When Ralph Friedgen gives thanks at dinner today, the Terrapins football coach will give extra attention to his team ? one that has battled through injuries and early-season adversity, defeated top-ten opponents and remains within one win of being eligible to play in a bowl game.
With all the Terrapins have gone through this season, Friedgen and his players have a lot for which to be thankful.
“I?m playing for my guys, my teammates,” junior linebacker Erin Henderson said. “It?s been a long season, through a lot of adversity and a lot of different things. We?re still hanging together, hanging tough, and we?re going to go out and play for each other like we always do.”
Henderson is battling a back injury and two ailing knees, as the left one will get a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Monday. He?s especially grateful the opportunity to still have the chance to play in a bowl game for the second consecutive year, as long as Maryland (5-6 overall, 2-5 ACC) wins at North Carolina State (5-6 overall, 3-4 ACC) on Saturday at noon.
“You?d think on a 5-6 team, there would be a lot of division and people pointing the finger at each other,” Henderson said. “You don?t see that around here.”
Maryland practicesThanksgiving morning before players have the option to spend the afternoon with teammates or dine at Friedgen?s house, where his wife, Gloria, will serve between 20-25 people.
“We have a table, you feel like you?re in King Arthur?s castle. You can hardly yell down to the guy at the other end of the table,” Friedgen said with a chuckle. “But food is the least of my worries right now. With my wife, obviously, it will always be there.”
Friedgen?s biggest concern throughout this season, his seventh, has been injuries.
Maryland has been without three of its starting offensive linemen ? guards Andrew Crummey and Jaimie Thomas, and tackle Scott Burley ? at times this season. The Terps entered the season without two potential starters in tackle Jared Gaither (academically ineligible) and guard Donnie Woods (pursued career in criminal justice).
Maryland has started 20 players on offense, and Henderson is the lone defensive player to miss a start. But that might change Saturday, as safety Christian Varner missed practice Monday.
“We?re tough, we?re hanging in there,” junior defensive end Jeremy Navarre said. “We lose guys and we come back and we beat some good teams. We?re still pushing. We work hard every day in practice, and nobody has thrown in the towel, so that says a lot.”
