Dec. 23, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO - The Maryland Terrapins held their first football practice on the West Coast Sunday, traveling to Laney College in Oakland for a morning workout in anticipation of Friday's Emerald Bowl.

While fans back in College Park suffered cold rain and wind Sunday, the Terps practiced under a clear blue sky as temperatures climbed towards 60 degrees.

After a long day of traveling on Saturday, the Terps seemed a bit sluggish on the field Sunday, but senior running back Lance Ball said he expected the team to improve over the next few days.

"Practice was a little slow," he said. "Guys were tired and kind of tight from the long trip. But overall I think it was pretty productive. We just have to pick it up for tomorrow."

The Terrapins loaded into the team buses outside of the Hyatt Regency in downtown San Francisco around 9:30 a.m. and headed across the Bay Bridge, a 15-minute trip which offered the players some scenic views of the city.

"There's a lot of history around here," Ball said. "I've never been to the West Coast so it's something different for me. So far I went out on Market Street and went down to the mall, but nothing serious."

Maryland will practice Monday morning as well before joining Oregon State on a harbor cruise to visit Alcatraz, San Francisco's famous island prison.

Several players have expressed their excitement about making the trip, although senior safety J.J. Justice jokingly said he had reservations about stepping inside the notorious prison.

"Yeah, I'm not really excited to go anywhere near a prison. Those are places I try and stay away from," he said laughing. "But I think it will be cool. I've seen it in a couple movies before so I always thought it would be a cool place to go."

The players will have off on Christmas Day, before returning to Laney College for their final full practice on Wednesday morning.

The Terps are scheduled to have walk-through sessions on Christmas and on Thursday.

Friedgen and Maryland players, along with an Oregon State contingent, are scheduled to meet the media at AT&T Park tomorrow afternoon following practice. QB Chris Turner, OL Andrew Crummey and DL Dre Moore will represent the Terps.

Terp Notes:

Emerald Bowl Tickets: Tickets for the Emerald Bowl are still available through the Terrapin Ticket office by calling 1-800-IM-A-TERP or by clicking here. The ticket office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Maryland football fans who are unable to make the trip to San Francisco may still purchase tickets and donate them to a number of worthy organizations. The entities which will benefit include the San Francisco Boys and Girls Clubs, Travis Air Force Base, the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Youth Athletic Programs.