I’ve allowed myself over 30 hours to drink up the comments made by former University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen on my radio show Thursday afternoon.

In that time, I’ve heard from Terrapins fans around the globe. I’ve seen the interview written about by national outlets like ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today, New York Daily News, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, Washington Times, Washington Post and more. I’ve been told the interview has been discussed on national and local radio shows, TV shows, message boards and more. I thank everyone who passed along the conversation via Facebook, Twitter and more traditional conversation.

The interview, which happened live Thursday on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net, can be heard here in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault. I wholly encourage you to listen to the entire interview, as the context can be lost in transcription.

Of course, here’s the part where I share with you the transcription again, courtesy of the Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens…

Clark: I think the one thing everyone wants to know is what are you up to right now?

Friedgen: Well, right now, I’m sitting on my deck looking over the marsh into the — reading a USA Today.

Clark: Not a bad life.

Friedgen: No, I’m enjoying it very much. I do miss our players. I don’t miss all the other stuff, but I do miss the players. I miss the interaction with them. I miss dealing with them. I’m a little bit surprised I don’t miss all the stuff that goes around.

Clark: Well, you did it —

Friedgen: Forty-three years. I may get back into it. I may have a couple other things that pop up. I may be back, so we’ll see.

Clark: Is it tough for you to watch? Have you sat down and watched any Maryland games or is it tough for you to do that. I know you love the kids, but I also know you’re a Maryland alum, and it’s got to be a little painful.

Friedgen: Well, it’s not painful because I watch it for the kids. I could care less about Maryland. I’ve burned my diploma. I’m flying a Georgia Tech flag right now.

Clark: [laughing] That’s hurtful coach. I don’t want to hear that. I’m a Maryland alum.

Friedgen: Well, they talk about Maryland pride. They didn’t show me a whole lot of Maryland pride, either getting the job or getting fired.

Clark: OK.

Friedgen: I had a unique experience. I couldn’t get the game last week so I had to go to a sports bar to watch it. I never knew all that stuff went on, people cheering for all this stuff. It was a whole new experience. My daughter came down this week. I went fishing with her. I’ve never done these things with my kids. She caught a 28-inch redfish. She was ecstatic. I never experienced some of this stuff. It’s like my whole life has changed. I’m kind of catching up on some things I probably should have done a lot earlier in my life but haven’t been able to do it.

You know how it works. 15 positive football observations, 7 “not so” positive football observations and one “oh no” moment from outside the world of football.

You might be able to guess what it is.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

15 Positive Observations…

1. Towson has a legitimate chance against Maryland next week, and everyone knows it

Let me start by reminding everyone how happy I am for the Tigers. I love Rob Ambrose, I love the entire TU program. My girlfriend is a Towson alum. She’s also MUCH prettier than I am. I’m thrilled for the school after their Homecoming blowout win over Colgate (heard as always on AM1570 WNST.net) and their 3-0 start…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKl0F5lsAPg[/youtube]

It’s just that…I can’t even begin to think about how much crap I’m going to take if the Tigers end up going down to College Park and beat the Terps at Byrd Stadium. After the GARBAGE performance Maryland put together against Temple, there has to be concern…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MjuCdYnesQ[/youtube]

Yeah. I’m sweating.

2. I can’t figure out if I’m happier for Buffalo or Detroit at 3-0

What I do know is that both of their games Sunday were AWESOME…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgF_9Kxhgqs[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKpZnZ8fUvI[/youtube]

If I don’t get the Ravens in Indianapolis, I feel as though I’d be willing to accept Bills-Lions. It’s the next most likely scenario, right?

3. As soon as the Texans regained a 4th quarter advantage, I absolutely knew the Saints were going to march back down and win the game

I just didn’t know it would happen after a very elaborate game of pinball…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rtBowfEXgI[/youtube]

Do you think anything previously came up when you YouTubed Kevin Walter?

4. Clemson was just so very un-Clemson-like Saturday

I’m so confused. The Tigers were clutch in big victories in back to back weeks. Don’t they know who they are???

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS0PJjgV0Jc[/youtube]

We’re not a month into the season, but Tajh Boyd is the ACC Player of the Year thus far. I know weirdos who care about things like that.

