Terps Football Makes Final Preparations for Villanova
8/30/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 30, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland Terrapins took to the practice field Thursday afternoon for their final preparations for Saturday's football season opener versus Villanova. The Terrapin regulars practiced against the scout teams, and the team concluded practice with a two-minute session.
After practice, coach Ralph Friedgen broke down how his team matched up with the Wildcats.
"I think they're very aggressive [on defense]," Friedgen said. "The thing that I've been very impressed with is how hard they play. Their defensive linemen play with very good leverage and they're flying to the football."
"On offense, they've got some wideouts that can run, and they've got some big kids," Friedgen continued. "They have a quarterback [Antwon Young] who is very, very athletic. He's about 6-4 215. I don't know where they got this kid from, but he's pretty impressive."
One area of strength for the Terrapins in camp has been on the defensive line, where the Terps return seniors Dre Moore and Carlos Feliciano, as well as juniors Mack Frost and Jeremy Navarre. Frost has consistently drawn praise from Friedgen for his work in preseason practice.
The Terps hope their veteran defensive line will match up with Villanova's young offensive line.
"They have three new offensive linemen and I think we're better pass rushers this year than what we had last year," Friedgen said.
The end of Thursday's practice featured two-minute drives by the first and second teams.
Maryland's first-team offense took the ball at its own 38-yard line with just over a minute remaining. Quarterback Jordan Steffy used his legs and his arm to maneuver the team to the edge of field goal range, and place-kicker Obi Egekeze showed he was in mid-season form with a 51-yard boot.
The second-team defense got the better of their offensive counterparts, sacking quarterback Chris Turner three times on that drive to keep the offense from scoring.
Turner completed passes to LaQuan Williams and Jason Goode to move the team into field goal range, but sacks by Dave Philistin and Dean Muhtadi ended the threat.
"I think our defense was moving around pretty good out there," Friedgen said after practice. He also praised linebacker Adrian Moten, who was moved from the strongside linebacker spot into the middle due to injuries, but may stay there.
"We were pretty impressed with how he played in there, so we've kept him in there and he's played pretty well," he said of Moten. "He plays with good leverage and has strong hands. He has a lot of football instincts, and a lot of things come very easy for him. He's a very intelligent football player and he learns very well."
After practice, Friedgen announced the captains for Saturday's game. Lineman Dre Moore will represent the defense, running back Keon Lattimore the offense, and Christian Varner will be the special teams representative. Though the starting strong safety, Varner is on a number of the special teams units.
Friedgen also named linebacker Alex Schultz and running back Dan Bonato his scout team players of the week for their performances in camp, as well as their practice work leading up to this week's game. Injuries opened the door for each to earn more playing time during camp, and both players seized the opportunity.
Schultz, a sophomore out of Gretna, La., saw heavy minutes and earned praise for his aggressive play.
Friedgen described Bonato's work as "phenomenal." The Woodbine, N.J., native rushed for a team-high 128 yards with two touchdowns in the final two scrimmages of camp, despite joining the squad the second week of the preseason.
Kickoff for Saturday's game with Villanova is set for 6:05 p.m. from Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.
The game will be shown over the internet on ESPN 360 and heard over the Terrapin Sports Radio Network, which includes WHFS 105.7 FM in Baltimore, WJFK 1300 AM in Baltimore and WJFK 106.7 FM in Washington, D.C.
The game will be replayed at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.
