Post by elp525 on Sept 18, 2011 5:21:22 GMT -5
09/17/2011
Chip Fontanazza
Colllege Park, Maryland
Saturday’s West Virginia game wasn’t the first time Randy Edsall lost to the Mountaineers, but it was the first time he did so as Maryland’s head coach. Just like many times before, Edsall came away impressed with what he saw from the Mountaineers.
“We didn’t get it done today because West Virginia is a good team and we made some mistakes,” said Edsall. “I guarantee you every day you will get the best effort out of this program. That’s what we should be doing and that’s what the people who support this program deserve.”
Last season, when Edsall was at UConn, his team held WVU quarterback Geno Smith to 160 yards passing and no touchdowns, in what was an overtime victory for him and the Huskies. That wasn’t the same story this year. Smith more than double last year’s total with 388 yards and one touchdown.
This time, Edsall saw the real Geno Smith and he was a little surprised by his performance.
“I thought Geno Smith had a very good day,” explained Edsall. “I thought he threw the ball more accurately then when I remember last playing against him.”
“We were expecting them to pass the ball a lot, so we weren’t really surprised at how many times they threw the ball,” said UM junior safety Eric Franklin. “[West Virginia’s] offense gives guys a lot of space and we were just trying to get them on the ground as fast as we could.”
Geno Smith wasn’t the only player who impressed Edsall and the new look Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins were able to work their way back into the game in the second half. UM was down by 24 points at halftime, but a flat Mountaineer defense came out of the locker room and the Terps were able to fight back. Late in the fourth quarter Maryland was within three points of WVU and they had the momentum late in the game, but the Mountaineer defense was able to seal the deal.
“West Virginia is a very good team and they got the better of us today,” said Franklin.
“We had it at the end,” said junior defensive tackle Joe Vellano. “It could have gone either way. It’s still a loss, but I thought the team showed a lot of heart coming back at the end.”
Down by six points, Maryland was driving the ball down the field. Then the drive and the game ended when WVU senior safety Eain Smith intercepted Danny O’Brien’s pass with less than two minutes to go.
“We had a chance to win.,” stated Maryland sophomore quarterback Danny O’Brien. “The defense held them to three and kept us in it. I just had to be on the same page [with my receiver] and we would have probably scored if I’d hit that.”
The Mountaineers’ performance at Byrd Stadium left an impression against the Terrapins and now WVU is preparing to make that same impression against the LSU Tigers on Saturday night.
Chip Fontanazza
Colllege Park, Maryland
Saturday’s West Virginia game wasn’t the first time Randy Edsall lost to the Mountaineers, but it was the first time he did so as Maryland’s head coach. Just like many times before, Edsall came away impressed with what he saw from the Mountaineers.
“We didn’t get it done today because West Virginia is a good team and we made some mistakes,” said Edsall. “I guarantee you every day you will get the best effort out of this program. That’s what we should be doing and that’s what the people who support this program deserve.”
Last season, when Edsall was at UConn, his team held WVU quarterback Geno Smith to 160 yards passing and no touchdowns, in what was an overtime victory for him and the Huskies. That wasn’t the same story this year. Smith more than double last year’s total with 388 yards and one touchdown.
This time, Edsall saw the real Geno Smith and he was a little surprised by his performance.
“I thought Geno Smith had a very good day,” explained Edsall. “I thought he threw the ball more accurately then when I remember last playing against him.”
“We were expecting them to pass the ball a lot, so we weren’t really surprised at how many times they threw the ball,” said UM junior safety Eric Franklin. “[West Virginia’s] offense gives guys a lot of space and we were just trying to get them on the ground as fast as we could.”
Geno Smith wasn’t the only player who impressed Edsall and the new look Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins were able to work their way back into the game in the second half. UM was down by 24 points at halftime, but a flat Mountaineer defense came out of the locker room and the Terps were able to fight back. Late in the fourth quarter Maryland was within three points of WVU and they had the momentum late in the game, but the Mountaineer defense was able to seal the deal.
“West Virginia is a very good team and they got the better of us today,” said Franklin.
“We had it at the end,” said junior defensive tackle Joe Vellano. “It could have gone either way. It’s still a loss, but I thought the team showed a lot of heart coming back at the end.”
Down by six points, Maryland was driving the ball down the field. Then the drive and the game ended when WVU senior safety Eain Smith intercepted Danny O’Brien’s pass with less than two minutes to go.
“We had a chance to win.,” stated Maryland sophomore quarterback Danny O’Brien. “The defense held them to three and kept us in it. I just had to be on the same page [with my receiver] and we would have probably scored if I’d hit that.”
The Mountaineers’ performance at Byrd Stadium left an impression against the Terrapins and now WVU is preparing to make that same impression against the LSU Tigers on Saturday night.