Oh, and Florida State’s Rashad Green has a question. Who builds a brick wall around a football field?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDTi1znVjSQ&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

5. This week in “Why the SEC is better than you”, Marquis Maze and Morris Claiborne might not have stopped running yet

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2CJUuR3ypU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihvnMC1h95U[/youtube]

You know how impressive Alabama is? They beat a Top 15 team thoroughly and their amazing punt return TD might not have been the coolest play of the game…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7vrngQ2KZ4[/youtube]

How do you think the Crimson Tide would do against Temple?

As a side note, I have NO IDEA what the story is behind the LSU “grandma kegstand” video making the rounds on YouTube, but I can understand why some folks believe it to be awesome…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTgHismrNo0[/youtube] 

6. I was way wrong when I started the season with the Oakland Raiders at the bottom of my power rankings

They’re better than that. They’re certainly faster…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhUbvrI8MqM[/youtube]

Darren McFadden. Denarius Moore. Michael Bush. Jacoby Ford. Darrius Heyw-four out of five ain’t bad.

Side note. The fake Kevin Anderson Twitter account mentioned Sunday that Ravens WR Torrey Smith had more TD receptions Sunday than DHB has had in his NFL career. It is what it is.

Oh, and here’s the picture of Jets QB Mark Sanchez getting his nose set after having it broken…

Ravens-Jets Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Creativity is in your corner, Charm City.

7. Cam Newton wasn’t amazing this week, but I’m guessing this is the first of what will be a bunch of wins for him

One of the few cool things that happened in this one was Blaine Gabbert’s monsoon hail mary toss to Mike Thomas…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykDKf9BN-HE[/youtube]

The rest of everything that happened in this one was pretty awful. At one point the score was 5-3 Panthers. I had assumed it was the 2nd inning and Brian Matusz started for the Jaguars.

Statement from University of Maryland on ACC Expansion

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Comments from University of Maryland President Dr. Wallace Loh and director of athletics Kevin Anderson regarding the addition of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University into the Atlantic Coast Conference:

President Loh:

“As one of the founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the University of Maryland is proud of its long tradition of academic and athletic excellence. Today, we welcome two distinguished universities – Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh – that are a very good fit with our conference. They join a group that includes some of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country. We look forward to collaborating with them in our educational and research enterprises and competing with them across a broad range of sports. The University of Maryland is proud to be a part of a conference that spans the entire eastern seaboard, with a continuing and vibrant future of national leadership in higher education and intercollegiate athletics.”

Director Anderson:

“It’s rewarding to think that there are a number of prestigious institutions like the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University that want to become a part of what the ACC has become both on and off the field. These two institutions are a great fit for the league based on the quality of the athletics programs and based on the quality of their academic reputations.

“We already compete against Pitt and Syracuse in a number of our sports and have appreciated the quality and sportsmanship of those teams. The competition against quality programs in a number of sports will certainly enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

“From a regional standpoint, adding these two high-quality schools will enhance the marketing footprint of the league. Both Pittsburgh and New York City will offer the conference new opportunities to attract fans in all our sports. We look forward to discussions about the future of the league and would encourage a future expansion.”

– Terps –

Comcast Floor to be Named in Honor of Gary Williams

Dedication will take place in December

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The floor of the basketball court at Comcast Center will be named in honor of Gary Williams, former head men’s basketball coach. The dedication will take place in a formal ceremony on December 9, 2011.

The recommendation was made by University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh, and unanimously approved by the university’s Facilities Naming Committee, the Chair of the Alumni Association Board of Governors and Chair of the Board of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. The recommendation was then approved by University System of Maryland Chancellor William “Brit” Kirwan.

“Gary has been a faithful alumnus, a highly successful and iconic figure in men’s college basketball across the nation, a fierce competitor, and a tireless fundraiser on behalf of student scholarships,” said Loh. “He has been the face of Maryland men’s basketball for more than 22 years. Gary led the Terps out of historic Cole Field House into the Comcast Center. I can think of no better way to recognize his success and his contributions to the University of Maryland than by naming the floor of the basketball court in Comcast Center in his honor.”

