West Virginia

Quote of the day is from Maryland tight end Matt Furstenburg about the West Virginia fans: “You go in there and no one likes you. Even the little kids don't  like you. I've seen little kids curse at you.” Maryland heads to Morgantown on Saturday as four-touchdown underdogs against the No. 8 Mountaineers. That's the biggest spread I've encountered in a Terps game since I've been on the beat. Maryland coach Randy Edsall began his Tuesday media session with this: “We've got a tough one this week, that's for sure.

When Maryland plays at West Virginia on Saturday, the two schools will continue a rivalry appearing to possess all the elements required for healthy football hostility. There is history - 48 meetings dating back to 1919. There is proximity - the campuses are within a four-hour drive. In many years, there has been competitive balance. West Virginia leads the series 25-21-2. The Mountaineers have won the past six meetings, with Maryland's last victory coming in the 2004 Gator Bowl.

It's West Virginia week. Does it feel like a rivalry game, Terps fans? My story for tomorrow's paper talks about the West Virginia-Maryland series. I asked Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen about the rivalry, and he said it still matters. I think it's got everything a rivalry needs to foment a healthy, non-violent hatred. Of course, what it's lacking lately is balance. The Mountaineers have won the past six meetings. Maryland's last win came in the 2004 Gator Bowl.

Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Wes Brown attended the same high school (Good Counsel) and have a friendly rivalry. On Saturday against Connecticut, Diggs accumulated 223 all-purpose yards - the freshman's best output of the season. Diggs also scored his first collegiate touchdown on a tipped ball. But Brown, also a true freshman, bested Diggs by scoring a touchdown before his former high school teammate. Brown, who had 74 yards on 14 carries after fumbling twice last week, scored on a 19-yard run in the second quarter.

Oklahoma, Louisville solid Brian Hamilton Chicago Tribune We'll resist temptation to overthink Landry Jones' injuries and the state of the offensive line and pick Oklahoma to win the Big 12 with a stiff challenge from newcomer West Virginia. Texas has quarterback issues with David Ash, but the Longhorns ride Malcom Brown and hover near the top of the league. Louisville's 18 returning starters should help it pace the Big East, especially with most of a staunch defense back for 2012.

Keith Russell Judd, better known as the federal inmate who scored 41 percent of the vote against President Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary, wanted to be on the ballot in Maryland, too. Without Judd in his path, Obama cruised to an 88 percent victory. Blame U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, who last year dismissed Judd's complaint against the Maryland State Board of Elections in which he alleged he was being wrongly kept on the ballot. Bennett referred to Judd, who is serving a 210-month sentence in a Texas federal prison for extortion, as a "prolific and vexatious litigant who has filed more than 748 cases in federal courts since 1997.

Gino Gradkowski at a glance Guard/center, Delaware Ht./Wt.: 6 foot 3,  300 pounds Born: Nov. 5, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pa. High School: Seton-LaSalle (West Virginia) College highlights: Started seven games at left guard and four at center as a senior for Blue Hens team that finished 7-4. .. . As a junior, started all 15 games at left guard ... was a key member of an offensive line that helped the team rank No. 2 in the CAA in total offense with 401.8 yards per game, rushing offense at 184.4 yards per game and scoring offense with 27.9 points per game...part of a group that was pivotal in CAA Rookie of the Year Andrew Pierce and CAA Offensive Player of the Year Pat Devlin's success ... team went 12-3 and advanced to the FCS national title game under head coach K.C. Keeler.

A mid-November matchup with Atlantic Coast Conference-favorite Florida State at Byrd Stadium highlights Maryland's 2012 football schedule, which the conference released Monday. The Seminoles are one of nine bowl teams from last year the Terps will face this season, and represent, on paper, the Terps' toughest test in league play. A consensus preseason top-10 team, Florida State returns 18 starters from last season's 9-4 team, including nine starters off a dominant Seminoles defense.

A suspect in a Northwest Baltimore shooting was arrested Thursday in Western Maryland, police said.  Police said witnesses were able to give detectives a West Virginia license plate of a vehicle seen driving away from the scene of the shooting, and tracked the gunman, 46-year-old William Jeffrey Howard, to his address in tiny Westernport, Md.  The shooting is believed to be drug-related, police said. At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, police said Howard was in a vehicle with the victim in the 3900 block of Mortimer Ave., when the two men began fighting inside the car. Police say Howard pulled out a handgun and shot the 32-year-old victim in the forearm.  Witnesses said Howard then jumped into a vehicle, being driven by a woman, that was parked behind the victim's car, and they fled.  Howard is charged with attempted first-degree murder, and related charges. 

Even though Calvert Hall All-Metro football players Da'Quan Davis and Trevor Williams have been playing football together since they were 12, they never set out to go to Penn State together. They started playing together at Roland Park Middle School, moved on to Calvert Hall and committed to West Virginia. A couple weeks ago, they decided separately to decommit from West Virginia. When other coaches came calling, Penn State appealed to both of them. Davis and Williams made their official visits to Happy Valley over the weekend with their families and orally committed Sunday.