Rutgers Head Coach Chris Ash
 
COACH ASH: Go ahead and get started. Just want to start by just thanking the fans that showed up today. Created a tremendous environment in the stadium and when we needed them most there on that last drive, they were loud. Just really appreciate the fans and the students that showed up to support us tonight.
 
Really proud of our players, our staff. They put a lot no this. This was a big game for us. It's one that we needed and they worked really hard and we knew it was going to be hard. It was going to be a four quarter game. We were going to have to make plays at the end on either side or either phase and we did that and came out with the victory. The team just never quit. Keep fighting and keep getting better and they keep believing in himself each other and that's why we won a game. With that, I'll go ahead and open it up for questions.
 
Q. The defensive stand at the end, and the whole stand -- especially for Isaiah Wharton to be in on that last play after some plays he probably wanted some redemption?
COACH ASH: You know what, I'm happy for the defense. We scored a touchdown earlier in the game that obviously was the difference in the score. But to all those guys, just really fought hard.
 
You know, with what we do defensively with our corners, pass interference calls are going to happen. Whether we agree with them or don't agree with them, they are called and if they are called, that's what they are.
 
But we have to have thick skin. We have to be able to bounce back and Isaiah did that, and we had another opportunity to make a play. He did it, you know, and it was a critical one obviously to win the game. Really happy with all those guys on defense.
 
Q. Do you feel that everyone was prepared and ready to go when they had to make that quarterback change at the end?
COACH ASH: Yeah, we had to go play. We didn't know anything about the kid other than where he's from and where he's at on the depth chart. Our guys continue to execute our calls and play with great effort and be in the right spots.
 
You know, obviously that kid had been well trained. Came in and executed some calls and made some plays and so hats off to him. But we made the plays that we needed to.
 
Q. Certainly looked like that fourth and one play was movement on the line --
COACH ASH: You want me to get in trouble here?
 
Q. Was saying to myself -- that's the part of play that might have made your team collapse last year. What does it say about the ability to stop them from the field goal?
COACH ASH: Might have made us collapse earlier in the year to be honest. That was a big call. The good thing is, though, it didn't go our way, but our players responded, held them to the field goal. And obviously, we give up a touchdown there, and it's going to look a little bleak. The outcome might be a little bit different.
 
The fact that we were able to hold it together and overcome it and hold them to a field goal was huge. That was a huge swing in the game right there.
 
Q. The feedback off that, went down for a touchdown, 11 plays, did you sense that really swung the momentum, the touchdown to tie the game?
COACH ASH: Yeah, it did. I think it did. I think our offensive line played outstanding today. I think our running backs ran exceptionally hard today. O-Line ran blocked. They protected quarterback pretty well today.
 
But honestly, I never felt like at any point in that game that we couldn't go down and score -- if we didn't make mistakes and we protected the football. A couple drives where we had things going, we made a mistake or two, that stalled a drive, but those last two drives, obviously to tie and to take the lead, they were very well executed, very well called. And just so happy with the O-Line and all the offensive players to be able to do that.
 
Q. Then you win the game, basically on a passing play to Gus Edwards. What about that call, in particular, and do you think the run almost set up that pass there?
COACH ASH: Yeah, you know, again, it just comes down to execution more than anything, you know. We call a particular play, defenses are in certain calls and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.
 
Obviously when they work, it looks like a great call and everybody's happy and you know, everyone's a genius when they work and when they don't, everyone's wondering what the hell you did.
 
But I thought it was a good call, well executed call. It happened to be matched up against the right defensive call that Maryland had, and you know, Gio -- we protected Gio, threw the ball, Gus caught it, made a guy miss and went for a touchdown. Yeah, great call. Well executed.
 
Q. Kiy Hester made a couple more big plays today. How big has he been, especially with all the injuries to the secondary?
COACH ASH: Well, just -- I'll single him out. He got obviously huge interception. He's had opportunities for some really big ones and could have had an unbelievable year statistically right now from interception standpoint.
 
