As he prepares for his biggest game of the year against Florida State, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen has one less worry. He will return next season, Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson announced Thursday.
The move is a vote of confidence for Friedgen, who has one season left on his contract. After going 2-10 last year, Friedgen has guided Maryland (7-3, 4-2) to an impressive turnaround and a promising future with several young players, including freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien.
“I’m excited about the direction of the program,” Friedgen said in a press release. “Right now we’re just concentrating on Florida State.”
How the Terps finish this season could determine whether Friedgen will get an extension. Offensive coordinator James Franklin is due $1 million if he is not named head coach by 2012.
Their focus now, however, is on Florida State (7-3, 5-2). A win Saturday would set up a game with N.C. State (7-3, 4-2) that would decide the ACC Atlantic division.
“Not too many teams have gotten a chance like this,” said senior linebacker Adrian Moten, referring to last year’s 2-10 free fall. “We owe it all to destiny.”
Moten and the Terps have been here before. Two years ago, Maryland led the division but lost to Florida State and Boston College in the final two weeks. In a similar position in 2006, the Terps lost to contenders Boston College and Wake Forest.
The last time Maryland had a game with this much at stake was the 37-3 loss to Florida State in 2008. The game was on a Saturday night in November at Byrd Stadium, with the Terps and their fans wearing black. Two years later, it’s a similar scenario.
“Those games, we kinda felt like we’d accomplished enough, but [this time] we’re not satisfied,” senior linebacker Alex Wujciak said. “We’ve been waiting for one of these games for a while. I don’t think anybody thought we’d be in contention. We still got a lot to prove. It’s gonna be a fun ride.”
The Terps hope the ride goes all the way to ACC Championship game.
