Maryland Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall said Thursday that he's optimistic senior linebacker Kenny Tate will be able to play in Saturday's non-conference match up with No. 8-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (12 p.m. ET on FX). Tate has been recovering from a surgically repaired knee that was injured last season. The injury has kept him out of the Terrapins' first three games of the 2012-13 season.

"He's been good this week," Edsall told the media on Thursday. "Hopefully there won't be anything that comes out."

If Tate (6'4, 230 pounds) is to return, it would be a big boost to the Maryland defense, which is facing the nation's second-best passing offense (386 yards per game). Last season, Tate was the Terps' leading tackler (8.8 per game) before he suffered the season-ending knee injury. Tate was also a consensus preseason all-conference selection.

For more on Maryland football, visit the SB Nation blog Testudo Times, while The Smoking Musket has everything on West Virginia.