Nov. 16, 2004

Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen:

On the bye week:
"We've been working pretty hard these last 12 days to improve some of the fundamentals. I think we've had good practice and our kids have been working hard. I've been pleased with the effort that we've gotten and hopefully we'll go out and play well on Thursday night."

On addressing the team about becoming bowl-eligible:
"I bring it up to them. Going to bowl games is a tradition that we want to establish here. The last three years we've gone to great bowl games, and I think our kids like going to bowl games. I am hoping that is motivation for them. Also, we want to have a winning season. You want to finish strong. Right now, though, we want to just focus on Virginia Tech. I've talked to them about what it takes to get to a bowl game and to put all of our energies into this game.

On Virginia Tech QB Bryan Randall:
"From what I've read about him, he seems to be an outstanding leader and someone who does a great job of leadership with their football team. From a performance standpoint, the thing that impresses you is his ability to run the football. He's a guy that has the ability to take a bad play and make it into a very good play, and some of his best plays have come with his scrambling. But that doesn't mean he is a bad passer. He can throw the ball; he has a very strong arm. He likes to throw the ball to his tight ends. They have young wide receivers that are maturing right now and are making more plays than they were at the beginning of the year. To me, he's a good, solid quarterback. I think he's one of the reasons they're having a successful season."

On if it's tough coaching against friend Frank Beamer:
"Yeah, it really is. I played against George O'Leary my first year here, which was four years ago, and George and I have never mentioned that game. It's just something we don't talk about. It will probably be the same way with Frank. We'll work like heck to beat each other, and when it's over we'll go back to being friends."

On what he learned from Frank Beamer:
"One of the things I learned from Frank is how you handle people and how you can motivate not only your players, but your coaches. Of course there were a lot of things that I learned from working with Frank, but one of them was dealing with people."

On the level of importance of the game:
"It's a very important game for us. I think if we were to finish the season with a winning record I would feel like we would have had a successful season with all of the things that have happened -- the injuries, the youth. I think it's an important game -- I wouldn't say it's critical when you talk about the demise of our program. I don't think could be the demise of our program. It's significant in the fact that it gives us a chance to go to a bowl and have a winning season."