But he's a guy that's been around here a lot. He's played a lot of football. He made some really key plays in critical situations for us and to be able to do what he did today was outstanding.
 
The secondary, I can't say enough about those guys. You know, to be where we're at from an injury standpoint and to be able to play the way that we've been able to play; it's not always pretty and it's not always perfect, but we're doing what we need to to give yourselves a chance to win. So that whole group is really outstanding. I can't say enough about what they have done.
 
Q. Do you start thinking about possibly contending for a Bowl game?
COACH ASH: I don't even want to talk about that. I can't want to hear about that. I'm worried about letting our players celebrate this victory. We've got a huge game next week. We go play a really good team next Saturday in a really tough environment, a team that just obliterated us last year.
 
We've got to worry about getting better. That's our focus. That's been our focus. And I know fans and media want to talk about that stuff. We are not talking about that one bit here. It's about celebrate this one, show up tomorrow, reset our focus and just try to keep getting better.
 
Q. What does it say about your secondary that you are able to go to guys and trust guys like Zane Campbell, Dacoven Bailey, Jawuan Harris, guys that were not really in the mix a couple months ago?
COACH ASH: It's about preparation. It says a lot about their preparation, their focus. We talk about game reps and mental reps. They may not get a lot of game reps in practice with the first or second team, but they are getting mental reps. They are playing attention in meetings and when their opportunity comes, they are ready to go.
 
It does say a lot about those kids that they really care about their performance, and they really are concerned about when they get their opportunity, that they are ready to go, and they have done an outstanding job with that.
 
Q. What are your first impressions of Gio's performance, the numbers aren't great but --
COACH ASH: You know what, we needed to run the ball; we did that. We knew we had to pass some, and we did that. There were a few drops today, too. There were some huge plays out there that late in the first half, you know, Jerome dropped a really big play that may have put points on the board there at the end, so it's not all the quarterback. But he managed the game, protected the ball and did what we needed to do.
 
I don't know, we didn't have any turnovers today, did we -- I don't count that. I count that as no turnovers again today. So that's three in a row in my opinion. You guys may write differently, but that's three games in a row and we won the turnover take away battle today in my opinion.
 
Big shout out to the kickoff coverage team. Those guys came to play. That was a really good kickoff return team. They have some dangerous returners back there. I keep talking about our kickoff return team is really a microcosm of our culture. We've got offensive players, defensive players, freshmen, older guys that come together and know how important that one rep is. They flew down the field today and they were physical today, and they changed the field position with that unit. I was so proud of those guys.
 
Q. From an injury standpoint, Janarion, later in the week, did something change where he couldn't go, and any update on K.J. Gray?
COACH ASH: No update on K.J. Gray. Took obviously a pretty big hit and was out. I don't know what that will mean for the future.
 
Janarion went out of the Michigan game last week. Was not able to get game ready as we went through the week and Kemoko was kind of the same thing. Kemoko suffered an injury during the week. It was really a game-time decision on whether he could go or not. He gave it a try, went out and had some reps and was unable to go a whole lot today.
 
So we're a little banged up, but everybody is. And again, next man up. Thought Elorm came in and did a real nice job; CJ Onyechi played today, some at that position. Hopefully we get him back.
 
Q. You guys were 8-for-14 on third downs today. How important is that to sustaining drives and wearing down the Maryland defense, especially late in the game?
COACH ASH: Yeah, it's everything. Third down, we talk about critical situations and our playing to win, and third down is the one that comes up the most.
 
In the games that we've lost, we have not been really good on third down. The games that we've won, we've been able to and today we were pretty good on third down. We were able to run the ball, that's the most important thing, and more third and shorts and third and mediums. Stay out of third and ten, your third down success is going to be a lot better, and that's what we were able to do today because we could run the ball.
 
Hats off to the offense for staying on schedule and putting us in those third and short and those third and medium situations that are a lot easier to convert.
 
