It's Maryland Week

[bbwvfan]

And, I'm stoked!

Is an old fart allowed to use such a term?

Can't wait to see how my Mounties look against an old rival on the road.

The first two games have given me some hope. I'm sure there is no shortage of motivating factors for the WVU players.

WVU's offense is night and day different than it was heading into last year's game against the Terps. The defense actually did pretty well against Maryland last year despite the score.

A win over Maryland this Saturday would be huge!

 

[DCWV4life]

I am pumped for this game, I went to WVU, Dad went to Maryland. (received my masters from Maryland so root for them against everyone else)

I think the fanbase is getting excited for this game as well, when I bought tickets to this game I found 9 dollar tickets in a lower section right behind WVU, found a prepaid parking spot real close to the stadium. Checked this morning tickets in my same area are 78.00 dollars and parking is full.

Last game down in college park in 2011 there was a great WVU presence...hoping to see much of the same this year. Hoping to see the same result....with a win I bet the Oklahoma game is a night game and possibly game of the week for Fox since Bama and Florida will more than likely be Gameday.

 

[bbwvfan]

I think WVU fans will be in force... as they are most years. WVU fans can take Byrd Stadium over some years.

I haven't talked to Slaton, but he usually goes to the game. His wife is a Maryland grad.

My father-in-law is a Maryland grad... always a game for the year's bragging rights.

 

[DCWV4life]

Yeah we need to get this W against the twerps so Morgantown will be a buzz come game day next week.

Watching the USF game I thought they seemed really slow, almost sluggish. They had 6 TO's and seemed to be a little banged up. I thought USF did a great job of applying pressure to Brown and even when he did have time he did not seem very in control. They seemed to have as much trouble running the ball against USF as we did Bama 40 rushes 116 yards 2.90 per rush. Brown can gain yards with his legs, had three rushing TD's in their first game against James Madison. Neither of their running backs have topped 100 yards, but they seem to spilt time evenly between soph Wes Brown and Jr Brandon Ross. They have surprised me in their lack of passing game so far as a team in either of their games they have not topped 18 receptions, not sure if he has been playing a Vanilla offense or he is trying to get back to his UCONN days of rushing the ball. Diggs is their leading receiver with 12 catches for 102 yards no TD's, but he was banged up in that USF game. With lack of production at that position it is hard to tell who is their go to guy.

The defense held USF in check, but USF's offense was pretty bad. Maryland has four sacks as a team 2 against James Madison and 2 against USF. Thing that stood out to me is James Madison ran 81 plays in that game 37 passes and only came away with 2 sacks. The defensive backfield seems a bit slow, all are about 5-11 to 6-1 weighing close to 200 lbs. James Madison ran the ball 44 times and they only had 4 tackles for loss. As a team they are -3 in turnover margin. They have given up a average of 279 yards and 12 points per game. Their strength seems to be in the front 7 so I am not sure how well they will match up with our formations.

Looks like it is going to be a overcast day with a slight chance of rain around gametime. Not sure which teams those conditions would benefit more.

In my opinion they have not faced a offense that will runs a quickly or as efficient as we have ran so far this season. We should have success against them in passing game and mixed success in the running game.

 

[WVUDAD]

Good take, DC, This game seems to many times be a barometer for the season.

 

[GoldRusher]

Should be a good crowd for the game. Not only is it WVU/Maryland but I also hear tell that it's family day and armed forces day.
Not sure what to think of Maryland this year,from what I saw Saturday vs USF they aren't a bad team but they did make a bunch of mistakes in that one. I have a strange feeling that (all due respect to Bama) that this game will be every bit as tough for our defense as game 1 was. The QB isn't as mobile but he has the experience and IMO they may be a lil more balanced at this point.Turnovers will be the name of the game IMO, their RB has problems holding on to it and the QB can tend to make bad decisions when he is pressured. Easier said than done because their line looked solid to me but the game plan should be fairly simple to stop them.

 

[bbwvfan]

DC,

Thanks for the info. I have not seen Maryland play. A few highlights from last week's game, but that is all. A Maryland fan started a thread on the scout site. He has no faith in his team... expects a 14 point loss.

All I know is that Maryland has recently been playing well against WVU the past few years. I expect they'll be fired up to beat WVU down again this Saturday.

Obviously, the Maryland team has committed a bunch of TO's through their first two games. That is never a good sign.

 

[GoldRusher]

Keep in mind USF lost their QB very early on in that game (maybe the first series), yet still SHOULD have won that game. USF's DLine looked pretty big to me, not surprised that Maryland had trouble with them.