“I’m honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” said Williams, who announced his retirement in May. “It’s important to remember that the success we achieved at Maryland was a team effort and all the coaches, student-athletes and staff who were here are a big part of this. I’m very appreciative of the effort by Kevin Anderson, President Loh, Chancellor Kirwan and everyone else who has been a part of making this happen.”

The naming of the court honors Williams’ prolific 22-year career as head coach of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team.  Since he assumed the post of head coach in 1989,

§ Williams led his alma mater’s basketball program from last place in the ACC to both national and conference success.

§ As of March 2011, Coach Williams was the fifth winningest active coach in the country and the third winningest coach all-time in the ACC.

§ Williams has amassed an impressive 461-252 record during his time at Maryland and, in 2006, surpassed the legendary Lefty Driesell as Maryland’s winningest coach.

§ Williams led the Terrapins to 14 NCAA Tournament berths in the last 18 seasons, including seven Sweet 16 appearances, a pair of consecutive Final Four showings, and the 2002 National Championship.

§ In 2010, Williams was named the ACC Coach of the Year, and Maryland shared the 2010 ACC Championship. In addition, Williams has received numerous honors and awards, including being inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame, Greater Washington Sports Hall of Champions and the Baltimore Sports Legends Museum Hall of Legends.

In his 22 years of service both on and off the court, Williams has embodied the Terrapin spirit of “giving back.”

§ As a scholarship co-chair for the University’s Great Expectations: The Campaign for Maryland, Williams has traveled across the country to raise money for student scholarships at a time when the need for scholarship funding has been particularly great.

§ He is a generous donor to the University of Maryland himself. Williams also supports numerous charities in the community and throughout the state.

§ He is also a leader in the nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer initiative and serves as member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council.

“Gary is a respected alumnus, coach and leader in the college basketball community nationally,” said director of athletics Kevin Anderson. “His student-athletes are tremendously loyal, which speaks of Gary’s care and support of those on his teams. One of the fiercest competitors to have coached, Gary has always felt a similar passion for his alma mater.”

“Gary started his career as a high school teacher. It’s fitting that we honor him with the naming of the Comcast Center court – a place where he achieved unparalleled success in his own classroom.”

– Terps –

I’ll admit it. When Kevin Anderson seemingly lost out on his first choices to fill the football and basketball head coaching positions in a four month span, I was down on him. I was very down on him.

In late December/early January, Terps fans across the area were sure Mike Leach was going to come to Baltimore. Leach had his question marks, but he was going to bring excitement and most importantly ticket sales to College Park. Even if it took a couple years to get back to consistent Top 25 status, Leach’s brand was immediately going to appeal to those potential season ticket and suite buyers.

When Kevin Anderson ultimately hired the consistently good but not great Randy Edsall, the vast majority of Terrapin nation was disappointed.

Fast-forward to May when Gary Williams surprisingly stepped down from his longtime position as Terps basketball head coach and the face of Maryland athletics.

Anderson, or “KA” as he is referred to on Maryland message boards, was going to act swiftly and bring Sean Miller to College Park. Those surfing the Internet for rumors were positive that Kevin Plank, Kevin Anderson, and Steve Bisciotti were all on a plane to Las Vegas with suitcases and sales pitches in an effort to bring the Arizona head coach back to Maryland.

Sean Miller would consistently have Maryland in the top 10 with his amazing but somewhat sketchy recruiting. Miller would lead the Terrapins to the peak of their potential. Why wouldn’t he? They have a top notch arena, one of the most fertile recruiting bases in the world, and they play in arguably the most storied and historic conference in college basketball.

In short, Maryland needed Sean Miller. Anderson wasn’t going to leave Vegas without him.

But he did. And his next phone call went to Mark Turgeon, the guy who was on a camping trip with his family and almost didn’t get service in time to take Kevin Anderson up on his interview offer.

The rest is history. Mark Turgeon, the widely respected but relatively unknown coach from Texas A&M, was taking over for the legend of Gary Williams.

Two coaching searches in four months, both being the revenue sports of basketball and football, is a dream for any new athletic director. Anderson had a perfect situation. He was the new man in charge at one of the most prominent athletic universities in the world. This was his chance to establish himself as one of the top AD’s in the country.