Rutgers Player Quotes
Rutgers running back Robert Martin
On the three conference wins: "We have always said we can make a bowl game. We're the only people that believe in ourselves. We go out to work every day. We're going to go back to work tomorrow and we know we're capable of getting to a bowl game, but we just need to keep practicing each and every day."
 
On watching the last defensive drive: "I thought to myself 'man, the defense has to go out there and hold it down for us' and they did. The defensive backs played wonderful. The d-line is playing well and that energy was there tonight."
 
On the success of the run game: "I knew from the beginning they couldn't stop us. They didn't have an answer for it. The offensive line played really well and all of the running backs were getting down hill. They all did a good job. Even on special teams, it was a good day."
 
On the difference between the first half of the season and now: "We now know our true identity. We know the plays that are going to work for us. We know our bread and butter and we're relying on that. We trust our coaches and everything is working out."
 
Rutgers defensive back Kiy Hester
On how he feels out there in the secondary: "I got hurt earlier in the year and I was banged up a few weeks. But yesterday, coach Busch said I looked like myself out there, so that gave me more confidence. Once I got out there today, I was running around and I felt good. I knew it was going to be a great day."
 
On guys stepping up to fill roles in the secondary: "We have a lot of versatile guys. We used Dacoven [Bailey] last year with some defensive stuff, so we know he's fast and aggressive. He stepped up today and played well."
 
On the difference between the start of the season and now: "Honestly, we were just shooting ourselves in the foot. We had missed coverage, missed tackles and things like that. But with the Purdue game and this one, in the Purdue game we had a goal-line stand and in this game we had a red zone stand, so it was huge."
 
Rutgers quarterback Giovanni Rescigno:
On the touchdown pass to Gus Edwards: "That was the call. I saw the blitzer and I threw it. Gus made a great play and a great catch."
 
On being effective on third down today: "That's really good. You want to have a good third down percentage in those situations. We just had really good play calls. Credit goes to the o-line. They did a great job of run blocking and a good job pass protecting. I think I was only touched once, but that's not on them. I think they did a really good job."
 
On his touchdown run: "We ran that play a couple of times and the guy came down and I just pulled it. It was a couple times that we ran that play, and Jerome [Washington] made a great block for me on the outside and it was a good way to score a touchdown."
 
On what he thinks of the low passing total: "I don't care if I threw for 20 yards and we won the game, because at the end of the day we won the game. You don't have to throw for 300 yards to win a game. Not sure who thinks that. I know it may seem like the passing game is in trouble, but we ran the ball really well. Sometimes you don't have to pass the ball when you run the ball like that and you only have to pass in certain situations."
 
Rutgers running back Gus Edwards
On establishing the run: "It definitely kept us going. When we establish the run, we feel very comfortable and that it opens up our offense so that we can do whatever we want."
 
On the team's improvement: "I think that we're playing with a lot of momentum right now. We're playing as a team and have been getting a lot of good team wins. We just have to keep it up."
 
On his scoring play: "It was a play that we worked on a lot at practice. Me and Gio [Rescigno] were on the same page and he made a great pass."
 
Rutgers defensive back Isaiah Wharton
On playing as a team: "No matter what the record is or what the score is, we just love each other and that's honestly what it comes down to. We play really hard for each other, and it's been showing."
 
On the play of Kiy Hester: "Kiy, he's a veteran and he holds us together. When we lost the Ohio State game, that was a big loss for us, but he kept us under composure. He knows where all 10 of the other defenders need to be and he's like our quarterback back there. He makes the plays and he has the talent. We needed him a lot and it showed today."
 
Maryland Head Coach DJ Durkin
Opening Statement: "I thought we didn't make enough plays to win the game and they did. It came down to that. I was proud of (quarterback) Ryan Brand coming in at the end of the game in a tough spot and I think he did a great job of leading the team, driving us down the field. We had a chance during the end but, I don't know, we really shouldn't have been in that spot really. There were plays left out there on both sides of the ball. We didn't make the plays we had to."
 
