2011 Maryland Terrapins Football: Maryland vs Boston College

Boston College (1-6, 0-4 ACC) and Maryland (2-5, 1-3 ACC) features two teams who expected to be in the upper echelon of the ACC Atlantic but instead have proven to be two of the biggest disappointments in the conference, if not the country. The Terps opened with a win over Miami and have not beaten an FBS team since, with the low point coming at home in a 38-7 blowout loss to Temple. Head Coach Randy Edsall has not yet settled on a quarterback after Danny O’Brien, last season’s ACC rookie of the year, struggled early in the season and was replaced by the mobile C.J. Brown during the Georgia Tech game. But Brown was knocked out of the game last week after a big hit by FSU LB Nigel Bradham and Edsall did not put him back in the game even after he was cleared to play after the hit, making the QB situation unclear headed into this game. Brown provides a significant running threat, unlike O’Brien who does not run unless he is forced to. Brown ran for 124 yards against GT, 13.8 ypc, and 162 yards against Clemson for 74 ypc, but FSU held him to 0 yards running after 10 carries and less than 100 yards passing before Brown was replaced in the 3rd quarter.

Either QB has the potential for a big day against a Boston College defense that has been a disappointment, despite having LB Luke Keuchly, who is on pace for a stunning 200 tackles on the season in only 12 games. The Butkas Award frontrunner can’t do it all himself, though, and while he’ll get his tackles against Davin Meggett (110 carries, 526 yards on the season) and crew, they should be able to score on this undermanned BC defense.

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As disappointing as the BC defense has been, the offense has been worse, much worse. BC is 91st in the nation in passing yards, 102 in rushing yards, and 108 in points, scoring only 18.7 ppg. The only win has been over FCS UMass, and the Eagles close with Florida State, NC State, Notre Dame, and Miami, so Maryland will provide BC its best chance for a win over an FBS foe. The Eagles have yet to score 20 points in a game against an FBS opponent, including against Duke and Wake Forest defenses that have been pretty weak, all things considered.

The issues start with the offensive line, which has been dominated all season and is not of the quality that the fans in Chestnut Hill are accustomed to. QB Chase Rettig, admittedly not a running QB, has finished with positive rushing yards, only once, with 7 yards against Duke. He’s been sacked multiple times every game and his throws have been hurried, resulting in only 52% passing for only 1362 yards on the season, with 7 TDs and 6 INTs. Star RB Montel Harris was missed with injury for much of the season, but the one game he saw significant playing time, against Wake Forest, he managed 108 yards on 22 carries, showing that even a proven back of Harris’ caliber will have trouble running behind a line that can’t block with any consistency. As a team, BC is averaging only 3.6 yards per carry. Neither team will likely make a bowl game this year, so this game represents an opportunity for both teams to possibly avoid the distinction of being the worst team in the conference.

Maryland Terrapins vs Boston College Eagles Football Preview