The most immediate question in the wake of the news that Maryland will ask Ralph Friedgen to take a buyout and retire after the season is this: who will coach the Terps in their bowl game? Maryland is headed to the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium on December 29, where they'll play East Carolina, but with offensive coordinator James Franklin headed to become Vanderbilt's coach and Friedgen headed toward unemployment, who is left to coach them?
As it turns out, the answer is, well, Friedgen. According to CSN's Chick Hernandez, Friedgen will coach the bowl game, despite being cast aside.
Despite being forced out Ralph Friegden WILL coach his Terps in the Military Bowl.
This seems pretty amazing on the surface, but it might simply be by necessity. Franklin is gone, and he's taking several assistants with him, so Friedgen's really the only option. That presents an interesting scenario, with Friedgen coaching a team that's played hard for him in front of very few local fans in his final game on the job.
Testudo Times is all over this story here.