On quarterback Ryan Brand coming in at the end of the game: "He gets minimal reps with the (first team). Obviously your No. 1 quarterback has to get a majority of the reps, if not all of them. Ryan is that type of kid. He's very intelligent, conscientious. He always prepares like he's going to play every snap. It's really his first game action right there, but he always prepares the same way.  It was good to see. Credit to him. There were a lot of guys who made big plays on that last drive. I thought he handled things very well."
 
On wide receiver Taivon Jacobs: "Taivon did well today. He had some big catches, plus third down. He showed some toughness too. He took a few hits there in the middle and kept on going. Made a big play, the ball could have been picked, he was playing defense there. That was big. That gave us a chance then to throw it in the end zone after that."
 
On the touchdown that was called back: "I didn't see the hold on the field. I was watching the coverage and the routes. I don't know. I didn't see if it was a good call or not. That's a tough one right there. The last play to DJ (Moore), it looked to me like it was (pass interference). They showed it on the big screen afterwards and it looked that way."
 
On Ryan Brand being the first quarterback in: "He's done a great job preparing all year long and he's earned that spot like any other position. He's a guy who has earned it through preparation."
 
On defenses rolling coverage more to wide receiver DJ Moore: "Teams are definitely scheming for him. He had another eight catches today, so teams are definitely keying on him, scheming for him, as you would expect. It's providing opportunities for other guys too."
 
On running back Jake Funk's growth and development: "Jake does a great job. He's really good in blitz pickup. He's a talented runner. He can catch the ball in the backfield. He's a complete back. He really is. That's why his role has continued to grow. He starts on all five phases on special teams for us and on offense, he's a complete package. I think there are some other guys that are too. He's part of a rotation back there. We've certainly used him situationally a little bit and will continue to."
 
Running Back Ty Johnson
On what Rutgers did to negate their offensive efforts early on: "They did their scouting. Every team does their scouting. They executed their plays. They had it in for us. Certain plays probably gave off cue tendencies that we do. They just played over top on certain plays and certain formations. They did their thing. Had to take some time to figure out a play that was going to gash them."
 
On whether the distribution of backfield carries is beneficial or not: "I think it keeps guys fresh. Some backs need one or two carries to get the flow of it, but, it's just one of those things. It's a hit or miss. When you feel it, you feel it. It definitely keeps us fresh and we just have to keep playing."
 
On playing a bit more as a receiver the past few weeks: "It's just moving guys around, getting guys open in space to make plays. I like it. The other running backs like it, so it's another tool to put in our arsenal for us to get open and make plays."
 
On what he saw from QB Ryan Brand on the last drive: "He came in and he executed. It just shows how mature he is to come in and navigate the offense. He did his thing. We'll see how things go for him going into next weekend and get ready for next weekend."
 
On having to win two out of the next three games to be bowl eligible: "We have to come ready to practice to execute. We have to come in, execute, be detailed and execute on the field. That's what we'll have to do to get the next two out of three."
 
Linebacker Jermaine Carter, Jr.
On the series against Rutgers: "It's been crazy since I've been here because every game has been a good game. It's been fun. I just wish we could've came out on the winning side today."
 
On whether Rutgers's running back rotation gave them an advantage: "I don't think being fresh was the problem. Like I said, they had a lot of situations where they were third-and-short. Their running backs do a great job of running behind their line. So, it's kind of hard to find those guys. We just have to be better and prepare for next week."
 
On whether they expected a run on Rutgers's third-and-six touchdown pass: "No. We called a pressure but we didn't execute the pressure. We didn't have the man on the back. Those are things where we have to pay attention to details and need to be better. Sometimes we lack focus and that was one of those plays."
 
On what he's telling his teammates after tonight's loss: "We just have to keep pushing. We have to execute. That third-and-6 that was a major play. Obviously, it was the game winning touchdown so in situations like that we need to execute. We need to stay on the books and whatever the coaches tell us to do we have to do it."
 
On having to win two out of the next three games to be bowl eligible: "We just have to prepare and progress. Hopefully our preparation leads us to a victory."