Sept. 18, 2007
On the team's effort in the 31-14 loss to No. 4 West Virginia:
"I thought our kids played extremely hard in the West Virginia game. I thought they gave great effort. We came up short and we're disappointed, but we'll grow and learn from the experience, and hopefully be better for it."
"I'm not discouraged from last week. I thought our kids played with everything they had. I thought our defensive line played very well. We played much better than we did last year. I thought our pad position and our effort was very good. I also thought our linebackers played very well. I was pretty encouraged by our defense. It's hard to say when you get beat, but right till the very end, I never saw us let up at all. We played with our hearts. When they do that, then that's all I can ask for."
On the matchup with Wake Forest:
"We're facing a very good Wake Forest team. They're defending ACC Champs, and they have a lot of the same people back. They're a young defense. They only have two seniors, but they've played a lot of people. Offensively they have seven or eight seniors."
On what makes Wake's offense such a difficult matchup:
"The use a lot of misdirection, a lot of speed, reverses, and bootlegs. They stretch the field very much like West Virginia does. They make you play the whole 53 yards. They do a really good job of coaching some unorthodox things you usually don't see. They're very innovative in a lot of things they do."
On Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner:
"I think Skinner's going to back. That's the guy I'm worried about. I was extremely impressed with him as a freshman last year. The fact that you could win the ACC with a freshman is remarkable He's a very poised kid, and he's very intelligent. He's got a great football sense."
On Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe:
"We've been successful against them, but it's never an easy game. Jim Grobe is an excellent coach and he gets his kids to play extremely hard. They've done a lot of good things with their program. I have a lot of respect and admiration for him."
On last year's game against Wake:
"They moved the ball on us very well last year, but offensively I think we played one of our better games. I'm sure they're going to do everything they can to stop what we did last year. They attacked our flanks pretty good and got outside of us. They have very good team speed. We have to try to keep them contained and keep them from getting outside."
On the importance of this week's game:
"I think this is an important game in the season for us, no question about it. I think we have to get back to our winning ways. This is going to be a very tough test for us on the road, and I've always said, how you do in the league really depends on how you play away from home."
On opening the ACC schedule:
"I think we're ready for [ACC play]. We've had three games and its going to come hot and heavy here very shortly. We have our work cut out for us the rest of the way."
On the stakes of this week's game:
"I think they're pretty high. Boston College right now is 3-0 in the league, and you want to keep pace. The winner of this game is going to keep pace. For us it would be great to be able to get a win on the road against a great team, the defending ACC champs. It would do wonders for our confidence."
On protecting the quarterback:
"The physical elements of the protection are really not that bad. We missed a couple of assignments on protection, but for most of the game our backs blocked very well and our line blocked very well. We just can't afford to make mental mistakes."
On linebacker Erin Henderson's development:
"I just see him really developing as a young man and he's going to do very well in life. He's a very vocal leader of our team. I see him developing as a very good football player but also as a person."
On the Terps' special teams play so far this season:
"Obi Egekeze has done very well. He's developing into an excellent place-kicker. Travis (Baltz) has done well for a freshman. I don't think he kicked his best on Thursday. I think Chris (Roberts) is doing a great job on kickoffs. He's probably exceeded my expectations. I think from a kicking standpoint, we're probably doing better than I anticipated. I think Coach (Ray) Rychleski has done a great job there."
On Wake Forest:
"They are a very talented team. They won the ACC last year. We have to treat them like champions. We have to know our options and responsibilities as far as the plays they run. They switch up their running backs a lot. We have to know that they will be trying to get fresh legs on the field, so we have to be technically sound."
On opening ACC play:
"I'm excited. I feel like it's our first game again."
On taking on a leadership role:
"As you get older, you want to be more vocal. You want to be someone the guys can count on."
On Wake Forest:
"I think we're ready to go. Wake Forest is a tough team, and a hard one to start with. I think we will go out there and perform just fine."
On last season's high-pressure match up against Wake Forest:
"There was a lot of pressure because going to the ACC Championship was on the line. We were hyping it up all week. It seemed like we needed to relax a little more and step back and play a game. Sometime that pressure gets to you."
On last season's loss to the Demon Deacons:
"It really does stick with you, because you're so close. It was just one game. When you look back on it, you don't remember it was that close. It really hurts because we could have been playing down in Jacksonville."
On Maryland's defense against West Virginia:
"I feel like our defense played really well against West Virginia. We gave up a few big plays, but overall I thought we performed pretty well. We stopped Slaton, and we broke up a few big plays."
On Wake Forest's offense:
"They move around a lot. They extend the defense according to the quarterback's audibles and different things like that. We have to be sharp with our checks."
On Maryland's progression since last year:
"This year's team is a lot older, especially on the offensive line. We have a lot of guys that have been around, that have a couple of starts under their belt. We have some good leadership there. It's the same thing with defense. We have guys that have been around for two and three years."
On Maryland's offensive strategy against Wake Forest:
"It's about executing. Coach Friedgen is going to open up the offense a little more, and let guys make some plays."
On Wake Forest:
"We're definitely looking forward to playing Wake Forest again after last year. They're 0-1 in the ACC right now, so not many people are talking about them. They are another good team in the ACC. Their defense is a lot like ours, they do a lot of different things. It's not like West Virginia or Villanova. It's back-to-basics stuff."
On staying motivated against Wake Forest:
"Every team in the ACC is a challenge. You can't look by any team. You have to get one win at a time, and that is what we're looking to do."
Junior Defensive Lineman Mack Frost
On Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner:
"He's a calm quarterback. He's calm and collected in the pocket. They have a pretty good offensive line that keeps him safe, and keeps him throwing the ball to his target."
On Maryland's defense against West Virginia:
"I think we learned a lot about our defense from the West Virginia game. We went out there and played hard, with a lot of effort. There were a couple of plays we didn't make that turned into long gains."
