How Crucial Will The Maryland Game Be For Boston College? (Hint: HUGE)
by A.J Black on Aug 1, 2011 3:00 PM EDT
in Boston College Football
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PrintIn our never ending quest to keep this offseason interesting, the crew of BC Interruption continue to look at BC's opponents on the 2011 schedule. This week, we'll take a closer look at the Maryland Terrapins.
After 11 months of intensive therapy, I am finally ready to face my demons and talk about the 2010 Terrapins-Eagles game. Maryland last season defeated BC 24-21 in one of the more frustrating games for the Eagles. Danny O'Brien had a solid game against BC throwing for 182 yards and three TD passes to Torrey Smith, Kerry Boykins and Ronnie Tyler. BC started slow with some bad interceptions by Chase Rettig, but came on strong at the end, but a series of dropped passes -- and a game-ending drop by Shakim Phillips -- put the nail in the coffin.
For those of you who have lived in a bubble and missed the end of Maryland's season, let's look at how 2010 ended for them:
With a huge win that eliminated N.C. State from ACC Championship Game contention, Maryland represented the ACC in the Military Bowl where they trounced BC pariah Dominique Davis and the East Carolina Pirates 52-10. Watching Davis get torched by an ACC defense gave me a little schaudenfreude. The bigger news was that a week prior to the game, Maryland AD Kevin Anderson announced that Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen's contract was gong to be terminated after the bowl game. For many this news didn't make much sense especially after Fridge turned a 2-10 team to 9-4 in the span of a season.
With Fridge departing, Maryland went out and hired Randy Edsall, fresh off an improbable BCS bid followed by an epic embarrassment at the hands of Oklahoma.
Maryland's offense will look a bit different in 2011. QB Danny O'Brien lost his two biggest receivers -- Torrey Smith (NFL draft) and Adrian Cannon (graduation) -- and Da'Rel Scott was drafted by the New York football Giants.
Maryland is going to be a huge game for Boston College. The BC-Maryland game falls right in the middle of BC's vicious October, right after games between Virginia Tech and Clemson, and right before the Thursday Night battle with FSU. The Maryland game might be a must win game for the Eagles if they play sloppy in October and lose to both the Tigers and Hokies. And as we saw last week, most media members are expecting Maryland and BC to be neck and neck in the middle of the Atlantic Division. If BC starts off strong, the importance of this game may lessen, but if they drop games to Clemson and Virginia Tech, this game could determine if the Eagles will be bowling.
Later this week we will talk with the writers over at the Testudo Times about Maryland's 2011 season and the big BC-Maryland game in College Park.
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I like my turtles soft and well cooked
I don’t like Maryland, largely because it seems to be THE MOST BORING SCHOOL in the ACC. There is nothing interesting about the place at all. TOTALLY BORING.
Football-wise, I’d like MD to stay in the Wake and Duke class — soft, well cooked and easy to beat. But this kid Danny O is really quite good. But what else do they have? Not much, if you ask me.
So, Yes, this year, we finally take MD VERY, very seriously, but then we find out we really did not need to do so. I see BC cracking turtle shells and leaving turtle parts all over the stadium. We cruise to an easy 28-7 victory! Turtles crawl back into the cellar with Duke and Wake.
NEXT!
not an Editor, BC Interruption
MD isn't that bad I swar.
don’t be insulting my state, it’s the best [no massholes].
but this game is really crucial for us [I am a BC fan], but they are in a very similar position to us. their defense is a lot better than people think.
I wasn't insulting your state
I was insulting the School, but now that i think of it Maryland is not that bad. You do have the awesome Chesapeake Bay. and Annapolis too. Baltimore is also kinda cool — I had the best crab cake ever at some restaurant on the Inner Harbor. Wow. No bread filling at all. All Crab, sweet. Charm city cakes too. John Waters. People like to say “Hun.” You got the Preakness. Hopkins and Loyola Marymount got good things going. I even hear that Maryland is a very fine state for growing Blueberries. You even have the FDA there. So, sure for a dinkoid states, Maryland has gots lots going on… but the school UMD.. not so much
not an Editor, BC Interruption
And the East and West Baltimore drug trade, a corrupt port system, underfunded schools, sleazy city politicians and an underwhelming police force. #ThingsILearnedWatchingTheWire
Editor, BC Interruption
I'm a Maryland native as well
and love my home state, but HATE the school. If you’ve ever been to College Park, it’s not in a nice area and the fan base (students and non-students) are some of the rudest and worst-behaved fans in the business. Think West Virginia.
There’s a lot to love about Maryland, but the University of Maryland – College Park is not one of them.
Attending BC at Maryland in 2007 … easily my least favorite ACC road trip was going to College Park. They sit opposing fans in the triple upper deck, so high up you can see the U.S. Capitol on the horizon. It certainly didn’t help that BC lost the game, but still.
Worst gameday experience of any ACC stadium I’ve been to, which includes BC, N.C. State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Clemson.
Editor, BC Interruption
it’s funny, one of the things i loved about going to UMD was the fact that we’re complete @$$holes to opposing teams and fans. i’m from newton and grew up (and still am) a BC fan, but what i can’t stand about BC is how at games not a single person seems to give a damn. this is more of a problem in bball than football (i’m more of a bball fan), but going to MD/BC bball at Conte is like going to Sox/O’s @ Camden Yards where it’s more like a home game for the visitors.
and lol @ most boring school in ACC. if you took a poll of the ACC, all 11 other schools would vote BC as “most boring” and don’t even try to argue that one
Yea throwing batteries is something to be proud of
and hitting innocent mother’s in the head. Congrats.
get serious
and lol @ most boring school in ACC. if you took a poll of the ACC, all 11 other schools would vote BC as ‘most boring’ and don’t even try to argue that one
you’re very dull, but surprisingly funny.
