Boston College beats Maryland 29-26 on final play

Nov 23, 2013, 07:18 pm

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Andre Williams rushed for 263 yards to become the 16th player in NCAA history to top 2,000 in a single season, and Nate Freese kicked a second-chance, 52-yard field goal as time expired to give Boston College a 29-26 comeback victory over Maryland on Saturday.

Williams scored two touchdowns and now has 2,073 yards on the ground this year. His 36-yard run in the closing seconds set up Freese's game winner.

Freese was wide left on his first try, but Maryland coach Randy Edsall called a timeout just before the kick. Given a second opportunity, Freese put the ball through the uprights with the wind at his back.

That gave Boston College (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) its fourth straight win.

It was the final ACC home game for the Terrapins, who will move to the Big Ten next season. Maryland (6-5, 2-5) wraps up its ACC schedule next week at North Carolina State.

The Eagles trailed 24-13 before Williams ran 72 yards for a touchdown, a jaunt that moved him over the 2,000-mark. Maryland appeared poised for the clinching score when running back Jacquille Veii lost a fumble at the Boston College 7. Chase Rettig then threw to a wide open Alex Amidon for a 74-yard score to make it 26-24.

But the conversion was blocked, and Maryland's Anthony Nixon took it the distance the other way to tie it with 5:02 left.

Maryland opened the second half with a 70-yard drive capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass from C. J. Brown to Amba Etta-Tawo for a 17-10 lead. The score came two plays after the Terrapins successfully gambled on a fourth-and-1 at the BC 34.

The Eagles closed to 17-13 late in the third quarter when Freese kicked a 19-yard field goal to end a march that lasted nearly seven minutes. The kick came after Boston College failed to get into the end zone on three runs -- two by Williams, one by Rettig -- from inside the Maryland 3.

The Terrapins went up by 11 on a 3-yard run by Brown with 10:52 to go. The score came after Bryce Jones mishandled a punt at the BC 33.

Rettig was 1 for 7 for 1 yard and an interception before halftime, but Williams rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown to help Boston College forge a tie.

After Williams had runs of 31 and 30 yards on the opening drive to set up a field goal, Maryland pulled even on its second possession.

Late in the first quarter, Rettig was in shotgun formation when a low snap skipped past him. The quarterback chased down the ball and fumbled upon being tackled by Maryland linebacker Marcus Whitfield, who recovered at the BC 1. That set up a touchdown run by Albert Reid for a 10-3 lead.

The Eagles tied it when Williams scored on a 6-yard run after Manuel Aspirilla blocked a punt inside the Maryland 10.

On the ensuing possession, Maryland had a touchdown wiped out by offensive pass interference. Seconds later, Brown was ruled over the line of scrimmage on a completion to the Boston College 1.