Boston College kicker Nate Freese is hoisted into the air after kicking the game-winning field goal in the Eagles’ 29-26 win over the Terps on Nov. 23, 2013.
After quarterback C.J. Brown scampered through the left side of Boston College’s defensive line for a three-yard touchdown run, the Terrapins football team appeared to be in control.
The Terps led the Eagles, 24-13. The defense was bending but not breaking against the nation’s top rusher. And Boston College hadn’t really shown anything on offense to suggest an epic comeback and bizarre finish was in the works.
But about 40 minutes later, Eagles players flooded the field in celebration after Nate Freese’s 52-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired. The Eagles completed the comeback in a thrilling 29-26 victory over the Terps on Senior Day in the final ACC game at Byrd Stadium before an announced 32,147.
“That was a tough one for us today,” coach Randy Edsall said. “Kids really played extremely hard and just unfortunate there at the end we didn’t come out on top.”
Freese’s field goal capped a bizarre fourth quarter when the teams combined for 25 points. After Brown’s touchdown put the Terps up 24-13, Boston College outscored the Terps 16-2 in the final 10:33.
On the first play after the kickoff, Eagles running back Andre Williams broke off a 72-yard touchdown run to bring Boston College to within 24-20. Five minutes later, cornerback Will Likely and safety Anthony Nixon collided over the middle, and Eagles quartetback Chase Rettig found wide receiver Alex Amidon wide open for a 74-yard touchdown.
Boston College was poised to go up by three points. But outside linebacker Marcus Whitfield tipped Freese’s extra-point attempt, and Nixon caught it in the end zone and returned it 98 yards for two points. Instead of Boston College leading 27-24, it was a 26-26 game, and the Terps were going to get the ball back.
But the ensuing Terps drive stalled at the 38-yard line, and they were forced to punt with 1:32 remaining. Boston College took over and appeared content to play for overtime. But Edsall took a timeout with 44 seconds left before third-and-3. On the next play, Williams cut back left for 36 yards.
After a two-yard rush, it was up to Freese. Edsall attempted to ice the kicker, who entered the game 14-of-14 on the year, and Freese missed the attempt that didn’t count. His next kick, though, was good.
“That’s one of those things where you make a decision and you take a timeout and he missed the first one, then he made the second one,” Edsall said. “It’s one of those things that just happens. Hindsight’s 20-20.”
Entering Saturday afternoon’s matchup, the Terps were focused on stopping Williams. The senior rushed for 339 yards last week against N.C. State and already owned the ACC single-season rushing record with 1,810 yards in the season’s first 10 games.
Williams finished the game with 263 yards on 32 carries — an average of 8.2 yards per carry — and two touchdowns.
“He’s a hard runner,” Whitfield said. “Granted, BC’s a great team. They’ve been rushing the ball on everybody this year. We just tried to stop the rush as much as we could, get them in tackles for loss and mess up their scheme.”
The Eagles went to Williams early and often. On their opening drive, Rettig handed off to him five times and he gained 64 yards. On consecutive carries, Williams gained 31 and 30 yards. On the latter, he stiff-armed Likely, throwing the 5-foot-7 freshman to the ground.
But the Terps defense stiffened inside the 5-yard line and held Boston College to a 22-yard field goal.
After trading punts, the Terps mounted a seven-play, 27-yard drive to tie the game on a 43-yard field goal by kicker Brad Craddock.
Then, turnovers took over the rest of the first half. On third-and-10 from the Boston College 26, Rettig botched a snap, and the ball rolled back toward the end zone. Whitfield pounced on it, and on the next play, running back Albert Reid plunged through the line for the score and a 10-3 Terps lead.
In the second quarter, the turnover bug bit the Terps. Punter Nate Renfro’s punt deep in his own territory was blocked, and the Eagles took over at the 6-yard line. One play later, Williams took a handoff around left end and rolled into the end zone untouched to tie the game, 10-10.
Penalties also marred the Terps’ first half. On one drive, the Terps advanced deep into Boston College territory, but the Terps had three positive gains wiped out by penalties, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nigel King and a 33-yard pass to wide receiver Levern Jacobs. The Terps would be forced to punt.
In the second half, the Terps built a 24-13 lead. On the opening possession, Brown lofted a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo to take a 17-10 lead.
Late in the third quarter, the Eagles pulled within 17-13 after a 19-yard field goal by Freese. The Terps defense bent on the 14-play, 73-yard drive, but it held on yet another goal line stand.
“We had the confidence we could get it done,” center Sal Conaboy said. “We just didn’t. We had all the confidence in the world that we were going to drive down the field and score and close the game out, and it just went the other way.”
The Terps are now 6-5 with one game remaining in the season next week at N.C. State. Last week, they were riding high after an upset win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Now, they’re trying to rebound yet again from another tough loss.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a setback,” Brown said. “But it’s a gut-wrenching loss.”
