Sept. 13, 2007
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Postgame Quotes
Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen
On tonight's game:
"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the loss. West Virginia's obviously a very good football team with a lot of speed. I think our kids played hard and they kind of got worn down. I think I can do a better job as a coach. We just have to keep working and trying to get better and try to grow from this experience."
On the team's positive moments in the game:
"I think there were a lot of positives in this game. Things weren't going too well early in the game, but I thought our kids were able to get back in the game. I think we have a chance at being a good running team. We also have to get better at running the ball; we have to get more receivers involved. Our protection has to get better. We'll look at the tape, and I thought our kids were fighting until the very end. We lost a good football game and we probably could have played better. I'm not discouraged at all."
On quarterback Jordan Steffy's performance:
"He missed a couple things this week. I anticipate that that's going to happen. He's growing and those things happen. He also made some plays, too. He's got to get some guys to help him also. We've got to get him a little better protection. He's got to make some reads. I believe that will happen. I would like it to happen in the next five minutes, but I know it's not going to. I don't let that frustrate me."
On tonight's game versus last year's loss at West Virginia:
"When we started, I was concerned. I thought, `Here we go again.' But our kids didn't do that. I thought we could run on them. The problem is that when we get a penalty or a loss, we have to be able to convert those. We executed the game plan pretty well on that first drive. We have a chance to be a good football team and we will find that out in the next few weeks."
Maryland Players
Senior Offensive Lineman Andrew Crumney
On tonight's game:
"I still think we're a great team, but I think we could have played better today. There are always positives in a loss, but it is a loss and one we probably shouldn't have lost."
On team's offense:
"We came out and played hard. We shot ourselves in the foot during some key moments. I thought we had a chance to really get things going, but penalties and sacks at inopportune times killed us."
"I'm disappointed because I think we're a good team and I think we could have beaten this team. Give credit to them, they came out and played hard. I expected more and it's disappointing that we didn't get the win."
Junior Linebacker Moise Fokou
On tonight's game:
"They have good team speed and it caught our defense a couple times. I think we learned a lot about our team today. We can't get down on ourselves. We still have a really good team. We've got to get back on the field and keep working hard. I think we stuck together. We could have given up, but we stuck together and kept fighting."
Junior Quarterback Jordan Steffy
On team's offense:
"It seems like in the past few games we've started well and at the end we've moved the ball. But in the middle of the game we need some work. We're not going to look to point fingers anywhere; we just have to come out of this and get better."
On West Virginia:
"They play hard. You can't take anything away from them, they're a great team. Their guys fly around; they disguise defenses well. They are a good team. There's no doubt about that."
On moving forward from today's loss:
"We're encouraged because we felt we could move the ball and our defense played a great game again. No one is hanging their heads at this point. It's a long season and all of our goals are still intact. We just have to come out, learn from this and continue to get better."
On Maryland:
"We're never going to quit. The group of guys that we have won't quit regardless of what the score is. We still have nine more opportunities to get better and continually progress."
West Virginia Coach Rich Rodriguez
On today's game:
"I'm very happy to get out of here with a win. We knew it was going to be a tough environment. Both teams played extremely hard. We were disappointed at halftime with the execution offensively. Since we had the ball first, we knew that we had to get that first drive in there and fortunately we were able to do that. We didn't have a lot of possessions, only two in the first quarter. Our guys hung in there, and we made a few big plays."
On West Virginia's offense:
"After we got the first drive, it got our confidence up. The defense made a couple of big stops, and we were running the ball consistently the whole game. Pat wasn't as sharp as he normally is. He was almost trying to do too much in the first half. He calmed down in the second half and let the offense flow."
On West Virginia's defense:
"I'm really proud of our defense. I thought they did a great job; and a much better job on third down. They put pressure on the quarterback and really tackled well. We have some talented players."
On West Virginia's limited possessions:
"I anticipated that Maryland would try to shorten the game. They controlled the ball and the possessions in the first half. We knew that if we could just get the ball a few times, we would be all right."
On tailback Steve Slaton"
"Steve is a competitive guy. Sometimes he tried to turn and rush straight downhill when he could outrun somebody. He probably had a few more good runs in him if he would trust his speed. We've got depth at quarterback and we've got to use that depth."
West Virginia Players
Junior Left Tackle Ryan Stancheck
On the offensive line:
"We started off slow, but we kept pounding. We had made some great scheme changes and some great play calls. I really credit Maryland's defense. They hit hard and they got after it."
On freshman Noel Devine:
"He's an amazing athlete. Everybody has seen his highlights. He is the real deal. What makes him even better than that is that he's a great person, too. He's the total package."
On playing two tough games in five days:
"We practice hard every day, so I don't think that's an excuse for slacking. We're a little banged up, but we will come back hard."
Junior Tailback Steve Slaton
On the offense:
"I think we did well. All the credit goes to the front line."
On West Virginia's national ranking:
"This is what we work for. All the year-round workouts, this is what we prepare for. This is what we are supposed to do."
