CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.– Some observations compiled during the Terrapin football team’s 28-21 loss at Boston College…
-Unlike the other Terp losses this season, the Terps didn’t play especially poorly in this game. They just weren’t good enough to win it.
-The Terps looked a couple steps slow on both sides of the ball early on. They were unable to get anything going running the ball on their first offensive possession, and they let Eagle running backs Josh Haden and Montel Harris run right down the field against them on the Eagles’ first possession. Haden ran through an incredibly large hole on third-and-10 from the Terps’ 27 to gain 16 yards, and the Eagles scored the first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard catch by Justin Jarvis three plays later.
-With Darrius Heyward-Bey injured, Terp wide receiver Torrey Smith had a big opportunity to fill in as one of Chris Turner’s top options in the passing game. Smith finished with eight catches for 115 yards. His first-quarter 43-yard catch–which happened as I was writing those previous two sentences–set up Turner’s 1-yard touchdown run one play later that made it 7-7. If Heyward-Bey leaves school early, Smith will be the Terps’ best receiver next season.
-Davin Meggett is not tall, but when Eagle linebacker Mark Herzlich leaped over him on the last play of the first quarter and sacked Turner, it was easily the most impressive defensive play of the season in any game the Terps have played.
-After Ralph Friedgen proudly announced before the Florida State game that the Terps have allowed the fewest sacks in the ACC, the Seminoles and Eagles both racked up more than Ralph would like to see. The Seminoles got to Turner six times last week, and the Eagles sacked him five times tonight.
-Herzlich dove to intercept Turner late in the first half, Herzlich’s sixth pick of the season. He may be the best defensive player the Terps have seen this year. That was also Turner’s first career interception against a ranked opponent.
-Somebody messed up on the very next play when Eagle quarterback Dominique Davis threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rich Gunnell to give the Eagles a 14-7 halftime lead. There was nobody within several yards of Gunnell when the pass went up.
-It was a huge play when the muffed punt that was originally awarded to the Terps was overturned and given to the Eagles after officials determined the punt did not hit an Eagle before Torrey Smith went into the pile and recovered it. It only rubbed it in when the Eagles scored on a fake field goal pass from Billy Flutie to Jordon McMichael to make it 21-7. The game appeared pretty much over at that point.
-Powerful hit by diminuitive cornerback Anthony Wiseman along the sideline late in the third quarter. Linebacker Dave Philistin gave Wiseman almost as good a pounding in celebration after the play.
-Turner’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Danny Oquendo on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 21-14 was right on the money. That was an impressive 11-play drive by the Terps that came at a point in the game after which they could easily have already packed it in. Oquendo caught two fourth-down completions in the second half, and several key third down completions throughout the game.
-You have to be impressed with the Terps’ 15-play drive after they fell behind 28-14 in the final two minutes. It says something about the character of this team, which has been questioned all season.
-The Terps’ comeback bid came up short, but at least they didn’t completely roll over in the second half like they did last week against Florida State. With very little to play for, they made a trip up to Massachusetts somewhat worth it. The regular season didn’t end the way anybody hoped it would, but Terps still have a bowl game to play, and we’ll see where the Terps end up next month.