Both teams are coming off emotional wins. Both are now bowl eligible and yet both still have a lot to prove. I don't mind BC playing with a chip on our shoulder. Hopefully it helps. This could also be the next step in the Williams Heisman campaign. But for that to happen, BC needs to win.
What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
This is our last ACC game against Maryland and I don't care. If the conference weren't stable or if I feared for BC's future, I might be envious. But now I am not losing sleep over the Terps playing in the Big Ten. I would have preferred them to their replacement Louisville, but it is not the same as losing Florida State, Clemson, or even Duke or North Carolina. I might feel differently in ten years if the NCAA blows up, but for now, I don't envy their program.
Three Simple Keys
1. Force Brown into mistakes. Although he's not as big as Logan Thomas, C.J. Brown reminds me of the VT QB. Both can makes plays (one with his arm, one with legs) that change a game. And both can be careless. If Brown fumbles or throws INTs, we got this.
2. No fumbles from Williams. The only hint that Williams might be getting tired were the three fumbles last week. We got luck on all three. This week, he has to be careful.
3. Win at the line of scrimmage. This is another obvious comment, but that is where the game will turn. Maryland has some talent in their front seven. If our guys cannot create holes, Williams will be contained.
Gambling Notes
-- BC leads the ACC series 2-6
-- Addazio is 1-3 on the road while coaching BC
-- BC is 4-1 in College Park
The game is currently even money.
Factoid
As I've written before, the coaching world is very small. This week's example: current BC staffers Don Brown and Kevin Lempa both coached at Maryland. While Terps Head Coach Randy Edsall was on Coughlin's BC staff and Maryland LB coach Keith Dudzinski was on Don Brown's staff at UMass.
Scoreboard Watching
Suddenly what happens with Florida State and Idaho impacts BC on multiple fronts. For the ACC to get to teams in the BCS, Florida State has to maintain its No. 2 ranking. How Winston reacts to his off the field issues also impacts the Heisman race. Williams remains a long shot, but if public and media opinion turn on Winston, Williams could benefit.
I hope to see...
A few more Tight End passes. Despite Parsons dropping a few last week, I don't think we've targeted our Tight Ends enough. They are getting open on the play actions and I think there are plays to be had when we use jumbo packages.
BC is in trouble if...
They somehow stop Williams.Maryland is not strong against the run, so I don't think it will be an issue. But that is the way to beat us now. All are eggs are in that basket. Even with 11 in the box, I don't think we would open up the passing game.
Bottom Line
After last week I feel like BC is on a roll. I also feel like the coaches and players know their strengths. I could see us getting down early in this game yet sticking with the run. Not out of stubbornness, but out of belief that eventually Maryland will wear down and Williams will break a big play. This will be a close game for three quarters and BC will take the lead in the end.
Final Score: BC 28, Maryland 20
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8 comments:
With all of the bragging we have done about our Offensive Line and Andre Williams - it's now put up or shut up time.
Let's go guys - win it for each other.
I say that respectfully.
But there has been too much talk of bowl games and trips to NYC and breaking records, etc.
I hope we haven't lost focus. This will be a tough game.
Let's go BC - beat Maryland
Agreed, BJK. Right now we could easily finish the season 9-4 or 6-7. Beat Maryland.
Should be an interesting match up.
If you look at total offense and total defense the teams are very close.
Total Offense; BC - 336 yards; MD 343 yards
Total Defense: BC -- 404 yards; MD 437;
BC is, obviously, a run team and MD is a passing team. They have a bad run defense and BC has a bad pass defense.
So for each team, it is good offensive vs bad defense.
Hopefully, Brown's extra knowledge of the MD offense will allow him to time perfectly some disruptive defensive schemes.
BC: 35 MD: 21
Pretty observant comment (as always) by BJK.
I'm not entirely sure where this whole Maryland has a bad run defense meme came from. They are ranked 30th in the country, give up 140 yds/game, and a 3.59 yard average. They also shut down VT last week. Granted, they have given up 16 rushing TDs (meaning BC should look to Williams a lot in the red zone), but its run defense is far from being as terrible as everyone is claiming it to be.
http://www.cfbstats.com/2013/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category01/sort01.html
BBill - MD is #11/14 in ACC in Run defense. That's enough to be called "bad"
But, your right, they are not terrible, and BC needs to be concerned.
But we know (ha!) that the Offensive Coordinator named Ryan Day will mix things up and keep them off balance. . . . like Williams right, Williams Left, Williams up the middle, Williams Right, Williams Right, Williams left, etc..
The Offensive Coordinator named Ryan Day will fool the Sh*T out of those dummy Terps... yeah...
Maryland is ranked 4/14 now so that's pretty decent. On another note BC actually looked good against UConn. Bad news is that they will probably leave NYC with a 1-5 record.
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