Recap | Final Stats | Notes

Rutgers Head Coach Kyle Flood

Opening Statement:
"To say I'm proud of this group is probably an understatement. It's a group of players that you all have heard me talk about all year, about how special of a group they are and how hard they work in the offseason. We played a very challenging schedule and they kept battling every step of the way; tonight they had to do the same thing. I felt like we had a chance to make some plays in the first half. We didn't do a very good job of that. In the second half we made those plays, and we made enough of them to win today against a good football team."

On defense from first half to second half:
"Maryland has got a talented offense, so it's really just a step here, a fit there, a wrap and roll on a tackle instead of getting stiff armed; it's the little things that really make a difference. If you go back and watch the film, we had guys free to the ball we just didn't make the play. We did a better job of doing what we do in the second half."

On Gary Nova's legacy at Rutgers:
"Gary has done a lot in his career at Rutgers and he will go down as one of the all-time greats even before playing this game. Does this game add to his legacy, of course it adds to it, but I don't think it defines Gary. I think it's a great example of what he is and what he has done for this program. I didn't realize until after the game that this was the largest comeback in the history of the program. It doesn't surprise me that Gary would be involved in that."

On defense after fumble in fourth quarter:
"Great job by our defense. You could see that Robert Martin was really disappointed that he put the ball on the ground. I grabbed him right away and told him that he was going to be a big part of why we will win the game tonight. The defense was telling Robert not to worry and that they would get the stop. They believed going onto the field that they were going to get the stop."

On turning point of the game:
"I think the drive to start the second half was the turning point; that's a 14-point swing. Without that I don't know if we would have had enough time to come back. That created some momentum for us for the rest of the game."

On halftime speech:
"I told the team what I told them at the start of the game; we are going to empty the tank. This was game 12 for us and we came down here to empty the tank and give them everything we had. We made some corrections and talked about the things that we could do better. I told them that they were going to look up at the scoreboard at some point and we were going to be in the game and have the lead, and sure enough they proved me right."

On entry to the Big Ten:
"When we were brought in, I thought that we were a perfect fit for the Big Ten. From a football standpoint, nine bowl games in ten years, from an academic standpoint we've achieved very high from an APR or GSR standard. I think our culture athletically and academically fits the culture of that of the Big Ten. First impressions in life matter, and I think we've made a pretty good first impression at Rutgers."

On mixing it up on offense:
"You don't want to be one dimensional. I think it makes it hard for your linemen up front if you become one dimensional and just throw the ball every down; then they have to put up with the blitzes and the pass rushes. Looking at the stats at half time we were pretty effective running the football. Both Josh Hicks and Robert Martin had a good first half. We felt like we could mix it up and have good plays. We had three receivers over 100 yards, so guys were catching the ball too."

On character of the team:
"For me, it just confirms how I've felt about this group all along. Even in the games that we couldn't come back, I never felt like they ever quit. The effort level was excellent and I have been proud of their effort level all year. What the team has found out is that if you play with that kind of effort all game, good things will happen. For the rest of their lives, they will be able to say that they were a part of the biggest comeback in the history of the program."

Rutgers Players Senior Quarterback Gary Nova

On the win:
"It is a great team win and a great way to end the season. On top of all that, it is great to get a win for Coach Friedgen back here at Maryland."

On this game being the highlight of his career:
"Yeah I'd say, but not just for me. Being a part of this group, with these guys. The way we fought back, through adversity, and the way we just fed off each other."

On being down big in the first half:
"In the first half, we missed on some opportunities. We knew it was more us, they did a good job, but we knew if we hit some of those plays, we had the opportunity to score some points. If we got some of those opportunities in the second half, we could be right back in the game."

Senior Linebacker Kevin Snyder

On stopping Maryland on its last possession:
"The first time we ran it, we ran it down the backside and did a really good job. The second time we ran it, it was nothing special, we just slanted right into the play and ended up getting them in the backfield. I was there at the end I guess I get credit for being there."

On the defense's effort:
"It is a half of a gem. We gave up three points in the second half and held them to minimal yardage. Obviously, the first half is not what you are looking for, but I just thought it was amazing how the guys came out with energy in the second half. It's very tough when you are down like that and you give up that many points in a row, but like I said earlier, that is the special teams and the offense giving us the energy we needed."

On having a winning record:
"It feels really good. Coming from a 6-6 campaign when we ended up 6-7 last year, it is good to take that step this week, get this win, and go into bowl prep on a high note."

Freshman Running Back Robert Martin

On the late fumble:
"It definitely took the life out of me, but I had to rely on my defense, and thank them as soon as they made the stop."

On what keeps the team fighting:
"Just knowing that we can compete with anybody. Just knowing what we are capable of doing. Throughout this game we had good, solid drives, we just weren't capitalizing. We knew they couldn't stop us, so we just kept thinking we had to get seven each drive."