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After weeks of speculation, mockup sketches, and lots of teasers, Under Armour and the University of Maryland football team officially unveiled the latest version of the Maryland Pride uniform Thursday evening at an event in Baltimore. The new threads are, in a word, amazing:
#TERPS #MDPRIDE pic.twitter.com/EqelTHvDRB
— Rachel Klein (@RKleinFOX) September 19, 2013
Better photos tonight on @thedbk: pic.twitter.com/X860FbTZWx
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) September 19, 2013
More pictures of the new #Terps uniforms coming. pic.twitter.com/racp5EZJw3
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) September 19, 2013
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) September 19, 2013
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) September 19, 2013
One more picture of the uniforms. Then I'm going to go do normal things. pic.twitter.com/kvfqaxWGDt
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) September 19, 2013
The highlight and missing piece of the uniform puzzle, which was kept under lock and key, is the new helmet, which is the real wow factor of the entire ensemble. Hand-painted, they are designed to look like a billowing flag, and certainly have the unique factor down pat.
Here's a closer look at the helmets, from an Under Armour video.
Here is that video, of the helmets being painted.
Designing a uniform in which 90% of the fabric consists of a bright color like red is hard and can easily result in someone looking like they belong on Sesame Street rather than the gridiron. But Under Armour did a nice job balancing out the red with a subtle homage to the black and gold aspects of the state flag. Together with the new helmet, Maryland has another flashy look that is sure to grab the attention of recruits (several of which will be attending Saturday's game), the Terrapin fan base, while providing them with additional exposure nationally.
Maryland's athletic department has been advertising and marketing this game as the Border Battle in Baltimore, telling fans we have to "Protect Our State."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BorderBattle&src=hash">#BorderBattle</a> in Baltimore this Saturday. Where will you be? <a href="http://t.co/fDowCePAla">pic.twitter.com/fDowCePAla</a></p>— MarylandFootball (@MD_Football) <a href="https://twitter.com/MD_Football/statuses/380031089974079488">September 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
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They now have their new Armour for battle. The only thing left to do is beat WVU.