Fittingly, Saturday started with a memorial tribute to the thousands of Americans who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks exactly three years earlier on 9/11/01 and to the families and nation that will forever be scarred by those attacks.... The highlight of the weekend for Penn State was the super pep rally where more than 600 Penn Staters showed their pride and loyalty along with President Graham Spanier, Alumni Association Executive Director Roger Williams, the Pep Band, Dance Team, cheerleaders and Nittany Lion mascot in the ballroom of the Marriott Hotel at Copley Square. Alumni from throughout New England joined those who traveled from Pennsylvania or elsewhere to support the Nittany Lions, who had not played in Boston since 1990.... This was the first time BC ever beat Penn State in their home stadium, but marked the third straight victory for the Eagles over the Lions, whose last win in the series came 13 years ago in 1991. Nonetheless, State still holds a 19-4 lead in the series, which has no more meetings scheduled. None are likely in the foreseeable future, since Boston College moves to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year, after its lame-duck season in the Big East.... State’s record against Big East teams now stands at 21-7 since the inception of the conference in 1991.... Momentum is an intangible in any football game, and it was given to Boston College on the first possession, when Penn State was flagged for successive roughing the kicker penalties, after the Lions had forced BC to punt. The penalties accounted for 30 of the Eagles’ 80 yards on the confidence-building drive to their first touchdown and 7-0 lead. Penn Staters thought Darien Hardy got a piece of the ball before running into the kicker on the first call. “We thought the ball was tipped,” said Coach Paterno. If so, that would have negated the penalty and given the ball to Penn State at the BC-45, after the wobbly 14-yard punt. Rather, the officials ruled the ball hit the back of the BC punt-protector (ala the Mike Suter — Ralph Giacomarro incident in Penn State’s 1982 loss in Alabama). On the second call, the kick somehow got through the outstretched arms of Paul Posluszny just before he ran into the punter.... Hardy had just joined the team in Boston Saturday morning, after attending funeral services in Philadelphia for his father, who died of kidney cancer Thursday.... Zack Mills’ four interceptions ties him for one of those records no one wants with Rich Lucas (at Illinois in 1959), Bob Parsons (against Syracuse in 1970) and Todd Blackledge (at Alabama in 1982).... Incidently, Penn State went on to fine records in each of those years, including a national championship in 1982.... BC certainly lived up to the adage that teams should make their most improvement between their first and second games. Let’s hope it comes a little later for the Lions.... JoePa lost a chance to pick up a win on Bobby Bowden, after Florida State got beat in overtime by Miami Friday night. The count stands at 342-340.... Career highs were registered by wide receiver Gerald Smith with five catches for 74 yards and tailback Tony Hunt with seven receptions for 55 yards.