No one who could get into BC would choose UMD. C’mon now, you know that. There is a very long list of reasons why BC is and remains one of the most sought after schools in the USA, and is the most sought-after school in the ACC. (e.g., BC had 30,000 apps for 2,200 spots; Dook had only 22,000 apps and GTech had 11,000 apps)
not an Editor, BC Interruption
this is priceless
one of the things i loved about going to UMD was the fact that we’re complete @$$holes – Spideyguy0
You said it!
not an Editor, BC Interruption
i dont deny that
There’s a difference between being an @$$ to an opposing team or fanbase during a game, and being that way the rest of the time (NCSt is a good example of a school that does it the rest of the time too). The Boozer’s mom/battery thing was 1 idiot and happened over a decade ago. We’re not out to injure anyone, but you better we’re out to make you uncomfortable during a game. Afterwards we’ll buy you a drink.
College prestige and college rankings have nothing to do with how boring a school is. In fact, I think usually higher ranked schools have a tendency to be more boring than others. Which school is more boring MIT or Miami? You get what I’m saying?
And for the record, I probably would’ve gotten into BC (didn’t apply) but had no interest going to school 2 blocks from home and as a Jewish kid didn’t really want to go to a Jesuit school with almost no Jews. There are lots of reasons people pick a school. I also wanted to do PoliSci and MD gave me the opportunity to intern in Congress, and access to all the resources of the DC area. And it was cheaper than BC. Not saying, MD is a better school (obviously rankings wise it isn’t, and BC is a great school for a lot of reasons) but to say nobody would take MD over BC is ridiculous.
spideyguy, here is a little info that you might not have been aware of: Hillel at BC
not an Editor, BC Interruption
I know the Hillel rabbi
and BC Hillel has about 100 active members, about half of whom are actually Jewish. Maryland has 6,000 Jews (20% of all undergrads). It’s really no comparison.
Miami?
Hate to break it to you, but Miami is decidedly unexciting too. A small private school that plays football in front of a 3/4 empty NFL stadium and in front of a few thousand fans on the hardwood?
Editor, BC Interruption
are we talking about boring sports or boring student life?
Miami is known for having some of the best student life in the country. If you’re talking about boring sports, you could fall asleep at a BC bball game. Last year at the MD game (which was a conference game on a Saturday afternoon during the semester) I counted 100 students in the student section. 100. And the team was good. I get that it’s a small school, but wow. MD has 4,000 students for every ACC game.
yeah, md football experience is lacking
but i was responding to the first line in the first comment, which was talking about the place itself, not the gameday. I grew up around BC, and I’ve done the Mary Ann’s thing and all that. The most interesting things about BC are the things off-campus that Boston provides. The school itself, not so much. UMD, totally the opposite. I’ve gone over a month without ever needing to go more than 2 blocks off campus and my life was pretty interesting.
Spidey, you may buy us a drink after a game
but the majority of Maryland fans are complete pricks.
I’ve grown up with them all-around me. And while the Boozer mom thing is just 1 incident, how about the “F%&* you J.J. chants?” There are countless other times where Maryland fans have crossed the line from being good active fans that give their teams a home-court advantage and fans that are classless and actually are representing their school negatively. The majority of Maryland fans fall in the latter.
i think you missed my point
I like the "F%&* you J.J." stuff. Obviously physical violence is taking things too far, but if you walk into our house (or we walk into yours, isolationist we aint) we will make your life miserable. You look at that as a negative and I look at it as a positive. Difference of opinion. I think it adds to the game experience at the collegiate level. You don’t like it, go watch the Pats or the C’s. College kids are d1cks. Deal. And like I said before, I don’t support it extending past the actual game itself. Everyone shake hands afterwards.
The Friedgen firing
Is not nearly as simple an issue as people think. You look at how he took a team from 2-10 to 9-4 and say “why would you fire this guy?.” Here’s the reason.
Fridge only had 1 year left on his contract, at which point he was planning to step down and turn the reigns over to head coach in waiting (and current OC) James Franklin. However, in the month between the end of the regular season and the bowl game, Franklin bolted for LSU. At that point it became clear that many of the top recruits were going to leave, and it would be near impossible for Maryland to recruit at all the following year knowing that the current staff would only be there 1 more year. Additionally, Fridge was now saying he wanted a contract extension (something that wasn’t going to happen as he and Anderson (the AD) were very far apart on what the terms of any extension would be).
Additionally, some other coaches decided to leave with Franklin, and now MD was in a situation where they had to rebuild their whole coaching staff for next year, just to blow it up and rebuild it again once Fridge left the following year. They would basically be forfeiting 2 full years of recruiting and any sort of coaching stability for the current team (Franklin was the top recruiter on the staff anyway). The only alternative was to move up the timetable by a year, and start from scratch this year.
my bad, i meant Vandy
got my SEC schools mixed up, doesn’t really make a difference. i think the LSU OC was in the mix to replace Fridge which is where the mixup happened. im a bball fan, only follow football very casually
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