Maryland's AD Hears the Fans. He Says the Program Can't Play to Them

Maryland athletic director Jim Smith went on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore on Thursday and took the question every Terrapins fan has been asking since Saturday: how much should the noise around the football program matter?

His answer, as reported by Jack Sheehan of 247Sports, was that it matters and it can't run the place. Smith said the staff has to respect the fans and their frustration, "but you can't let it dictate" how the program operates. The team's job, he said, is to block out the noise while staying aware of what people are feeling.

The frustration has a specific source. Maryland lost 35-26 to Virginia Tech at a sold-out SECU Stadium on Sept. 19, falling to 2-1 after trailing 27-14 at halftime. Smith told the station the first half was as bad as it looked and the second half was a different game, crediting the coaching staff's adjustments at the break.

Smith described a standing weekly meeting with Locksley in which the two go through the game plan and the film, sort out what worked and what did not, and turn to the next opponent. He said the team is thin at running back, praised quarterback Malik Washington and the receivers, and said the players are ready to get back on the field.

That chance comes Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET, when Maryland opens Big Ten play at home against UCLA.

Read the full story at 247Sports: Maryland AD Jim Smith on fans' football frustration, his meeting with Mike Locksley.