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Maryland's Seniors Expect Emotional Goodbye Vs. UVA

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Maryland receiver Quintin McCree has no intention of getting emotional Saturday during the ceremony before his final game at Byrd Stadium.

"I'm not a big crier, or someone who breaks down," McCree said Tuesday. "I'll probably smile more than anything and be ready for the game."

The Terrapins will honor 15 seniors and fifth-year junior Shaquan Virgil before facing Virginia. It will be an emotional afternoon for a collection of players who have experienced plenty of ups and downs since coming to College Park.

McCree expects to have 16 family members and friends in attendance. The very last thing he wants is to have his final home game ruined by the Cavaliers (5-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).

"I want to go out the right way," McCree said. "I don't want to go out with a loss, so I'm going to give it everything I have on Saturday."

It's been a whirlwind ride for McCree and the upperclassmen. The Terrapins went to a bowl game in 2008, sunk to 2-10 in 2009, then bounced back to win the Military Bowl last season under coach Ralph Friedgen, who was fired in December.

This season has been a struggled under new coach Randy Edsall.

Maryland (2-6, 1-4) has lost four straight and needs to win the rest of its games to become bowl eligible.

"It's not the season we wanted, but we still have a chance to reach our goals," said Webb Dulin, a senior who plays on special teams. "We've got four games left and it starts this weekend against Virginia. We can still do some great things and redeem ourselves."

It's hard to imagine the struggling, injury-riddled Terrapins winning out and finishing 7-6. But a victory over Virginia would go a long way toward enhancing the memory those 16 players will take away from Maryland.

"This is a very important game for the seniors, a very emotional game," Dulin said. "It's been a tough year for us and
it would mean a lot to get a win in our last game at Byrd Stadium."

Dulin, a 5-foot-8, 175-pounder, almost certainly won't be playing football in the NFL. So this represents his final chance to perform for his family and home fans.

"Saturday is huge for me," he said. "My parents and grandparents are going to be here for my last college football game in Byrd Stadium. It might be one of the last games I ever play on the football field. Just to be able to go out there and play against a good team and get a win would mean a lot."

Senior defensive tackle Maurice Hampton wants to walk off the field at Byrd for the last time with absolutely no regrets.

"You don't know what it's like until after you leave, but I know when I hit the field that day, I'd better do everything in my power to stop everything," he said. "Because when I look back on this 10 years from now, I'm going to think about this game. I'm going to think about my last home game here at the University of Maryland."

Defensive back Trenton Hughes played high school football in Virginia, so the importance of this game goes beyond merely playing at home for the final time.

"Since I'm a Virginia Beach kid, this is big for me. My whole family is going to be coming up here," Hughes said. "I want this really bad, especially at home at Byrd Stadium. I'm definitely going to get a win out of this, no doubt in my mind. There's no room for negativity. I'm looking to (finish) 7-6 and moving on with my senior year in a positive way."

Each of the 16 players honored Saturday will probably look back at their experience at Maryland in a different way.

"Florida State was my favorite team growing up," McCree said. "To be able to play there and have a big game (nine catches for 177 yards), that's going to be a big, big memory for me."

Dulin said, "What I'll remember most is the hard work that went into playing Division-I football at a great university. Not everyone can do it. It's been a lot of adversity, and I've grown a lot, both mentally and physically. It taught me a lot of important things that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life, in my career -- whatever that ends up being -- and how to raise my kids in the future."

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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