to Alabama, 37-21.

"Four days after our game," remembered Ray Ball, the Crusader quarterback, "Ed Doherty wrote me a letter of congratulations. I still have it."

The Crusaders also smothered Coach Denny Myers's touted T-formation, the offense that the Chicago Bears had popularized with their 73-0 thrashing of the Washington Redskins in the 1940 National Football League championship game.