More Notes and Quotes Following Maryland's Win Over West Virginia

After Maryland's dominant, 37 point shut-out win over West Virginia on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, there were a number of topics worth of discussion following the game; the dominant performance of the offense, the atmosphere in Baltimore, and the new uniforms were just a few. But here are some additional tidbits from the game:

• Maryland beat West Virginia for the first time since January 1, 2004, when they trounced the Mountaineers 41-7 in the Gator Bowl.
• Maryland improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2001, Ralph Friedgen's first season at Maryland. They won the ACC that season and represented the conference in the Orange Bowl.
• Today was Maryland's first shut out since October 18, 2008, when they shut out Wake 26-0.
• Maryland improved to 3-1 in games at M&T Bank Stadium.
• The final attendance number for the game was 55,677.

And most importantly, this:

Yes, that is a turtle icon, a ">" sign, and a mountain icon. Well played, Maryland. Well played.

Head coach Randy Edsall was very pleased with his team's performance on Saturday, but began his press conference by praising the Ravens and Under Armour, saying "Before I get into talking about the game, I just want to thank the Ravens and the organization for hosting us here today. It was great working with them and they did a tremendous job for us here today. We're very appreciative of their efforts and their hospitality and everything they did. I want to also thank Under Armour for their continued support and I mean those uniforms, what can you say? They just hit another home run."

Edsall said it has been rewarding to see this team continue to improve and listen and do what the coaches are telling them. He thinks it's great that they're 4-0, but still thinks there is a lot of room for improvement: "Here we are a third of the way through our season. We're 4-0. We can't be better than that. But as a coach, there's still plenty of room for improvement and we can get a whole lot better. Again, I think anytime you get your kids to play hard and play every play like it's the last play they're ever going to play, you've got a group of guys who really care about each other and love one another and you win a turnover battle and you can get physical, you've got a chance to win. I'm very happy that we're 4-0 right now."

You get the sense that Edsall is very happy to see his kids doing well and benefiting from what he and his coaches are teaching, especially after all of the adversity many of these guys experienced last season. "I really like our team. I've preached it from day one that everyone's got to go out and practice like they're a starter because they never know when that opportunity's going to arise. Isaac [Goins] and Will [Likely] played very well today and A.J. Hendy steps in at the nickel for us and picks a ball off and gets a touchdown. They did a great job in coverage and we were able to get some pressure up front, so it's neat to see. It's neat to see from the standpoint that the things we're telling our guys come true if they just do those things that we ask them to do."

Maryland's players all seemed to love playing in Baltimore, in front of a big crowd, while wearing their awesome new uniforms. "It was crazy" linebacker L.A. Goree said following the game. "We haven't beaten West Virginia in [10] years. We wanted to come out with a statement. Even with the rain, we had the students and our families here, and it was just a great feeling."

Tight end Dave Stinebaugh was excited to be playing in his hometown when he scored his first collegiate touchdown. "To be here in Baltimore, the hometown, and get my first touchdown catch, it was definitely a good outcome."

Maryland's defense, which held West Virginia to about 120 yards before a late 51 yard rush in the 4th quarter, was magnificent. Maryland did a great job getting pressure on quarterback Ford Childress, but they also excelled at sealing up running lanes and making tackles. A casual observer who just takes a look at the box score from this game might think that Maryland's performance against West Virginia had more to do with WVU's play than Maryland's. Regardless of which of those are true (honestly, it's probably a little of both), the biggest takeaway was Maryland being fundamentally sound on defense. They made tackles when they needed to, wrapped up receivers and prevented them from getting yards after the catch, all while playing very disciplined football.

A.J. Hendy, who had an interception in the game, thought the Terps did well very well containing some of the talented players WVU has on offense; "West Virginia's offense has some good receivers. They're quarterback has a strong arm but I feel like today we had a good plan for them and we prepared well."

When asked about the play of Will Likely and Issac Goins, Hendy said "They played great, we have a great group. Our defensive back group is stacked. We've got some great players."

Edsall said he has preached to the players that the need to practice like they're starters because they never know when they might have to step into that role: "I really like our team. I've preached it from day one that everyone's got to go out and practice like they're a starter because they never know when that opportunity's going to arise. Isaac [Goins] and Will [Likely] played very well today and A.J. Hendy steps in at the nickel for us and picks a ball off and gets a touchdown. They did a great job in coverage and we were able to get some pressure up front, so it's neat to see. It's neat to see from the standpoint that the things we're telling our guys come true if they just do those things that we ask them to do."

What did you all think of the game? A lot of good things for Maryland, but I'm still a little surprised they did so well considering the average play of the offense on Saturday. But when your defense holds your opponent to as many 1st downs as they have turnovers, you're probably going to win a lot of games.

We'll have more soon on Maryland's offensive performance, Brad Craddock's great night kicking (and how former Ravens kicker Matt Stover helped him prior to the game), and how the Terps' defense shut down West Virginia.