Testing out some new sets of hands

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Terrapin wide receiver Torrey Smith deftly hauled in a long pass in the first quarter of Saturday's loss at Boston College moments before being pushed out of bounds.

As he walked to the sidelines after the play, which resulted in a 43-yard gain to the Eagle 1-yard line and set up a Terp touchdown, one of the first players to meet the redshirt freshman was wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The Terps' leading receiver offered his protégé some encouragement.

There was not much else Heyward-Bey, missing his first game of the season with a strained calf, could do.

Normally the focal point of the Terp passing attack, Heyward-Bey stood on the sidelines in sweatpants as the Terps adjusted in a game in which quarterback Chris Turner was forced to throw a career-high 57 times. Heyward-Bey, a fourth-year junior who could opt to enter the NFL Draft after this season, had to watch as younger wideouts were forced into increased roles and Turner tried to get comfortable with them.

"He was trying to pump us up the whole time," said wide receiver Danny Oquendo, who stepped up with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. "It probably hurt him not to play this game. It's a lot of the seniors' last game, so I'm sure he wanted to play with us."

And it hurt the Terps to be without their big-play receiver who has his own set of plays designed to get the ball in his hands and who consistently draws double coverage from opposing secondaries.

Heyward-Bey originally hurt his calf in a 37-3 loss to Florida State on Nov. 22. He was listed as questionable coming into the game, and coach Ralph Friedgen said Heyward-Bey was "close" to being ready to go against the Eagles. Friedgen added he hopes to have Heyward-Bey back at practice next week, and he should be available if the Terps make a bowl game.

Heyward-Bey was not available for comment.

Turner said the Terps practiced this week not knowing if Heyward-Bey would be available. Sophomore Emani Lee-Odai, who started and caught a career-high seven passes for 68 yards, and redshirt freshman Quintin McCree, whose failure to run a hot route led to the Eagles' fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown, logged reps in Heyward-Bey's place.

But the junior signal caller downplayed the effect of Heyward-Bey's absence on the passing game.

"The only thing it affected was we didn't have as much of a deep passing attack," said Turner, who bounced back after completing fewer than half of his first-half passes to establish new career-highs for completions (33) and yards (360). "We still got the ball down the field."

Turner hung tough despite constant pressure, an ineffective rushing attack and several dropped passes, to keep the Terps close.

He was bailed out by Oquendo and Smith, who could end up being the Terps' top returning receiver should Heyward-Bey leave. Both receivers responded to receiving more attention than usual with their best games of the season against the nation's leader in total team interceptions.

"Without Darrius, basically, there's no one for the defense to key on," Oquendo said. "So the secondary can spread out a little bit more. But we spread the ball around pretty good, too."

Seven Terps caught passes with Heyward-Bey reduced to cheerleader on the sidelines. And for one game, the Terps, who have been lauded for their corps of talented and speedy receivers, got a chance to see what the future could hold if their star bolts for the NFL after the season.

"We're fortunate to be pretty deep at receiver," Turner said. "With a lot of young guys, today we got a lot of good experience for them. Hopefully, they can take something away from it."

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