 

[GoldRusher]

DC,

Thanks for the info. I have not seen Maryland play. A few highlights from last week's game, but that is all. A Maryland fan started a thread on the scout site. He has no faith in his team... expects a 14 point loss.

All I know is that Maryland has recently been playing well against WVU the past few years. I expect they'll be fired up to beat WVU down again this Saturday.

Obviously, the Maryland team has committed a bunch of TO's through their first two games. That is never a good sign.

Yea, I think you may be spot on BB. Place should be a zoo from the way things are shaping up.

LOOK: New Maryland 'Star-Spangled Banner' uniforms for West Virginia

 

[bbwvfan]

Looking at the Tweets from Dana's presser... looks like he is confident in his team.

The kids gotta little chip on their shoulder...

I like it...

 

[DBAR4WVU]

If a 37-0 stomping at home last year can't get your team stoked to play - then they need to find something else to do on Sturday. Revenge on someone who knocked your teeth in is always a good feeling.....

To BBWVFAN's point, WVU had won the last 7 prior to last season - but MD has kept it close(r) the past few.

2004 (home) - #8 WV 19 MD 16
2005 (away) - WV 31 MD 19
2006 (home) - #5 WV 45 MD 24
2007 (away) - #4 WV 31 MD 14
2010 (home) - #21 WV 31 MD 17
2011 (away) - #18 WV 37 MD 31
2012 (home) - #8 WV 31 MD 21

Note how many times has WV came into the game ranked vs. MD? WV scoring 30 seems to be the benchmark. Let's hope.

 

[jonvi]

Rough em up eer's. SU get's Maryland 20 September.

 

[DCWV4life]

From the MARYLAND presser:

