Dec. 26, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. - One day after celebrating the Christmas holiday, the Maryland Terrapins hit the gridiron for their third practice since arriving in Florida. The Terps have just one workout remaining before facing Purdue Friday in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Today's workout took place at the University of Central Florida's indoor field house after heavy storms hit the area over the last 24 hours. The Terps' first two practices in Orlando were at Thunder Field, on the grounds of Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. They will return there tomorrow and have a walk-though Thursday at the stadium.

"It was nice (to practice indoors)," Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen said. "They have a very nice facility over there and I was impressed. It was definitely a relief from the wet fields that we've been practicing on, since it's tough to keep your footing. It was a change of environment too, and I think that helps people out with their energy."

The Terps seemed to have a bounce in their step throughout the two-hour workout, which began with 30 minutes of individual and special teams drills followed by a number of team sessions.

The defense shined early as linebacker Wesley Jefferson and safety Christian Varner each broke up a pass in the second team session.

Senior signal-caller Sam Hollenbach looked sharp for the second-straight day, connecting with freshman wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey a number of times.

During the third team session slot receiver Danny Oquendo made a leaping catch down the middle of the field on a Hollenbach pass.

"(The offense is playing) better right now, not to where we were before exams," Friedgen said. "The last practice, we did some drills and we had some really good catches. I took them out of full gear today because I thought they've gotten hit enough. I'll look at the tape, because it's never as bad as you think it is. It's never as good either."

The defense also made some plays. Reserve safety Jeff Allen also broke up a Hollenbach pass and Jefferson sacked back-up quarterback Jordan Steffy.

Friedgen was pleased with the effort of the defense.

"Today, they were pretty good," Friedgen said. "We went against them in blitz drill, and I thought they had one of their better days. Some days, we do pretty well offensively, and then the next day they come back. I'm hoping we can put it all together on Friday."

Practice ended with red zone and goal-line work. Hollenbach completed a short touchdown pass to tight end Joey Haynos and Josh Wilson picked off a pass for the first-team defense.

The importance of the Champs Sports Bowl is evident for the Terps as they know the impact of a school-record third-straight bowl victory.

"Just the way that we finish the year off, and that we send our seniors off right," Friedgen said when asked the significance of the game. "They're very important to us, and they mean a lot to us. So to win this game, our ninth win, before they go out, it's very important for the young guys who are coming back next year."

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.

Terp Notes: The football team had a busy but rewarding afternoon as the Terps traveled to Disney's Wide World of Sports for a Day for Kids event prior to practice. The function, sponsored by Florida Citrus Sports, the Champs Sports Bowl's organizer, featured over 200 local underprivileged children who interacted and played games with each of the Terps, as well as those from Purdue, Wisconsin and Arkansas. The Badgers and Razorbacks are in town for next week's Capital One Bowl ... with nine native Floridians on the roster, a number of players celebrated Christmas at home and many entertained fellow teammates, including seniors Josh Allen and J.P. Humber, who each had five to seven players at their respective houses for dinner ... the Terps are scheduled to practice at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow on Thunder Field.