Knocked cold

As a wintry mix of rain and snow poured down Saturday, Byrd Stadium's field deteriorated into a muddy mess.

Just about the only thing that could match its sloppiness was the team that calls it home.

A bad season for the Terrapins football team only got worse after a dismal Boston College team came into College Park and controlled the game from the opening kickoff, leaving the Terps with their fourth straight loss, 28-17, and on the brink of exclusion from the postseason.

"The frustration I have is figuring out what word I can use to help some of these things turn around," coach Randy Edsall said. "That's what I'm searching for."

The Eagles had looked to be the kind of team that could get the scuffling Terps back on track. With their best player, running back Montel Harris, on the shelf for the season and a winless record against FBS opponents, Boston College was supposed to offer the Terps an easy opportunity to get back in the win column.

Instead, the Eagles took advantage of yet another sluggish Terps start. Behind a dominant offensive line and a 247-yard explosion by Harris' replacement, running back Rolandan Finch, Boston College controlled the ball, the clock and the game to hand the Terps another embarrassing loss.

"I didn't expect the O-line to be that good, personally," said linebacker Darin Drakeford, who finished with 11 tackles. "After the game, now I want to give them a lot of credit. They were very good. We knew they run the ball good, and now I know why: They do have a great O-line.

"It was very tough. They just kept pounding it, pounding it, pounding it."

Boston College kept the Terps' defense on the field for 36:06, and its dominance on the ground allowed it to jump out to a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter.

When the Terps' defense finally found some answers after the Eagles' hot start, their offense continued to appear lost.

Starting quarterback C.J. Brown was yanked early in the second quarter after throwing for just 14 yards and an interception. His replacement, Danny O'Brien, couldn't do much more. Though he finished the game with 165 yards and a touchdown through the air and ran for 50 and another touchdown, he was unable to stir up any momentum until late in the fourth quarter, when the Terps tacked on 14 points in the game's final 6:39.

By that time, the game was all but over, the Terps (2-6, 1-4 ACC) having again fallen victim to an abysmal start and an anemic offense.

"Once they got up in a game with these elements, it was hard to dig back because you're kind of limited throwing the ball," O'Brien said. "I don't know what it is."

Saturday's weather left the stands barren, with the lowest announced attendance (29,945) since 2000. And that total was generous.

The conditions also left the style — and quality — of game expectedly conservative and sloppy.

Each team's offense took to the ground to control the ball and grind down the field, and the game featured three fumbles, three interceptions and four missed field goals.

And while the Terps managed 197 yards on the ground, led by running back Davin Meggett's 99, they were unable to capitalize on the Eagles' four turnovers.

"I'm not sure if it's the intensity," Drakeford said. "Big plays just happen. We never really stop a team on the first drive, so the other teams have a lot more momentum than us so they feel that they can make more plays. It wears us down early."

The Terps are now left searching for answers as a season that once appeared so promising continues its nosedive.

Hopes for an Orange Bowl appearance have now devolved into a desperate quest to win their final four games simply to qualify for a low-level bowl game.

"Ultimately, I'm the guy who's responsible," Edsall said. "My coaches and I are going to do everything possible to put our guys in the best position to win. Ultimately, I'm the guy in charge. I put more pressure on myself than anybody. We're going to keep working and getting better so we can go out and put up wins.

"I want to reward them for the hard work they are putting in. Right now they are working but they don't have a whole lot to show for it. The bottom line is wins and losses."

cwalsh@umdbk.com