CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Terrapin football team’s defense stepped onto the field for the first time Saturday with more than eight minutes gone in the first quarter and faced a two-touchdown deficit.
One of the most efficient ways for the Terps to get back into the game was to have the defense make a big play or come up with a turnover. However, it was unable to apply much pressure to Boston College’s offense and could not force any turnovers during Saturday’s 38-16 loss.
“On defense, we had a couple of opportunities to make plays, and we didn’t really make them,” cornerback Josh Wilson said. “It was a hard game.”
The defense did not record a sack for only the second time this season. With good protection from his offensive line, Eagles’ quarterback Matt Ryan was able to take his time in the pocket to make plays. He was 19-of-29 for 249 yards and two touchdown passes.
“They had seven-man protection most of the game, and we didn’t get too much of an opportunity to get pressure on [Ryan],” said linebacker Erin Henderson, who had a team-best nine tackles. “[Ryan] was able to just sit back there and kind of sit and wait and pick apart our defense.”
The lack of pressure allowed Ryan to find a consistent rhythm and helped the Eagles effectively move the ball downfield. Boston College also displayed a good rushing game to complement Ryan, with L.V. Whitworth leading the way with 100 yards on 21 carries.
Henderson said Boston College found a system that worked for them and continued to run it, while the defense could not make the proper in-game adjustments to stop it.
The Terps’ defense forced a missed field goal and punt in its first two opportunities, but allowed a 70-yard touchdown drive in the middle of the second quarter, and Boston College tacked on another score with a quick drive before the end of the half. That drive consisted of seven plays – all passes, five of which were completed. The score put the Eagles ahead by 22 at halftime.
Coach Ralph Friedgen credited Ryan with being a solid quarterback who has good field vision. Friedgen said his team tried to apply pressure to Ryan by blitzing him from different sides of the field, using his cornerbacks, safeties and linebackers.
“We blitzed him. They picked most of it up,” Friedgen said. “They’ve got a good offensive line; very few times did we get a lot of pressure on him.”
Safety Christian Varner echoed that sentiment, saying Boston College countered the blitzes well, which gave Ryan plenty of time to make his throws. Varner added there were some mental breakdowns in coverage, which is something the team will need to address during practice this week.
The Terp defense was unable to get enough stops to allow the offense a chance to close the margin.
“[Boston College’s offense] came in there and took it to us,” defense end Jeremy Navarre said. “You can’t have that happen; you gotta come in and try and stop their momentum. For the most part, we didn’t really stop them today.”
Contact reporter Michael Gluskin at gluskindbk@gmail.com.
