Quarterback O’Brien wins rookie of the year
A year after going 2-10 and facing questions about his job security, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen was named ACC coach of the year on Tuesday.
Friedgen was rewarded for his remarkable 8-4 turnaround season, in which the Terps were predicted to finish last in the Atlantic Division, but came within one victory of playing in the ACC Championship game.
“A year ago I was about to be fired,” said Friedgen, who also won the award in his first year at Maryland (2001). “This one is special, really.”
Maryland freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien also was honored by the ACC, winning the conference rookie of the year award.
Friedgen received 29 of 61 votes, winning over Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer (19), Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher (6) and N.C. State’s Tom O’Brien (6). One ballot was left blank.
Maryland’s six-game improvement was second best in the FBS, behind Miami (Ohio), which will play in the MAC title game Saturday a year after going 1-11.
Friedgen said on Tuesday that after last year’s freefall he was under pressure to make staff changes, but resisted.
“I kind of stuck with my guns,” Friedgen said. “This is kind of vindication that I was right.”
Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams said he was thrilled that Friedgen was honored, and used the occasion to take a playful jab at former Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow, now at N.C. State.
“There was a lot of pressure on him this year and he handled it real well,” Williams said. “It’s nice he got his eighth win against N.C. State.”
Terps unlikely to play in U.S. Military Bowl
The U.S. Military Bowl is interested in landing Maryland, but executive director Steve Beck said Tuesday on ESPN 980 that the chance of that happening is “very slim.”
Maryland is more likely to receive an offer from a bowl with a higher payout, such as the Champs Sports (Orlando), Meineke Car Care (Charlotte), or Music City (Nashville).
Beck announced on Tuesday that East Carolina will represent Conference USA in the Military Bowl. ACC teams that could land at RFK Stadium include Clemson, Boston College, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
