Sept. 9, 2006
Recap |
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 1 |
Photo Gallery 2
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen
Opening Comment:
"It was a good win. I thought it was hard-fought game on both sides. Offensively we took care of the ball better. Sam [Hollenbach, quarterback] put us in good position. I thought Obi Egekeze's kickoffs were outstanding. Overall, we're right where we want to be at 2-0 with a big game coming up this week."
On junior tight end Joey Haynos:
"Joey has done a wonderful job. He's turning into a very good tight end. He's very smart, very athletic, he runs good for a tight end. Dan Gronkowski is doing a good job for us too. I'm very pleased with our tight ends."
On the upcoming game against West Virginia:
"It's going to be a very physical game. They're going to run the football. We've got to rise to the occasion. It'll be interesting to see how the team reacts to playing on Thursday night with the whole mystique. The atmosphere will be electric. It'll be good for our players. Morgantown is an exciting place to play. It'll be great preparation for the rest of the season."
On junior linebacker Wesley Jefferson:
"He's playing really well, he's playing hard. I think his experience has helped a whole lot. He's so determined."
Maryland Player Quotes
Sophomore Wide Receiver Isaiah Williams
On the state of the team:
"We're gaining more confidence, both offensively and defensively. For the wide receivers, we're getting confidence and seeing more and more plays come our way. We're getting used to being on the field in front of so many people. This is the best situation for us that we can be in going into the West Virginia game."
On the development of the young wide receivers:
"It's definitely night and day. We've come a long way in the program in the past year or so. We've been making sure that we make the plays we get. We're not as nervous anymore. We've been here and done this a couple times, so that's a big help."
On the starting field position:
"It was great. Josh [Wilson] made one heck of a kick return. He got the momentum going and we just wanted to punch that thing home. He's an amazing player. It's a good feeling to have him back there and on our team."
Junior Linebacker Wesley Jefferson
On the mood of the team:
"We're happy that we won, but now we have a short week. We have to bring a new level of focus, so we just have to concentrate on West Virginia. We're putting this win behind us and just preparing for them."
On the short week before the West Virginia game:
"We're practicing tomorrow. Everybody is ready to play. Even in the locker room after the game, we knew that we had to move onto the next opponent, and that is West Virginia. We're ready and fired up to go. We've been really looking forward to them since last year. We'll be ready to go."
On taking over a leadership role on defense:
"It's my time. I've been here for four seasons and I've been preparing all the time. I know what it takes to get it done. Learning from D'Qwell [Jackson] taught me a lot, so I'm ready to step up."
Junior Running Back Lance Ball
On the importance of more than one rushing threat:
"It's really important. All of our guys can play. Tonight it was Keon [Lattimore] who stepped up, and we just need to keep doing what we're doing."
On the development of fullback Tim Cesa:
"He's been great. He came a long way since he was a linebacker. Now he just goes out there and gives it his all. He really takes pride in his blocking."
Middle Tennessee Head Coach: Rick Stockstill
On the game:
"There's no telling how many dropped passes we had. We didn't play very well in the kicking game, we had way too many too many drops offensively, and we didn't tackle to well in the first half. They deserved to win because we didn't play good enough to win."
On the start of the second half:
"We talked about it at halftime and then kind of kicked ourselves in the foot, I guess. We had a tight end jump offside on the third play and then we got a delay of game and ended up taking a sack on the third down. They got the ball at midfield and went down and scored. I'll give them credit though, we just didn't play well and they deserved to win."
On progress from last weekend:
"I thought we made improvements, we just have to get rid of the drops. We had three third down drops and Bobby [Williams] had two drops in the endzone. You just can't do that against a team like Maryland."
On looking at the statistics for the game:
"Statistics are for losers, and we lost the game. We probably had more yards total offense than they did. Maryland played a good game. I thought we were better offensively but there were just way too many mistakes and mistakes that at this level you just can't accept."
Middle Tennessee Player Quotes
Senior Linebacker J.K. Sabb
On senior linebacker Chance Dunleavy's knee injury:
"Everybody had to step up and play a little more, a little longer instead of subbing. We need Chance to get healthy."
Senior Quarterback Clint Marks
On the game:
"We improved a lot [since last week against Florida International]. We did some real good things throughout the game. We had a few mistakes that we have to clear up. There were a few opportunities that we missed. As long as we can get better and be more consistent, we will be good this year."
On missed opportunities:
"We moved the ball well. We just have to get better at punching the ball in the end zone once we get down there."
On Middle Tennessee's offense:
"Everybody has more confidence after this game. Last week we struggled. I struggled, and the offense struggled. We have to be balanced, that's the only way we can be good. We have to run it and throw it. If they have to stop the run and the pass, it's a lot harder on the defense."
