Terps Football Makes Final Preparations for Wake Forest
9/20/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With the final practice of the week on Thursday afternoon, the Maryland Terrapins geared up for this weekend's trip to Wake Forest and made their final preparations for the conference opener against the defending ACC Champion Demon Deacons.
After practice, Coach Ralph Friedgen said that he had great respect for Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe and his offensive system.
"I think Jim has been a good coach for a long time," Friedgen said. "He gets a lot out of his kids. I think they do a lot of good things from a strategy standpoint. I know when we play them, it's a tough game every year. I have a lot of respect for him. I think he's a very good person and a very good coach."
"I kind of study them because I think some of the stuff they do is pretty neat. They do some things that no other team in the country does," he said.
Friedgen also emphasized that he was impressed with the play of Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who is expected to play Saturday. The sophomore has missed consecutive starts since injuring his shoulder in the season opener against Boston College.
"They're better with Skinner," Friedgen said. "You have to watch him. He sets the defense, he motions guys, and he checks down. He's a very accurate passer and a very poised passer. To be able to read coverage at that early an age...I think that's good coaching, but I think he has some special talents as well."
At Maryland's practice Thursday, the starting units on both sides the ball worked through the playbook against the scout teams, and the team concluded practice with a two-minute session and a scrimmage between the freshmen and the scout team players.
On the first drive of the two-minute session, the first team defense shut down its offensive counterparts. Quarterback Jordan Steffy and the offense took the field with 1:14 left and the ball on their own 38-yard line.
Sacks by defensive linemen Mack Frost and Trey Covington on two of the first three plays pushed the offense back and burned the clock. On fourth-and-18, the offense finally converted, as Steffy hit wideout Danny Oquendo over the middle for a 19-yard gain.
With just six seconds remaining, however, the offense only had time for one more play, and Steffy's Hail Mary pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey was batted away by safety J.J. Justice in the end zone.
Friedgen then gave the first team offense a second chance and pitted them up against the second-team defense. This time around the offense found their rhythm and moved down the field.
Steffy found Lance Ball out of the backfield for a gain of 15 on the drive's first play, and then hit Joey Haynos and Heyward-Bey to move the ball to the defense's 29-yard line with just over 30 seconds left.
Freshman wideout LaQuan Williams dropped a potential 10-yard completion, but atoned for it on the next play with an athletic touchdown grab. Steffy threw the ball up to Williams, who was double covered near the goal line in the middle of the field. Williams adjusted to the ball and leapt over both Terrell Skinner and Nolan Carroll for the touchdown catch.
At the conclusion of practice, Friedgen announced his scout team players of the week, as well as the captains for the Wake Forest game.
Defensive lineman Ricardo Dacosta and offensive lineman Evan Eastburn were named the defensive and offensive scout team players of the week, respectively. They'll both make the trip to Winston-Salem, N.C.
This weekend's captains, as chosen by the players, were defensive tackle Dre Moore, tight end Jason Goode, and corner Isaiah Gardner. Moore grew up in Charlotte, N.C., just over an hour from the WFU campus.
Friedgen was pleased with the scrimmage at the end of practice, which featured hard hitting and intense play.
"They got after each other pretty good," he said. "The defense is way ahead of the offense, but there were a couple guys that showed me some things. I just kind of like to let them have a little fun." He singled out Dan Bonato, Pha'Terrell Washington, Brian Whitmore, and Deege Galt, as having an impressive scrimmage.
Kickoff for Saturday's game with Wake Forest is set for 3:30 p.m. from BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The game will be shown on ESPNU 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 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, following the replay of the Outback Ralph Friedgen Television Show.
The Friedgen Television Show airs initially at 11:30 a.m. each Saturday.
