Aug. 21, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The loudest cheers from Tuesday's Maryland football practice were for place-kicker Obi Egekeze, who nailed a 45-yard field goal at the conclusion of the session.

Miss it and the team runs; make it and everyone heads inside. The junior split the uprights, and was immediately swamped by his cheering teammates.

Coach Ralph Friedgen was pleased that his kicker was able to handle the pressure.

"I was glad to see Obi did that," Friedgen said after the two-hour workout. "To kick a (45-yarder) when there's a little pressure, I think that was a good thing for him. That was a real positive. I was really happy for him. I'm hoping something like that will happen to him in a game, and he'll get his confidence."

That kick concluded an exciting two-minute drill session, which featured a pair of defensive stops. The first team offense and defense took the field first, with 1:22 remaining on the clock and the ball at the offense's own 32-yard line. The offense could win the game with a field goal and was given one timeout.

Quarterback Jordan Steffy completed his first four passes to move the ball into the defense's territory, but the secondary and linebackers did an excellent job of keeping the receivers in bounds to prevent the clock from stopping. Steffy then ran twice for six yards and spiked the ball with 14 seconds remaining.

Facing fourth-and-four, Friedgen elected to send in his kicker for the long field goal, but Egekeze was unable to connect from 53 yards.

The second teams then took the field, with the drive beginning at the offense's own 35-yard line with 1:15 left on the clock. Josh Portis completed five consecutive passes, including a 20-yarder to tight end Jason Goode to move the ball to the defense's 28-yard line with 13 seconds remaining.

The offense tried to run one more play to set up an easier field goal attempt, but Portis' pass for Keon Lattimore was broken up by linebacker Jeff Clement on the sidelines. That set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by freshman Travis Baltz. The kick had the distance, but struck the left upright and bounced back, ensuring another victory for the defense.

Friedgen kept the spot of the ball and ushered in Egekeze for the pressure kick to end practice.

Two defenders stood out in team sessions, during which the Terps focused on third downs and red zone plays. LEO Trey Covington batted down a Steffy pass on third-and-10, and then sacked the quarterback on the very next play. Isaiah Gardner, one of the first-team cornerbacks, broke up a couple passes and picked off Steffy on a pass intended for wideout Adrian Cannon.

Cannon had his revenge a few minutes later, however. The redshirt freshman got between corner Anthony Wiseman and safety Terrell Skinner, and Portis found him 30 yards downfield with a perfectly placed pass. The ball hit Cannon in stride and he went the distance for the score.

Egekeze kicked two field goals for the offense in the red zone session, and wide receiver LaQuan Williams took an end around handoff in for a touchdown from six yards out.

After practice, Friedgen shared his thoughts on the day's work.

"Today was some good and some bad," he said. "When we focus, we play pretty good. Sometimes we lose focus and we're not as good as we need to be. When we do things right and they have that energy and enthusiasm it's very encouraging."

Friedgen is concerned about some recent injuries, though other than Alex Wujciak (out for season), none appear long-term.

"We've got some guys with bumps and bruises and some strained muscles," Friedgen said. "We're in the middle of two-a-days and those things happen."

The wide receiving corps has been a little thin this week.

Darrius Heyward-Bey had an MRI on his foot Monday and the reports were encouraging. Friedgen thought he'd be back in about a week.

Danny Oquendo was also out today. He had a wisdom tooth pulled, but he should be back later this week.

The Terps will hold their final two-a-day session Wednesday. The team practices at 9 a.m. and 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.