COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -Not too long ago, Maryland entertained hopes of playing in the Orange Bowl as champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Terrapins had just defeated then-No. 17 North Carolina, a comeback victory that fueled the possibility of spending the final week of the year sitting pool side in Miami before playing in a prominent BCS game.
Then came a 37-3 loss to Florida State and a 28-21 defeat at Boston College.
Forget the suntan lotion and bathing suits. Instead, the Terps (7-5) will be packing gloves, scarves and heavy coats for a trip to chilly Idaho, where they will face Nevada in the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 30.
“It’s definitely some kind of disappointment. But you have to sleep in the bed you made, deal with the consequences,” center Edwin Williams said Tuesday. “At the same time, we’re still going to a bowl game.”
r 29 seniors on Maryland’s football team.
“I’m just happy I’m not going to be sitting at home during Christmas break watching other guys play,” defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre said. “You’ve got to take what you get. I’m happy we’re still practicing, to be honest with you. That’s all I really care about.”
It will almost certainly be cold and windy in Boise, but that doesn’t mean the Terrapins intend to spend the days leading up to the game holed up in their hotel rooms watching television and calling home.
“It’s not one of those places when you’re a kid you go, ‘I want to go to Boise, Idaho!’ But, at the same time, it’s going to fun,” Williams said. “We’re going to be doing a lot of sledding and tubing and skiing. I haven’t done that since I was like 9 years old. We’re all going to have a good time, I can guarantee you that.”
There’s also the matter of playing Nevada (7-5), which is averaging 37.5 points and scored at least 31 in each of its last eight games. A victory would make this a successful season for the Terrapins, who are seeking their fifth eight-win season in the last eight years.
“Winning this game is very important, not only to our seniors but to our football program,” coach Ralph Friedgen said. “Eight-and-five is a very commendable season, and winning a bowl game is a springboard to next year. It carries you through the whole winter.”
rapins to decide whether to go to Idaho for the game, they didn’t hesitate.
“If they didn’t want to go, we wouldn’t have gone,” Friedgen said. “To a man, they all want to go. I think it’s pretty special for them; it’s an accomplishment.”
Williams’ first two seasons at Maryland ended without a bowl bid. Since then, he’s played in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco and now the Humanitarian Bowl.
“The last two bowl games, to be honest, I forgot we even had a game we were having so much fun,” he said. “There’s no such thing as a bad bowl.”
Instead of playing in the Orange Bowl, Williams will play on the famous blue artificial turf at Bronco Stadium.
“I just really want to see this blue field,” he said. “That’s probably one of the top things I want to do when we land.”
Notes Maryland is preparing for the game without two coaches who left this month. Defensive coordinator Chris Cosh signed with Kansas State and special teams coach Danny Pearman has gone to Clemson. LBs coach Al Seamonson is serving as interim defensive coordinator. … This could be the last game at Maryland for junior WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, who is considering entering the NFL draft.
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