At this point, most Terrapin fans know the importance of this Saturday’s matchup against Florida State. Right now, the Terps control their destiny, and a win against the Seminoles will keep it that way.
“I’m really hoping all the Terps fans come out for this game, because I think it’s going to be one of the bigger games we’ve played in Byrd Stadium,” coach Ralph Friedgen said at his weekly press conference.
Friedgen said Florida State, which leads the conference in total offense, defense and sacks, will be one of the toughest opponents his team has faced, and exercised caution by twice knocking on the podium’s wood before praising his offensive line, which has given up 15 sacks this season, third best in the conference.
When asked why he decided not to follow through on his threat to begin practice at 5 a.m. following the Virginia Tech loss, Friedgen said he has learned to rely more on his veteran players to get the team back on track following dispiriting losses after years of emulating his father, who coached his son in high school and wouldn’t allow him to eat dinner following losses. Friedgen even remembered his father telling him that he would “never date an older women again”after his team lost a rivalry game at which Friedgen’s date, one year his senior, was present.
“Sometimes I battle myself and my immediate reaction to things,” said Friedgen, who added that he almost divorced his wife following the 1973 season, when the Citadel, where Friedgen was the defensive line coach, went 3-8.
“I thought that was what you were supposed to do,” Friedgen said, but only half-jokingly.
Friedgen briefly choked up when discussing his senior players, who will play their last home game Saturday, and compared his team to the country when discussing it’s resiliency in tough situations.
“We’re going through tough times as a country right now,” Friedgen the Filosopher said. “But if we just keep staying the course and keep working, we’ll work our way out of it, just like we always do.”
As for the players, they expressed excitement with their position, and relished the opportunity to play their way into an ACC Championship game. For seniors like center Edwin Williams and Jeremy Navarre, Saturday’s game will be even more special as they say goodbye to the crowd at Byrd Stadium.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Navarre said. “It’ll probably hit me Friday night and I’ll just head back to the hotel, and the last time walking down Terp Alley. So right now, it really hasn’t hit me. When it does hit me, it’s just going to fire me up that much more. I’m definitely looking forward to this game.”
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