Maryland linebacker Cole Farrand greets fans before the Terps defeated James Madison University, 52-7, at Byrd Stadium on Aug, 30 2014.
While attending Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta Township, New Jersey, Cole Farrand played football games on Saturday mornings.
So when the Terrapins linebacker sprinted out of the tunnel under the lights at Byrd Stadium for his first contest as a college athlete — a prime-time matchup with then-conference foe Miami — the nighttime sky and the near-sellout crowd compounded the excitement of a life-changing moment for the then-freshman.
“It was electric out there,” Farrand said. “Fireworks were shooting off, and I was running out of the tunnel. I had never had that happen before, so I was kind of looking up and looking at the fireworks.”
The Terps rode that charged pregame atmosphere to an inspiring 32-24 victory over the Hurricanes in coach Randy Edsall’s debut. But the Terps have played just one night game — a loss to Clemson later that year — on this campus since.
When No. 12 Michigan State visits Byrd Stadium on Saturday for an 8 p.m. kickoff, the Terps will return to prime time. And once again, they are anticipating the type of energy found under dark skies and bright lights.
“It’s definitely exciting,” said Farrand, now a senior starting inside linebacker. “Night games are always more fun. The fans turn out better because they have more time to travel and get to the stadium. Everybody is a lot more excited.”
Perhaps equally as important as the game time, though, is the opponent the Terps will face on the field: the Spartans.
The contest will provide Edsall with his 10th chance to topple a ranked opponent as coach of the Terps. Five of the past nine attempts were home losses, including a 52-24 thrashing at the hands of then-No. 20 Ohio State on Oct. 4.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Edsall said, “but also a tremendous challenge at the same time.”
Like many of the top-flight teams in the nation, Michigan State has athleticism, talent and consistency on both sides of the ball.
With a physical pass rush and a stout run defense, keyed by a physical front seven and aggressive play from safeties Kurtis Drummond and R.J. Williamson, the Spartans rank fourth in the Big Ten in total defense.
Their offense, led by junior quarterback Connor Cook, ranks second in the conference with 44.6 points per game and leads the conference with 271.2 passing yards per game.
Aside from those totals, though, Farrand said the most “frustrating” aspect of the Spartans offense is its ability to avoid mistakes.
Cook, now in his second season as a starter, has thrown 19 touchdown passes this season to just five interceptions, while the unit in total has lost four fumbles all year. Not to mention, the offensive line has allowed six sacks over nine games.
“He’s able to make quick decisions,” nose tackle Darius Kilgo said of Cook. “So the one thing for us is we’re just going to have to put pressure on him. We’re going to have to get in the backfield, just cause some distraction back there and not let him sit back there and make deep throws.”
The Terps hope another large, rowdy crowd will help spur a heightened pass rush from a group of linebackers and defensive lineman that has sustained success against the bigger bodies of the Big Ten this season. Defensive end Andre Monroe is third in the conference with 7.5 sacks, while outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue ranks second with 12.5 tackles for losses.
For many of the roster’s younger players, that nighttime crowd will be a memorable one, just as Miami was for Farrand.
And with the lights illuminating a football game at Byrd for the first time in about three years, the Terps hope to recreate that defining victory over the Hurricanes.
“It was definitely awesome,” Farrand said. “We’re hoping to have one of those nights again.”
