Quotes From Coach Friedgen's Tuesday Press Conference
11/6/2001 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2001
College Park, Md. - The following are comments which Maryland head football coach Ralph Friedgen made to the press today at his weekly conference.
(On selling out Byrd Stadium)
"We are looking forward to playing on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd. That is something I wanted to accomplish here ever since I took the job. Hopefully it will be a very lively crowd that gives us a lot of support."
(On preparing for Clemson)
"Preparing for Clemson is not an easy task. [Clemson quarterback] Woodrow Dantzler is a formidable foe. Woody is throwing the ball better than ever. He has had some unbelievable games this year and he is really going to be a tough guy to stop, but that is something we will have to do in order to win the football game."
(On the advantage of having played at Florida State)
"I think it has helped us quite a bit. I think the Georgia Tech game helped also, but now we are going to play a big game at home, which is a whole new experience. Having a big game atmosphere is something that our players are very excited for. Last week, we were trying hard to get the players excited. Yesterday at practice I was very quiet and I could just see how excited they were. The fact that it is going to be a sellout, and it will be against Clemson, and it will be the last home game, and it is the seniors' last game in Byrd Stadium, all of this will create tremendous electricity in the crowd on Saturday night."
(On the Maryland-Clemson series)
"I don't know what our record at Clemson is now, but I know at one time Maryland had the best record at Death Valley. I can't answer for how things have been in the past. Playing Clemson is great, from all the times I have played against them as a player here, as a coach here, and as a coach at Georgia Tech, I have gained tremendous admiration for their program and for their fans. I can think of many memorable games-the one in Baltimore where Danny Ford and Coach Ross were in the press box together, the one down in Death Valley when we won on a game-ending field goal. Four years in a row at Georgia Tech, the game came down to a two-minute drive at the end of the game to kick a field goal. Clemson has been an exciting game for me wherever I have been. I enjoy the competition and look forward to it."
(On the Terps' resiliency)
"I thought we had good kids [at the beginning of the season]. I remember talking to [the press] about how I didn't know how the players would react when the first crisis arose. When something goes bad, you can either tuck your tail and give in or you can fight back. They have passed that test over and over again. This team has a lot of character. In some of these games, everybody has been expecting a let down, and they haven't let anybody down. That is hard to do, that is why there are upsets. Now the final two games are coming up. I told the team last night, 'I would like to see you play the best two games of your life-not of the year but of your life.' I said, 'If you do that, we may achieve something that none of us thought we would be able to do.' It is within their realm so hopefully they can get it done. But we can't get two of them until we win this next one."
(On Maryland's depleted secondary)
"I feel very good about Domonique Foxworth. I have no apprehensions about playing him. I told Domonique seven weeks ago that I wanted to play him and he didn't want to play. He wanted to hold on to his redshirt. He understands the deal. Ricardo Dickerson is another guy in the same situation. If Dennard Wilson is well, we will try to play him, but if we need to play Domonique to win, we will play him."
(On Clemson's underachievement)
"Clemson has to win this football game, they are still in bowl contention. If I am correct, they still have to play us, South Carolina, and Duke. They are 5-3. That means they could end up 8-3 and be right in the mix of the bowl picture. I am expecting them to be fired up and ready to go when they get here."
(On Maryland's seniors)
"They need to go down in the history of Maryland as a bunch of seniors who brought this program back from obscurity. They sing a chant after games for every win they have and every time they get another one, it is new territory. Some of them are just flabbergasted that we have eight wins. One of their goals at the beginning of the year was to win every home game and if we win Saturday, that goal will be accomplished. I would really like for that to happen for these kids because they have meant so much to our program. They are very supportive and I have a great relationship with them. They might not always tell me what I want to hear but they are always honest. I have a lot of love for them and I want the best for them."
