Deep concern about the upcoming Terrapin football season flooded my mind after The Fridge finished his thought at Tuesday’s weekly press conference, which went something like this: “It’s hard to tell if the team is excited.”
Excuse me?
This is college football, not freshman English.
The comment raised my eyebrows as well as those of other reporters in the room. The Fridge continued, saying half the time he’s not confident the players understand his point.
After digesting these two thoughts, it is apparent this season’s key to success relies not on The Fridge’s newly added responsibility of play-calling or Sam Hollenbach’s right arm, but the players’ level of enthusiasm.
With The Fridge at the helm, this program has had winning seasons and losing seasons. With a minimal amount of star power, the Terps have won (’03) and lost (’04). This year’s team has both – meaning we could be looking at an ugly 2-6 conference record or could be pleasantly surprised by a 4-4 ACC mark.
In order to do that, these Turtles must be Thirsty (note to the bar owner: I’ll take a free drink or two in exchange for the free publicity). And judging by conversations with junior safety Christian Varner and senior punter Adam Podlesh, it seems like the Terps are ready and willing to gulp down some wins.
Varner spoke passionately against The Fridge’s assertion that the Terps lack energy, swearing the team is fired up and will turn in a spirited performance tomorrow.
“We’re excited, we can’t wait till Saturday,” Varner told me convincingly. “We’re ready to have a winning season, and we’re ready to change things around here.”
Podlesh described how on Monday night, he and roommates Hollenbach and senior kicker Dan Ennis could hear the band practicing from their apartment, which got them stoked for the atmosphere tomorrow. I had goose bumps.
This is the excitement the players need, and I’ll take it a step further. While I typically roll my eyes at unnecessary displays of enthusiasm, it is what this Terrapin team desperately needs to inject more energy into this program.
Let’s see the MJ/Kobe/Jeter fist pump from Hollenbach after a second-down completion for a first down. Let’s see the Big Papi elaborate handshake between Lance Ball and his offensive lineman on the sidelines following a touchdown run. Let’s see the Brandi Chastain shirt toss after … well, maybe not quite that. But you get the idea.
This is not a call for showboating, but rather for emotion and passion coming from a program that has posted a 6-10 combined conference record in the last two years.
Consistent passionate play could be the difference in road games at Georgia Tech and Virginia. Couple that with flawless performances from Hollenbach in home games against Florida State and Miami, and maybe we’ll see students rush Chevy Chase Bank Field.
The guess here is that the Terps win three of four non-conference games, three of eight in the ACC, and sneak into the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise with a .500 overall record.
Even if the inspired play does not translate into a bowl game, at least when we see Varner leap into Testudo’s Troops after an interception, we’ll know that these Terps are excited.
Contact columnist Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.
