April 26, 2001
By John McNamara
Annapolis Capital
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- New Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen has supervised his first spring practice, and injuries haven't been much of a factor. A couple
of players on the offensive line are banged up, but all should be
ready for summer workouts.
The more serious problem may be the headaches Friedgen's wide
receivers keep getting. It seems his high-tech offense requires a lot
more analysis than they're used to.
"It's mind-boggling," said senior Guilian Gary, who led the team in
catches (40) and touchdowns (7) last year. "It's a lot for me to
handle. I'm like a freshman in this offense."
In the past, receivers weren't asked to make decisions on routes
based on what the defense was doing. And they were allowed to split
out as far or as close as they wanted.
But no more. Welcome to the Friedgen offense, a sophisticated
scheme that enabled his Georgia Tech teams to average 36 points
and 444 yards per game over the last three seasons.
"Everything has to be so precise," Friedgen said. "I put a lot on (the
receivers). That's one reason we've been successful. It just takes
some time. We can't come back (in the fall) where we are right now."
Maryland concludes the first spring practice under Friedgen's watch
on Saturday with the annual spring game at 4 p.m. at Byrd Stadium.
While the new coach admits he's impatient, Friedgen says he's
seeing progress, too.
"You hardly hear me yell at them anymore," he said with a laugh.
Another marked change under Freidgen's regime has been the pace
of the workouts. The new coach likes to keep things up-tempo, even
in practice.
"After the first three or four days, we were all going to sleep early,"
said linebacker Aaron Thompson.
Friedgen has had to adjust some, too. First of all, he must decide on
a quarterback. Shaun Hill, who started at times last season, returns
as the front-runner. But he's being chal lenged by Chris Kelley. "I
don't think (Hill's) lead is insurmountable," the coach said.
Kelley, a redshirt freshman, sat out all of last season following a
summer knee iunjury. He arrived in College Park as the program's
most sought-after recruit in years after quarterbacking the powerful
Seneca Valley program in Gaithersburg. Kelley turned down
Nebraska, among others, to play for the Terps.
"He has a lot of poise for a young kid," Friedgen said. "I think that's a
real plus for him."
One quarterback Friedgen won't have to worry about is Calvin
McCall. McCall and Hill split time as the starter last season, but the
former has decided to give up football will play basketball instead.
The quarterback position may be a key one. Friedgen's team may
have to pass more often this season after the departure of the
school's all-time leading rusher, LaMont Jordan.
Seventeen starters and 46 letter-winners return from last year's 5-6
team. The Terps open with the first of seven home games on Sept. 1
against North Carolina.
