April 19, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland football team hit the field for over two hours Thursday afternoon and completed its 11th practice of the spring.
It marked one of the Terps' more productive workouts of the spring as the team was sharp during an hour of individual drills and carried the momentum into the team drills which last for more than 60 minutes.
"It was a good practice today," head coach Ralph Friedgen said. "I thought they went after each other pretty good. We got something accomplished today."
Junior Jordan Steffy continued to make an impact with both his arm and his legs. He scrambled and made several defenders miss on a long run during third down drills, and later found tight end Joey Haynos for a touchdown in a red zone situation.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Turner was picked off twice during team drills. The first, by junior Dave Philistin, came during 11-on-11 drills. Taji Thornton later grabbed an interception during the same drill. Turner was solid in the first team session, however, hitting wide receiver LaQuan Williams for 20-plus-yard completions on back-to-back plays.
Senior Jason Goode has continued to impress during spring practice. The tight end made a pair of first down receptions in the third down period. He caught a pass from Josh Portis on the left sideline, beating a defender for a long gain, and later moved the chains on a pass from Turner.
"Jason has been a special guy," Friedgen said. "He is a bigger guy who runs pretty well and has good hands. He's developing into a better blocker. He gives us some flexibility because he can play out wide or play inside. He's a very good player."
Senior Colin Nelson has been one of the pleasant surprises of the spring. Nelson, one of a number of speedy cornerbacks on the roster, broke up a potential touchdown pass during red zone drills when he stepped in front of a Turner pass which was intended for Williams.
"He is a very good player," Friedgen said of Nelson. "He is in the mix right now. He played well last fall and traveled with us. We want to find a spot for him."
Friedgen installed the two-minute offense today and gave the first and second team offenses one chance each to move the field down field under game-like conditions, though neither scored.
The No. 1 defense forced a three-and-out from the No. 1 offense when Darrius Heyward-Bey dropped a sure first down completion from Steffy on fourth-and-5 from the 35-yard line.
Portis led the second drive and got a pair of first downs before the defense forced a 46-yard field goal attempt from Obi Egekeze that was wide left.
Despite that miss, the place-kicking game continued to look improved. Egekeze and Travis Baltz both connected during the red zone drill. Egekeze hit from 37 and 42 yards, while Baltz was good from 37 yards.
The Terps resume practice Saturday, when they will compete in a full scrimmage, the third of the spring.
"We'll see how the quarterbacks do in a real game situation," Friedgen said of Saturday's practice. "We're going to have signals and no coaches on the field - the whole deal."
The scrimmage will take place at 10 a.m. at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. It will mark the final scrimmage prior to the Red-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 28 (3:30 p.m.).
