2Slick

Boston College vs. Maryland

GAME: Maryland at Boston College
TIME: 12:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Alumni Stadium



Boston College may be ranked higher than Maryland in the Top 25, but it's the Terrapins who hold the crucial edge in the ACC Atlantic Division.

Both teams try to improve their chances of appearing in the ACC championship game Saturday when they meet at Alumni Stadium.

The 20th-ranked Eagles are 4-2 in the division, trailing No. 14 Wake Forest and No. 21 Maryland (8-2), who are both 5-1. Boston College (8-2) needs to win its final two games against the Terrapins and Miami (Nov. 23) and have the Demon Deacons lose their last two against No. 19 Virginia Tech and Maryland in order to play No. 18 Georgia Tech - the Coastal Division winner - in the title game.

"I don't know if we can pay too much attention to what everyone else has to do," Eagles coach Tom O'Brien said. "We have to take care of what we can do - and that is to play our best against Maryland."

If Maryland and Wake Forest both win this week, they'll decide the division winner against each other Nov. 25. The Eagles have proven tough to beat at home, though, riding a 10-game winning streak which dates back to last season.

Boston College, playing its home finale, is outscoring opponents 308-123 during that run, including a 28-7 victory over winless Duke last week. The Eagles amassed a season-high 501 total yards, sparked by running backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender, who each surpassed 100 yards and had a touchdown.

That effort was a big boost after Boston College was held to just 28 rushing yards in a 21-14 defeat to the Demon Deacons a week earlier. Quarterback Matt Ryan continues to lead the ACC with 253.6 passing yards per game, nearly 70 more than his closest competitor.

Boston College's defense has been outstanding at home of late, holding its last four opponents to 10 points combined. The Terrapins won't likely be intimidated, however, as they enter Alumni Stadium with a five-game winning streak - the longest currently in the ACC.

"We're just hanging in there," said running back Lance Ball, who leads Maryland with 630 rushing yards and seven TDs on 143 carries. "Good teams get good breaks, and that's what we're getting right now."

Maryland jumped out to an early 14-point lead over Miami last week and held on for a 14-13 win, never doubting the outcome.

"Here's a team, that when we started the year, had a confidence problem," Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said. "So I'm out there at the end of the game telling them, 'Here's one of those moments.' And they go, 'Coach, don't worry about it. We got this covered.'

"Now they're getting cocky," Friedgen said with a grin. "But they got it done. That's kind of a nice thing to see. You have success, and then you become confident."

O'Brien knows Maryland's confidence in those tight situations is warranted, with the five wins in its streak coming by a combined 13 points.

"If you get into a close game, they are going to feel very comfortable and have a chance to win," he said. "They have found ways to win and that is what happens when you are a veteran football team as they are."

It was a freshman that shined last week, though, as Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught five passes for a career-high 175 yards and two TDs. One of those scores was a school record 96-yard TD reception, which is tied for the longest pass nationally this season.

Heyward-Bey, the Terrapins' leading receiver with 539 yards on 34 receptions, earned ACC offensive player of the week honors. He'll try for a repeat showing when Maryland plays its road finale, where it is 2-2 this season.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 2-1 over the Terrapins, including a 31-16 win Nov. 19, 2005.

It is uncertain whether Maryland will have offensive guard Donnie Woods on Saturday after he suffered a neck injury in last week's win. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but all tests were negative, and he was released Sunday morning.