Quick Lane Bowl Getting Little Respect
By Anthony Iati
Let’s make one thing clear right off the bat: playing in Detroit the afternoon after Christmas is no one’s idea of a glamorous bowl game. Frankly, it’s even a far cry from a more exciting Boston College team battling Penn State at Yankee Stadium in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.
The national media is quick to remind us that the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl between BC (6-6, 2-6 ACC) and Maryland (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) looks like a dud on paper:
ESPN ranked it 37th out of 40 in terms of bowl game “watchability”:
BC’s game comes in just ahead of a Celebration Bowl that last week became famous for being decided by, fittingly, an excessive celebration penalty. Though not flashy, these bowl games are quirky, and that’s part of their charm.
Separately, ESPN’s Big Ten blog rated the Quick Lane Bowl as the worst of the ten involving a team from the conference:
This one is completely fair– Maryland lost 6 of its final 8 games and neither team has a signature win to hang its hat on. But how about this from The Ringer?
The article attempts to give a silver lining to every other bowl game (albeit with some sarcasm sprinkled throughout). There’s reason to watch the “R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl” between 6-6 Louisiana-Lafayette and 6-6 Southern Mississippi, but nothing to see in BC-Maryland? Seems a bit far. So while you may not see any offensive fireworks, nor a full house in the Ford Field seats, there are plenty of reasons to watch this game:
Two Phases Are Solid and the Offense Could Surprise
Anyone reading this is well aware of the struggles of the Eagles offense in 2016. But at least credit coordinator Scot Loeffler for incorporating a few wrinkles and QB Patrick Towles for getting the ball to his better playmakers (Tommy Sweeney, Jeff Smith, Davon Jones) a bit more often down the stretch. It’s indisputable that the offense has been the weak link of this team, but don’t rule out a little nothing-to-lose bowl game trickery a la the Smith end around or the halfback pass.
Defensively, there were some moments of doubt early in the season. Allowing Georgia Tech to convert a 4th-and-19 to mount a comeback in Ireland and yielding 49 points to Virginia Tech were unsettling. In the end, though, it’s safe to say Jim Reid’s unit figured it out. The Eagles finished 8th in the country in total defense, 10th in sacks, 15th in tackles for loss, 12th in opposing 3rd down percentage, and forced nearly two turnovers per game. Despite losing four key contributors from the 2015 D, these Eagles hardly missed a beat against offenses similar to Maryland’s (92nd in scoring offense). Without having to worry about a Lamar Jackson or a DeShaun Watson across the ball, expect to see BC’s defense put forth an impressive outing on Monday.
Which brings us to special teams, every head coach’s favorite phase to remind us of and every fan’s easiest phase to overlook. Put aside the jokes about the Eagles kicking game, as Mike Knoll went 11-for-12 in field goals, including two from 40+ yards away. Coach Steve Addazio rightly figured out that Colton Lichtenberg’s 0-for-2 showing in the Dublin opener was unacceptable and turned to the lefty. From then on, he wisely kept Knoll in situations where he could succeed. And while punting 86 times in 12 games is not ideal, Knoll was steady performing that role, too.
It gets better from there. A year after watching shakiness from guys like Sherm Alston, the punt return unit became a weapon for the Eagles in 2016. Senior captain Tyler Rouse averaged an impressive 14.0 yards per punt return, including a long of 53. Rouse only ran back two kickoffs, but they went for 44 and 30 yards, respectively. Fellow senior captain Myles Willis handled the bulk of the kick return duties and averaged 24.0 yards per runback, to go along with this 89 yard touchdown vs. Syracuse. Make no mistake: even on BC’s worst day, two-thirds of this team is sound.
Harold Landry
Dan Rubin of BCEagles.com did a nice feature on Landry in which he compares the junior defensive end to Godzilla. In what is possibly his final collegiate game before going pro, look for Landry to make some noise against Maryland. As has already been detailed, the Terps offense has a really hard time keeping QB Perry Hills upright. Landry tied for the nation lead with 15.0 sacks, forced a nation-high 7 fumbles, and is just plain fun to watch. Even in BC’s deflating performance at Florida State on November 11, the second-team All-American was all over the place, bothering Deondre Francois and Dalvin Cook. In a bowl that lacks game-breakers on offense, count on Landry bringing some flavor to the game.
Maryland Has a Big Play Threat
If points are going to be at a premium in the Quick Lane Bowl, as many expect, it might take some spectacular plays to get on the scoreboard. The Terps have a wide receiver capable of providing just that in sophomore D.J. Moore. Check out Moore’s awesome go-ahead touchdown vs. Indiana and his shifty 92-yard catch-and-run score against Nebraska. Moore averaged almost 16 yards per catch in 2016 and added six TDs. The Philadelphia native is going to be a big challenge for the Eagles secondary and is certainly someone to watch on Monday.
The Players Care More Than You May Think
Much has been made of decisions by Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and LSU’s Leonard Fournette to skip their teams’ bowl games and focus on NFL Draft training instead. The student-athletes’ need to place their future earning potentials ahead of bowls is understandable, but it should not lessen a bowl like the Quick Lane in the eyes of fans. (It also serves a taste of its own medicine to an NCAA that monetizes these players any way possible, but that’s a column for a different day).
A select few of these Eagles and Terrapins are going to make a living playing pro football the way McCaffrey and Fournette will. For the rest, bowl games are a precious chance at playing in the postseason and having some of the national spotlight. Anytime they can get on ESPN is a big deal to most of the players.
A few weeks ago, Steve McAlee and I interviewed Patrick Towles for the WZBC Sports Podcast. After talking about what the bowl appearance means to the BC program, I asked Towles specifically what it means to him to reach the first bowl game of his college career. His face lit up and you could hear the excitement in his voice as he talked about what an honor it is to have reached this goal. Would a sexier city or opponent add to the game’s intrigue? Sure. But Towles is genuinely happy to be bowling anywhere after narrowly missing out during his time at Kentucky.
Towles is not alone in that sentiment. If you haven’t already seen it, check out the reaction in the Eagles locker room after beating Wake Forest and clinching bowl eligibility. I’m sure Maryland was similarly elated. Each of these teams heard plenty of skepticism throughout the season. The Quick Lane Bowl is an opportunity for the players to take the field with their friends and teammates one more time as well as to try to prove they belong in the postseason despite .500 records.
These programs are climbing back from very disappointing 2015 campaigns. The Terps and Eagles each went 3-9 and experienced some turmoil– Maryland replaced head coach Randy Edsall with DJ Durkin, while Boston College took its lumps after an 0-26 ACC showing across football and men’s basketball. Despite what many consider to be low standards for eligibility, bowl appearances are not guaranteed. The players and coaches are not going to take this for granted nor go through the motions on Monday.
The Quick Lane Bowl probably won’t steal the headlines this bowl season. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be excitement and passion for the game on display. If you ask me, that’s reason enough to watch.