PISCATAWAY, N.J. — After his team melted down near the end of the first half, Ralph Friedgen went into the locker room Saturday at Rutgers Stadium with an unorthodox plan.

Friedgen usually meets with his coaches to make adjustments, but not on this day. Instead, the Maryland football coach went straight to his players.

“What do you think, it’s gonna be easy?” he told his team. “Wins don’t come easily; you have to work for them. There’s gonna come a time where it’s that matter of will, who’s more determined. We’re gonna get the ball the second half; it’s anybody’s ballgame right now.

“So stop sulking and stop worrying what you just did, worry about what you’re gonna go out and do.”