Quotes From Coach Friedgen's Tuesday Press Luncheon
9/23/2003 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 23, 2003
The following are University of Maryland head football coach Ralph Friedgen's comments from his weekly gathering with local media. Friedgen and the Terrapins travel to Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
On The Team's Injury Situation:
"Bruce Perry appeared to be healthy last night and even ran sprints, so hopefully he's back in full swing. Bernie Fiddler is still questionable for Saturday's game; he is supposed to practice tomorrow. Ryan Flynn is out for three to five weeks. Scott Smith is still bothered by a back ailment, and is probably doubtful for this game. Jafar Williams' hand is better, he did not practice a whole lot last night, but I would say he is probable for Saturday. Everybody else is ready to go."
On The Team's Performance Against West Virginia:
"We need to keep getting better. I was very pleased with our last two outings, I think we improved with each one. Offensively, we still had too many miscues. We played very hard, but we had 17 percent error. Our defense was dominating in the West Virginia game and The Citadel game. Where we were better on offense than we've been was on third down. We're better than what we've been, but we're not where we need to be yet. Defensively we still give up the big play. We had two running plays Saturday and one big pass play.
On Eastern Michigan:
"They have both a new offensive and defensive coordinator. Their defensive scheme has been wearing us out, and they do some pretty good things. It's going to be a game where our quarterback is going to have to recognize a lot and identify defenses. We're trying to simplify that and make it as easy for him as possible. Offensively, they're throwing the ball quite a bit. Their starting quarterback got hurt in the opening game, so they're going with a redshirt junior, (Chinedu) Okoro, he throws the ball well. They have a very good tight end, and a very good offensive tackle (Tom) Kaleita."
"I don't need to tell you this is a MAC team. They have the attention of our players and we need to have a good week of practice to go up there and play."
"If we're going to have a good season, we have to start winning on the road. We have some tough places to go and play."
On Scott McBrien's Performance Against West Virginia:
"I thought Scott McBrien was much more decisive and a lot calmer against West Virginia. It helps Scott a lot when we can get our running game going. We had a few miscues but overall I thought he played very well. This game, they will play a variety of coverages and move around a lot more; that's what concerns me. Scott's got to progress this week further than he did last week."
On Running Back Bruce Perry:
"Bruce looked better than any time since 2001. He had his acceleration; the burst and the quick feet. The thing I was really impressed with was how physical he ran. I thought he played very well and of course it will be good to have him back. Bruce also blocked very well."
On Whether Bruce Perry Or Josh Allen Will Start At Running Back:
"This week it will probably go on how they practice. Last week, I felt Josh deserved to start because of how he played against The Citadel and Bruce didn't practice Monday or Tuesday. So to me, it was a no-brainer. But we'll see who practices the best and that's who will start."
On How The Team Has Practiced This Week:
"I liked our attitude in practice last night. It's amazing the difference in how we run now and how we ran three weeks ago. Our kids are more confident right now. They want to get momentum going and they're just starting to reach their potential. We feel good right now, we just have to keep it going. We have to take each game unto itself. We're playing a MAC team and we've already gotten beaten by a MAC team."
