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Boston College - Maryland Matchup
Boston College (7-3) will battle Maryland (5-4) on Saturday afternoon in College Park. The
Eagles will be looking to improve their bowl situation while the Terps will be looking to become
bowl-eligible. BC scored the final 30 points in a 30-10 victory over NC State last week.
Maryland netted over 500 yards of offense and topped North Carolina 33-30 in overtime. Here are
the key players:
The Quarterbacks |
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Matt Ryan -- 63.7% comp, 1,028 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT |
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Sam Hollenbach -- 62.6% comp, 2,074 yards, 11 TD, 11 INT |
Top Rushers |
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L.V. Whitworth -- 659 yards, 4.3 ypc, 4 TD |
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Andre Callender -- 530 yards, 4.8 ypc, 2 TD |
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Lance Ball -- 702 yards, 5.0 ypc, 4 TD |
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Mario Merrills -- 289 yards, 3.8 ypc, 4 TD |
Top Receivers |
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Will Blackmon (WR) -- 43 catches, 569 yards, 3 TD |
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Larry Lester (WR) -- 32 catches, 357 yards, 2 TD |
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Chris Miller (TE) -- 23 catches, 209 yards, 4 TD |
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Vernon Davis (TE) -- 39 catches, 731 yards, 4 TD |
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Danny Melendez (WR) -- 32 catches, 495 yards, 2 TD |
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Derrick Fenner (WR) -- 30 catches, 381 yards, 2 TD |
Top Defenders |
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Jamie Silva (FS) -- 68 tackles, 3 TFL |
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Ray Henderson (LB) -- 63 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 INT |
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Mathias Kiwanuka (DE) -- 44 tackles, 13 TFL, 7 sacks |
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D'Qwell Jackson (LB) -- 108 tackles, 2 sacks |
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William Kershaw (LB) -- 72 tackles, 5.5 TFL |
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Milton Harris (SS) -- 62 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 1 INT |
The Kickers |
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William Troost -- 2/3 FG, 16/17 PAT |
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John Deraney -- 16/22 FG, 20/22 PAT |
The Punters |
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Johnny Ayers -- 41.2 yards per punt |
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Adam Podlesh -- 44.8 yards per punt |
The Kick Returners |
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Will Blackmon -- 22.4 yds per KO return, 9.0 yds per punt return (1 TD) |
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Jo Jo Walker -- 25.0 yards per KO ret 5.4 yards per punt return |
Final Analysis
Boston College gained plenty of momentum last week on both sides of the ball. Matt Ryan led
the Eagles to 30 points against a defense ranked in the top 20 nationally. The Maryland
defense isn't quite as good as NC State's so the BC offense should have great success if they
minimize mistakes as they did last week. Throughout the year, Maryland's run defense has been
its weakness, but last week it was the pass defense that disappeared. I think BC will have a
more balanced offense this week (a few more passes). One player to watch out for is senior
linebacker D'Qwell Jackson who already has 108 tackles this season.
The BC pass rush was relentless last week against NC State. If they can generate the same
type of pressure this week, it could be a long day for Maryland QB Sam Hollenbach. If not,
Hollenbach is capable of putting up some big numbers. The 6'5" junior has thrown for more
than 2,000 yards this season including 374 in last week's victory. He's also prone to mistakes,
however, as illustrated by his 11 interceptions. Maryland has a nice running game led by
sophomore Lance Ball. Ball has rushed for 100 yards or more in three of his last five games
and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
A week ago, I thought Maryland would have the edge in this game but after seeing the way Kiwi
played last week I have revised my expectations. The Maryland offense is clearly a bigger
threat than NC State was last week. They have shown that they can be effective with the
pass or the run. I think BC will contain Ball so it will come down to putting pressure on
Hollenbach. Maryland was pretty solid against the run last week, but that has not been
the norm for the Terps this season. BC should be able to run the ball and control the
clock. If last week is any indication, the BC offense will be very successful.
Final Score: Boston College 27 Maryland 24
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Maryland by the Numbers
Maryland has converted only 33% of their 3rd down opportunities
into first downs, but they are 60% (9/15) on 4th down.
Punter Adam Podlesh ranks 9th in the NCAA in punting with an
average of 44.8 yards per punt. Kicker Dan Ennis is 9th in field goals per game (1.8).
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Statistic |
BC |
MD |
Offense - Run |
69 |
59 |
Offense - Pass |
36 |
31 |
Offense - Total |
55 |
42 |
Defense - Run |
85 |
22 |
Defense - Pass |
23 |
21 |
Defense - Total |
14 |
46 |
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