What the Terps and coach Ralph Friedgen told the Associated Press about playing Oregon State Dec. 28 in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

Defensive tackle Dre Moore: “I’ve never had a chance to go to the West Coast before. This is the one I wanted.” (The Terps could have played in the Humanitarian Bowl on the blue field at Boise State University, or they could have picked the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.)

Linebacker Erin Henderson: “We’ve been to Carolina three times this year alone. ... I’ve never been to the West Coast beyond Phoenix. To have the opportunity to go out there and play a football game against a team you really don’t know much about, it’s something different. You get so used to playing the Virginias and N.C. States. This is exciting.”

Quarterback Chris Turner (who is from the West Coast):  “Now my family can come. It’s like a five- or six-hour drive, but it’s definitely more manageable than flying across the country.” 

Friedgen: “It’s a little more exotic to go to San Francisco, a place they’ve never been before. ... Obviously it’s a tougher trip for our fans in this area, but we also have a very big fan base out in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I’m hoping those people will come out and support us, and I think we’ll have a lot of fans that want to go to San Francisco.”