Head Coach Randy Edsall
Opening Statement:
"It's really an honor and a privilege to wear the Star Spangled Banner uniforms this weekend. The significance of the defense of Fort McHenry in the Battle of Baltimore in 1812 and to know that the Star Spangled Banner was written here in Baltimore under the defense of Fort McHenry encompasses the Maryland Pride that we talk about. When Under Armour approached us just over a year ago about this concept, I thought it was just unbelievable that they came up with this idea. I thought it was great; to know that it was done here in Baltimore and written here. To put everything from that battle into the uniform was just magnificent. Our kids are excited about it; we have it all up on marylandpride.com with interviews from the people from Under Armour to really explain a little more about what went into the design with Fort McHenry on the helmet and the poem engrained on the sleeve and the helmet. Our captains will be wearing the red belt; it's all just really neat and it's what college athletics should be about; you should be able to represent these things. It just shows the pride that we have in representing our state. Also, the pride that Under Amour has for the state with it being located in Baltimore, it's really a great thing. We have a tough game this week against a West Virginia team that is playing really well. They played well against Alabama and gave them everything that they wanted. Their quarterback Clint Trickett is playing at a real high level for them. They're a much better team than they were a year ago when we played them. They're fast, athletic, a 3-3-5 team on defense; one that's playing really well and has a lot of talent. Overall, a much better team than we played a year ago.”
On the play of West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett:
“You can see that he is very comfortable in their offense. He's up there making the adjustments for them in terms of protections, getting the ball out quick, knowing who it goes to, and reading the numbers in the box, whether he's going to run or pass it. You just see a guy that's very comfortable with what they are doing and also a guy that is orchestrating everything that they are doing and making sure that everyone else is executing what they want to be executed.”
On the announcement of Maryland’s contract extension with Under Armour:
“Just take a look at the uniform, take a look at the apparel that they have. They are always trying to outfit the athletes with better things to help them perform at a higher level. Also, from the stand point that their headquarters are located right here in Baltimore and that Kevin Plank (CEO and Chairman of the Board) is a Maryland football player really makes it special. To have them being a partner with us and helping us with our branding and with the things that we want to do to market and to develop our program, it's just very, very special to be a part of the Under Armour family and to have that partnership with them.”
On potential changes at running back:
“We're going to see how the week plays out, but the good thing about it is that we've got numerous guys there that can go in and do the job. If somebody isn't doing some of the things that we would expect, we can go with other people, we'll just see how it all plays out. But again, usually all three of those guys end up playing in the game. It's just one of the things that we will continue to watch this week and if we want to make a change, we'll make a change. I have confidence in all those guys. I've got confidence in Albert [Reid]. I've got confidence in Wes [Brown]. I’ve got confidence in Brandon [Ross], in Kenny [Goins]. The biggest thing for all of our guys, not just the running backs, we just got to keep working to continue to get better. And they are, our kids are great; they’re out there busting their butts to get better and to play to the best of their ability. There's nobody out there trying to put the ball on the ground, there's nobody trying to throw interceptions, and trying to drop balls. Things happen.”
On the turnovers against USF:
“Well, just go back to the West Virginia game last year; they turned the ball over six times and we won 37-0. To come out with a win when you turn it over six times is amazing. When you look back at that, the biggest thing is that they only got seven points off those turnovers and that was the one that they returned. That shows you that we were moving the ball because when all the other turnovers came they were down in the plus side. You take a look at their average starting drive was the minus 27. So they had to go 73 yards to score. The one thing is at least those turnovers came down on the plus side of the territory, we didn't give them a short field. But again, we can't expect to win if we turn the ball over that many times; even two or three times, you just can't do it. These are things we talk about and stress, we've done more work in terms of putting them through the blaster. We're doing what we have to do, but they have to understand that you can't limit your possessions by almost 50 percent. You're taking almost 50 percent of your scoring opportunities away because you are turning the ball over. We just have to have better focus and we have understand situations better to make sure that it doesn't happen again.”
On the progression of wide receiver Marcus Leak and his return to the team following a year absence:
“I think he's getting better, but I don't think that he's back to the Marcus that we know he can be. It'll come with continued play and continued reps. He's working hard, he's focused, he's attentive, he's doing all those things that you want to see a young man do.
“I just didn't think he was living up to his potential, his abilities, I just told him to go home [prior to the 2013 season]. He wasn't living up to his potential in football, he wasn't living up to his potential as a person, and he wasn't living up to his potential as a student. I told him I thought he needed to go home, had the blessing of his family I said you need to go home and find himself and understand what's important in life. He did that. I just told him that if you do these things you can come back and be on scholarship. As I talked to him throughout that time that he was gone, I could see and feel a different person because he came up to games and I saw him and talked to him and talked to him on the phone. I see a guy that's matured, he gets it, and that's the only thing that, I don’t want to say saved him, but If we didn't do that, I don't think he would be on the path and the direction that he is today.”
On the status of linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil and the development of linebacker Yannick Ngakoue:
“Nothing new on Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil.
"Yannick Ngakoue is a young guy where the more he plays, the more comfortable he's getting. He's a great kid and a hard worker and he wants to do well. The biggest thing for us, is to get him to continue to play within himself. Just continue to do your job, and do what is expected of you. Plays will come to you and keep your emotions in check. If you do that, you’ll be productive, you’ll fit in well to the scheme and plays will come to you and you’ll have the opportunity to make them."
On the play of the offensive line at USF and the play of Silvano Altamirano:
”I didn’t think Silvano had his best game on Saturday. South Florida is going to beat a lot of teams. South Florida is no slouch. I’ve played them a bunch over the years. They got talent on that team and it’s a tough place to play. We gave up a couple of sacks. One time we should have thrown the ball away. It shouldn’t have been a sack. But those guys practice and want to do well each and every day. It's like we used to say in the pros, they get paid too. In college, they don't get paid, well maybe some places I don’t know. But we just have to keep getting better and not every day you are going to be as good. It's a team game, it’s not about individuals. Some games, people aren’t going to have good games. We moved the ball offensively, look at the yardage, but we turned it over. But our defense went out and did the things they needed to do. Our special teams did those things. One game the defense may not play well or the special teams. The offense and the other phase needs to pick it up. If we can win two out of the three every week, we have a chance. Other than the turnovers, we did a lot of good things offensively. I like where we are as a team, we're 2-0. Have we played a perfect game, no, will we play a perfect game, no. If we keep battling, we keep practicing and we keep preparing, we are going to give ourselves that opportunity to win each and every week as long as we don’t beat ourselves.”

