Boston College Eagles 36, Maryland Terrapins 30
Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from Boston College’s victory over Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl.
Boston College Eagles
Quarterback grade: Patrick Towles, 63.9
Boston College asked little of Towles, as he attempted just 17 passes on the day, and just seven of them traveled at least 10 yards through the air. He performed well against Maryland’s blitz, which he faced on 18 dropbacks. On those downs, he took four sacks, but completed seven of 11 throws for 106 yards and both of his scores.
Top offensive grades:
C Jon Baker, 77.7
TE Tommy Sweeney, 72.9
G Chris Lindstrom, 72.0
TE Michael Giacone, 70.8
WR Michael Walker, 70.6
Scoreboard fails to tell story of Eagles’ offensive struggles
Despite putting up their highest point total against an FBS opponent this season, the Eagles still had their typical problems on offense. Outside of Jon Baker’s 71.6, no other Boston College lineman, fullback or tight end posted a run-blocking grade over 50.0. LT Aaron Monteiro and LG Elijah Johnson also struggled in pass protection, as they combined to give up a sack, two hits, and two hurries.
Top defensive grades:
CB Isaac Yiadom, 88.6
DE Harold Landry, 84.0
LB Connor Strachan, 81.7
DT Noa Merritt, 80.1
DT Truman Gutapfel, 80.0
Defensive design accounts for several huge plays, unit otherwise solid
Three big plays accounted for a huge chunk of Maryland’s yards, but the Eagles were otherwise stout up front. Maryland twice caught Boston College in a dime package against four-WR sets, racking up 92 yards on the ground and scoring on both runs. Without those two runs, Maryland’s yards-per-carry mark dropped from 7.3 to 4.2. Seven of ILB Connor Strachan’s eight solo tackles went for defensive stops, and he also added two QB hits on the pass-rush. DE Harold Landry took over the game late, as he posted two sacks, two hurries, two batted passes, and an interception, doing most of his damage in the final quarter.
Maryland Terrapins
Quarterback grade: Perry Hills, 50.4
Hills had significant struggles getting balls over the Boston College defense line, as the Eagles batted down five passes on the day. He attempted 14 throws that traveled at least 10 yards through the air, and while two of them were long completions for touchdowns, he completed just two others for a mere 28 yards.
Top offensive grades:
T Derwin Gray, 80.5
RB Ty Johnson, 79.9
WR Teldrick Morgan, 74.0
WR Levern Jacobs, 60.5
G Mike Minter, 55.8
Pass blocking woes, poor run blocking stall out Maryland offense
The Terrapins yielded seven sacks on the day, with four of them being charged to TE Derrick Hayward and RB Ty Johnson. While Johnson’s two big runs (as explained above) gave the appearance of a huge day on the ground for him, he otherwise tallied just 67 yards, with just 13 of those coming on runs between the tackles. Not surprisingly, the highest run-blocking grade from the interior offensive line was C Brendan Moore’s 45.4.
Top defensive grades:
LB Jermaine Carter Jr., 90.7
LB Jalen Brooks, 83.8
DE Jesse Aniebonam, 78.0
DT Cavon Walker, 70.0
CB Alvin Hill, 68.9
Big days against the run from both Carter and Brooks
As noted above, the Eagles were not proficient on the ground, and the ILB duo of Jermaine Carter Jr. and Jalen Brooks were the primary reasons. They combined for 14 solo tackles, with eight of them going for defensive stops. In all, five Terrapins posted run-defense grades of at least 80.0 for the game.
PFF’s player grading process includes multiple reviews, which may change the grade initially published in order to increase its accuracy.
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