BC QB Ryan comes out of cold storage to face NC State

By

Posted 3:53PM on Friday, November 11, 2005

BOSTON (AP) ``Matty Ice'' is coming out of the freezer for good. The backup to two different Boston College quarterbacks, Matt Ryan will face North Carolina State on Saturday night not as an injury substitute, not as a last-minute mop-up man, but as the starter. ``I've been in a lot of different situations this year, and I feel like they're going to help me,'' Ryan said this week. ``I feel confident in whatever situation Saturday night is going to throw at us.'' Ryan's high school friends called him ``Matty Ice'' for his ability to stay cool under pressure. The nickname followed him to Chestnut Hill, where he's shown he can come off the bench and provide the Eagles (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) with a spark they weren't getting with Quinton Porter. ``Call him whatever you call him. We all have a lot of confidence in him and feel he's going to get the job done,'' linebacker Brian Toal said as the Eagles prepared for North Carolina State (4-4, 2-4). ``He's a tough kid. I'm excited to see what he does.'' A 20-year-old sophomore, Ryan played in four games last year including the Continental Tire Bowl when starter Paul Peterson was hurt. Ryan has played in seven games this season, starting two in relief of Porter while he recovered from an ankle injury. ``It's definitely a different situation from last year,'' Ryan said. ``I think that I'm more mature you know how to approach practice and you know how to approach the game.'' Ryan started in a 16-13 overtime victory over Clemson and a 38-0 win over Ball State. Porter returned for a victory over Virginia but struggled against Wake Forest before Ryan came in for the final minutes to turn a 30-21 deficit into a 35-30 victory. Porter was 16-for-26 for 144 yards in Saturday's 16-14 loss to North Carolina before Ryan came on in the fourth quarter and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Larry Lester in the final minute to make it closer. ``He's proved it on the field, which is where you get the respect,'' center Patrick Ross said. ``I think he's confident in himself and you can see it. I just think he has more confidence in his own ability now.'' N.C. State also had a quarterback change this season, switching from Jay Davis to Marcus Stone last month after the Wolfpack fell to 2-4. The two remain friends. ``He has been great,'' Stone said. ``He's been so supportive on the sidelines. If I come off and have a bad read or bad series, he'll keep my head in it and tell me what he sees. He's been real supportive.'' Stone also had a chance to study under Philip Rivers, who started all 51 games in his career at N.C. State. ``I said when he got here ... 'You get in Philip Rivers' back pocket for the next 12 games and learn everything you can: huddle, presence, everything,' Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato said. ``I think he learned an awful lot from him. He's an imposing individual.'' Stone led the Wolfpack to a 21-17 victory over Southern Mississippi in his first game as starter and beat then-No. 9 Florida State last week. Freshman Andre Brown ran for 179 yards and a touchdown against the Seminoles; Boston College coaches are comparing Brown to Herschel Walker. ``He's a beast,'' linebacker Ray Henderson said. ``He has great feet he doesn't go down easily. It's going to be tough.'' Even with the N.C. State victory, Florida State backed into the ACC championship game because of Boston College's second consecutive loss. Eagles defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said last week's loss was ``a step back for the program.'' ``The year's not over,'' he said. ``For whatever reason, we didn't perform. How do you get that back? Yesterday was one of the most physical days of practice we had all year. We should be able to come out and put a good performance together.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)