You’d never know from their press conference that the Terrapins were the only team in the country with three victories over ranked opponents, but that’s probably a good thing. A week after declaring the second-half of the season a “six-game playoff,” Ralph Friedgen noted that with a victory this weekend against North Carolina State, the Terps would be 6-2 and bowl-eligible. Last season, the Terps did not earn their sixth-victory until their last game – a 37-0 victory over the Wolfpack.
Despite throttling N.C. State last year, Friedgen and the players at the press conference were quick to point out that, historically, victories over the Wolfpack do not come easy.
“Over the years this has been a very tough game,” Friedgen said. “I think in the seven previous years [before last year] the [average] differential has been 5.4 points.” Friedgen’s math is right, but after last season’s win, the average point-differential over the past eight seasons rose to 9.4 points.
The Fridge, who mentioned the lack of Terp fans at Byrd on Saturday, said today that he thinks winning ball games will fill the stands again. He also confirmed that cornerback Kevin Barnes will miss this Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury. Safety Jamari McCollough will replace the senior at corner, and Drew Robinson will take McCollough’s spot at safety.
Wide receiver Danny Oquendo, who caught his first touchdown of the season against Wake Forest, said that it’s hard to get motivated every week, and that the key is to ignore what the media has to say about the Terps and their opponents. He also had something to say about quarterback Chris Turner’s new hair-do.
“He trimmed it down a lot,” Oquendo said. “It’s looks a lot better now, not Napoleon [Dynamite]-esque.”
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