Preseason Football Camp Log: Day 10
8/15/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 15, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team concluded practice Wednesday morning with a pair of thrilling `late-game situational' drives, where the offense and defense worked on their execution with the clock ticking down.
Head coach Ralph Friedgen was pleased with the team's work in pressure situations.
"We put in the two-minute drill, and for the first day of putting it in, the counts went pretty well. I was pleased with that," he said.
The defense won both series, but not before the offense drove into scoring range.
On the first drive, quarterback Jordan Steffy took over the first-team offense at his own 26-yard line with 1:25 on the clock. Working against the first-team defense, Steffy completed his first four passes, two each to Danny Oquendo and Joey Haynos, to move the ball to the defense's 46-yard line with 40 seconds remaining.
After a timeout and an incomplete pass, the offense faced a third-and-six. Steffy stepped up and found wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey for a 20-yard gain at the 26-yard line. On the next play, Steffy was forced to scramble, and the defense tagged him down after a gain of one.
They quickly lined up and Steffy spiked the ball to preserve eight seconds on the clock and give the kicking team a chance, but Obi Egekeze was unable to convert from 42 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Turner was at the helm for the offense's only other two-minute opportunity. The drive began from the offense's 40-yard line with 1:27 left. On first down, Turner hit reserve receiver Stephen Smalls for a gain of 19.
From there, the drive seemed to stall, however. Back-to-back sacks by Dre Moore and Jeff Clement nearly ended the possession, but Turner found Smalls again to bail out the offense. Facing fourth-and-22 from the offense's 39, Turner hit Smalls for a long gain down the left sidelines and he stepped out of bounds to preserve 35 seconds.
After two incomplete passes, Turner was sacked again, this time by LEO Jermaine Lemons, and the offense was then unable to convert its second fourth down of the drive, as Turner's pass sailed over Kevin Gresham's head.
Besides the two-minute drill, the Terps worked on third-down situations, and players on both sides stepped up to make good plays. The offense converted several plays into first downs, including one on a designed sneak for quarterback Josh Portis.
On the defensive side of the ball, LEOs Trey Covington and Jared Harrell recorded sacks, and cornerback Colin Nelson had an interception. Nelson also stripped the ball from Heyward-Bey after the receiver had caught a slant pass for a first down.
"We had a good practice today," Friedgen said. "The intensity was there, and that's what I look for. Both teams went at it pretty good today. I was pleased. I thought we were better on offense than we were yesterday."
After practice Friedgen announced that true freshman Lansford Watson is likely to miss the next six weeks following knee surgery.
The Terps will practice once more Wednesday, taking the field at 5:30 p.m.
All practices and scrimmages remain closed to the public, while credentialed members of the media may attend the first five periods (approximately 30 minutes) of each workout, except scrimmages.
Maryland Featured on ACC Site: The conference currently has a series - 12 Days of ACC Football - running on its Web site, theACC.com, which previews each team's prospects for the upcoming season. The Maryland preview was posted Wednesday. To view the preview click here.
