Oct. 2, 2007
Opening statement:
"We're preparing for another tough game Georgia Tech is a good football team and they played very well against Clemson. They probably have the best back (Tashard Choice) we've faced and we've faced some pretty good backs. They're playing very good on defense and it seems like the same guys have been there for 20 years. So we've got our hands full there, and their special teams, I think they've got the best punter (Durant Brooks) in the country and probably one of the best field goal kickers (Travis Bell) so they can kick it very well and do a great job at protecting the coverage so we've got our work cut out for us."
On quarterback Jordan Steffy's improvement:
"Jordan is improving he's questionable for this week. He was at practice last night, he did not participate but I am hoping he'll be ready to play on Saturday."
On linebacker Erin Henderson's injury:
"He's questionable also. I think it's also a day to day thing with him. He's one of these guys that recover very quickly. He hurt his knee in the first half and played the whole second half, so I'm hoping he'll be ready to play on Saturday."
On quarterbacks Chris Turner and Jamarr Robinson's performance in Monday's practice:
"Chris did some good, he did some bad. He plays better in games than he plays in practice. Jamarr got some work and he's played better than I anticipated. One of things you have to understand is that there's a difference in starting and coming in and playing, and it's how you handle that situation. I think the kids have a lot of confidence and I do in Chris. He played extremely well last week."
On the inconsistency of winning and losing games this season in the ACC:
"I think in this league you only get up so many times. Not to take anything away from Virginia because I thought they played very well and I know Virginia is a very difficult place to play also, but the intensity that Georgia Tech had at the game wasn't quite the same that I've seen at other games. For whatever reason, they've played with a whole different intensity level (in all the other games). But each week it's who can do that the best is going to have the chance to win the conference championship. But every week you have to get up and play. Last week was tough for us. We had a tough loss, but we faced another good team and we had the same problem this week but with a better result. Whatever you did last week doesn't really matter what you're going to do this week. You've got to put the game behind you and get yourself ready to go again. That's just the way it is in this league. There's very little difference between teams in this conference."
On the team's play against Rutgers:
"Last week I was extremely proud of our kids and the way they played. They had about every adversity you can take and managed to maintain their poise and their competitiveness. We have to do that if we're going to be successful. We have to do it again this week. Hopefully we'll get a win and go into the off week and then regroup for the second half of the season. It's a priority that we do that if we're going to have a chance to win football games."
On some improvements for the team:
"We have to correct the sacks; it's an area I'm worried about. Georgia Tech has 21 sacks and I think we've given up 18, so that's a concern. We're going to have to get rid of the football and do a good job at protecting our quarterback."
On the play of running back Keon Lattimore:
"He's a real pleasure to me. I've said many times one of the things I enjoy about coaching is seeing kids mature and grow up and I think Keon has really matured as an individual. Since he's come back to camp his effort has been outstanding, every day he's very consistent. He's very vocal at halftime. I think he's turned in to one of the leaders on our team. When we voted for captains, he was about a unanimous pick for the offense, so I think he's really earned the respect of his other players. I think he's playing the best football he's played since he's been here, not just with running the football but with blocking and pass receiving."
On the improved pass rush against Rutgers:
"We brought Mack Frost in there and moved Jeremy Navarre inside a little bit. We brought in some quicker guys just to add more speed. I think more than anything it was just desire, though. After watching film yesterday, you could really see how much guys wanted to get to the quarterback."
On his own play so far this season:
"I think technique-wise, I'm doing pretty well. I think I can still improve on play-making and things like that. That's something I have to get better on throughout the year. But right now I'm just focused on knocking guys back and letting the linebackers step up."
On the challenge Georgia Tech presents:
"They're going to come and bring out their best, so we have to make sure we pick up the blitzers and pick up our assignments in order to get a win."
On the ups and downs of this season:
"So far this season has been a roller coaster. [Losing two in a row], and then all of the sudden we beat a top 10 team. It's been a real roller coaster. We have to try and keep that high."
On how the Terps can continue to improve:
"Personally, I think we all can do things better. I think I can do some things better, and I'm always working on that each practice."
On his opinion of quarterback Chris Turner:
"It definitely instills a lot of confidence in me that Chris can go out there and be just as poised and composed as Jordan can against such a great team."
On continuing the momentum from Saturday's win over Rutgers:
"We're definitely going to have to ride this wave as far as we can, and ride all this momentum that we've gotten."
On the team's confidence after the Rutgers win:
"It's a great confidence boost for the team. Guys who didn't have that swagger last week are starting to develop it a little more this week. Hopefully we'll see that confidence continue to progress throughout the season."
On Maryland quarterback Chris Turner's play at Rutgers:
"He definitely stepped up and surprised a lot of people. A lot of doubters that might have been out there and didn't think a second or third-string quarterback could get the job done. But he stepped up when we needed him."
On Maryland's rushing offense going against Georgia Tech's defense:
"They are always really tough to run against. Their run defense is always really highly-ranked. We take it as a challenge every week. They're trying to stop us and we're trying to gain yards on them, we'll see who wins the battle on Saturday."
On Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice:
"He's a great running back. We watched film on him yesterday and he's physical on every run. He's fast, he reads the hole. He's a good back. It's another great back we have to face. It seems like every week we have to stop another great back. It's a great opportunity for us."
On Georgia Tech's offense:
"They have a lot of good things they do on offense. They have good receivers and big receivers. They look really impressive on film, so that's just another thing we have to prepare for besides the running game."