Personally, I thought he whiffed on both searches. I felt he secured two quality coaches, but not the elite hires that I wanted and that I felt the Terrapins deserved.

Boy was I wrong.

As I’m writing this, we are about eight hours away from the most anticipated Terps football game in a long time.

The hype is unreal. Byrd Stadium is going to be sold-out. The Terps are in prime time on Labor Day on ESPN.

And for a guy in Edsall who wasn’t going to bring excitement or swagger to College Park, that fashion show of a uniform unveiling was pretty sweet…at least in my “young guy’s” opinion.

Mike Leach would have brought a jaw-dropping offense to College Park. He would have been a dream for members of the media around here who live off of interesting/outlandish quotes and press conferences.

I’ve heard numerous different opinions about the new Maryland football uniforms.

Awesome. Horrific. Way too much going on. Sweet! What were they thinking?

For me, it isn’t so much the actual designs of the uniforms that I am concerned with, although I do think they look pretty sweet.

Rather, it is the new brand that the athletic department at Maryland is trying to create that excites me as a longtime fan of all things Terrapins sports.

Forward-thinking people or groups usually come out on top in today’s society. Take a look out west to Oregon. Oregon is one of the top 10 most recognizable programs in the country right now. Why is that?

When someone says Oregon football, what is the first thing you think of?

For me, the first thing is their uniforms. The second thing that comes to mind is an image of Autzen Stadium on a Saturday night, widely considered one of the best home field advantages in all of college sports.

When I broaden the thought to Oregon Ducks athletics in general, I also think about the new basketball court that they debuted last year.

Check out the title of this piece: Oregon’s crazy new basketball floor is quintessentially Oregon.

Crazy = Quintessentially Oregon.

Grandpa on his couch might not care about crazy. He might say that he doesn’t care about looks, only wins. Drew Forrester might be too much of an old man to like these new uniforms. He might say “Screw that, just win baby!”

But you know who does care? You know what group of people aren’t too old?

Recruits.

You know how you win in college sports?

RECRUITS!!!!!!!

How many of you reading this play Madden or NBA Live on Xbox 360 or PS3?

How many of you same people play around with the different uniform combinations or switch to the alternate jerseys before playing?

Why do you do it? Because it’s cool. Unique is attractive.

To these teenagers, the show that Kevin Anderson, Kevin Plank, and the rest of the university orchestrated on Monday night was awesome. It was cool.

It set Maryland apart from the N.C. State’s and Virginia’s and Boston College’s of the world that the Terps are competing with.

Again, Maryland is now unique.

Just like Oregon’s Nike branding and partnership with Phil Knight has set them apart from the Oregon State’s and Stanford’s of the world, Under Armour and Kevin Plank are working to set Maryland apart from the rest.

This is a new era of Maryland football. Kevin Anderson. Mark Turgeon. Randy Edsall…

One of the biggest marks of a new era is a new look. A new feel. New houses might be really nice inside, but without a new coat of paint, no one is going to want to buy it.

I love Gary Williams, but Mark Turgeon has been the anti-Gary Williams on the recruiting trail. The athletic department gave Turgeon the budget to go after Dalonte Hill and bring him to College Park.

Randy Edsall is set to lead what should be one of the best Maryland football teams in quite some time.

Times are changing in College Park. Personally, I feel they are changing for the better.

Maryland’s new look not only represents that change, but continues branding the Terps with Under Armour.

And it starts branding Maryland, in the eyes of future recruits, as a cool place to go play sports.

This a cool brand. And the recruits that Randy Edsall and Mark Turgeon are chasing want cool.

N.C. State isn’t cool.

Right now, Maryland is cool. The Terps have the swag.

The true test will come on the football field and basketball court when Randy Edsall and Mark Turgeon have to prove that actions speak louder than looks. I get that. We all do.

But the looks, even if you think they’re horrific, are going bring action to these new coaches.

Just ask Chip Kelly.

Props to Kevin Anderson, Kevin Plank, and the entire athletic department and university for thinking ahead, being proactive, and making a clear effort to brand Terrapins sports in a newer and better light.

The new uni’s are cool, at least in my opinion. But they represent more than just a change in looks.

