COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen believes strong practice habits foster success on the field, so he might have reason for optimism heading into his team's showdown Saturday with visiting No. 21 Wake Forest.

Rejuvenated from their bye week, the Terrapins (4-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) capped a productive week of practice with an energized session Thursday afternoon as they prepare to play host to the Demon Deacons (4-1, 2-0), who sit alone atop the conference's Atlantic Division.

"We had a good week of practice and a good practice today, and now we've just got to play well," Friedgen said. "I'm really starting to see the desire to do things the right way and the effort to do things the right way. It'll probably never be where I want it, but it's better than it was. The kids, to me, are making a sincere effort to get better, so hopefully that will pay off."

A stern challenge awaits the Terps in Wake Forest, which stands 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 1987. Led by one of the nation's top defenses and the passing abilities of junior quarterback Riley Skinner, the Demon Deacons have emerged as one of best teams in the conference, if not the nation.

Having already beaten conference foes Clemson and Florida State, Wake Forest ranks among the top 20 nationally in turnover margin, passing defense, scoring defense and total defense. The Demon Deacons also lead the ACC in passing offense.

"We're playing a very good Wake Forest team," Friedgen said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. "I think probably they are the best team we've played so far. Their defense is outstanding. They have eight redshirt seniors starting for them, so they're very experienced. They're very well-coached, and they play very, very disciplined football."

Maryland, itself, demonstrated disciplined football during Thursday's final preparation session. The two-minute drill portion of practice saw the Terps offense successfully execute two hurry-up drives. Quarterback Chris Turner connected with tight end Lansford Watson for a 20-yard completion to set up a field goal on the first drive. The second saw fellow tight end Tommy Galt make four receptions, including an acrobatic one-handed grab on a pass from signal-caller Josh Portis to move the chains in a drive which ended in a missed 45-yard field goal.

Following Thursday's practice, Friedgen announced the captains for Saturday's game. Offensive lineman Scott Burley, defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre and linebacker Moise Fokou will represent the Terps offensive, defense and special teams' units, respectively.

Kickoff for Saturday's game versus the Demon Deacons is set for noon at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

The game will be telecast regionally by Raycom Sports and can be seen locally on WJZ-TV (Channel 13) in Baltimore and WDCA-TV (My 20) in Washington, D.C. It can also be heard over the Terrapin Sports Radio Network. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will replay the game at 4 p.m. Sunday.