The Maryland Terrapins and the Boston College Eagles meet at Ford field in Detroit, Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl. The contest is penciled in for Monday, December 26th at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the ESPN Network. As of now, Las Vegas has the Terrapins as a slight -1 point favorite and the game’s total is 43.5.
Maryland started their 2016 campaign off in fine fashion under first-year coach D.J. Durkin with a 4-0 start. The four victories were more than the program put up all of last year. Unfortunately for the Terrapins, starting quarterback Perry Hills battled a nagging shoulder injury for the majority of the season, and they needed to win their last match-up in 2016 just to become bowl-eligible.
Maryland (6-6):
Quarterback Perry Hills played in Maryland’s 31-13 win over Rutgers to conclude the season, but he finished just 9 of 15 for 96 yards. In all, Hills left four games early because of injury and sat out two altogether in his senior season. All totaled, Hill completed 107 passes for just over 1,200 yards with ten touchdowns and three picks.
Freshman tail back Lorenzo Harrison and Ty Johnson pitched in to produce a balanced running attack. Combined, the duo scampered for almost 1,500 yards and nine scores. Harrison was suspended for the final three games of the season for his role in an on-campus BB gun incident November 5th. Coach Durkin has yet to say whether he will be allowed to participate in the Quick Lanes Bowl.
Three wide receivers contributed to a sluggish air attack in 2016. Together, the trio reeled in 115 passes for almost 1,400 yards with ten trips to the promised land. Wide out D.J. Moore was the most explosive of the three and led the team with six scores. Moore’s availability is also in question because of his roll in the same BB gun debacle in November.
The Terrapins struggled on defense as the year grew longer, mainly because the offense left them on the field entirely too long. At the end of the season, Maryland ranked 71st in the country in points allowed (29). The Terrapin’s front seven also had their hands full against opposing backs, allowing 217 rushing yards a contest.
Boston College (6-6):
Maryland will be facing-off against Boston College’s coach Steve Addazio. Addazio and D.J. Durkin coached together at Florida under Ohio State’s Urban Myer in 2010. Boston College also enters with a 6-6 record after claiming victory in their last two regular-season contests.
The Eagles were dismantled to the tune of 97-14 by the Seminoles and Louisville heading into their last two must-win games of the season. Fortunately, Boston College responded by pitching a shut-out against Connecticut and squeaking past Wake Forrest 17-14. Still, there’s not a lot to brag about this team offensively.
Boston College finished second-to-last in the country in total offense per game (288th). Quarterback Patrick Towles completed only 51.4 percent of his passes for 1,579 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Running back Jon Hilliman’s 463 rushing yards led the team and he also scored five touchdowns. Four wide outs caught over 20 passes for under 400 yards and all of them scored at least twice.
The Eagles won their games on the strength of their defense. In a tough conference, Boston College allowed the fewest yards per game in the ACC, despite finishing just six in yards allowed per play. The front seven was especially stout, ranking seventh in the country allowing only 106.6 yards per game.
Trends and Notes:
The Terrapins are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Eagles are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 bowl games.
The Under is 4-0-1 in the Terrapins last 5 non-conference games.
The Under is 5-1 in the Eagles last 6 vs. Big Ten.
The Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
This is only the third addition of the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Michigan.
Rutger’s running back Josh Hicks was last year’s Quick Lane Bowl MVP.
Game Prediction:
Maryland finally is healthy coming into the Quick Lane Bowl against the Boston College Eagles. That bodes well for a team that will be matched-up against one of the best defenses in the FBS.
Boston College’s problem is their offense is one of the worst units in college football and moving the ball down the field on anybody has been an adventure. Quarterback Patrick Towles will have to find away to keep Maryland from loading the box against the run.
The Terrapins won’t light-up the scoreboard in this one by any means but should have just enough production from their offense to out score the Eagles. If your looking for a lot of up and down action, this isn’t the game for you. Take Maryland to cover the -1 and be the club to go out with the winning record.
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