Maryland Football News

January 24, 2007

Terps Release 2007 Football Schedule

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland department of athletics and the Atlantic Coast Conference office today announced the Terrapins’ 2007 football schedule.

The 12-game slate is highlighted by seven opponents which participated in bowl games during the 2006 season. Maryland played nine bowl teams last year, which ended with a dominating 24-7 victory over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl, the Terps’ fourth postseason appearance in the last six years. The third straight bowl win was a school record.

Maryland followers will once again enjoy a strong six-game home schedule which features four bowl teams from a year ago, including three ACC foes and West Virginia. The Terps were 6-1 at home in 2006 and just one win away from reaching the ACC title game.

The Terps, who ended last year with a 9-4 record (5-3 ACC), open the season vs. Villanova (Sept. 1) at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium before hitting the road to face Florida International (Sept. 9) for the second straight year.

Maryland will then gear up for a tough stretch which includes four straight games against teams ranked or receiving votes in the final 2006 polls.

The Terps will play host to a Thursday night game for the first time since 2005 when Virginia Tech came to town. Maryland will face regional rival West Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 13 with the match-up being shown nationally on ESPN. The Mountaineers have won the last three in the series, but the Terps have captured three of the last four meetings in College Park.

“We once again have a very difficult schedule, but an exciting one for our fans,” Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We play seven bowl teams (from last year) and our non-conference schedule is extremely tough with West Virginia and Rutgers.”

After facing WVU, the Terps hit the road to face defending ACC Champion Wake Forest (Sept. 22) and Rutgers (Sept. 29), which was undefeated through much of the 2006 regular season.

The Demon Deacons and Terps meet yearly as members of the Atlantic Division, but Maryland and Rutgers have not played since 1942. The Scarlet Knights ended last season ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll and the Demon Deacons were 18th.

Following the two-game road trip, the Terps enjoy a three-game homestand over the course of a month. Georgia Tech, which like the Terps received votes in the final 2006 AP poll, comes to College Park on Oct. 6 as the first of four ACC opponents. The Ramblin’ Wreck edged the Terps, 27-23, in Atlanta last season and went on to win the Coastal Division title.

After an open date (Oct. 13), Maryland plays Virginia (Oct. 20) and Clemson (Oct. 27) in back-to-back weeks. Those meetings last year were the two of the more thrilling ones of the 2006 campaign. The Terps rallied from a 20-0 deficit in Charlottesville, Va., for a 28-26 victory. Dan Ennis’ 31-yard field goal as time expired gave the Terps a 13-12 win over Clemson in Death Valley.

The final month of the season will be a difficult stretch with three road games, beginning with a trip to Chapel Hill on Nov. 3 to face North Carolina.

Boston College comes to College Park on Nov. 10 for the final home game of the 2007 season. The Eagles, ranked No. 20 in each poll at the end of 2006, defeated the Terps, 38-16, in Chestnut Hill last season.

The final two games pit the Terps vs. Florida State (Nov. 17) and North Carolina State (Nov. 24). The Terps defeated each at home last season during the season-long five game winning streak. A 26-20 win over NC State was followed by a 27-24 triumph over perennial league power Florida State.

The Terps are scheduled to return 42 letterwinners, including 15 offensive and defensive starters, to next year’s squad. They will have nine starters back on offense, but need to replace Sam Hollenbach who was just the fifth Maryland quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in his career. He was one of six Terps to play in postseason all-star games this month.

Game times for 2007 will be announced at a later date.

Maryland football season-ticket renewals and new season tickets are available exclusively online at umterps.com beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29. Full adult season tickets are $233 until April 1 ($187 for faculty/staff and young alumni; $133 for youth; $456 for a family 4-pack). Fans who order by April 1 save $12 per ticket and as an added bonus, all online orders will also receive a free, limited-edition Maryland Terrapins/Under Armour poster.



Source: University of Maryland Athletics Media Relations Department