The Terps made their first bowl appearance under head coach D.J. Durkin as exciting as they could, but came up just short with Boston College winning 36-30 Dec. 26 in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Eagles jumped out in front 16-0 early and carried a 29-13 lead into halftime, but Maryland chipped away throughout the second half and eventually pulled within one score in the fourth quarter.

What seemed like it could have been a low-scoring affair at first quickly turned into a shootout, but too many costly mistakes hurt the Terps in the end. But the Durkin era still begins with a postseason appearance and now Maryland’s lead man and his staff can continue to build their program in the offseason.

Here are three takeaways from the Terps’ six-point loss to the Eagles in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Ty Johnson shows out on a national stage

The Quick Lane Bowl served as a coming out party of sorts for Terps sophomore running back Ty Johnson, who rushed for 159 yards on 15 carries against the Eagles. Other than those who follow Maryland or the Big Ten closely, Johnson was a bit of an unknown commodity entering Monday’s bowl game despite averaging nearly a first-down per carry coming into the contest. All Johnson did was add to his outrageous per rush total against Boston College while being Maryland’s most reliable threat on offense throughout the game. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound home run hitter scored the Terps’ first two touchdowns of the day with runs of 62 and 30 yards and finished with an average of 10.6 yards per carry. With the solid performance, Johnson gained over 1,000 yards for the year, making him the first Terps to do so since Da’Rel Scott in 2008. He is the ninth 1,000-yard rusher in school history.

Maryland’s pass protection not up to par

One of the biggest matchups that Maryland needed to win in order to have success in Detroit was that of Boston College’s pass rush against the Terps’ offensive line. Unfortunately for Maryland quarterback Perry Hills, the Eagles won that battle and recorded eight sacks on the day. Boston College defensive end Zach Allen got to Hills twice, while the Eagles’ All-American pass rusher, Harold Landry, and senior linebacker Matt Milano each also had 1.5 sacks. Being under constant duress limited what Hills and Maryland’s offense were able to do and it wasn’t until late in the second half that the Terps moved the ball with any regularity. Protecting the passer has been an issue for Maryland all season as the Terps ranked 122nd nationally in sacks allowed entering the game against Boston College. The Terps certainly didn’t show any improvement in that area during their season finale, but it is clear that Maryland must address the offensive line in recruiting.

Terps couldn’t get out of their own way

Maryland and Boston College’s renewal of their former ACC rivalry turned out to be a close game, but the Terps could have won, and perhaps handily, if it weren’t for so many untimely errors. Maryland ended the game with 11 penalties for 86 yards and turned the ball over four times against the Eagles. Hills had one pass intercepted and the Terps as a whole lost three of their five fumbles in the game. Boston College had two turnovers of its own but proved to be the more disciplined and prepared team in Detroit. Maryland was also extremely inefficient when defending the red zone against the Eagles, who scored on all four of their trips inside the 20 yard line. With the defensive struggles in the first half, turnovers and penalties on offense made winning the bowl game a tough goal to obtain.