I believe this is from the UMD student newspaper...

Jackson


Terps fans show intensity against rivals"


Jeff Amoros and Brian Kapur
Issue date: 9/14/07

Wearing West Virginia gold, weaving his way through hostile Terrapin football territory, he nearly made it to safety - almost.

Tackled from behind, he got up and saw a scene played out dozens of times last night: Terps fans standing, cheering and ... barbecuing?

The roughest tackle last night didn't involve Terps defensive players Erin Henderson or Dave Philistin. No, the big moment came when junior American studies major Thomas Agbonyitor took down a West Virginia fan walking through Lot U4, delighting Terps fans tailgating in the area.

"I saw this fan standing around all cocky," Agbonyitor said. "So I did my best Shawne Merriman impression and took him out; everyone cheered. I hate when opposing fans come to our stadium and act like that."

The tackle could be viewed as a microcosm of a day that aroused tensions only seen when fans of one of the Terps' biggest rivals - No. 4-ranked West Virginia - visited the campus for a rare prime-time weekday home game.

Agbonyitor wasn't the only one getting in on the act. Andrew Lynch, an 2007 alumnus, was only too happy to return to the campus for a chance to torment Mountaineers fans.

"We've been throwing sh-t at them, sausages and stuff," Lynch said. "We like to f--- with them."

Lynch and Agbonyitor were among the few to attempt such overt forms of taunting, but that didn't mean abuse didn't come in verbal form from some Terps fans.

"They are all one family, no teeth; the brother's sister's uncle is the baby daddy," said Jimmie Mac, an alumnus.

Terps fan Matt Weimar, however, offered a departure from the familiar hillbilly refrain: "West Virgina sucks. The fans are too wild, but the women are hot."

Despite the animosity, the Terps fans did respect the dedication shown by the many Mountaineers who made the trip from Morgantown.

"They are dedicated, coming all the way down here," Weimar said.

Even though the Terps fans talked tough, the West Virgina fans brought chants and trash talk of their own to the tailgate.

"Maryland sucks. We are from West Virginia - we couldn't find any roadkill so we are looking for a turtle for dinner tonight," said Jeff Smith. "Terrapin soup."

Though football loyalties divided the fans in the parking lots, another game of skill was almost universal.

"Cheers to beer pong, it's the second best sport going down today," yelled a group of Maryland and West Virigina fans in unison.

When gametime came, the effects of hours of ping pong ball tossing became more clear as the chants grew more vulgar: "Let's go, incest," "F--- Slaton," "F--- the Mountaineers," "Mountaineers f--- sheep," and "West ******" could be heard from groups of Terp fans in the concourse area.

When the game started, the student section blackout went into full effect. A chorus of "a--hole, a--hole" greeted the few Mountaineer fans brave enough to trespass into the black hole of the student section.

Despite the fervor of the Terps fans, the team couldn't match the intensity on the field, as Steve Slaton, Pat White and the Mountaineers' vaunted running attack made their way through the Terps' defense, rushing for 353 yards on the ground.

A few fans who were in Lot U4 earlier in the day might have hoped the Terps had an extra linebacker on the field to make some stops. As an unfortunate West Virginia fan learned early in the afternoon, Thomas Agbonyitor can make a tackle or two.

It's ok. They're ACC fans, anything they do is classy.

It's college football, and everyone seems to get into Animal House mode for rivalry football games.