 

[DCWV4life]

On the play of the special teams:
"I think our special teams understands the potential that we have to be really good in those areas. When you have a place kicker like Brad [Craddock], who is a weapon, when you have a young man like Will Likely as a punt returner, who is a weapon, and then you have Stefon Diggs as a kick returner and the pressure he can put on people, Nate Renfro, if we can just get him to be a little more consistent, he can be a weapon. We treat special teams no different than offense and defense. We spend a lot of time on special teams. Coach [Andre] Powell does a really good job of coordinating that with the help of other coaches. That’s an opportunity to score points and that’s how we look at it. We scored seven points on special teams the other day and we’ve come close on a couple of returns. Plus, changing field position. Special teams is as important as offense and defense. We spend a lot of time on special teams trying to get it right because we know the value of it, but also because of the so-called specialists that are involved in that part of the game.”
On the play of the defense:
"I think we are playing hard on defense. We’re still giving up too many big plays on defense. Are guys are communicating very well. They are flying around. They are executing what we want. The bottom line is we gave up 10 points, the other seven came off of a turnover. Bottom line, some people may get some yards, but the big thing is keeping them out of the end zone. If you can do that, you got a chance to play good defense. By guys communicating and guys executing it allows us to do that. They are going to get a challenge this week now. [Clint] Trickett has thrown for over 300 yards in his last three or four games. Defensively, we got a challenge, a big challenge this week.”
On if they expect West Virginia backup quarterback William Crest to play Saturday:
“I read the paper like you do against the opponents. I have read the same thing that they want him to get William involved. If they do, we pretty much know what they would run with him. You prepare for everything. You do the things you have to do in order to get ready.”
On the play of quarterback C.J. Brown:
“I thought he got better from week one to week two. I brought him in this morning and we talked before practice. My whole thing with C.J. is we are 2-0. He’s the starting quarterback and we’re 2-0. What do you get judged on? How many you win and how many you lose. He’s quarterbacked two games where we have won. I’m pleased with that. Is there other things that we have to do to get better, yeah. I think I have a pretty good perspective of the position since I played it. I think he’s putting too much pressure on himself. I told him he just needs to let it go. Just let it go and have fun. To me, he’s overthinking things. He’s overthinking things and he’s paralyzing himself a little bit. He’s just got to get back to playing the kind of football he’s capable of playing. Stop thinking too much. I just think he’s thinking too much. He wants to be perfect. When you play like that, you have a tendency to make more mistakes. He just needs to go and execute and do the things he’s coached to do, not over think it, not over analyze it. He’s got to be able to do things people can’t defend and people can’t stop because of his athletic abilities. I just want him to go out and have fun and let it go. Just let it go, stop thinking so much and just go play.”
On the challenges West Virginia’s spread offense presents:
"We see it every day. We go against a spread pretty much every day. They have good athletes. They have a good quarterback that knows where to go with the ball. They have good running backs and good receivers. You got to play your assignment and do your job."
On the rivalry with West Virginia:
"I’ve been playing West Virginia for a long time. I think West Virginia has a really good program. They have a great tradition. Being here at Maryland, it is a boarder rivalry. I think that’s probably the biggest rivalry I've seen since I've been here with no disrespect to the teams in the ACC. I see this one as being more intense than some of the teams we played previously in the ACC. I think it's good that we can get on a bus to go there, they can get on a bus to come here. The fans can go and travel to the games. I think it's healthy for both institutions and it's healthy for football in this area."
Quarterback C.J. Brown
On his growth through the first two games:
"Each week you try to get better and I think I was able to make strides. Obviously, I had the turnovers, and the turnovers we had really set us back, but we are going to try to eliminate those completely as we are facing a good team in West Virginia. It's a big game for us and we are going to try to go out there and get win number three."
On what the team needs to improve on:
"It's really hard to pinpoint one thing to improve on. Overall, we have to be more consistent. Specifically me individually, I understand that as I go, the offense goes. We understand that our number one goal is to not beat ourselves, but that's all we did last week. Luckily, we were able to come out on top."
On wide receiver Marcus Leak's play:
"To have him back is huge. He played a huge role for us last week. When Tavion [Jacobs] went down, he was able to step in. He really filled that void for us and did an excellent job. It feels good to have him out there."
Linebacker L.A. Goree
On playing West Virginia:
"It's always a physical game. They are a physical team and they execute well. Their ability to execute is phenomenal, but last year between the crowd and rain, it just really took it to the next level."
On his strong play to start the season
"When you are playing around some great players, they give you a great vision to the ball. People like Darius Kilgo, Quinton Jefferson, Andre Monroe and Keith Bowers just open up lanes every play. I do the easy job of making the tackle, but they do all the real dirty work."
Tight End Andrew Isaacs
On playing West Virginia:
"They are a very athletic and a very aggressive team, so we have just been focusing on going out there and being aggressive and intense this week."
On the Under Armour Military Appreciation jerseys:
"They look pretty sweet. I just saw them this morning, so I can't wait to get mine and see the special jersey on my teammates and I."
On the performance of the tight ends so far this season:
"We are just doing what we can do to keep making plays, whether it be in the pass or run game, we are just making the best of our opportunities. We've done a pretty good job, but there is always room for improvement. We just have to work on consistency, but we've done a pretty good job so far."
Linebacker Yannick Ngakoue
On linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil:
"He's very eager to get back and I want him to get back. It's his last season, and I want him here so he can make an impact. We both really teach each other different moves and techniques throughout the season. We both learn from each other."
On the Under Armour Military Appreciation jerseys:
"They are very nice. Everything about them is nice. I like the colors and the helmet is really cool. The different type of materials on the helmet is a nice touch. It's a nice uniform."
On the performance of the defense:
"I think we still have some more improvements to make, but at the same time, we've shown a lot of improvements from last season. We can hold up a lot against pressure and can really help our offense out when they need it. We've taking a big step forward from where we were last year, but there is still room for improvement."

