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From 2000-02, James Franklin split re- cruiting coordinator responsibilities with current interim head coach Mike Locksley; Franklin also served as wide receivers coach, while Locksley oversaw the running backs. "James has always been an enthusiastic guy and has been very passionate from the time that we've worked together," Locksley recalled at his weekly press conference Tuesday. "From afar, I've seen how he's matured and grown as a coach, and the success that he's had, and I have a lot of respect for the job that he's done." For both Franklin and Locksley, the road to Saturday's neutral-site matchup in M&T Stadium has been a winding one. While Franklin's path to Penn State has been well-documented, Locksley made stops at Florida, Illinois and New Mexico (as a head coach) before returning to the Terrapins in 2011 as o;ensive coordina- tor. Then his road took the ultimate turn two weeks ago when Maryland an- nounced the mid-season 9ring of Randy Edsall and named Locksley his interim replacement. They haven't played a game since – their last outing was a 49-28 loss at Ohio State Oct. 10 – so the Terrapins will be taking the 9eld for the 9rst time without Edsall, and it'll be against a familiar foe. That gets the juices :owing a little more, Locksley said – rivalry or not. He's seen a higher energy level among players this week. Whether that's due to the linkage between them and many of Penn State's players and coaches, or it's 9nally get- ting back on the 9eld a=er tumultuous times away from it, Locksley is pleased with the approach his players have taken. "As a sta;, we've tried to focus on the mindset of the team," he said. "Some- times life throws you curveballs and you have to keep pressing forward. We've tried to emphasize, go out and have fun. We have the underdog mentality. Right now, I'm sure there are not that many people who give us a chance to go out and have any success. But our guys are re- silient. We have a really good core set of players that I think you'll see on Satur- day." Maryland's strength comes from its defensive line. Led by junior defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, the Terrapins rank fourth in the Big Ten and ninth na- tionally with 3.3 sacks per game. Addi- tionally, junior cornerback and return specialist William Likely has totaled a nation-best 665 return yards on both kicks and punts this season. His two punt returns for touchdowns lead the nation and his average of 22.0 yards per return ranks No. 2. On o;ense, however, Maryland, like Penn State, has had di

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