Upstart Terps Stun the Eagles
Maryland 42, No. 8 Boston College 35
Maryland defensive lineman Dre Moore looks for room to run after intercepting the Eagles' Matt Ryan.
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
A small graveyard graces the entrance of the Maryland football practice field, a memorial representing every program victory over a top 10 team. Some day soon, a new headstone will be placed there to commemorate what the Terrapins pulled off last night, which might represent not an end but a new beginning.
The bruised and battered Terrapins revived their fading hopes for bowl eligibility with an improbable 42-35 victory over No. 8 Boston College.
"It's probably an understatement to say that this is a great win as far as our program and for our season," Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen said. "All the credit needs to go to our players. The perseverance and the attitude, I'm indebted to them."
A crowd of 52,827 braved a clear, cold night at Byrd Stadium only to be rewarded for their hardiness, and after Maryland fended off a desperate comeback attempt by the Eagles, many of the fans spilled onto the field to celebrate with the team. Maryland had never knocked off two top-10 teams in the same season.
The Terrapins pulled off the stunner by showing more aggressiveness on both sides of the ball than they had all season.
"I felt like I was at a point where we really had nothing to lose," Friedgen said. "So let's go for it."
Boston College star quarterback Matt Ryan finished with 421 yards and three touchdowns, but the numbers were more a product of his desperate attempt to rally his team after falling behind by 21 points.
The Terrapins (5-5, 2-4 ACC) applied more pressure on Ryan than on any other signal-caller this year, liberally sending blitzes that flustered the onetime Heisman Trophy hopeful. Ryan spent most of his evening trying to make throws on the run, with hands in his face or, at worst, as he was falling backward. The Terrapins sacked Ryan four times and intercepted him twice. Both times, the Terrapins turned the miscues into touchdowns.
Meantime, Chris Turner looked like the gunslinger he was when he took over for injured starter Jordan Steffy more than five weeks ago. The Terrapins entered the game with just three passing touchdowns all season, but Turner equaled that mark in one game, throwing for three scores on 21-of-27 passing for 337 yards.
Senior tight end Jason Goode, who had six catches all season entering the game, finished with six receptions and two touchdowns.
"I never thought it would be like this," Goode said.
Wide receiver Emani Lee-Odai, who played in the absence of injured wide receiver Danny Oquendo and had never caught a pass in his career, finished with three catches for 78 yards.
