If there's such a thing as friendly trash talking, then that's what has been going on between the Terrapin football team and Oregon State, its Emerald Bowl opponent.
Since the Terps and Beavers found out they'd be meeting Dec. 28 in San Francisco, quarterback Chris Turner has been talking to Oregon State offensive lineman Adam Speer. The two played together at Chaminade High School in West Hills, Calif., and Speer wasn't afraid to let Turner know how the Beavers' defense has treated other quarterbacks this year.
"He tried to reiterate the fact that I guess they knocked out some quarterbacks this year," Turner said. "Two or three quarterbacks. I didn't know about that, but that's something he definitely mentioned."
When the Beavers first found out they would be playing the Terps, Kyle DeVan, another Oregon State lineman, said he couldn't point Maryland out on a map. It wasn't, however, meant to be a demeaning shot at the state or the team.
Turner responded yesterday, also in a non-confrontational manner.
"I mean I can't point Corvallis [where Oregon State is located] out on a map, but I can point out the state of Oregon," Turner said. "But I think even when I committed to Maryland, a lot of my friends - apparently they couldn't point out Maryland on a map, that's for sure."
n What could have been...
Coach Ralph Friedgen lamented on what this year's team could have accomplished had it won some of the close games.
He even thinks the Terps could have added to the BCS mess that college football experienced this season. The Terps blew leads against Wake Forest and Virginia, and Friedgen believes they should have beaten North Carolina and Florida State. The Terps lost those four games by 19 points combined.
"We win those games and who knows where we are," Friedgen said. "We're 10-2, and I said there's a 10-2 team playing for the national championship. And we had the 11th-toughest schedule in the country. We're not that far away, but we gotta win those games, and we gotta be able to finish."
It was a complete turnaround from the 2006 season, where the Terps seemed to win every close game - they were 6-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points. This year, the Terps were 2-4.
"Well, sometimes it's the breaks. You can say last year we got some of the breaks," Friedgen said. "But I think there's a point in time where it's a matter of wills too. You gotta capture the moment. Last year's team - we got some breaks, but we also made some key plays when we had to have 'em, and it was a little more, I think, a senior team than this year's team. I'm not disappointed with how we played; it's just, I said all along, we can play more consistently. That's the thing we have to do."
n Henderson feeling better
Redshirt junior linebacker Erin Henderson has dealt with one injury after another throughout the season. Now, thanks to some extended time off, Henderson is starting to heal.
"I'm feeling better than I have in a long time," Henderson said. "I've had a little bit of time off, a little time to recover and recuperate. I've been doing some rehab in my knee and trying to get that back. My back has loosened up a lot so I'm not having the same issues that I was having with that. So right now, it's just a matter of trying to get as much time as possible to get my body back into top physical shape."
Henderson only missed one game this season.
n Maryland Trojans?
Could the Terps have USC-caliber players? Friedgen compared his wide receivers to the Trojans, in a way.
"All my wideouts are in yellow shirts," Friedgen said, referring to the pinnies that injured players wear at practice. "Like they're playing for USC or something."
Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a concussion and isn't practicing. He is expected to be ready in time for the Emerald Bowl.
Friedgen said wide receiver LaQuan Williams could return to practice as early as Sunday. Williams injured his mediate collateral ligament back in November.
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