The Champs Sports Bowl features two different programs in two different conferences in two different areas of the country. But Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen thinks that his Terps and Purdue have a whole lot in common.
“There are a lot of parallels between our program and Purdue?s,” said Friedgen, whose Terps (8-4) face the Boilermakers (8-5) Friday at 8 p.m. in Orlando, Fla.
Friedgen drew comparisons between himself and Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who entered the season 75-48 in nearly 10 full seasons at Purdue.
“I really think he and I are a lot alike philosophically,” said Friedgen, who is 49-24 in five-plus seasons at Maryland. “I think our schools are a lot alike from an academic standpoint. We were talking about some of that, where he recruits kids and where they fit in football-wise and academically. I see a lot of parallels for their programs and ours, and I consider that a compliment.”
Offensively, both teams have big, pocket-passing quarterbacks, strong offensive lines and depth in the backfield. Like Maryland senior Sam Hollenbach, Boilermakers junior quarterback Curtis Painter can be inconsistent.
“I think once he gets going, he is good,” Friedgen said. “Hopefully, he is not good [Friday]. Something we have not done a good job of is getting interceptions, and turnovers are always going to be a major deciding factor in a game.”
The Boilermakers? offense has been called “basketball on grass” for its spread look.
“More and more teams are running the spread offense,” Friedgen said. “It presents a lot of problems for you with reads from the linebacker standpoints.”
With that in mind, sophomore linebacker Erin Henderson hasn?t quit studying, despite finishing his finals last week.
“I have been studying Purdue a lot because it is an opponent we have not seen much of, and [I am trying] to pick up on some tendencies,” Henderson said. “They are a very explosive offense that can put a lot of points on the board at any given time, so we will have to put our A game out there.”
Maryland has struggled to do that against ranked opponents, justlike Purdue. In games against ranked teams, Maryland is 1-4 while Purdue is 0-4.
“They play hard, and the teams they lost to were good teams,” Terps senior tackle Stephon Heyer said. “It will be interesting to see how we face up against them, but it will be a good game.”
