College football might just be the toughest sport in which to win a game on the road.

Somehow, though, playing in a hostile environment has never really bothered Terrapin football teams coached by Ralph Friedgen.

Since 2001 – the year Friedgen started here – the Terps are 17-14 overall on the road and 13-11 in conference road games. That doesn’t even include their 4-2 record in games played at a neutral stadium. The Terps’ 54.8 road winning percentage since 2001 is fifth-best in the ACC, and three of the four teams above them didn’t join the conference until 2004 or 2005.

So why so much success?

“I don’t know what it is,” junior linebacker Dave Philistin said. “That’s interesting. I don’t know, maybe we’re just more awake as a team. Maybe it’s that day off from school we get that Friday.”

This season, the Terps play six games on the road, which is only the second time that has happened during the Friedgen era. Saturday’s contest at Wake Forest is the Terps’ ACC opener and second road game of the season.

This game, however, will be much more of a test than the Terps’ last away game against Florida International when there weren’t even 10,000 people in a stadium that seats more than 70,000.

There used to be small crowds at Wake Forest and even Rutgers, the Terps’ road opponent next weekend. But after Cinderella seasons, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Piscataway, N.J., have suddenly become football hotbeds.

“I was watching the Nebraska game [at Wake Forest on Sept. 8]; that place was sold out,” Friedgen said. “It didn’t used to be like that. I’m sure this is gonna be a tough venue.”

The only noticeable difference in preparation during a week of a road game is simulated crowd noise during practice. During two-minute drills, the coaches will crank up the volume and blast noise through the speakers, hoping to get the players in a game situation.

“That’s the biggest thing, the crowd noise during two-minute drills at practice,” senior running back Keon Lattimore said. “We prepare the same for home and away games. Of course [Friedgen] reiterates all the time how loud it’s gonna be and how hard it’s gonna be to play on the road to someone else’s house, but we prepare pretty much the same way.”

The toughest part of a road game is when the visiting team is on offense, especially for the offensive line.

“It’s definitely a thing that offensive linemen have to be aware of and make sure they hear the quarterback,” said junior center Edwin Williams, who also noted the Terps don’t usually use a silent snap count on the road. “Everything just has to be perfect because there is nothing on your side right now. You may have a little bit of your home crowd there, but it’s an away game: The fans aren’t gonna be nice to you, and you just gotta prepare for it. It’s all about your mental focus coming into the game.”

Last year, there were two close ACC road games that came down to the final seconds. Against Georgia Tech, the Terps lost 27-23 and were unable to score an upset despite having 1st and goal from the 6-yard line. On the final two plays, the Terps appeared flustered, possibly because of the crowd noise, and then-quarterback Sam Hollenbach was sacked twice.

But against Clemson, Hollenbach and the Terps engineered a near-perfect two-minute drill as Dan Ennis drilled a game-winning field goal as time expired.

With five more road games, it’s not out of the question that the Terps could experience that type of situation again this season.

“I keep emphasizing to them if you wanna win the conference, you gotta win on the road,” Friedgen said.

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