Nov. 25, 2006

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland Head Coach Ralph Friedgen
On the game:
"You have to give Wake Forest a lot of credit. They played very well. We can't afford to have three interceptions like we did. When teams do that, they lose ball games. I thought this would be a special game for us, and we had a heck of a shot, but I don't think that we got them ready to play the way they are capable of playing."

On Sam Hollenbach:
"We were still in the game at halftime even though we had given them 14 points, and Sam came out in the second half and played well. He made a lot of great plays and really showed some character and toughness out there. That wasn't easy to do in that situation. I think that showed the confidence that he has in himself."

On the running back play:
"I thought both Lance [Ball] and Keon [Lattimore] ran very hard. We blocked well for them. The offensive line was able to move the pile the whole game. Both backs ran with a purpose out there. They did their job well."

On Wake Forest:
"Wake took it to us, especially in the second half. All we needed was a defensive stop, and we couldn't get it. That was disheartening."

Sophomore Wide Receiver Isaiah Williams
On the game:
"I thought we were ready. If you told me this was going to happen yesterday I would have called you a liar. I thought we were ready. We all tuned in and watched the Miami-Boston College game. We saw them lose. Everyone was ready. Everyone thought we were going to pull this off and win the ACC. And we didn't win."

On his 48-yard reception:
I don't want to toot my own horn but it was a good play. All I was thinking about was helping the team. We knew we needed a big play. When I was on the sideline coach was telling us that we needed a big play. I'm happy that I was able to go out there and make the play for the team.

Senior Linebacker David Holloway
On halftime:
"The only real halftime adjustments were to get back down to basics. We needed to tackle better on the outside plays. We didn't have any major adjustments, just getting back to fundamentals."

On Maryland's motivation:
"I think our motivation was there. We knew what we were playing for. Sometimes when they are getting big plays and we are not making too many, it doesn't seem like we are showing a lot of emotion out there. Everybody on defense, we all played hard."

On his last game:
"It hasn't sunk it yet. They tell you that at senior day but you are still used to the routine that it doesn't feel like it. We lost and did not play well enough to accomplish the goals that we set in the beginning."

Junior Linebacker Wesley Jefferson
On their play:
"They played better and didn't make any mistakes and won. The loss hurts. It hurts everybody. It was a blown opportunity."

Senior Offensive Lineman Stephon Heyer
On Maryland's play:
"We can't use the excuse that we were tired. The team needed to overcome that and focus on the task at hand. We needed to start ready and we didn't do that today."

Wake Forest Head Coach Jim Grobe
On winning the division:
"It feels really good. When we looked at the team back in July, I thought we had a pretty good football team. We had some guys coming back. This team exceeded even my expectations."

On the offensive success:
"Our offensive staff felt like we needed to throw the football to be successful. When Riley [Skinner] hit some throws early, I think that opened up our running game. We had a balanced attack. It was a good time to get our running game back."

On responding when Maryland got close:
"I'm proud of our offense. One of the things we did real well was open the third quarter with a drive and a score. I think that helped get our confidence back."

On finishing 6-0 on the road this year:
"We had a lot of tough road trips, but I thought this would be the toughest of all. Maryland had a lot to play for. To come in here and get the win, I couldn't be more proud of our players."

Wake Forest Players
Freshman Running Back Kevin Harris
On the running game:
"We're known for running the football. I know people have been ragging on us the past couple of weeks saying we can't run the football. We're all so banged up. We're never going to see another Chris Barclay. He was amazing. But, we as running backs know that if the offensive line makes an opening for us, we're going to take it."

Senior Free Safety Josh Gattis
On Wake Forest's success:
"They predicted us to be at the bottom of the conference. Hard work, determination, guys stepping up to make key plays, and having faith in our teammates led us to victory."

On playing on the road:
"I give a lot of credit to our fans for traveling to come see us. Also, Coach Grobe always gives us a quote before we hit the road. He told us that going on the road, we would be going into a hostile environment. It's a tough place to win, but it's also the best place to win. That has been the mindset of this team, to try to dominate on the road."

On Wake Forest's fans:
"The support has been great, to see everybody with us, traveling and pulling through with us. We just can't let them down. We have to prepare for the ACC Championship."