Preseason Football Camp Log: Day Seven
8/17/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 17, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After scrimmaging for the first time Saturday and getting a day off Sunday, the Maryland Terrapins returned to the practice field Monday for the first of three two-a-days scheduled this week.
The Terps will also hold two practices on both Wednesday and Friday.
With a relatively young and inexperienced roster, head coach Ralph Friedgen realizes this an important time for the Terps, who open the regular season in less than three weeks (Sept. 5 vs. California).
"This is a tough time, coming off of a 111-play scrimmage," Friedgen said after the morning workout. "We had a day off. This morning wasn't a hard practice. These are the dog days and you have to get through them. You need push yourself here. It's like building a house - you have to have a good foundation. Short-change yourself on the foundation and that will be really tough. Your house is not going to stand up. The strength of this team is the work ethic and attitude."
The morning practice started with individual competitions - wide receivers practicing route-running against defensive backs, defensive lineman practicing pass rushing against the offensive line - and ended with 11-on-11 drills. Both sides of the ball looked good in those drills, with QB Chris Turner connecting on several long throws.
Turner did not see much action (three series) in Saturday's scrimmage, as the Terps looked to solidify backup roles behind the senior.
"The (freshmen) quarterbacks did Ok for the first scrimmage," Friedgen said of C.J. Brown and Danny O'Brien. "Hopefully they're going to continue to improve."
With Brown and O'Brien battling for the No. 3 role behind Turner, sophomore Jamarr Robinson currently has hold of the backup role behind Turner. Robinson was fairly sharp Saturday, completing 6 of 8 passes for 97 yards.
"There are times when Jamarr does some pretty special things," Friedgen said. "We're looking for him to be more consistent. Sometimes he loses focus. When's he focused, he plays very well. He's got a strong arm and can make some tough throws. That's the next step he needs to make."
The offensive line, which returns just two starters - Bruce Campbell and Phil Costa - from last season, is still learning, and Friedgen noted a change in the depth chart after practice.
Andrew Gonnella, who was battling Lamar Young for the starting left-guard spot, has moved to the No. 1 right guard position. Young assumes the No. 1 left-guard role. Maurice Hampton, the No. 1 reserve at right guard, will be the backup at left guard.
"We'll see how that goes," Friedgen said. "I think we're still looking at some of (the offensive linemen). They're all going to have to play. Part of it is seeing all the blitzes. I could see that after the scrimmage. We just have to keep working at it."
After reviewing scrimmage film, Friedgen was pleased with the performance of the defense. That unit posted 12 sacks and three interceptions.
"(Defensive coordinator) Don (Brown) wasn't happy with some blitzes and how we're running them, but I thought we played well," Friedgen said. "Kenny Tate had a big scrimmage. He was all over the place. Alex Wujciak played well. Cameron Chism did a good job for us, really the whole secondary (played well). The linebackers also did a good job."
The team will hold its second scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday.
"The biggest thing is how much we improve from this scrimmage to the next one," Friedgen said.
The Terps will return to the field tonight at 5:30 p.m. and are off until 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.
Preseason practices are closed to the general public, but open to members of the Maryland Gridiron Network (MGN) and Terrapin Club.
Terps Notes:
Practice Tidbits: With two practices scheduled for the day, the morning session was slightly shorter than normal practices ... Quintin McCree and Torrey Smith had two of several long passing plays during 11-on-11. McCree's catch came down the sideline. The ball was slightly overthrown, and as McCree turned back and fell to the ground, he made the catch. Smith was able to hit a seam in the defense and make a long catch in the middle, picking up a good chunk of yardage after the catch ... Da'Rel Scott again had several good runs, showing explosiveness off the line ... Terrell Skinner returned an interception for a touchdown ... Trenton Hughes also had a nice interception, showing good closing speed to catch up to the receiver and jump in front of him to make the pick ... Caleb Porzel went down awkwardly after twisting his knee during a tackle on Saturday, prompting him to sit out today's practice. "Porzel didn't practice today," said Friedgen. "They think he sprained his MCL. Both he and D.J. Adams were impressive in the scrimmage." ... Friedgen said sophomore Taylor Watson is the leading candidate for the No. 2 fullback spot behind starter Cory Jackson. He also liked what he saw from true freshman Eric Franklin in the scrimmage.
