Spring Football Practice Report #12

April 20, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland football team practiced for the first time since Saturday today, marking the first of the final three regular sessions before this Saturday's annual Spring Game.

The Terps got in a good two-and-a-half hours with a crowd of onlookers that included players from nearby DeMatha High School. Head coach Ralph Friedgen did not characterize the outing as the team's best of spring, but as the spring game approaches, Friedgen continues to be happy with where the team is.

"What's happening now is, we are putting plays in but because we are so young, it is taking a little longer for them to absorb it," said Friedgen. "I would just assume hold some of the stuff that we want to get in -- we still have one thing left to install offensively -- but I am very comfortable with what we have in at this point."

Some other notables from Tuesday's practice:

TE Vernon Davis again had one of the offensive highlights as he took a short sideline pass, turned it across the field, made a few players miss, then got a block from TB Lance Ball and went for what would have been about an 80-yard touchdown jaunt.

QB Joel Statham looked sharp. He completed a nice slant to WR Derrick Fenner and later connected on a short pass between two defenders to Drew Weatherly who snuck between them and into the end zone for a TD.

The practice ended with a spirited two-minute drill. After the first offense failed to produce any points on their first effort, Sam Hollenbach led the second unit downfield for a field goal attempt that sailed wide right. Statham then came back and led the first teamers to an attempt that ended practice with a laugh as Nick Novak kicked it through and the ball landed on a passing mini-van.

Friedgen on TEs Vernon Davis and Rob Abiamiri
"You know, I think the thing Vernon needs to do -- and he is a tremendous talent -- is limit his mental mistakes," said Friedgen. "I would like to get him to Rob Abiamiri's level mentally. That is a problem with a lot of our team. Once they get out of their comfort zone, and this goes for a lot of young players whether they are tired or whatever, that is when they have to push through if they are to win a lot of these games."

Fridge on the Air
Friedgen will again be on the airwaves tomorrow as he will be on the Elliott in the Morning Show on 101.1 FM at approximately 7:15 a.m. and then later in the day he will appear live on Comcast SportsNet's show SportsNite.

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