Football Practice Report: Day One
8/10/2002 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 10, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
University of Maryland officially opened its fall camp on Saturday, marking the start of a 21-day countdown to its 2002 season opener in the Kickoff Classic Aug. 31 vs. Notre Dame.
The Terps went through a pair of brisk two-plus hour workouts on the team's practice facility behind Byrd Stadium, opening with a 9:15 a.m. workout and concluding the second practice at about 6:30 p.m.
A trio of Terps who have been beset by injuries - All-America linebacker E.J. Henderson, ACC Offensive Player of the Year Bruce Perry and quarterback Chris Kelley - all took part in the workouts. Henderson (back) and Perry (abdomen) both took part after missing all of spring drills with injuries. Kelley has made a remarkable comeback after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the spring game.
Maryland is slated to work out one time on Sunday, beginning at 2:15 p.m. Football practices are open to Terrapin Club members and MGN members, but you must call the football office in advance to register.
Selected post-practice comments from Coach Ralph Friedgen:
On E.J. Henderson: "For his first effort I thought he did pretty good. I thought he picked it up even more in the afternoon practice. We tried to protect him in the morning. I think he got a little confidence going. He was wearing a black jersey so there's no contact, but I thought he was rusty running around the first practice. It looked like he improved in the afternoon from what I saw. He hasn't played since the Orange Bowl, so that's to be expected. On Sunday, we'll see how sore he is, or if he is sore. I think that will tell us a lot as to how we should go with him."
On QB Chris Kelley: "We're working six quarterbacks [in camp], so he's not getting overused. He was running full speed."
On QB Scott McBrien: "I think Scott is vastly improved. Scott threw the ball pretty good, and is much better at understanding things than in the spring. He still misread a few things, but the timing is better and his decisions for the most part are better."
On comparing the 2002 team to the 2001 team at same stage: "I think we're further along as a team, but we're not further along at the quarterback position."
On running back depth chart: "After the first day, I would say it in this order: Bruce Perry, Mario Merrills, Chris Downs, Jason Crawford and the two young kids (J.P. Humber and Josh Allen}."
On positive signs: "I think the secondary is doing well. I also think [fullback] Chad Killian is doing a good, along with [offensive linemen] Kyle Schmitt and Matt Crawford. [Tailback] Bruce Perry after a layoff also did some good things. Overall, I thought Bruce did a pretty good job, but it's only one day. We have to see how they do over the long haul."
On the preseason AP ranking: "I'd rather comment on it after the season - that's when it matters. It's the beginning of the season; we haven't done anything yet. Let's see where we are at the end, that's when it counts. That's when I'll get excited about it. The poll is going to change in three weeks anyway. If we don't beat Notre Dame, we're not in the Top 25 anymore. If we do, we're still in."
