DETROIT — What a thrilling finish! Boston College beat Maryland, 36-30 in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field on Monday afternoon. The game was broadcast LIVE on ESPN.
“It’s huge, it’s my first bowl game and win,” said Boston College Quarterback Patrick Towles. “This is something that you can really, really build upon. All year long we’ve played complimentary football. You always have faith in your defense. You’ve got to prepare that they’re going to score. You remember the teammates and the friendships you built. Hopefully, I can be back here soon. We really felt like superstars here. Everything was A-1.”
In the first quarter, Jon Hilliman scored a running touchdown for Boston College at 6:47. Then, kicker Mike Knoll was blocked and missed the extra point. The score was 6-0 Boston College up until the end of the quarter.
“This was an exciting game,” said Boston College Head Coach Steve Addazio. “Maryland had a lot of fight. I thought we had a nice mix of stuff going on. In the 2nd half, we had a couple of issues. We missed a field goal. We missed two good scoring opportunities. We found a way to battle back and win. I really believe that we finally set that platform forward. We’re honored to get that trophy. It really set the stage for a good finale at the end. We worked hard in our bowl prep. We went to a no huddle system.”
At 13:40 in the second quarter, Patrick Towles passed the ball to Tommy Sweeney for 2-yard touchdown for Boston College. Then, Mike Knoll attempted the point again and was successful. Boston College now leads, 13-0.
Later in the second, Mike Knoll scored a field goal for the Eagles at 10:32. The game is now 16-0 Boston College. At 9:20, Ty Johnson carried the ball for 62-yards scored a rushing touchdown for Maryland. Adam Greene scored the extra point for the Terrapins. The game is now 16-7.
At 7:29, Jeff Smith passed to Patrick Towles for another Boston College touchdown. Knoll kicked the field goal for the extra point giving the Eagles a 22-7 lead. About a minute later, Ty Johnson carried the ball for 30 yards and scored a rushing touchdown for Maryland. However, their field goal attempt was no good. That gave Boston College a 23-13 lead.
With only 35 seconds left in the second quarter, Patrick Towles completed a pass to Michael Walker who ran for 49 yards scoring a touchdown for Boston College. Then, Mike Knoll missed the field goal. Boston College continued to lead 29-13 up until the end of the first half.
“My family has been so supportive this year,” said Boston College Defensive End Kevin Kavalec. “It was incredible to have all of the support I had. They come to a lot of games and I think I had close to 100 people wearing those #93 shirts. It was so much fun playing with Ty. He goes all out every single game. It was awesome.”
In the third quarter, Kevin Kavalec scored a touchdown for Boston College at 13:24. Mike Knoll kicked the ball for the extra point. Boston College now leading 36-13. Later at 12:48, Perry Hills completed a 63-yard pass to Teldrick Morgan for a Maryland touchdown. Adam Greene scored the extra point for the Terrapins. The game is now 36-20 Boston College.
At 10:05, Perry Hills threw a 52-yard pass to Levern Jenkins for another Maryland touchdown. Then, Greene kicked the ball for the extra point. Boston College lead 36-27 up until the end of the third.
“We wanted to change he culture, said Boston College Defensive Tackle Truman Gutapfel. “We wanted to win one. It’s what we be been preparing for all winter. Coach Addazio had a great schedule for us and it worked well for our team. I’m going to remember that goal-line stand forever. It was unbelievable. We just looked each other in the eye and we knew we had it.”
In the fourth quarter, Maryland’s Adam Greene kicked a 23-yard field goal to complete a three point conversion at 2:55. That put the Terrapins within one touchdown of Boston College. However, they were unable to score again. The final score: Boston College 36, Maryland 30.
“We made far too many mistakes,” said Maryland Head Coach DJ Durkin. “We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. You saw a bunch of guys that really care about each other and fought on. We’ve got to continue to get better. We were in it right until the end. To our seniors it’s a hard way to go out. It’s been a hard program for 12 months. We’ve got to continue to get better and grow.”
Both teams received a tour of the Motor City during their visit over the weekend. Maryland and Boston College kicked off their stay with a fowling competition in Hamtramck. Later, they toured the Michigan Science Center and the Detroit Institute of Arts. On Saturday, the teams volunteered at Gleaners Food Bank.
This was Boston College’s 25th bowl appearance in school history and the 15th over the last 18 years. It was their second time playing a bowl game at Ford Field in Detroit. Their most recent was the 2002 Motor City Bowl when they beat the University of Toledo 51-25.
Meanwhile, today was Maryland’s 27th bowl appearance in school history. The Terrapins have won five of their last eight bowl games. Their last time playing in Detroit was the 1985 Cherry Bowl when they beat Syracuse 35-18.
