Football Practice Report #4
8/21/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 21, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In a two-hour scrimmage that marked the end of the opening 10 days of fall practice, the University of Maryland football team showed some promise and depth from its receivers and running backs. The Terrapins went through live action with all four of their units on Saturday, including third-down drills, two-minute situations and goal-line plays. The scrimmage lasted well over two hours, as Maryland continues its preparation for its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Northern Illinois. "Overall, we did okay," said head coach Ralph Friedgen. "It was disappointing with the number of penalties, especially since we've been focusing on them." Eleven different receivers caught passes, as five quarterbacks combined to go 24-for-40 for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dan Melendez led the receivers with five catches for 62 yards. A pitched battle for positions on the depth chart continued for the running backs. With Josh Allen and Sammy Maldonado seeing limited action, J.P. Humber finished with 94 yards and two scores, Mario Merrills had 79 yards and three touchdowns, while Lance Ball finished with 85 yards on 21 carries. Both Humber and Merrills had long runs in the middle of the scrimmage. Humber scampered 44 yards to set up an early score, while one of Merrills' touchdowns was a 45-yarder. Joel Statham was the quarterback with the No. 1 offense and fared well, completing 11 of 19 for 145 yards. "I tried to play the young guys a lot, because the only way to age these kids is to get them in game situations," said Friedgen. "We've got to take care of the football. Because we're so young, we can't beat ourselves. If we play aggressive and smart, and let our opponents beat themselves, we can win some games." Defensively, the Terps came up with eight sacks and a pair of interceptions. The second interception, by Chris Kelley, came in the end zone and stopped the offense's charge toward a touchdown in the two-minute drill. "I thought our defense played better, but I think we have to get better tackling and a better push toward the line of scrimmage," said Friedgen. Freshman Eric Lenz and junior defensive back Milton Harris each had seven tackles to lead the defense. Maryland hosts its annual Fan Day at Byrd Stadium on Sunday, August 22, with gates opening at 1:30 p.m. and an autograph session beginning at 2:30 p.m. under the upper deck on the north side of the stadium.
