Maryland Football has Arrived

Since I first came to Maryland in 2005, there have only been two games at Byrd Stadium with close to the hype of last night's game against The U - the 2006 game over thanksgiving against Wake Forest and 2008 against FSU, both of which had divisional title implications. Last night's atmosphere was ridiculous, especially considering that the weather was awful and the game was on a Monday night. Add in that it was the first game of the Edsall era, and last night felt like a turning point for the program.

And oh yeah, there were THE UNIFORMS. After unveiling a whole new line of Under Armour unis two weeks ago, the team debuted an alternate before ever wearing any of the sixteen (!) new combinations. The team ran out of the tunnel wearing white on white - but with a twist. On one side of the helmet and shoulder yokes was the white and red cross of the state flag while the trademark black and gold bars of the other half of the flag adorned the other side. It was, in some ways, incredibly simple yet at the same time it broke completely new ground in uniforms.

We could debate the aesthetics of the uniforms (although not really because those who didn't like them are wrong), but what is certain is that they did their job, which was to get the Terps noticed. Needless to say we've all seen the reactions by now, much of which was negative. ABC asked if they were the ugliest uniforms ever on their national, prime time newscast. LeBron James took time out from being the most hated basketball player alive to tweet his disapproval. ESPN dedicated a large swath of SportsCenter following the game to the design. Carmelo, Deion Sanders and the Today Show chimed in as well.

When was the last time Maryland FOOTBALL was this relevant? Never. The reality is that Ralph Friedgen was fired not because he didn't win enough but because the program had stagnated to the point where even a 9 win season and a great freshman QB still resulted in dismal attendance and no buzz. Now the stadium is packed and people are talking about us. Even if they're talking shit, do we care? We're Maryland, and they're not. We're used to our role as the black sheep. Let's keep embracing it.

the Fighting Kevins, Anderson and Plank, have a threefold goal as it relates to athletic department as a whole and the football program in particular. One is to establish Maryland as the flagship Under Armour program and to reap the mutual benefits resulting. The second is to increase recognition around the program as a whole. The third is to rebrand the athletic department from a marketing standpoint as the school representing Maryland as a whole to increase pride in our teams everywhere from the mountains in Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore. I'd say last night was a great first step. Go terps!