Spring Football Practice Report No. 5

April 18, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the fifth installment of bi-weekly practice reports on the University of Maryland football team as it progresses through spring practice, 2005. Reports will run every Monday and Friday leading up to the April 30th Red/White Game at Byrd Stadium.

Saturday, April 16
Scrimmage #1 Statistics

The Terrapins held their first scrimmage of spring on a cool, sunny morning at Byrd Stadium in front of an estimated 200 fans. The team ran through a few periods of warm-ups and then jumped straight into the game action. In the end, the team ran through a grueling 130 plays but learned a good bit about where it stands.

Quarterbacks Sam Hollenbach and Joel Statham got more than 90 percent of the work on the day. There were some bright spots and some low points but the resounding positive on the day was the fact that the team surrendered just one turnover all day.

Hollenbach continued his string of errorless play, leading all passers by going 12-of-19 for 178 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

The biggest offensive play of the day came when Hollenbach found a streaking Jason Goode who was left uncovered behind the secondary. Goode, the team's lone H-back, went 65 yards for the touchdown and ended up leading all receivers with five receptions for 98 yards.

Though both placekickers showed they have a way to go, junior Dan Ennis seemed to get a firmer grasp on his spot atop the depth chart. Ennis finished 3-of-5 on the day -- compared to Obi Egekeze's 1-of-5 -- hitting the day's long kick of 42 yards for the first score of the scrimmage.

Redshirt freshman Erin Henderson led all tacklers with 11.5 and a team-high 2.5 sacks. Early returns indicate that the Terp legacy will be a player to watch as his size continues to improve. He is very instinctive and runs very well.

Friedgen on the scrimmage: "We got a lot of work in today and I was pleased with a lot of what we saw for where we are. Obviously, we will know more after grading film but I am happy with the fact that we didn't turn the ball over. I saw some progress and hope it continues."

Sunday, April 17

The team returned to the field on another sunny day at the practice fields wearing shells and certainly feeling the effects of the day previous.

Good news and bad news on the injury front for the Terps -- QB Jordan Steffy threw the ball for the first time in over a week at practice and looked comfortable doing so. He is still coping with a condition in his knee, but it was good to see his return. On the flip side, TB Keon Lattimore -- who had a tough run in goal line drills of the scrimmage the day before -- re-injured his knee and is listed as day-to-day.

The wide receivers continued to impress this spring. Senior Derrick Fenner had three receptions go for substantial yardage in team drills. The team's depth is not what coaches would like at this point, but the players who are there have been outstanding this spring.

Tailback Lance Ball helped secure his grip on the No. 2 tailback spot in Saturday's scrimmage (17 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD) and his impressive work continued on Sunday. If he can continue to find holes as he has this spring, he will be a serious contender for the starting job in the fall.

Linebackers William Kershaw and Eric Lenz have both looked good this spring and played well Sunday. Lenz showed his athleticism on several plays, tracking a couple of players down from behind while Kershaw has been playing like a player possessed. He has always had the size and speed to excel, but has seemingly turned the corner and will pose a strong starting trio in the fall with D'Qwell Jackson and David Holloway. (Holloway intercepted a pass in practice for the second-straight day, returning it over 20 yards).

Dates to Remember

Sat., April 16 (9:45 am) -- Scrimmage #1

Sat., April 23 (10 am) -- Scrimmage #2

Sat., April 30 (4 pm) -- Annual Spring Game

For schedule updates and other info, go to the Maryland Gridiron Network website.

For ticket information, call the Terrapin ticker office at (800) IMA-TERP

Players Mentioned

Lance Ball

Obi Egekeze

Jason Goode

Erin Henderson

Keon Lattimore

Jordan Steffy

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