Quotes from Saturday's Practice
12/23/2006 7:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 23, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. - Head Coach Ralph Friedgen On the team's first practice in Orlando: "I thought it went pretty well. We were fortunate to dodge the rain, and the field was a little mushy but our kids worked hard and we got some things done. I'm glad we came down early to get used to the heat. We haven't practiced in this weather for a while, so it's probably real good for us."
On keeping focus: "It's a fine line, because you want them to enjoy themselves, and I do, but they also have to remember they represent the University of Maryland on Friday night. I was pleased with our energy and enthusiasm in practice, and it's been like that for all of our practices recently. By the end of exams we didn't have good practice, but that's probably attributed more to the exams than anything else. I think tomorrow is a very important practice for us, and I'm anxious to see how we do."
On what the team is practicing most this week: "Mostly Purdue. We go against each other for about half the practice, because I like to get used to the speed of things, and then we break down and go back against our opponent. We are focusing on third down and red zone and goal line right now."
On Purdue: "They're really good offensively. They throw the ball really well but they can also run the ball very well. They've got a very fine back, excellent wide receiver and a very good offensive line. They're very quick, and they've got a lot of good players. It's going to be a really good test and we're going to have to play our best to win the game."
Josh Wilson (CB, #4) On the tone of today's practice: "We're ready, we're hyped up. It's been a couple years since we've been in a bowl - a lot of these guys haven't even been before - so to get back here, especially in the hot weather, it feels good, and we're excited to be down here and be playing in the postseason. It's been a while since we've played a game, and we're looking forward to playing again."
On Coach Friedgen: "Coach Friedgen is a hyped-up guy. He saw us yelling and getting loud before, and he loves to get into it with the group, and that's what you need. Sometimes you have coaches who don't really associate with and talk to the players, and Coach Friedgen talks to us and is always in there with us. He gets just as hyped up as we do."
On the team's attitude entering the season: "We were always hungry, and we always fought for every inch. Defensively, we didn't give up. If somebody breaks [a tackle], we're going to try to run them down. We're always pursuing the football. We had a confidence and a hunger that we wanted to get back. The difference between this season and last is that we've won the close games. I can't tell you how we did it, but we won the close games. We learned how to finish games and win games between last year and this year."
On keeping focus through the bowl week: "We just think about playing another game. We've had two games where we haven't played up to our potential and now we've got a chance to finish this year on a high note. For us seniors, it's the last game we're playing at the University of Maryland and it could be our last games ever. We want to play a great game and have a great time with our fans."
