Boston College

Maryland's 20-17 loss to Boston College surprised me - and not only because it came to a team that had lost five games in a row and had given up an average of 43.5 points in its four Atlantic Coast Conference games and ranks last in the conference in total defense. What surprised me was the way the Terps lost. I noted in my updated game story that - for the second week in a row - the Terps lost because their defense sagged at the end. This is the same defense that ranks 11 th in the nation in the FBS. But the defense surrendered six straight game-ending completions by quarterback Chase Rettig.

COLLEGE PARK -- After losing its third quarterback since the beginning of training camp, Maryland enters Saturday's game against Boston College trying not to allow its season to be defined by injuries to prominent players. Rather, the Terps (4-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) hope the remaining five games will offer a lesson in perseverance as they try to complete a turnaround from last season's 2-10 disappointment. But it won't be easy. The latest injury report included 28 players - more than a quarter of the team - and nine of them are certain not to play.

Here is the full Maryland injury report, which shows that offensive lineman Bennett Fulper (toe) will miss his second straight game. Wide receiver Kerry Boykins (hip-groin) also continues to be out and tight end Dave Stinebaugh (back) will miss Saturday's game as well. University of Maryland Football Injury Report at Boston College         Position Name Injury Status QB C.J. Brown Knee Out for the season QB Devin Burns Foot Out for the season QB Perry Hills Knee Out for the season PK/P Nick Ferrara Hip Out for the season WR Marcus Leak Toe Out for the season DL Andre Monroe Knee Out for the season WR Kerry Boykins Hip/Groin Out OL Bennett Fulper Foot ...

COLLEGE PARK - Medical tests have confirmed that Maryland lost not only starting quarterback Perry Hills for the season in last Saturday's game but also his replacement, Devin Burns - leaving the Terps with a freshman who has played one series at the position and a 230-pound linebacker as his backup. The school also said Thursday that Marcus Leak, an emerging sophomore receiver whose 23 receptions and 17.1 yard average were second on the team, will miss the remainder of the season with a broken toe. “You take a look at it, it's kind of crazy,” coach Randy Edsall said of losing the freshman Hills to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and Burns, a redshirt sophomore, to a serious left foot injury in the 20-18 loss to North Carolina State.

Who will start at quarterback for the Terps on Saturday against Boston College? We can only make educated guesses. Maryland is not making any quarterbacks available to the media this week - which is unusual for the program. It happens sometimes that requested players aren't available because they're in class or studying.  Maryland said that's the case now - that Devin Burns and Caleb Rowe had class on Tuesday and study hall today. But it's clear there is an abundance of caution about the information being released this week.

The season-ending knee injuries of not one but two quarterbacks have left Maryland so depleted that it is deciding between two inexperienced players to be the new starter and must convert a freshman linebacker or tight end to be third string. The latest injury - a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered by freshman Perry Hills in Saturday's loss to North Carolina State - leaves Maryland to choose between two very different sorts of quarterbacks: Caleb Rowe and Devin Burns. Rowe, a true freshman, is a redhead with a choir-boy face whose teammates describe him as a "gunslinger" because of the way he whips the ball around while directing two-minute drills in practice.

You can add Wisconsin to the list of nonconference opponents the Terps will face in future years. Maryland said today that it has agreed to a two-year, home-and-home football series with the Badgers -- but not until 2020. Maryland will play in Madison on Sept. 12, 2020. Wisconsin will come to College Park on Sept. 11, 2021. The teams have not met before in football. “These will be much anticipated games for both our future student-athletes and for our fans,” athletic director Kevin Anderson said.

The ACC announced today that schools will have not one, but two "primary partners" in basketball once Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame are in the conference. A primary partner is a school that you play twice every season -- home and away. Maryland's previously known partner was Pittsburgh. Now the Terps will also have Virginia locked in for two games each season as part of its 18-game league schedule. It all means, of course, that there will be fewer Maryland-Duke games. The Terps will still play Duke and every other ACC team once a season, but only very occasionally will Maryland and the Blue Devils meet twice in the same season.

The ACC has released the remaining game times and TV assignments for the 2012-13 men's basketball schedule. Here's a look at Maryland's schedule. 2012-13 MARYLAND MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE   Day     Date                Opponent                  Time                   Television Fri.      Nov. 2             IUP (Exhibition)       7:00                     TerpsTV Fri.       Nov. 9           vs. Kentucky (in N.Y.)

Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site. One of the Washington area's most highly touted junior football prospects, St. John's (D.C.) quarterback Will Ulmer , was in attendance at Byrd Stadium on Saturday. And while the Terps didn't pull out the win against UConn, Ulmer continues to gain interest in the hometown school. “It was very good," Ulmer said.