Dec. 24, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Maryland football team completed its second day of practice Sunday afternoon on Thunder Field, one of the workout facilities on the grounds of the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, where the Terrapins will square off with Purdue Friday in the Champs Sports Bowl.

This afternoon's forecast was for rain and there was a threat of showers throughout the session, but the Terrapins avoided any poor field conditions and had a spirited two-hour workout.

"We had a good practice," head coach Ralph Friedgen said today after the session. "I think the humidity made it a little hot for us and so we gave them a break (in the middle of the workout), and they came back and practiced strong."

After 30 minutes of individual and special teams work at the start of practice, the Terps hit the field for three sessions of team work.

When the No. 1 and 2 offense faced off against the first- and second-team defense, senior quarterback Sam Hollenbach looked sharp, connecting a number of deep and mid-range passes. He hit wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey for a long completion down the left sideline and the duo hooked again up on a seam route for a score.

Junior running backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball also ran with authority between the tackles during the same session.

Slot receiver Danny Oquendo made the play of the day, reaching down to make a finger-tip catch from Hollenbach for a long completion over the middle.

The defense also had its moments. Senior defensive lineman Conrad Bolston sniffed out a reverse in one of the 11-on-11 sessions, stopping wide receiver Isaiah Williams behind the line of scrimmage.

The practice ended with a number of specialty sessions, including second-and-long situations, as well as third-down and goal-line plays.

One of the reasons the Terrapins arrived early in Orlando was to get acclimated to the warmer climate. The conditions over the first two days have been hot and humid.

"I think it's good we came down early to get used to it," Friedgen said. "I'm sure it's going to be a factor for both teams. It's not like it is in Indiana or in Maryland. To me, I'm enjoying it, and they should too."

Kickoff from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. (EST). The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN and broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network (105.7 FM and 1300 AM Baltimore; 630 AM Washington, D.C.).

Tickets for the Champs Sports Bowl are available through the Terrapins Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP or by visiting the Champs Sports Bowl page.

Terp Notes: The team and travel party will celebrate the holidays tonight with a Christmas Eve dinner at the Marriott World Center Resort, the host hotel for the Terps ... the team, which is off Christmas Day, resumes practice at 2 p.m. Tuesday when they hit the field for a two-hour workout ... prior to the workout, the team will head to Disney Wide World of Sports for the Day for Kids event where more than 200 underprivileged children will have a chance to mingle with the Terps and Boilermaker players.