How far that change takes Terrapins nation remains to be seen…

I wandered down to College Park Monday night to see the Maryland Terrapins unveil their brand new Under Armour football uniforms at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

The entire event was highlighted by Terps DL AJ Francis, who delivered a Ric Flair-style entrance and then capitalized by giving his best WWE promo to WNSTV…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVeRmSy2834&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

(If you’re interested in more pictures of players in the uniforms, UMTerps.com has a gallery, including the photo of QB Danny O’Brien below.)

In the 24 hours following the unveiling of the uniforms, I’ve heard/read a ton of responses. Just amongst WNST staff members, I’ve seen Nestor Aparicio use terms like “tacky” and “ugly” while our youngest contributor Peter DiLutis described the threads as “SICK” via Twitter.

For the most part, bloggers and analysts have been less than positive in their comments about the new duds, while younger Maryland fans and the players themselves have offered overwhelmingly positive feedback.

(For what it’s worth, I think some of the uniform schemes are fine-in fact some are pretty cool. Some of the color combinations however should just be avoided altogether. I’m not particularly enamored by the font or the numbers, but I like the state flag use and I will admit that I dig the turtle shell helmet scheme. That being said, I’m a Maryland fan. It’s unlikely they’d create a uniform scheme I completely hated.)

One of the most common themes in the light of the uniform unveiling, which included significant involvement of UA CEO and former Maryland Special Teams captain Kevin Plank, was that it appeared as though Maryland was trying to become the “Oregon of the East.”

Oregon athletics have been widely known to receive significant financial support to Ducks alum and Nike CEO Phil Knight. A high profile part of Nike’s involvement with Oregon athletics has been the school’s ever changing football uniforms, which Baltimore Ravens TE Ed Dickson and his former teammates prominently displayed in pictures like the one below…

We’ve had plenty of fun pointing out the over the top nature of Oregon uniforms in recent seasons. The uniforms they wore for the BCS Championship Game this past January were the subject of a number of giggles throughout the sports world, including a few comments about how parts of the uniform appeared to be designed by highlighter.

Sounds like a nice problem to have, doesn’t it?

You see, critics of the Oregon uniforms were complaining about the threads the Pac 10 champions wore while they were PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland has self-reported secondary NCAA violations in football from last season under the previous coaching staff that will limit practice time for this year’s fall semester and limit involvement by interns for fall practice.

The athletics department reported violations in regards to the number of countable athletically-related hours that student-athletes had during the 2010 fall semester. In addition, some administrative interns involved with football were in attendance during non-mandatory summer workouts prior to last season.

“We’re disappointed that this happened,” said first-year head coach Randy Edsall. “It’s important to me that we always abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA. We have put a plan in place to deal with this situation, and I’m glad we can now begin to put this behind us. We’re looking forward to August 9 when we get on the field for the first day of preseason practice.”

In the process of self-reporting the violations to the NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference, the athletics department suggested self-imposed penalties and remedies that will be in place for the upcoming season. The athletics department learned Friday these penalties were accepted by the NCAA.

“We have already put processes and controls in place to better ensure things like this don’t happen in the future,” said director of athletics Kevin Anderson. “It’s fundamental to me and to the department that we operate with integrity and do things the right way as we move forward. Our view is that we need to deal with the past so we can be better tomorrow.”

In response to exceeding the countable hours last year, the football team will be limited to 17-1/2 hours of athletically-related activities per week during the semester. This is a 2-for-1 penalty imposed since the department reported that an extra 1-1/4 hours per week were used last season over the 20 allowed. This penalty will be imposed only during weeks when fall classes are in session.

Because the majority of coaches and staff involved are no longer employed by the institution, letters of admonishment will be sent to the two retained football coaches and all non-coaching staff members still employed.

In regards to summer activities, the football administrative interns will be restricted from observing and participating in on-field activities during the preseason practice period in August. The graduate assistants will be prohibited from participating in the first 16 practices in August, also a self-imposed 2-for-1 penalty.

Rules-education sessions regarding playing and practice-season regulations, as well as rules involving permissible and non-permissible summer activities, will be conducted with all football student-athletes, coaches and football-related staff.