 

[WvuDieHard]

On the fans of Maryland..."They will goad you, knock your drinks from your hand, and in many cases try to "Shawn Merriman" you in a crowd." Little known fact, one fat hillbilly will be packin brass knucks and that Shaw Merriman shit will get a rude awakening. Carry on......

 

[DCWV4life]

On the fans of Maryland..."They will goad you, knock your drinks from your hand, and in many cases try to "Shawn Merriman" you in a crowd." Little known fact, one fat hillbilly will be packin brass knucks and that Shaw Merriman shit will get a rude awakening. Carry on......

For a team who has not done much since my dad went there they have some of the crappiest fans...I have heard about the tackling of fans outside the stadium...if that would happen to me or any WVU fan around me they better hope they can get away quickly....I hate crap like that.

 

[Mike]

On the fans of Maryland..."They will goad you, knock your drinks from your hand, and in many cases try to "Shawn Merriman" you in a crowd." Little known fact, one fat hillbilly will be packin brass knucks and that Shaw Merriman shit will get a rude awakening. Carry on......

I think all the Maryland fans will be gone by the half

 

[Zephyrus001]

If a 37-0 stomping at home last year can't get your team stoked to play - then they need to find something else to do on Sturday. Revenge on someone who knocked your teeth in is always a good feeling.....

To BBWVFAN's point, WVU had won the last 7 prior to last season - but MD has kept it close(r) the past few.

2004 (home) - #8 WV 19 MD 16
2005 (away) - WV 31 MD 19
2006 (home) - #5 WV 45 MD 24
2007 (away) - #4 WV 31 MD 14
2010 (home) - #21 WV 31 MD 17
2011 (away) - #18 WV 37 MD 31
2012 (home) - #8 WV 31 MD 21

Note how many times has WV came into the game ranked vs. MD? WV scoring 30 seems to be the benchmark. Let's hope.

I notice how you left out that 2004 Gator Bowl ass whooping MD gave the Inbreds, 41-7. 1999-2004, MD had some very good teams and pretty much owned WV. 2005-2012, yeah ... MD had their struggles with the Hillbillies, but can't win'em all.

Hopefully, it will be a good game and not a blow out on either side.

 

[Zephyrus001]

For a team who has not done much since my dad went there they have some of the crappiest fans...I have heard about the tackling of fans outside the stadium...if that would happen to me or any WVU fan around me they better hope they can get away quickly....I hate crap like that.

Not sure how old you are or your 'dad' is, but MD has had some very good teams under Ralph Freidgen (2000-2010). As a matter of fact, they finished ranked #10 in 2001 and played in the Orange Bowl (lost to a better FSU team in a 56-23 beating), #13 in 2002, #20 in 2003 and finished ranked #24 in 2010.

So, unless you were under a rock -- or are just in denial -- MD has done a few things. They need to play catch up in this series because of that 2005-2012 losing streak vs the Inbreds, but 37-0 in the last meeting is a start.

 

[bbwvfan]

Not sure how old you are or your 'dad' is, but MD has had some very good teams under Ralph Freidgen (2000-2010). As a matter of fact, they finished ranked #10 in 2001 and played in the Orange Bowl (lost to a better FSU team in a 56-23 beating), #13 in 2002, #20 in 2003 and finished ranked #24 in 2010.

So, unless you were under a rock -- or are just in denial -- MD has done a few things. They need to play catch up in this series because of that 2005-2012 losing streak vs the Inbreds, but 37-0 in the last meeting is a start.

How many BCS games did Maryland win during their glory years?

Get out of here with your past #20 rankings. How pathetic are you?