By: Eli Davis - Media Relations Student Assistant
Although fans in the DMV may not have their professional team represented on Super Bowl Sunday, Terp supporters will still have a rooting interest in the form of Darius Kilgo and Vernon Davis.
While the rookie nose tackle, Kilgo, and 10-year veteran tight end, Davis, were never teammates in College Park, a bond quickly formed between the former Terrapins when the Denver Broncos acquired Davis prior to week nine of the NFL regular season.
Kilgo, a sixth round draft pick, jumped at the opportunity to learn from his fellow Terp, describing their relationship as an “automatic bond.”
“It was great. He came right in and we got along right away,” Kilgo said. “I have someone to talk to that is family.”
Torrey Smith, a former teammate of Kilgo's in College Park and of Davis' in San Francisco, is looking forward to seeing Maryland represented on Sunday.
“Your biggest and most important relationships are built in college,” he said. “You take a lot of pride in seeing your friends. I understand you can't win them all, so you want your friends to win them if you can't. I'm happy for them.”
Along with learning from Davis and other veterans, Kilgo is surrounded by a star-studded defense, which ranked in the top-five in yards and points per game allowed during the regular season.
Kilgo, however, credits the success of the defense to the man leading the charge on offense, Peyton Manning.
“One thing I can really take from him is he prepares harder than anyone I know,” Kilgo said. “His preparation is key to his success. Everybody on the team sees that and just takes in what Peyton does for the team.”
Perhaps practicing against the future-Hall of Famer prepared the Denver defense for the dismemberment they orchestrated on their way to Super Bowl 50, piling up seven sacks through the divisional and conference championship rounds.
Come Sunday, Kilgo and his defensive mates will have their hands full with Carolina Panther's quarterback Cam Newton.
“He's a great quarterback, very athletic,” Kilgo said of the former Heisman Trophy winner. “We just have to keep our poise as a defense. We are just going to prepare like we have been preparing every week.”
Unlike Kilgo, Davis brings Super Bowl experience with him to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The former-sixth overall pick hauled in six catches for 104 yards while a member of the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII.
On the opposite sideline stood Smith, then a member of the Baltimore Ravens. Prior to even dreaming of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, it was Davis' success in College Park that caught the attention of a young Smith playing high school football 60 miles south in Virginia.
After pledging his commitment to the Terps, Smith recalls closely monitoring Davis' preparation for the NFL draft, not knowing the two would eventually be united during their professional careers.
“I watched his career knowing he was a Terp,” Smith said of the program's most decorated tight end. “Whatever [Denver] needs of him, Vernon is going to do his part to help the team.”
While Kilgo and Davis may not want to trade in their Bronco blue and orange, their school colors will always ring true, especially on the biggest stage in the game.
“I always take pride in Maryland. It's a great feeling,” Kilgo said. “It's still surreal sometimes that I'm going to be in the Super Bowl. We are very excited to have this chance.”
-Terps-
