Nov. 6, 2004

Recap |  Final Stats

MARYLAND COACH Ralph Friedgen

Virginia did a good job of coaching. They executed well on both sides of the ball, and they're to be commended on that.

We were flat, and we just didn't have anything in the tank. I don't know if it was because of last week or what it was. I have to evaluate myself. If they can't get up for this game, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me.

(On early opportunities)
We had a chance and we didn't do it. We had two penalties that negated a drive deep in there. Then we had a fumble and a sack. And then we don't make a third and inches and a fourth and inches. If you can't make inches, you're going to have trouble winning football games.

It was like the walk of the zombies. Nobody was home. We were talking to them, trying to motivate them. Nothing was registering.

They blocked us, especially on the backside. I thought there were times we contained them on the front side, and they did a good job of blocking on the back side. And sometimes our pursuit didn't get there, and that's very rare for our defense.

VIRGINIA COACH AL GROH

We've been trying to work to become this kind of team for the better part of three-plus years now. I've said on earlier occasions maybe we're closer to the model than we've ever been, and maybe we closed in a little bit more on the model tonight.

(On the offensive line)
They really did a great job. When you run the ball, it has to be a very cohesive effort. ... Pretty much 11 guys have to be in sync, and they certainly were tonight. ... The runners were very aggressive with the ball. They have a lot to be proud of.

(On the defense)
I was impressed. They were physical. They tried to be relentless throughout. The contact level was very good.

Field position was a big item in the game. We did give away field position, and as a result we were kind of vulnerable at that point. For the defense to do what they did on the fourth-down plays, it was pretty terrific.

(On Andrew Hoffman)
There are a lot of players on our team having a very fine season, but nobody is having a finer season than Andrew. ... He's making himself very difficult to block. He's turning himself into a playmaking lineman.

(On Philip Brown)
It was Phil's first start. He certainly earned it by what he's done up to this point, and based on what was visible out there, he continued to improve his game. That was good physical play for a young corner.

(On rebounding from the FSU loss)
What we would like to do is just do a better job within the category of those things that we have identified to the players that -- if you do them -- you're going to make yourself into a team that's hard to beat. Florida State played very well against us, and we did a number of things that are painful to do because they fall on the other side of that line of things that make you hard to beat. That's where we've got to start. Tonight, we did a lot of the things on the plus side of the things that will make you hard to beat.

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